Work 29 (2007) 13–18 13 IOS Press Introducing a school-to-work transition model for youth with disabilities in South Africa Leonora Nel a,* , Colette van der Westhuyzen a and Kitty Uys b a Pretoria School for Learners with Disabilities, Pretoria, South Africa b Center for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa Abstract. Historically, transition from the school into sustainable employment has been the outcome for very few who completed their schooling at the Pretoria School for Learners with Special Educational Needs. This resulted in the development of a transition model, based on models successfully implemented in the United States of America, which addresses the range of transition needs of youth with disabilities in the South African context. This article gives a short description of the content of the program, and the context within which it functions. Keywords: Special needs, sustainable employment, occupational therapy, learners with special educational needs (LSEN) 1. Introduction Since the restoration of democracy in the country in the 1990’s, the South African Government has com- mitted itself to developing policies and legislation to address inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWD) in all areas of society. The education service provider has a mandate to pre- pare learners with special educational needs (LSEN) who previously would have been excluded from the open labor market, to enter into competitive employ- ment and achieve optimal independent living [15,17]. To achieve this, Outcome-based Education has been implemented in the Revised National Curriculum State- ment (RNCS) [16] and LSEN ought to be included in- to mainstream schools as directed by Department of Education, White Paper 6 [7]. Historically, PWD have been particularly vulnera- ble to unemployment, which contributes to a growing poverty status. Most of the PWD therefore depend on * Address for correspondence: Leonora Nel, Occupational Ther- apist, Pretoria School for Learners with Disabilities, Private Bag X23513, Gezina, 0031, Republic of South Africa. Tel.: +27 12 323 4455/6; Fax: +27 12 323 0347; E-mail: leonora@vodamail.co.za. small social grants, even though these are insufficient for daily living requirements [6,10]. This bleak pic- ture turned the focus to the critical outcomes of LSEN education, as these play a role in defining a person’s identity and place in society, providing a personal sense of purpose and value,and providing a means of liveli- hood. It is an arena for interpersonal exchange and for building relationships, providing a meaningful source of satisfaction and in achieving a sense of normality to some extent [3,6]. Access to employment for PWD is supported by leg- islation such as the Employment Equity Act [8], and its Code of Good Practice [5], which addresses accessi- bility and reasonable accommodation. However, hav- ing considered these inclusive strategies developed by Government, professionals’ experience of the current status reflects a marked tension between theory and practice. In 2002, informal feedback obtained from parents, and former employers of learners who had completed their schooling at Pretoria School suggested that the majority of post-school learners were unem- ployed, socially isolated, displayed dependent behav- ior patterns and were prone to passivity and depression. Some sources also reported involvement in criminal activities. Similar tendencies were reported in other countries as well [4]. Apparent reasons given for un- 1051-9815/07/$17.00  2007 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved