Lauren Lindstrom, an associate professor in Family and Human Services at the University of Oregon's College of Education, represented the UO recently at the annual Zero Project Conference in Vienna, Austria.

Lindstrom spoke about her work with the Oregon Youth Transition Program –  a statewide outreach effort involving 115 high schools and a 22-year track record of helping high school-age youth with disabilities make the transition from high school to independent, adult life. The YTP was highlighted along with about 40 other programs from around the world – each considered by organizers as an exemplar for innovative practices – at the Austria conference.

The Zero Project advocates new approaches to the rights of people with disabilities internationally. Its mission is: “Working for a world with zero barriers.”

Dozens of international experts descended on Vienna for the conference to share best practices and field questions, but Lindstrom is one of few Americans who were invited to speak.

The international community has long admired the aim and results of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which coincidentally started the same year as the YTP (1990).

Though similar projects have popped up in recent decades, the Oregon Youth Transition Program may be unique in its longevity and the resulting volume of data it has generated. The program has served some 20,000 students with an average success rate of 80 percent to 85 percent.

Success, in YTP terms, means supporting students to complete high school and then transition into “engaged” status – that is, working, in college or some combination of the two. Lindstrom was invited to discuss the model at the Vienna conference because the YTP has been successful for so long and under many different scenarios.

The focus of the 2013 conference, which changes from year to year, was employment.

“Access to employment for people with disabilities is a critical international issue,” Lindstrom said before leaving for Vienna.

"My hope is that there are other countries that might want to replicate the Youth Transition Program model and be able to use what we’ve learned.”

- by Cody Pinkston, UO College of Education