Phil Wilde

"What Works?," a documentary produced by the ILR School's Employment and Disability Institute, focuses on job preparation for high schoolers - including Carlos, a New York City teen, who found work as a carpenter in the Bronx.

One of today's most haunting economic questions centers on young adults. How can students -- especially those with disabilities -- compete for a place in the work world?

"What Works?'' is a documentary produced by the ILR School's Employment and Disability Institute that explains how collaboration between schools, businesses and students with disabilities pays off with jobs for teens. It premieres at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 on Syracuse PBS affiliate WCNY TV.

The 30-minute film features teens from three regions of New York state as they prepare to transition from high school.

"This film shows that it's possible to find inexpensive, yet innovative solutions to employment problems in a changing economy," said Senior Extension Associate Dave Brewer of the Employment and Disability Institute. "Kids with disabilities illustrate the resilience and resourcefulness all kids need to survive and prosper on their own."

The documentary grew from the Employment and Disability Institute's Model Transition Project, in which a team of researchers led by Brewer tracked the employment paths of 16,000 students with disabilities. Data collected from 150 high schools statewide from 2008 to 2010 is being interpreted so policymakers, teachers, vocational rehabilitation counselors and others can learn what leads to successful transitions into adulthood.

The research was funded by the New York State Education Department's Vocational Rehabilitation Agency and can be accessed at http://www.transitionsource.org.

Many of the 200,000 students with disabilities who exit New York high schools every year do not have the skills and experience to compete for jobs, especially in a down economy, Brewer said. However, in pockets across the state, businesses, schools and vocational rehabilitation counselors are helping students transition into adult life with paying jobs.

"What Works?" tells the stories of three students:

The documentary was sponsored by the Greater Southern Tier Board of Cooperative Educational Services, the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council and ILR's Employment and Disability Institute.

"What Works?" was made by Insights International Inc. Its owners, Ann Michel '77 and Phil Wilde '73, were the filmmakers.

Mary Catt is assistant director of communications at the ILR School.