The Team

What are staff members from vocational rehabilitation agencies, postsecondary Disability Support Services, and college Career Centers saying about collaboration?

"Important to work closely together so all are comfortable calling on each other for more assistance, more collaboration."

"Important to keep communication open - to know who to refer to if I need to."

"Need to make time to meet and develop relationships."

"I believe working together as a team on all aspects of collaboration creates a stronger, more effective service for college students with ASD."

College can be an exciting yet challenging time for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Not only do they need to keep up with their coursework, develop independent living skills, and build new relationships, they must also locate supports and services that can assist them throughout their college journey and ultimately into the job market.

The focus of this website is to provide information on creating a collaborative career planning model for college students with ASD. In order to help facilitate this process, collaboration among a team of key supports for college students with ASD is important. This team is composed of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), Disability Support Services (DSS), and Career Center counselors, as well as students and their family members. The team can provide an effective system of support throughout the student's stages of educational and career development. This section will give an overview of VR, DSS, and Career Center programs and discuss the role of families in collaborating with services providers.