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“TEAM” LEGISLATION
TO ENSURE EFFECTIVE TRANSITION OF YOUTH WITH SIGNIFICANT DISABILITIES TO ADULTHOOD THROUGH EDUCATION, EMPOWERMENT AND EMPLOYMENT

Representative Gregg Harper (R-MS) has introduced three bills collectively known as Transition toward Excellence, Achievement and Mobility, or the TEAM legislation. It is intended to

• streamline federal programs and services that support youth with significant disabilities from youth to adulthood, and
• rebalance funding to focus on improved outcomes in post-secondary education and integrated employment

These three bills (known separately as the TEAM-Education Act, the TEAM-Empowerment Act, and the TEAM-Employment Act) all collectively seek to promote meaningful post-secondary educational and employment opportunities, with an emphasis on the eventual outcome leading to sustained, full-time employment in an integrated setting at a livable wage, long-term career development and growth, and inclusion in the community setting through independent living and social engagement. 

The TEAM-Education Act would ensure that schools are provided additional resources to hire transition coordinators to proactively support our kids during their transition years in the public school system.  The TEAM-Empowerment Act also creates an adult transition planning process and system of transition supports for youth and their families under the auspices of the state intellectual and developmental disability agencies to ensure that our youth can choose a broker to work with them as they seek to use their public supports to secure a desired post-secondary educational opportunity or employment at a livable wage in an integrated setting.  The TEAM-Employment Act seeks to stimulate a national system-change initiative, which will ensure that agencies coordinate services better to produce the desired outcomes of integrated living and employment.  This includes incentivizing and rewarding those states who reshape the focus of their current funding streams to promote those services that lead to getting our youngsters fully participating in the community through the general workforce and economic mainstream.

Representative Harper stated, “My intent in introducing the TEAM legislation is to ensure that steps are taken to realign the current federal infrastructure so as to promote an efficient blending of resources and coordination of services among federal agencies, ensure coherent planning centered on the individual, and target publicly-financed investments toward self-directed meaningful outcomes that optimize self-sufficiency and allow individuals with significant disabilities to become contributing members of their communities.  Publicly-financed services and support should be directly linked toward helping youth secure real jobs at real wages in integrated communities, pursue and complete post-secondary education, meaningfully engage in the economic mainstream, secure independent living and participate fully as citizens of our society”.

Representative Harper, a second-term Congressman from Mississippi, has a son with Fragile X, the most common inherited cause of mental retardation and the only known genetic cause of autism.  Harper has been an ardent advocate for the intellectual disability community and for promoting public policies that ensure the effective and efficient use of federal resources to support optimal self-sufficiency and economic advancement of citizens with significant disabilities. Approximately twelve national organizations are already on record endorsing the package of reform legislation.

More Information & Resources:

• The TEAM Education Act
• Overview
• Bill
• The TEAM Empowerment Act
• Overview
• Bill
• The TEAM-Employment Act
• Overview
• Bill