Special Populations
Definitions
The 2006 Perkins Act lists six Special Populations:
Individuals with Disabilities
An individual with any disability as defined in Section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Individuals from economically disadvantaged families, including foster children
In Hawai‘i the standard used for defining economically disadvantaged is
- Secondary—a student who qualifies for free or reduced lunch
- Post secondary—a student who qualifies for a Pell grant
Individuals preparing for nontraditional fields
Nontraditional fields are defined as occupations or fields of work, including careers in computer science, technology, and other current and emerging high skill occupations for whom individuals from one gender comprise less that 25% of the individuals employed un each such occupation or field of work.
Single parents, including single pregnant women
This includes pregnant and parenting teens and both fathers and mothers
Displaced homemaker
An individual who has worked primarily without remuneration to care for a home and a family and for that reason has diminished marketable skills; has been dependent on the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income; or is a parent whose youngest dependent child will become ineligible to receive assistance under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; and is employed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.
Individuals with limited English Proficiency
A person who has limited English speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language and whose native language is a language other than English; or who lives in a family of community environment in which a language other than English s the dominant language.
Resources
- Special Populations - brochure
Describes the unique benefits of Career Pathways for each of the six Special populations. This is an excellent resource for faculty, community members, or parent groups. - Nontraditional Occupations for Women and Men - brochure
Organized by Career Pathway, this brochure lists both the Department of Education and Community College lists of nontraditional CTE programs of study, and includes related web sites and top reasons for choosing nontraditional careers.