Making a Difference: An Employer's Handbook on Hiring People with Disabilities.

The Special Education Vocational Education Program (SEVEP) is a program implemented by the Tucson Unified School District to bring area high school students with special needs together with cooperating employers. Eligible students are identified and pre-assessed regarding individual aptitudes, interests and needs. General instruction may include training in career decision-making skills, employability and social skills training, pre-entry development of specific vocational skills, and related instruction by a job development specialist. Subsequent on-the-job training involves extensive analysis and matching of job sites with student needs and abilities, as well as ongoing monitoring and re-evaluation by job development specialists and the completion of a training plan agreement specifying goals and responsibilities. Later support services include maintaining contact with the job development specialist and the provision of workshops, counseling and additional training as needed. Financial benefits to the employer include Targeted Job Tax Credits, wage subsidies from state and local agencies, and tax deductions for removal of architectural barriers. Other benefits include access to results of pre-screening and ongoing training support and technical assistance. The handbook identifies and gives corrective information for several popular misconceptions regarding handicapped people in the workplace. Appendices explain acronyms, define vocational terms, and list informational pamphlets and sources of job site accommodation assistance. (PB)