Sjostrand, Rachel L., authorDavies, Patricia L., advisorGraham, James, committee memberHepburn, Susan, committee member2021-01-112023-01-082020https://hdl.handle.net/10217/219512Objective. Current secondary transition programs have been less than satisfactory in student outcomes and have not adequately addressed skills necessary to transition into the adult world for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Individuals with ID and ASD have lower rates of attending postsecondary education, obtaining and maintaining a job, and living independently compared to their peers. The Empowerment Course is a one-year, postsecondary transition program designed to facilitate successful employment and/or educational outcomes for transition aged (18-26) young adults with disabilities. Two occupational therapists (OTs) were the instructors for the course, along with graduate OT students as mentors for participants enrolled in the Empowerment Course. Method. Students who completed the full academic year of the Empowerment Course over the past three years were included in analyses (n = 16). Students and instructors completed questionnaires at the beginning of the fall semester and at the end of the spring semester. A pretest-posttest design was used to assess student's perceived self-efficacy, competence in their job-seeking skills, quality of life, self-advocacy skills, and their ability to set and work towards goals. A series of t-tests were run to analyze the data. Student's attendance for lectures and labs of the Empowerment Course was also examined. Results. Students demonstrated significant improvements in goal attainment, job-seeking skills confidence, and in their self-advocacy skills. On average, student's attendance was greater than 95% for lectures and labs. Conclusions. Results suggest that participation in the Empowerment Course for students with ID and ASD may develop life skills beyond what is taught in high school transition programs. It was feasible to have OTs as instructors for this postsecondary transition program and to facilitate effective results.born digitalmasters thesesengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.intellectual disabilitypostsecondary educationautism spectrum disordertransition programoccupational therapyText