Transition: The Journey from School to Adult Life

by Ellen Condon

In 1997, the laws affecting education for students with disabilities changed and the focus on transition services was enhanced. One major impact of this change is the increased emphasis on achieving “outcomes” for students with disabilities, rather than merely providing access to regular education or supporting them to graduate. Many times students and parents haven’t thought about what the future looks like or they may be unaware of the possibilities for students with disabilities. Parents and teachers many times don’t know what is available for adult services, how to access these services and coordinate supports for students accessing multiple services. Transition planning can be a confusing and complex process for parents, students, teachers and even professionals for several reasons.

IDEA 1997 defined transition services as “services and supports which assist students as they move from school into community participation and employment”.

By law, schools need to support families and students at age 14, or younger if appropriate, to identify desired “post school outcomes”. These outcomes include: employment, community participation, recreation and leisure, post secondary training or learning opportunities and independent living. “What will the student’s life look like the day after they walk down the aisle at graduation?” “ Where are students going to live when they graduate from high school?” “What will they do for employment or ongoing education?” “Who will provide or pay for their ongoing services or supports?”

Identifying post school outcomes is crucial to ensuring that the student’s curriculum or “course of study” is meaningful, motivates them to complete school, and leads them toward their desired post school goals. Additionally, each student’s present level of performance needs to be described in relation to the post school outcomes. The present level of performance serves as the baseline or starting point and highlights the skills that the student needs to acquire to participate in adult life.

Each student’s IEP is required to have an outline of “transition service needs” or a “course of study” the year in which the student will turn 14. Basically, these are the courses or experiences that are outlined for the individual student which will help prepare them for the identified post school outcome. Through the four-year plan, a path or road map is created for students to move from school to their post school outcomes. For example, if a student states that he wants to live in an apartment on his own and work with cars as an auto mechanic his “transition service needs” might reflect some community-based instruction for grocery shopping, taking a home economics class to learn cooking skills, taking an auto mechanics class in high school, or performing a community based work assignment or apprenticeship with a business in the community that works on cars.

At age 16, the IEP team is required to document “needed transition services” or “ a coordinated set of activities for a student designed within a outcome oriented process, that promotes movement from school to post-school outcomes” IDEA, 1997. The IEP team begins planning out the activities or steps to ensure that the student moves smoothly from school to their post school outcomes. The team reviews what supports are provided currently to the student, and looks at what supports are most likely to be needed for the student to succeed after school. Community service agencies and supports which could assist the student as an adult are identified and asked to participate in the student’s IEP. These agencies could be human service agencies or generic services available in the community to anyone with or without a disability. Again the point of the law is to set up supports for the student to smoothly move from the supports provided in the school to supports available in the community. This sounds uncomplicated but many times it becomes quite the opposite.

In schools, students who meet the eligibility requirements for Special Education Services are entitled to those services. As adults, even if they are eligible for services through an agency, services are based on availability. Many vendors have increasingly long waiting lists. Also different agencies provide different types of services for different time frames, and they may have different eligibility requirements for whom they will serve. In schools, services have been organized and directed by the special education teacher. As an adult, parents and/or students need to direct their own search and application for services. It is essential for families, students and teachers to be aware of available service agencies and be knowledgeable about who is eligible and what services are offered.

Sometimes what families and students want for services aren’t available or don’t exist in their area. The challenge for the IEP team is to become creative and look at alternative ways to support the student to achieve the desired post school outcome. If a student will need support to live in the community but there is a long waiting list for residential services through the adult service agency in their area, maybe they could purchase their own home and recruit a roommate who would meet some of their support needs in exchange for rent. Non-traditional providers, e.g. a neighbor, sibling or friend, could be more flexible and less expensive than traditional agencies. IEP teams also need to explore all potential funding streams including Social Security Work Incentives, private pay, or piece various agencies funding together to create a support network for the individual.

If we want students with disabilities to succeed as adults we must begin with the desired end in mind and pro-actively, creatively and collaboratively plan and direct their preparation for adulthood.

REFERENCES

U.S. Department of Education. (1997). Individuals with disabilities education act: IDEA ‘97 (DHHS Publication). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

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