Interagency partnerships and funding: Individual supports for
youth with significant disabilities as they move into postsecondary education
and employment options
Affiliations: Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of
Massachusetts and Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA | Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, Boston, MA,
USA
Note: [] Institute for Community Inclusion (UAP), Children's Hospital,
300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Tel.: +1 617 355 7443; Fax: +1 617
355 7940; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Massachusetts youth with significant disabilities, ages 18 to 22,
have new opportunities to enter postsecondary education and employment options
while still under the auspices of their local school districts. This article
describes how an interagency partnership of adult service agencies, the
Community Based Employment Services (CBES) program, was utilized by high
school-based Youth Support Teams (YSTs) to develop a new individual support
model of collaborative funding for transition-aged youth. Section 1 of this article presents the rationale for using an
individual support model of service delivery and describes the six-step process
that supports the vision of participating youth. Section 2 discusses the
development and main components of the CBES partnership.
Keywords: postsecondary outcomes, interagency partnerships, and individual support model
