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New Partnership Establishes Scholarship Opportunities | |
We are excited to announce that The Able Trust has partnered with the Florida Prepaid College Foundation in a one-to-one match to fund 46 Florida Prepaid College Plans for High School High Tech students.
The Able Trust Road to Independence and Success in Education (RISE) Scholarships will help cover tuition or credit-hour costs for technical or state college enrollment.
Student eligibility requirements for The Able Trust RISE Scholarships include active participation in High School High Tech and demonstrated intent to enroll at a Florida postsecondary institution.
Scholarships will be awarded in the form of 1-Year Florida College Plans given to graduating students to be used beginning in their fall semester in 2026. These scholarships provide one full year of tuition at any of Florida’s 28 state colleges, and the value of the plan can be applied at other public or private postsecondary institutions in Florida.
More information and the RISE Scholarship application requirements will be presented at the HSHT conference in December. In the meantime, if you have any questions, contact Coleen Agner at Coleen@abletrust.org.
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Enrollment Link for HSHT Students:
The online enrollment form is available to enroll all HSHT students. CLICK HERE to access the online form and if you have questions about the form or enrollment process, contact Coleen Agner at Coleen@abletrust.org.
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HSHT Conference:
Don't forget to mark your calendars for the HSHT Conference! It will take place December 2-4, 2025 at the Brownwood Hotel, 3003 Brownwood Blvd, Wildwood, FL 32163. More details to come!
| | Recognizing Disability Employment Awareness Month | |
Publix NDEAM Events
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Publix is offering virtual sessions on October 21st and October 27th where students can learn about careers in retail and non-retail areas. Check out these virtual events to learn more about building a rewarding future with Publix.
CLICK HERE or scan the QR code below to register.
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The Able Trust and ABLE United are partnering to recognize the importance of DEAM. Check out the blog by Joey D'Souza, Senior Vice President with The Able Trust as he discusses a HSHT alumnus and the importance of having the right financial tools.
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The Guideposts for Success is used as the framework for the HSHT program and provides guidelines for developing HSHT programming. The Able Trust requires HSHT sites to develop meaningful opportunities around the Guideposts, their students' goals and available community resources.
We are collecting examples of activities conducted at HSHT sites throughout the year that you can adapt for your own program. Click the button below to view this quick reference. We will update it quarterly and continue to highlight HSHT activities that may help spark ideas for your own program.
| | Photos of our HSHT students and their activities are crucial to effective program reporting as well as helping us tell the story about the amazing work being done in HSHT programs across Florida. To help HSHT coordinators track the type of photos we're looking for, we've developed a quick photo reference guide that lists photo descriptions by category. | |
To streamline the process of submitting photos, you can scan the QR code to email photos to pics@abletrust.org.
CLICK HERE to view the photo list.
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Duval, Clay and St. Johns Counties
High School High Tech students toured Eat Your Yard Jax, a nonprofit edible and medicinal plant nursery and educational center located in Jacksonville. They toured the farm and aquaponics, picked fresh produce, and even made their own “yard soup” while tasting the fruits and veggies of their hard work!
(Courtesy of ARC Jax)
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Gulf County
Florida HSHT started their 2025-26 year at the Sugar Shack Ice Cream shop. Students heard from Port St. Joe high school alumnus Chase Rogers and learned about career opportunities in corrections from Sergeant Ruiz of the Gulf Correctional Institution. Students also got an inside look at what it takes to work at the Sugar Shack from manager Kelli Orwin. It was a sweet start to the year and a great opportunity to explore career options.
(Courtesy of CareerSource Gulf Coast)
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We hope you're following The Able Trust on our social media platforms but if you missed the post about Axel's story - in her own words - CLICK HERE.
And check out other HSHT student highlights by visiting our main Student Highlight webpage. We look forward to updating this webpage regularly with more stories about student successes and the activities and events your students are participating in!
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"High School High Tech wasn’t just about academics or jobs; it was about helping students with disabilities like mine explore real opportunities, build skills, and gain confidence in a world that so often overlooks us. And for the first time in a long time, I felt a spark of hope. I didn’t have to fight to be seen—High School High Tech saw me already."
