Transition Planning in High School, What Does It Get Me?

Hi, my name is Patricia White and I work with the Family Support Program and the Northwest Arkansas Community Parent Resource Center. We are a program of Arkansas Support Network. This presentation is about Transition planning in High School and what can be done to help a student transition from high school to the real world after high school. So, what is Transition? Under IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Transition is a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievements of a student with a disabilities to facilitate that students' movement from school to post school activities. The team needs to decide what type of classes the student needs or what type of skills does that student need to learn in order to achieve the goals that child has chosen to obtain once they graduate from high school. When creating the transition plan, the team needs to take into account the students strengths, preferences and interests in determining what goals the student wants to achieve after high school. So the team needs to find out what the student is good at, what areas do they excel in, what are their likes and dislikes, what are their interests, what brings them joy. And this plan needs to be centered around the student’s strengths, preferences, and interests, and not what the parents or the teachers think is best for the student. Transition planning includes instruction such as academics, functional skills, and/or independent living skills. Related services could include various types of therapies. Community experiences could include going to the store to work or making appropriate purchases or ordering a meal at a restaurant. Employment activities could include job shadowing or attending a community based job training program. Adult living objectives could include independent living skills such as filing out an application for an apartment or a job. Daily living skills could include learning how to make doctor’s appointments, paying bills, accessing public transportation, or learning to cook. The school, as well as your local rehab services can provide a variety of different interest surveys that can give good information on the students interests and skills. Federal law states the transition plan must be in place no later than the first IEP to be in effect when the student turns 16 and is updated at least annually thereafter. However, this plan can be updated more often if needed. Sometimes the students interests change throughout high school. The classes that they thought they needed might need to be changed in the middle of the school year if the students interest changes. For some students, particularly those interested in attending college, you can start the transition planning as early as age 14. This would be important for students who need to start taking the correct classes in the 9th grade so they can follow through on their chosen career path after high school, whether it’s college or a particular vocational program. Under IDEA, students with disabilities can continue to attend school until the age of 21 or 22, if that is the choice of the whole IEP team. Who needs to be attending these transition planning meetings? Obviously the student is the most important person in the meeting. They need to be able to express their wishes and their desires for their own future. The public school must do everything they can to encourage the student to attend their transition planning meeting. While the school must do everything to encourage the student to attend, there are times when it just isn’t possible. At that time the school must ensure that the student’s preferences and interests are considered. The school can do this by having the student fill out some “interest surveys” which detail the students strengths and interests. The school can also invite any outside agency that will be helping the student towards their transition goals. This could include not only agencies that will be working directly with the student, but also any agency that might be paying for those services. As I stated before, the team should encourage the student to attend their IEP/transition meetings. As adults they need to have the ability to speak up for themselves and express their wants and needs. As parents, we need to teach and encourage our children to be as independent as possible. After all, they will become an adult one day and we may not always be around to speak for them. As a team we need to encourage the student to speak for themselves and we need to be ready to listen. Why should the parents be a part of the transition planning? Parents know their child better than anyone else. Parents are familiar with their child’s dreams and abilities. Parents are more familiar with their child’s attitudes and methods of doing things. Parents are the one constant factor in the child’s life and parents can relate this information to the team. Having a parent present may also make the student more comfortable about expressing their dreams. Also, different families have different values, whether religious values, cultural values or moral values. These values can come into play when creating a transition plan. Because parents are involved in the transition planning at school, they can also reinforce the students education at home. This could be in the form of chores around the house, learning independent living skills, an after school job, or working on a school project. Parents can also help the student think through their decisions and show support for the student even if mistakes are made. As parents, we need to know when to encourage our children and when to back off and let our children fly. Who else needs to be a part of the transition planning? Obviously, the parent and the student are most important. Other individuals could include a general ed teacher who is familiar with the student, the special ed teacher who works with the student, a principal or assistant principal, a counselor, the special ed director, a psych specialist or any other district personnel who might be involved with the student. You can also invite any therapist, whether from the school or outside therapists. If the out of school therapist is unable to attend the meeting, you can bring a letter of recommendation to the meeting. And don’t forget the person or agency that will be able to provide funding for the transition training, especially if it involves transportation to community activities. You can invite anyone you want to this meeting as long as that person has an interest in the student. You might want to consider inviting someone from your local Vocational Rehabilitation center because they can help provide some of the funding your student might need. Invite local service providers from agencies that might offer job training or independent living services. Ask individuals from institutions of higher education such as a local university or community college. All school have transition specialists that could provide useful information. And feel free to invite someone to help advocate for the student, whether it’s a family member, friend, or someone from an advocacy agency. Why are we planning for this child’s transition after high school? After all, they have a few years of high school left? Let me ask you this. Do you make a plan for vacation, or buying a house, or changing your career? You need to put as much, if not more, time into planning for your child’s future. You want to make sure your child has a successful transition into adult life. Planning helps you follow through on your child’s hopes and dreams. This is the time to do some research. What is out there? Is this something my child wants to do? What will it cost? Is there an application process? Is there a waiting list? What are some classes needed to help my child move forward? The plans you make now can help reduce the fears that could come up in the future. So, what is involved in transition planning? The team looks at three areas. 