Professional educators with disabilities have few, if any, effective support systems for finding employment in the public schools; and people with disabilities are under represented in public school professional positions. This proposal addresses two needs: 1) the need to deliver quality information about current public school job openings to teachers with disabilities; and 2) the need to deliver information to public school administrators regarding the advantages of hiring individuals with disabilities and the legal requirements. Phase 1 will consist of research and development on electronic bulletin board systems and information gathering and assessment from a sample of five primary sources: 1) State vocational/rehabilitation divisions such as VESID in New York (3); 2) Council for Exceptional Children and its state organizations (51); 3) Personnel administrators of local school districts (50); 4) Colleges with teacher education programs (40); and 5) individuals with disabilities who are certified teachers and trying to find employment. The surveys will enable Teaching Opportunities to propose a system that will provide current, accurate data about public school professional openings in a form and format that can be used most easily by individuals and organizations. The surveys will show what support services are provided for individuals with disabilities who are seeking teacher employment, what organizations provide or are willing to provide effective support services, and the extent to which districts are open to hiring a teacher with a disability.Anticipated Results and Possible Commercial Applications:
