Tip Sheets & Issue Briefs

The Strengthening Career and Technical Education (CTE) for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V, P.L. 115-224) provides new opportunities for states to serve learners with disabilities in CTE. Perkins V specifies that learners with special population status, including learners with disabilities, need to be prepared for high-wage, high-skill, in-demand employment opportunities or post-secondary education. Perkins V requires state and local leaders to describe how CTE will be made available to learners with special population status and provides flexible funding and policy levers to achieve that goal.

The COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges for the provision of Career and Technical Education (CTE) for Students with Disabilities (SWDs). Many schools were forced to rapidly pivot to providing remote or virtual learning rather than the hands-on learning common to CTE. Despite challenges, state policymakers, educators, workforce administrators and CTE personnel responded to pandemic exigencies, leveraged funding and developed strategies to promote and maintain CTE for SWDs. This brief describes adaptations used by states to respond to challenges with CTE for SWDs during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Do you know that you can take your Emotional Support Animal (ESA) with you to college? Find out more about bringing your ESA to college with you in this tip sheet.

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is an animal that provides therapeutic benefit (e.g., emotional support, comfort, companionship) to a person with a mental health or psychiatric disability (such as a serious mental health condition). In this tip sheet, we describe what an Emotional Support Animal is an is not as well as how someone can look into getting one.

This policy proposal is for a demonstration of career and technical education (CTE) for students with emotional disturbance (ED) using guidance from the Translating Evidence to Support Transitions in Career and Technical Education program (TEST-CTE). Various federal agencies have mechanisms for supporting a TEST-CTE demonstration and an impact evaluation focused on diversion from employment and disability benefits. TEST-CTE would help states and districts satisfy their obligations under federal laws including the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Career and Technical Education (or CTE) classes are a great way to learn skills for a future career. CTE is the practice of teaching career skills to students. By taking a concentration of CTE courses, high school students can graduate with special certifications that make them eligible to work in certain jobs. These certifications can help high school graduates get a head start in college or career. This tip sheet provides high school students with information about what CTE classes are, how to choose a CTE focus for classes and how to request any accommodations that may be needed.

This tip sheet has questions that are intended to help students with mental health conditions, their supporters, and loved ones make decisions about whether the student should return to college this fall.

This tip sheet provides tips for how students (ages of 3 to 21) who receive special education services in public schools can take a leadership role in their individualized education programs (IEP) and transition planning.

This tip sheet provides high school students with tips on how to identify community partners, how they can help students, and how to students can include them in the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.

This is a tough time for everyone. College students have been asked to leave campus and finish the semester remotely, which may not be something they are used to. While this is a hard adjustment for most college students, this change may be more difficult for young adult college students with mental health conditions. Since trying to finish the semester remotely can be a challenge, we’ve collected some tips that may be helpful.

College students with mental health conditions struggle to succeed academically potentially limiting their future. Previous research has shown that college students of all ages with mental health conditions under-utilize academic supports. However traditional (i.e. young adult) and non-traditional (i.e. older adult) students...

College education or training can be the passport to economic self-sufficiency for young adults with a mental health condition. Research has shown that young adults with mental health conditions struggle to complete high school and college more so than any other disability group...

Most schools are used to providing typical accommodations such as: note taker, extra time for assignments, and assistive technology for students of many different disabilities. Yet, the challenges of having a mental health condition are unique. This tip sheet will help you to think “outside-the-box” to get the educational accommodations that help you with your unique struggles. A Spanish translation of this publication is available.

In this tip sheet, we offer parents and guardians some information on 504 plans based on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This tip sheet is also available in Spanish.

Tip sheet for youth and young adults with mental health conditions which provides information about mental health rights, rules, and resources for college students. This tip sheet is also available in Spanish and Vietnamese versions.

This tip sheet is for college students having trouble with school due to mental health. Schools are obligated to provide extra supports and services to help students succeed called accommodations. Topics covered include what accommodations can be asked for, how to get accommodations, and confidentiality. This tip sheet is also available in Spanish.