-- Alexandra “Axel” Garcia, Broward County
| | 2025-26 High School High Tech Ambassadors | | |
Several HSHT coordinators have asked about the Ambassadors program we have conducted over the last two years. As indicated in Leanne Rexford’s recent email, we have streamlined student applications for the 2025-26 program year and simplified the process for everyone.
If you have a student you believe would be a good candidate to be an HSHT Ambassador, contact Leanne Rexford (leanne@abletrust.org) and she will reach out to you to learn more about the student. She will then ask you to connect her to the student and once she has their contact information, she will work directly with the student from that point on.
Leanne will schedule a Zoom meeting with the student and their parent/guardian to explain the role of an ambassador. If the student decides they would like to participate, their participation as an HSHT Ambassador takes place on an as-needed basis.
They may be invited to attend an event in their area, conduct an interview with our communications manager for a newsletter, social media post or article, or contribute their skills—like writing or art—to use in awards, social media or newsletters.
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The program becomes an opportunity for students to represent their HSHT class, build professional and social skills, learn to network, and showcase their talents. If an Ambassador participates in an activity, The Able Trust will compensate them accordingly.
We welcome students who are currently enrolled in HSHT but priority will be given to HSHT graduates who may have a better understanding of how HSHT benefited them through the lens of their experience.
There is no deadline for recommending a student; we will take recommendations throughout the year.
We look forward to getting to know more HSHT students this year. If you have questions, feel free to contact Leanne.
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Autism Speaks Webinar: Employment Law Essentials for Employers
Employing people with autism and related conditions is known to lead to positive business outcomes. As part of their commitment to help employers recruit, hire, welcome and retain these valuable employees, Autism Speaks is hosting quarterly resource group meetings with industry experts. This quarter they will have attorney Matthew Korn of the firm Fisher Phillips discuss legal issues in disability employment.
November 12, 2025, 10:00 AM EST
In this 45-minute session, employment attorney Matthew Korn will highlight key workplace issues affecting organizations that employ or want to employ neurodiverse teams. We’ll cover the latest developments in hiring and termination best practices, accommodations under the ADA, and practical strategies for minimizing risk while supporting employees. Attendees will leave with actionable guidance and resources to navigate today’s complex employment law landscape. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
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FloridaShines
FloridaShines partners with Florida’s public colleges and universities, K-12 school districts, technical colleges, and other educational organizations to develop tools that support students, parents, and educators. FloridaShines provides profiles of Florida's public colleges and universities, information about Career and Technical Centers, courses required for specific programs, admissions requirements and deadlines, information on how to pay for college and more. All resources are provided to students at no cost. CLICK HERE.
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2026 SparkForce Summer Manufacturing Camp Grant Application
Bring a Manufacturing Camp to Your Community - Inspire the next generation of manufacturers by hosting a summer manufacturing camp at your school. Grant funding is available through SparkForce, The FMA Foundation, to help cover the costs of running an engaging, hands-on camp that introduces students to rewarding careers in manufacturing. CLICK HERE.
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AT&T Achievery
A free and safe online learning platform created by AT&T to provide K-12 students with engaging and entertaining videos paired with educational activities. CLICK HERE.
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NTACT Self Advocacy
Instruction in self-advocacy is one of the five required Pre-Employment Transition Services and supports the Youth Leadership and Development Guidepost. To download resources including Guiding Questions, Activities, Progress and Outcome Indicators, CLICK HERE.
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Project 10: Transition Education Network
Project 10 is Florida’s statewide IDEA-funded state project supporting the secondary transition of youth with disabilities. Project 10 assists school districts in providing transition services and programs to assist youth with disabilities in their transition to adulthood. To learn more, CLICK HERE.
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Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities
The Florida Center for Students with Unique Abilities at the University of Central Florida serves as the state coordinating center to establish and support quality comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities in collaborating with universities, state and technical colleges, with the goal of increasing independent living and competitive integrated employment. For more information, CLICK HERE.
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