Roads to Learning and Earning (RTLE)
The Roads to Learning and Earning website is the product of a North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) Grant entitled Learning and Earning After High School: The Role of Transition Services in Raising Expectations and Attitudes for Students with Intellectual Disabilities. Drs. Kelly Kelley and David Westling began this work in the fall of 2013.
Currently, this project is funded by a U.S. Department of Education grant (#H325K170033) titled Roads to Learning and Earning: Preparing Personnel to Improve Post-School Outcomes for Students with Significant Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The current grant, co-directed by Drs. Kelly Kelley and Karena Cooper-Duffy, holds a focus on bringing more awareness and practice regarding transition services along with working with professionals and families to ensure individuals with a disability are accomplishing everything they desire to achieve.
RTLE is housed on the campus of Western Carolina University (WCU) in Western North Carolina and works in conjunction with the University Particiapant (UP) Program, a two-year inclusive post-secondary education program.
The Roads to Learning and Earning (RTLE) initiative provides resources for students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID), their families, and their teachers that may be used as they transition from high school to their communities. We hope to be able to raise expectations of parents, teachers, administrators, and students; demonstrate possibilities of competitive employment, post-secondary education/training, and independent living options for youth; and provide teachers, parents, and student with a guide to prepare students and create opportunities for positive outcomes.