ABSTRACT
Challenges to understanding the process of preparing for and engaging in the transition from school to adult life for work-bound youth with high-incidence disabilities are several-fold in that the nature of the disabilities presents both common and unique career needs, experiences, and potential. Several recent investigations have confirmed positive causal influences of inclusive placement and career-technical education on successful postsecondary education- and work-related outcomes, respectively, for students with high-incidence disabilities. Adolescent women are susceptible to certain barriers to career development, choice, and attainment due to socialized or internalized belief systems that lead women to avoid certain career fields and narrow career options earlier than males. The knowledge of career-related risk factors provided by Gottfredson aids our understanding of the career and work-related concerns of adolescents with high-incidence disabilities. External resilience factors are those influences that support the individual in their work-related decision-making including family, school, and community.
