Parent's Role in Employment and Career Planning

Parents play a key role in preparing young people for employment. Ideally, the process should be started when the youth is in elementary and middle school. By the time youth enter high school, if the youth has already begun to learn about careers and has been part of money-making ventures.

Parents need to provide opportunities for youth to discuss and develop their interests and skills. Hopefully you have discussed with the youth in your life what is needed to become independent, make choices. Advocating for themselves and their own needs in the community is an important skill. The best advice for parents beginning to explore with youth the world of employment is to START EARLY!

Here are some tips for parents and families to help their youth begin the process of employment and career planning:

• Ask your youth what they think about employment and volunteer opportunities.
• Gather information about resources on postsecondary programs and employment opportunities.
• Learn about Michigan Rehabilitation Services (MRS), the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons (BSBP), and Michigan Works! one-stop service centers.
• Provide opportunities for your youth to practice leading their own IEP or Section 504 meetings.
• Visit a college disability office with your youth. Most colleges have a website with a page for the disability office.
• Discuss the changes in your parental role with the youth in your life and discuss written consent for you stay involved in their academic program.
• Plan for a supported decision-making arrangement that works for your family.
• Make sure the youth in your life has a state-issued photo identification card before turning 18. Schedule an in-person appointment at a local Secretary of State office. Encourage the youth to request accommodations for the appointment if needed.
• Identify assistive technology (AT) needs and support their advocacy in this area. Schools may contact the Alt + Shift Lending Library. Families may contact the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition’s AT Program at 800-578-0280.
• For youth who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, connect with Michigan Department of Education - Low Incidence Outreach for additional support with the transition process. 
• If your youth has a developmental disability, mental illness, or substance use disorder, and has Medicaid, you may contact your county’s Community Mental Health agency for find additional resources and programs in your area.

There is information available about the transition process and your rights under special education laws. You can also look at post-school options and adult agencies. It can all seem overwhelming, especially at the beginning, but help and support are available from a variety of places: schools, state agencies, community and family organizations like the Michigan Alliance for Families, and other families who have been through this process.

Parents have so much to share about strengths, needs, interests, and dreams. This is important information to discuss at annual IEP meetings and to use in supporting youth to create transition plans. Parents are essential partners with the school district throughout the entire special education process; this is especially true during transition planning.

A parent’s most important role in the employment process is to ensure that the youth’s voice is heard and that all team members listen and support the youth in developing the skills they need to be employed as an adult, whatever that looks like for them.

Learn more about Transition Planning for students with disabilities.