Employment is one of the biggest contributors to quality of life for people with disabilities--and that means well-planned work experiences should be an integral part of transition preparation for every secondary and postsecondary school aged youth. Make that happen with this practical guide, developed to help educators, transition specialists, and employment specialists facilitate individualized, person-centered work experiences and jobs for high school students and young adults with a wide range of disabilities. To help with every step of facilitating meaningful employment, readers will get examples of model programs, stories that illustrate what works and doesn't work, more than a dozen photocopiable tools and forms, and end-of-chapter "Learning Labs" with reflection questions and thought-provoking activities. Teachers and transition specialists will rely on this strategy-filled guidebook to connect students with the early work experiences they really want--and make lifelong career satisfaction the rule, not the exception, for people with disabilities. Contents include: (1) Work-Based Learning and Work Experiences as Indispensable Educational Tools; (2) Setting the Stage for Quality Work Experiences; (3) Planning for Work Experiences (Richard G. Luecking and George P. Tilson); (4) Work Experience and Disability Disclosure (Richard G. Luecking, Christy Stuart, and LaVerne A. Buchanan); (5) Supporting Families to Support Work Experience (Richard G. Luecking and Karen Leggett); (6) Workplace Partners: Strategies for Finding and Recruiting Employers; (7) Workplace Partners: Strategies for Retaining Effective Employer Participation; (8) Supporting Youth in the Workplace (Richard G. Luecking and George P. Tilson); (9) Workplace Mentors for Youth Workers (Richard G. Luecking and Meredith Gramlich); (10) Connecting with Professional and Agency Partners to Foster and Sustain Work Success; and (11) The Pursuit of Quality Work-Based Learning. About the Author, Contributors, Foreword (JD Hoye), Foreword (David R. Johnson), Preface, Acknowledgments and Index are also included.