1) What type of employment is the student interested in and what will it take to gain this employment? 2) Is the student interested in furthering their education with either college or some type of vocational training? 3) What are the students plans for independent living and community involvement and what skills are needed to access the community? Let’s look at employment first. Is this potential job realistic? Does the student have the skills, knowledge and ability to perform the job? What is the student interested in? What would they like to do? What jobs are available? What are the resources needed to make this employment happen? Who has some connections to make it happen? What about accommodations? Some accommodations could be accessible parking, access to the work place, special equipment at the desk, special tools or equipment, etc. Job coaches and supported employment may be an option and are offered through various services in the state. This slide shows a variety of different questions to ask in the transition meeting to determine what the student will need for a successful transition to employment after school. The various interest surveys can help determine what the student would like to do and what areas they excel in. The team needs to determine what type of assistance, training, or job skills the student will need and how will they acquire this information, whether it be through volunteer work, classes, or direct training. Look through these questions, discuss them, look at the information you have, get information from outside resources, and consider any other information the team has gathered. You want a variety of different people in the meeting because they all look at this from different perspectives and come with different information and different ideas. These ideas need to be listed in the transition plan. A transition plan should also discuss any further education after high school. This could include a community college, university or vocational education. Many of these institutions have a program on campus to help individuals with disabilities obtain higher education and to provide the resources and accommodations needed to make their education a success. Some other methods of additional education after high school could include trade school, a job training program, or on-line courses. If this is the path the student wants to take, it should be listed in the transition plan. This slide shows a variety of questions to ask if the student is considering continuing their education after high school. What classes will the student need to take to graduate and get into college or trade school? Different institutions of higher education have different requirements. Different career paths require different classes. If the student wants to be a nurse, they might want to take some science classes. If they want to be an engineer, they should take math classes. The team needs to look at what else the student needs to get into a higher education setting? Will they need to take the ACT or a college entrance exam? Do they need to fill out applications for scholarships and financial aide. How early do they need to apply for college entrance and what is needed? These are all questions the team needs to address and provide the steps in the transition plan. The third area to look at is Independent living. Not only does the team need to address where the student will live, but also what type of activities does the student want to participate in. And then there is the question of transportation. How will the student get to the store, a job, college, and other activities? What type of transportation options are available in the community? These areas need to be looked at and if specific training is required to gain independent living, the training needs to be included in the transition plan. This slide discusses some issues that the team needs to address for independent living. Where will the student live once they graduate from high school? Will they continue to live with their parents? Will they have a roommate? Will they live in a dorm? Or do they want to live on their own? What type of community do they want to live in? People move all the time, so you can’t make this decision for the rest of their life, but it gives you a start. And the team needs to assure that the community is a safe place to live. The team needs to decide what type of community involvement the individual will participate in and how will they access their community. Those activities could include getting to classes, their job, the store, the bank, their friends, etc. The team needs to look at what type of resources will be available to the student. This brings up the very important subject of transportation. Without transportation, the individual becomes very isolated and is unable to interact with their community. What skills are needed for the student to move out on their own, and can these be incorporated into their education? This includes purchasing the needed ingredients and preparing a healthy meal, managing their finances, basic house keeping, managing their property, etc. Perhaps they will need a care manager to help with these areas of independent living. Guardianship is a very serious issue to discuss. Guardianship legally removes that individuals right to make some of their own decisions. There are a few individuals who need guardianship to protect their right to a safe and healthy life. These are individuals who are totally unable to make their own decisions. However, this is a legal decision requiring a court order and I urge you to consider this carefully before making this determination. There are other alternatives, such as Power of Attorney. This matter should be discussed with an attorney before you make any final decisions. Now let’s review the actual transition paperwork in the IEP. This page asks the 3 questions that we have been discussing. What goals does the student have regarding employment, further education, and independent living. However, look toward the top of the page under “Child’s postsecondary goals”. It states “If the child did not attend the IEP meeting, describe the steps that were taken to ensure consideration of the child’s preferences and goals.” As we discussed earlier in this presentation, the school must make every effort to have the student attend their IEP/transition meetings and to find out what the student’s likes, dislikes, skills and preferences are. If the student does not attend the meeting the school must describe what they have done to discover these likes and preferences, such as using interest surveys. This page addresses what activities and classes the student needs to participate in to work towards their transition goals. So, under Career/Employment perhaps the student can visit various places of employment that the student is interested in such as a grocery store, the hospital, or a vet clinic. Or they can do some job shadowing in the area of their interest. Some ideas for Secondary Education would be to attend some college fairs, or visit the community college or vocational school. Independent Living Skills could include classes in homemaking, checking into future housing needs, filling out applications. The area listed as other could include getting a drivers manual, voter registration, and male students need to apply for selective service. The last 2 sentences discuss the need to invite community agencies, who they invited, and if those agencies sent a representative to the meeting. The next question to ask is “what is included in the IEP regarding transition goals?”