Illinois Center for Transition and Work

09/18/2026

Happy Friday!

We are brining you another great breakout session from this year's ICTW Symposium. Check it out below!

Teaching Real Work: Evidence-based Skill Building in Project SEARCH
Jessica Wisneski, Skills Trainer, Employment Specialist
Megan Kobliska, Instructor, LBS1 & Case Manager
UChicago AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital Project SEARCH

At the UChicago AdventHealth Bolingbrook Hospital Project SEARCH site, we prepare interns for competitive, integrated employment by emphasizing realistic, industry-aligned job training. This video highlights our approach, instructional strategies, and employment outcomes, demonstrating how meaningful work experiences lead to competitive, integrated employment for all students.

Link: https://youtu.be/GXlT_0X0RJc?si=pIxzN_C1dFah2k5B&t=1

09/14/2026

Just one more day to register for the north workshop!

🍂 Fall workshops are coming—and registration is NOW OPEN!

Join the Illinois Center for Transition and Work for our 2026 Regional Workshop, Plot Twist: Independent Living Skills ARE Employment Skills.

This interactive workshop will explore the connection between independent living skills and career readiness and share practical, evidence-based strategies for better preparing students with disabilities for success in work, education, and adult life.

📍 Northern Illinois: Sept. 29 | Alsip
📍 Central Illinois: Oct. 7 | East Peoria
📍 Southern Illinois: Oct. 22 | Effingham

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! ➡️ https://ictw.illinois.edu/events/ -workshops

09/11/2026

Presentation Anncouncement!

Paula Mueller, ICTW Training Specialist, is presenting at the 3rd Annual ITAPS Virtual Conference!

The conference will feature practical, strategy-focused sessions for educators who support students with IEPs, including general and special education teachers, instructional coaches, interventionists, related service providers, paraprofessionals, and administrators. Topics include instructional strategies, executive function, behavior, data, transition, autism, and more.

Date: October 9, 2026
Location: Virtual
Cost: FREE!

If you or anyone you know is interested in attending, click the link here: https://reg.learningstream.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0111-0030-16138fdc735c4b33ba7ef279e288c925

09/09/2026

Registration closes for our northern workshop on September 15th! Hurry and secure your spot before it's too late! Register at the link below.

https://appserv7.admin.uillinois.edu/FormBuilderSurvey/Survey/uiuc_college_of_education/ictw/registration0/

🍂 Fall workshops are coming—and registration is NOW OPEN!

Join the Illinois Center for Transition and Work for our 2026 Regional Workshop, Plot Twist: Independent Living Skills ARE Employment Skills.

This interactive workshop will explore the connection between independent living skills and career readiness and share practical, evidence-based strategies for better preparing students with disabilities for success in work, education, and adult life.

📍 Northern Illinois: Sept. 29 | Alsip
📍 Central Illinois: Oct. 7 | East Peoria
📍 Southern Illinois: Oct. 22 | Effingham

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! ➡️ https://ictw.illinois.edu/events/ -workshops

09/04/2026

🍁 Fall Regional Workshops are underway and will be here before you know it! So sign up today and secure your spot before it's too late.

🔗 https://ictw.illinois.edu/events/regional-workshops

09/01/2026

📆 Mark Your Calendars!

The sixth annual ICTW Symposium will be back at the I Hotel and Illinois Conference Center in Champaign, April 29-30, 2027! Designed for special education and rehabilitation professionals, the ICTW Symposium is focused on career development and transition from school to work for students with disabilities who have extensive support needs. More information coming soon!

08/31/2026

How can we provide meaningful transition experiences for students with significant disabilities?

In this breakout session from this year’s ICTW Symposium, Elizabeth Merideth of the University of Missouri shares practical, scaffolded strategies for developing work-ready behaviors in students with complex support needs.

Watch to learn how job exploration, scaffolded instruction, and prompt fading can help students build independent communication, self-regulation, community safety, and job skills.

🔗 https://youtu.be/yV85ugTE1SY?si=NysK69uSWtdC6aoN🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🔗🐥

08/28/2026

With many schools already started, we want to reshare our job coach training information! We created two documents to help school personnel understand the job coach training options available and to who it's best suited for. Check them out at the link below!

https://ictw.illinois.edu/resources/job-coach-training

08/25/2026

Did you miss the 2026 ICTW Symposium? Great news! Our keynote is now live on our Youtube page!

This keynote presentation by Dr. Valerie Mazzotti during the 2026 Illinois Center for Transition and Work (ICTW) Symposium focuses on building interagency partnerships to support youth with disabilities in accessing and obtaining employment. Discussion revolves around the employment predictors of postschool success that support interagency collaboration and the importance of embedding the employment predictors within transition programming.

🔗 https://youtu.be/nw-6PMotBok?si=9wKHOQN5JsF3EW2t

08/20/2026

🍂 Fall workshops are coming—and registration is NOW OPEN!

Join the Illinois Center for Transition and Work for our 2026 Regional Workshop, Plot Twist: Independent Living Skills ARE Employment Skills.

This interactive workshop will explore the connection between independent living skills and career readiness and share practical, evidence-based strategies for better preparing students with disabilities for success in work, education, and adult life.

📍 Northern Illinois: Sept. 29 | Alsip
📍 Central Illinois: Oct. 7 | East Peoria
📍 Southern Illinois: Oct. 22 | Effingham

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! ➡️ https://ictw.illinois.edu/events/ -workshops