Pathways to Partnership: Collaborative Innovation in Transition Services
Funding: $2,980,000 | Federal Model Project (2023-2028)
Full Title: Maine Pathways to Partnership (P2P) Project
Lead Institution: Northwestern University RISEI Lab
The Maine P2P project aims to develop a collaborative innovative model to effectively improve transition services across agencies while increasing Competitive Integrated Employment (CIE) for children and youth with disabilities. This multi-stakeholder initiative brings together education, workforce, and independent living agencies to create seamless pathways from school to career.
Deliver transition services to 300-500 younger participants for career readiness development, establishing early foundations for future employment success.
Offer transition services to 300-500 older youth to facilitate entry or retention in competitive integrated work settings.
Train all Maine Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (MDVR) counselors and transition providers across partner agencies to deliver evidence-based services.
Establish a unified system enabling participants to transition seamlessly across three agencies: MDVR, Maine Department of Education (MDOE), and AlphaOne.
The Maine P2P initiative involves collaboration between multiple state agencies and local partners:
Interactive dashboards and visualizations
Detailed analysis of education and employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities in Maine using state-level data.
View Dashboard →National comparative analysis placing Maine outcomes in broader context using census and survey data from 2000-2022.
View Dashboard →This policy brief examines how coordinated services across agencies in Maine significantly enhance employment results for transition-age youth with disabilities. The document addresses systemic disparities in employment and educational attainment.
This policy brief demonstrates that VR programs benefit both individuals with disabilities and the broader economy through improved employment outcomes.
This study examines the effectiveness of vocational rehabilitation services for transition-age youth with disabilities in Maine, demonstrating substantial economic returns and earnings gains from VR services.
This research examines racial disparities across the VR process—application, eligibility, service provision, and employment outcomes—using 2017 national RSA-911 data. The study found that White individuals had lower application rates but higher eligibility, service, and employment rates compared to African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Hispanic groups, with significant variation across states.
For more information about the Maine P2P project, please contact:
Email: risei@northwestern.edu