Paths 2 the Future: Addressing Barriers to Education and Career Opportunities for Girls With Disabilities

• In Event: 68.061 - Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: 68.061-19 - Research on Identity of Women and Girls in Education

Abstract

Young women with disabilities are faced with both gender and ability-based discrimination and stereotypes as well as limited educational experiences and opportunities that ultimately contribute to poor long-term employment and educational outcomes. The Paths 2 the Future (P2F) curriculum is a school-based, gender-specific career development intervention designed to improve educational outcomes and expand career opportunities for young women with disabilities. Results from the first year of a four-year randomized controlled trial indicate that high school girls with disabilities who participated in the P2F intervention made significant gains in a latent variable construct consisting of items designed to measure career knowledge and skills (e.g. autonomy, self–advocacy, gender and disability knowledge, vocational skills self-efficacy, career outcome expectations and student engagement).

Authors

• Kara Hirano, University of Oregon

• Lauren Lindstrom, University of Oregon