U.S. Department of Education Awards More Than $251 Million to Improve Employment Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities

The U.S. Department of Education (Department) today awarded $251 million to 27 grantees across the country who are working to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to in-demand, good-paying jobs of the 21st century. These five-year grants, under the Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) program, will continue to promote competitive,integrated employment (CIE) so that youth and adults with disabilities are paid real wages for real jobs, while creating pathways to some of today's most in-demand fields.

"Today, more than 60 million adults live with a disability - each with unique talents and strengths. In our 21st century economy, we must provide more opportunities for these individuals to achieve their goals for competitive integrated employment, independence, and economic self-sufficiency," said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. "Through the Disability Innovation Fund and today's announcement, we'll make progress to overcome historic barriers to employment, while ensuring the varied needs, preferences, and goals of individuals with disabilities remain at the center of our vision for a strong, inclusive workforce."

The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) received more than 200 applications in response to its notice inviting applications. Applications focused on one of the following topics:

• Broadening access to advanced technology careers and creating a 21st century workforce of youth and/or adults with disabilities leading to CIE;
• Innovative applications of advanced technology to support youth and/or adults with disabilities leading to CIE;
• Justice involved youth with disabilities, including early intervention and reintegration from the juvenile justice system to the community, leading to CIE;
• Early intervention and workforce reintegration strategies for youth and/or adults with acquired disabilities that lead to CIE;
• Early intervention and workforce reintegration strategies for disconnected youth and/or disconnected adults with disabilities that lead to CIE; and
• Field initiated, under which applicants address innovative topic areas not otherwise included in this priority, or combine two or more topic areas into one application.

Grant recipients will develop, implement, evaluate, refine, and disseminate new or substantially improved model strategies or programs to transition youth and adults with disabilities to CIE. Additionally, the grant recipients should design the model demonstration projects for easy adoption by others.

Recipients come from 16 states, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, and they represent 13 institutions of higher education, nine nonprofits, four state agencies, and one institution of higher education/special institution.

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