and Suggested Strategies

Issue: Mentoring can have a dramatic impact on a young person’s life. Despite the increasing prevalence and importance of mentoring pro-grams for youth in general, few of these pro-grams, to date, intentionally include youth with disabilities. Defining the Issue Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of mentoring in helping youth develop skills, knowledge, and motivation to successfully transition from high school to adult life (Moccia, Schumaker, Hazel, Vernon, & Deshler, 1989; Rhodes, Grossman, & Resch, 2000). This transition is a major goal of youth with disabilities—one supported by both school systems and federal policy. Research on mentoring programs, however, reflects a lack of focus on specific applications of these programs for youth with disabilities. A review of 15 years of research on mentoring within organizations across the United States identifie