Is There Life After High School?
What kinds of programs are available for our young adults with developmental disabilities after they leave school? Many post-school programs and resources exist, and new resource options are being developed as adults with disabilities are taking a more active part in their communities.
A productive way for you and your adolescent to prepare for the future is to visit the programs that may be available to provide training or other services after graduation from high school.
As you learn about service options and visit these programs in your community, you can work with your Regional Center service coordinator to help advise you in what specifically to look for.
What are transition services?
Transition Planning
What kinds of programs are available for our young adults with developmental disabilities after they leave school? Many post-school programs and resources exist, and new resource options are being developed as adults with disabilities are taking a more active part in their communities.
A productive way for you and your adolescent to prepare for the future is to visit the programs that may be available to provide training or other services after graduation from high school.
As you learn about service options and visit these programs in your community, you can work with your Regional Center service coordinator to help advise you in what specifically to look for.
What are transition services?
- Activities based on an individual student's preferences and interests: Help identify, plan and implement activities to move students into a successful life after school.
- Could include academic instruction, community experiences and planning and preparing for employment and other post-school living objectives.
- Could also include daily living skills and a functional vocational evaluation, which is a way to evaluate your child's skills in a community setting, if appropriate.
- Transition services are regulated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA '97), the federal law that governs educational programs for students with disabilities.
Transition Planning
- Includes students, their family, school personnel, agency personnel, and others
- A sequence of activities that take place over several years to ensure that students are well prepared for life after school
- Families need to encourage their young adult to talk about his/her preferences for the future, participate in his/her IEP meeting and share this information with school personnel.
- May use one or more of the following: Career Inventories, Questionnaires, Observations, with the use of Living Skills Lab, on and/or off campus work exploration to assess and develop post secondary goals
NLACRC-SCV Transition Fair
April 30, 2003
April 30, 2003