DOGE Cuts Popular Program for Students With Disabilities

Takeaways

• The Department of Government Efficiency abruptly canceled the Charting My Path for Future Success program only a month after its launch. The program aimed to assist students with disabilities in transitioning from high school to college or the workforce.
• The program offered personalized planning, goal-setting, and mentoring to help students with disabilities explore their strengths, interests, and potential career paths.
• Students and educators said they appreciated the hands-on activities, structured self-reflection, and personalized guidance provided by the program.
• Despite the program’s cancellation, various resources are available for parents of students with disabilities.

In January 2025, a new program designed to assist students with disabilities in transitioning from high school to college or the workforce started helping about 1,100 students in 13 school districts across the country. Despite positive feedback, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, canceled the program about one month after it opened to students. Students, parents, and educators who were excited about the potential of the program are left wondering how, or if, they may be able to replace or replicate the program.

The program, Charting My Path for Future Success, was a promising new initiative launched by the United States Department of Education. Designed to help students with disabilities connect their academic experiences to real-world goals, the program emphasized self-discovery, career planning, and long-term success.

What Charting My Path for Future Success Offered

Charting My Path centered around helping students create personalized plans for their future, whether those plans involved college, vocational training, entrepreneurship, or entering the workforce directly after high school. With guidance from trained advisers, students explored their strengths, interests, and potential career paths. In its most robust form, the program offered goal-setting exercises and one-on-one mentoring.

What set Charting My Path apart was its emphasis on helping students take ownership of their futures. It encouraged them to see themselves as active planners in their own journeys, not just passive participants in school systems.

Why Students and Educators Liked Charting My Path

Though its existence was brief, the program made an impression. Students appreciated the hands-on activities and time for structured self-reflection, something often missing in traditional academic settings. Teachers and counselors liked the way it attracted students who were otherwise disengaged or uncertain about their post-graduation plans.

The program also aligned well with existing educational goals, complementing career and technical education and college-readiness programs without duplicating them. Many educators said it filled a gap by providing personalized guidance without the pressure of grades or standardized testing.

Why the Program Was Canceled

The program’s cancellation on February 10 caught many off guard. Department of Education spokesperson Madi Biedermann told NPR that the program was a research project “with questionable implementation,” but provided few specifics.

The Results of the Cancellation

The program’s abrupt end left many students and educators disappointed, and some districts scrambling to adjust their spring plans. Though the Department of Education has not announced any replacement, discussions continue about how to preserve the elements of the program that worked, especially its focus on student agency and long-term planning.

For now, Charting My Path for Future Success serves as both a case study in how quickly promising programs can be cut short, and a reminder of how deeply students value the chance to think meaningfully about their futures.

Guidance and Resources for Parents of Students With Disabilities

Though the Charting My Path for Future Success program has been shuttered, there are other education services and resources that parents of students with disabilities can turn to, including the following:

• PACER Center. PACER Center offers training and information for parents of children with disabilities from birth to young adulthood. Information is available about special education programs, vocational training, employment, and other topics.
• Think College. Think College is a national initiative dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving research and practice in higher education for students with intellectual disabilities.
• National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C). NTACT:C provides information, tools, and support to deliver effective services and instruction for secondary students and out-of-school youth with disabilities.
• U.S. Department of Education – Office of Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR enforces federal civil rights laws in schools and with other recipients of Department of Education funding throughout the nation.
• Center for Parent Information & Resources (CPIR). The CPIR acts as a central hub of resources designed specifically for the network of parent centers serving families of children with disabilities.
• ABLE National Resource Center. The ABLE National Resource Center connects people with disabilities, their families, and others who support them to information about the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act and ABLE accounts.
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN seeks to help employers recognize the valuable contributions that qualified workers with disabilities add to the workforce. It provides job accommodation solutions, trusted interactive process strategies, and practical guidance on Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act for free to employers. Individuals with disabilities can also contact JAN for assistance in understanding their rights.

For guidance in addressing the complex needs of children with disabilities as they transition to adulthood, contact a special needs planning attorney in your area.

Keep in mind that attorneys who specialize in this area of law can assist parents of children with disabilities with much more than navigating their child’s educational rights. They also can walk them through creating legal documents such as special needs trusts, ensure their child’s ability to qualify for government benefits, and help them develop long-term plans for their child’s financial security, health care, and, if appropriate, guardianship needs.

For additional reading about resources for students with disabilities, check out the following articles:

• Transition Plans Support Adolescents With Disabilities
• A Vocational Training Program for Students With Disabilities
• When Children With Disabilities Turn 18, Part I
• Individualized Education Plans in Special Needs Planning
• Federal Government Rescinds Multiple ADA Guidance Documents