Empowering Students with Disabilities With Connecticut's Level Up Program
Parents with children with disabilities sometimes worry about what happens when their child graduates from high school. The thought of these young adults entering the workforce can feel overwhelming, especially when traditional employment pathways may not be designed with their unique needs in mind.
Connecticut families have access to a game-changing resource: the Level Up program offered by the Connecticut Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS), which is part of the Department of Aging and Disability Services.
What is the Level Up Program?
Level Up helps students 16-22 with disabilities prepare for competitive employment and create a path to independence in the future. Students with an IEP, 504 plan, or those who receive special education services likely qualify for this invaluable resource.
The program works by building partnerships between schools, families, and community employers to create meaningful work opportunities and skill development for students with disabilities. Rather than leaving families to navigate the transition to adulthood alone, Level Up provides extra support during this critical period.
How Level Up Transforms Possibilities for Students
BRS vocational rehabilitation counselors who are trained to work with students give the support, training and services needed to students to reach their potential and work with each person’s goals. BRS helps by:
- Teaching Self Advocacy: Students are helped with skills to speak up for themselves and the things that they think are important. Being able to ask for what you need, speak up for your rights, make choices and decisions that affect your life, ultimately gives you more control. That is an important goal!
- Counseling on Post Secondary Education: Students receive guidance and counseling about education beyond high school. College and vocational schools are real options to explore and consider to help students reach their full potential.
- Providing personalized career exploration: Students discover their strengths, interests, and career paths that interest them through guided activities and assessments.
- Offering real-world work experiences: Students gain practical skills and experience in actual workplaces by job-shadowing and having work-based learning experiences. Additionally, students can create connections with employers who value diversity in the workplace.
- Building essential workplace skills: Level Up helps students develop the soft skills employers value. Communication, teamwork, time management and problem-solving are all important job skills.
More Than Just Employment
While preparing students with disabilities for future employment is a primary goal, Level Up recognizes that true independence goes beyond employment. The program also addresses financial literacy, community involvement and independent life skills. These complementary skills create a good foundation for adult life, and help students to participate fully in their communities.
Families can sometimes feel frustrated about the opportunities available for their loved one or perhaps feel opportunities may be out of reach in a traditional employment setting. Level up helps make a path forward for students with disabilities to find employment with support.
Level Up focuses on each person’s ability and helps students identify their strengths. BRS uses that information to match them with opportunities that uses those strengths. This shift in perspective is helpful for the students AND entire families. Students often feel more confident and develop a sense of purpose. For the first time, many begin talking about their future with genuine excitement rather than anxiety.
Building Independence, One Step at a Time
What makes Level Up particularly effective is its gradual approach to independence. Students aren't thrown into competitive employment without preparation. Instead, they go through carefully designed stages of support:
- Initial meeting with a Level Up Counselor and coordination of services
- Skill development and post-secondary guidance in a supportive environment
- Graduated work based-learning experiences with appropriate accommodations
- Ongoing onsite supports and mentorship as needed
- Transition to VR Services as they get closer to exiting the Level Up Program
This progressive model ensures that students build confidence along with new skills. This reduces anxiety and increases the likelihood of long-term success.
How to Get Your Child Involved
Parents with children between 16 and 22 years old that have an IEP, 504 plan, or receive special education services, can connect with the Level Up program by:
- Contacting your child's special education teacher or transition coordinator to express interest in the program.
- Reaching out directly to the local ADS Rehabilitation Services office nearest to your home. Find the complete list at the bottom of our contact us page.
The application process is easy, and BRS staff can guide families through each step. The sooner students enroll, the more time they'll have to benefit from the program's resources.
A Community of Empowered Families
The most unexpected benefit of Level Up is the community it creates among families. Parents who have felt isolated in their journey suddenly find themselves connected with others who understand their experiences.
As parents of students in the program, understanding what is possible for their child also broadens their own understanding of the resources available to them and how much they can help. They become advocates for their children and also have a more inclusive vision of employment.
For parents wondering about their child's future beyond high school, exploring what Level Up offers is a valuable step. This program represents more than just services – it represents possibility, dignity, and the chance for young people with disabilities to create their own paths to fulfilling adulthood.