When a student with a disability leaves high school, the responsibility of making sure that necessary accommodations are in place, finding training programs, and life skills, shifts from the school to the student and the student's family. In the public school setting, the school is responsible for providing assistive technology, ensuring accommodations, and providing specialized instruction. The school is responsible to seek out students with disabilities and determine what those students need. Once the students leave the public school setting, they no longer have the school staff providing these things and determining what is necessary The students and the student's family will be responsible for making employers, universities, and others with whom the student comes into contact, aware of the needs of the student and ensuring that accommodations are made.
It is important that while the student is still in the public schools, the IEP team prepare the student for the transition to adult life. Transition planning is a required part of the IEP process and must begin by the child's sixteenth birthday. The IEP team can, and should, begin sooner if it is appropriate. When drafting the student's individual education plan each year, the team should keep the end goal in mind.
Some Things To Consider When Transition Planning
Not every student will need everything that must be considered. The transition planning process is as individual as each student. The ideas should at least be considered, however, before the decision that the student does not need help in that area is made.
What are the student's post-high school goals?
Every transition plan should start with the student. What does the student want to do after high school? This could be going straight into a job, a job training program, college/university, or something else. This is going to be the focus of the plan. The team will need to examine what classes the student needs to take, what skills the student will need to have (this includes any social skills that need to be taught), and skills for filling out college/job applications as well as interviewing. If the student does not yet have any goals, the plan should include ways for the student to explore different options to help with the decision making.
In addition to career goals, keep in mind the student's plans for living arrangements. Is the student planning to live on his own, with parents, in a group home, with room mates? The team will need to consider whether or not the student needs instruction related to self care, social skills, and finances to meet the living arrangement goals.
Also consider the student's plans for transportation. Is the student planning on driving a car or taking public transportation? How will the student accomplish these things? Is the student already arranging her own transportation or is this something the team needs to teach?
Self Advocacy
It is important to keep in mind that the transition from school to post-school involves a shift in responsibility. The school will no longer be responsible for ensuring that the student's needs are met. The responsibility shifts to the student at high school graduation. The student will be responsible for making sure that the university, training program, or employer knows what accommodations are necessary and ensuring that the accommodations are in place. It is important that the team ensures that the student knows what the needs are and how to go about requesting the accommodations.
If the student will need assistance from outside agencies, such as vocational rehabilitation; medicaid; social security; job coaches; or other social service/disability service agency, the team will need to ensure that the student knows what services are available and how to access them.
For more information:
Work Ability Utah
Utah Parent Center
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