. First and foremost, it must be appropriate for that specific student. So making a transition plan for a student with a severe visual impairment to become an airline pilot is not a good idea. However, a student with a physical disability could most definitely become a doctor. The goals must also be measurable. You don’t want the plan to state “The student will have a good life”. The goals need to be specific and detailed so everyone on the team knows how to work on the goals, what steps to take, and whether the goals have been met. Another tool that can be used in creating a transition plan is a transition assessment. There are a wide variety of assessments available. These assessments can be used to determine the students interests as well as their strengths. Are they good at Math or numbers? Do they enjoy science or art? These assessments can be given in a variety of formats. This will allow a student who has a communication disability, or perhaps a physical disability to give their answers in a format that works best for them. As I stated earlier, the plan must list the classes that will allow the student to achieve their goals after high school. Overall, the point of the transition plan is to assist the student in reaching their goals for independent living after high school. Here are some other things to look at when creating the transition plan. What is available in the community to assist the student. Is there a job training program through the school or through another agency in the community? Some community agencies have programs that can work with the student during the school day or during the summer. What modifications are going to be needed to access those programs? Transportation: is there a form of public transportation or some way of transporting the student to the job training site? Is the job site accessible? Does the equipment need to be modified so the student can use the equipment? Who is going to help the student access the community resources? Are there other agencies who could provide services and are they present at the transition planning meeting? Make sure these resources are written into the IEP. So, let’s discuss some of these various agencies. The public school will be the primary agency that will provide most of the services the student will need in order to work towards their transition goals. And if the school is involved, it must be stated in the student’s IEP. You can, however, invite other agencies to attend the transition planning meeting. There is a place on the IEP paperwork to list those various agencies. You want those other agencies to attend so they provide information about the various programs they offer and any funding source they may be able to provide. Having this information will allow you make a quality transition plan for that student. This is a list of generic community agencies that might be in your area. All areas in the state are covered by a Rehabilitation agency. You might have one in your community or have a representative who covers your area. Communities also have a variety of community service providers, and many of them provide DDS waiver services. However, they also have other programs that might be useful, such as job training, day programs, group homes, or other areas. You might also invite representatives from the local college, vo-tech institution, or job training program. You can invite someone from Developmental Disabilities Services or your local Mental Health agency. If you child is receiving supports from a Mental Health provider, they could provide valuable information on future needs of the student and possible modifications to living, working and educational environments. Every school should have a transition specialist and they should be invited to the meeting to help locate and discuss resources and plans. Feel free to bring someone else, whether that is an advocate or a friend. This person can take notes, help with ideas and support you and your student in future planning. This slide is pretty self-explanatory. It says that, under IDEA or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, transition services should be provided in a variety of locations. The instruction should be provided in the school and in the community setting. And the plan should include the goals that I mentioned earlier such as employment, post-high school education, and daily living skills. Let’s talk about some other things that need to be considered during the transition planning. As I stated in an earlier slide, when the student turns 18 years of age, they become a legal adult. This means that all information regarding that student is now confidential and you, as the parent, are not allowed to access this information without the consent of the student. This information includes educational information, medical information, legal information, etc. As a parent, you are not allowed to get medical records without a consent from the student. If you feel your child is not able to make good decisions at this time, you can get guardianship. Please keep in mind that guardianship legally takes away an individuals right to make their own decisions. This is a serious decision and not something to take lightly. Of course, we all realize that a lot of 18 year olds don’t know how to make good decisions and that’s part of life. I’m referring to individuals who don’t have the capability to make decisions. Another option is Power of Attorney. This means your individual grants you permission to be part of the decision making process and to obtain information without the child present. The individual involved must be competent enough to sign Power of Attorney. Something new that will go into effect in a few years is the ABLE act. This bill provides an avenue for parents, or other family members to put money into a special savings account so their child with special needs will have assets available to them without affecting any government benefits such as Medicaid or waiver. You can also set up a supplemental needs trust to assist in providing additional assets for your child in the future. This is another workshop that we do and if you want more information on this, please call me. Lastly, all