The Strategies for Workforce Inclusion and Family Training (SWIFT) Project

The PACER Center is a coalition of 18 disability groups serving youth with disabilities and their families. Project SWIFT is a program designed to increase awareness of parents of transition-age youth with disabilities about the resources of WIA-funded youth programs, as well as assist families in their efforts to access these programs. Project SWIFT provided technical assistance and training to its partnering agencies in order to expand capacity to serve youth with disabilities, and conducted outreach and promoted awareness of services to parents of youth with disabilities. A toll-free phone line was set up to provide information and referrals to the public and to youth-serving agency personnel.

Since Project SWIFT was not a direct service program, the major goal was for youth to receive direct services from partner agencies. Toward this aim, the project educated parents and staff from partner agencies to better meet the needs of youth with disabilities.

-The project developed a seven-session curriculum to train staff of WIA youth programs. Training was conducted for 55 WIA youth staff. WIA youth staff felt that SWIFT training had improved their confidence in working with youth with disabilities.

-The project developed a parent-training curriculum that trained 91 parents, youth, and other caregivers. Outreach was conducted to 100 diverse communities. Advocacy and referral services were provided to 316 individuals.

-Information was disseminated to 1,256 professionals in special education, vocational rehabilitation, youth development, and related fields.

-The parent-training curriculum was completed, posted on the website, and sent in CD form to a national network of parent training institutes; the staff-training curriculum was completed and posted on the website.