03 Dec 2020 3 DECEMBER 2020 The transition from education to employment is one of the most essential life events for all young people, including youth with disabilities. About 15 per cent of the world’s population live with some form of disability and an estimated 690 million persons with disabilities are in Asia and the Pacific region. The majority of these young people, some 150 million (80 per cent), live in the developing world. Transition from school to work is about choices, career options, living and social arrangements, and economic decisions that may have lifelong consequences. For persons with disabilities, this kind of transition is often very difficult, due to several limitations imposed by stigma against disability and the complexity of services intended to support this transition. Coming to the job market with little education and few or no skills, some differently abled people have difficulty competing. For some, specific physical or intellectual differences may further limit their job options. For most, biased mindsets also make employers hesitant to hire them. This webinar not only marks the celebration of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD 2020) but brings forward and highlights this critical area, which is pivotal in ensuring that the existing gap between education and employment can be addressed meaningfully in alignment with IDPD 2020 theme “Building Back Better: Toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world”. The event will host five young individuals with disabilities from across the Asia-Pacific region to discuss challenges and additional needs in terms of accessing employment opportunities. The following questions will be addressed during the webinar: What are the major challenges faced in school? What are their needs in order to reduce the achievement gap between children with disabilities and their peers? How do these challenges impact future employment opportunities for youth with disabilities? What have been the main issues and concerns for job seekers with disabilities? What has worked well to ensure consideration for interviews and to secure employment? What are the risk mitigation measures to ensure youth with disabilities stay employed? What practical actions can be taken in the short, medium and long term to enable youth with disabilities to acquire the right skills and jobs? To be financially independent, what measures can be helpful? The answers to these questions will make an important contribution to develop relevant and targeted strategies in building a more inclusive and equitable society which facilitates employment opportunities for youth with disabilities. Objectives To share experiences and perspectives of the transitioning period, from education to employment from youths with disabilities; To share examples of good practices and successful disability inclusive policy to support the transition period; To propose suggestions on specific actions that can be taken to support youths with disabilities to acquire the right skills and to secure a right position in the labor market and mitigate the risks associated with financial insecurity.