male students must sign up for selective service, whether they have a disability or not. The only exemption is if the individual is living in an institution or home bound. This does not mean they will be drafted, especially since we have not had the draft since 1973. Thank goodness. However, if the draft were to resume, all individuals would be evaluated for their ability to serve and individuals with disabilities would be exempt. Here are a few resources that can be accessed in North West Arkansas. Arkansas Rehabilitation provides a variety or resources, including referrals and funding for job training and education. The DDS Waiver provides in home supports for individuals with disabilities so they can live as independently as possible in the community of their choice. However, there is a very long waiting list for this program so sign up early. NWACC (Northwest Arkansas CommunityCollege) and U of A both have programs to help individuals with disabilities. And SSI can help individuals with monthly financial help as well as Medicaid. After a child turns 18, they are eligible for SSI without considering household income or parents resources. It is based solely on the individuals disability, income, and resources. Here are some additional tips on planning for the IEP/transition plan. Some of these have already been mentioned, but I will mention them again. Most importantly, find out what the student wants to do. After all, this is about helping provide a positive transition for the student so they can lead a successful life. So start by making a list of their abilities, skills, and needs. This information will help guide the team in the right direction. Encourage the student to attend the meeting and enable them to speak up for themselves. If success is to be achieved, individuals must learn to advocate for themselves. Look into what type of accommodations would be needed to provide appropriate support for the student either at college, places of employment, or living accommodations. Identify who will be responsible for following through on the various different parts of the transition plan. This could include transportation to a job training site, providing appropriate equipment for learning independent living skills, or even taking the student to the store to work on shopping and managing money. Make sure you understand if the IEP and transition plan is geared towards the students goals; whether they are academic goals or practical goals. If the student plans to attend college after high school, their plan needs to be primarily academic to enhance their ability to get into college. Again, if the student is planning on attending college, make sure the classes they need to take in high school are listed on the transition plan. Will the student need to take the ACT or SAT? If so, what classes will help pass those exams? What accommodations are needed to take the ACT or SAT? Discuss when the student will graduate. As I stated earlier, a student with an IEP could stay in high school until they are 21 years of age. This may not be necessary, but it needs to be a team decision. If the student does not want to attend college and wants to get a job, what classes are needed to help him get a job in the area he/she is interested? For example, if the student wants to work on a farm, then they should take some agriculture classes. Many of these classes are not offered in “Special Education”. Determine how the goals can be integrated into the regular education curriculum and what modifications will be needed to succeed in the classroom. And prior to the meeting, decide what outside agency should attend the transition meeting and be sure to invite them in advance. It’s a good idea to let the school know who is coming so they can arrange for plenty of space for the meeting. So how can parent’s increase their child’s self-advocacy skills? As I’ve stated before, encourage the student to attend their own IEP meetings. This can start as early as they are able to understand what is going on, which could mean attending as early elementary school. Give the student plenty of opportunity to discuss their hopes and dreams for the future. Explore different ideas and see what sparks their interest. Keep in mind that the student might change their mind throughout high school, but that’s normal and even as adults, we change our minds. Give your child responsibilities at home. This provides the opportunity to learn skills they will need after high school. Allow the student to make choices so they can learn to speak up for themselves and learn the consequences of their choices. As adults, we must make choices all the time and this is a great skill to learn as the student works towards independence. By making choices and discussing dreams, the student is learning to speak up for themselves, which is a valuable tool as an adult. While we should assure that the student understands their disability, we should also stress their ABILITY. Teach the student how to problem solve and how to ask for modifications and accommodations. The student should understand their rights under Americans with Disabilities Act. Do some practice roll playing at home and encourage the student to speak up for themselves. Make sure the school offers community based experiences that help the student reach their goal. This may include going on shopping trips to understand finances and how to make appropriate purchases. It could include going on field trips to learn about different jobs. Or going to various institutions of higher education such as the Uof A or Northwest Technical Institute. And remember, if the student wishes to attend college, they need to take the appropriate academic classes so they can graduate with the appropriate credits. Some communities have Self Advocacy groups that would help develop those self advocacy skills. Check to see if your community has anything like this that would help the student. If not, perhaps one could be started at the high school. Let’s review the information one more time. The point of a transition plan is to prepare a student with special needs to move from high school into the real world beyond high school. IDEA states the plan must be in place no later than age 16, but can be started at age 14 and the transition plan becomes part of the student’s IEP. The transition plan is developed by the whole IEP team, which needs to include the student and any outside agencies that will be working with the student. The plan needs to be centered around the students needs, preferences and interests and include further education, employment and independent living goals. The point of the transition plan is to create a coordinated set of activities oriented toward producing results for the student involved. This slide provides a visual of the various areas that need to be considered when creating the transition plan. When considering the various options available, remember to include the agency that will be providing the funding to pay for the opportunity. That’s our presentation on Transition to adult life. I hope you learned something useful. If you have any questions about transition, please feel free to call. You can also go to our website or email us. Thank you for taking time to listen to our presentation.