Idaho Parents Unlimited, Inc.

Transition to Adulthood

With the completion of high school adult life begins and entitlement to public education ends. Young people with disabilities and their families are faced with having to make major decisions about the future. Before they reach this point, young people and their families need to put serious efforts into planning for this life change.

IDEA 2004, the new version of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, requires that no later than ”the first IEP that will be in effect when a student with a disability is 16 years old, the IEP must include appropriate measurable post-secondary goals for education, training, employment, and independent living skills and needed transition services (including courses of study).” [PACER “IDEA 2004: A New Law”] These transition services are intended to prepare the student for the change from school to the world of adulthood.

IDEA defines transition services as a coordinated set of activities that are based on the students needs and that take into account the student’s preferences and interests. This means that by the time the student is in high school, or earlier if appropriate, the student’s IEP team, including the student’s parents, needs to begin planning for such areas as post secondary education or vocational training, employment, independent living, and community participation.

The student and his family should begin to talk about his or her dreams for the future. What does this young person want to do with his or her life? What skills will he/she need to be able to reach those dreams? For a young person who has significant cognitive and/or functional impairments one probably needs to think about not just what skills he/she will need, but also what supports he or she may need, whether social security and Medicaid will be needed, and whether Vocational Rehabilitation services will need to be accessed, etc.

One needs to keep this in mind as well for a more able student. It is necessary to look carefully at what skills and supports will be needed for all students preparing for this transition. A satisfactory IQ does not mean that the student won’t need to develop self-awareness and strong self-advocacy skills, as well as organizational skills, for starters. Think about all the things that you as parents, do for your student, and then work to figure out some way that he/she can do them or have them done. Once you have considered these ideas you are ready to create a plan of action that will be put into place during the student’s high school years.

Research has shown two significant activities to have positive affect on post-school outcomes for young people with disabilities:1)self-determination and 2)work-based learning.

Self-determination is based on the belief that all individuals have the right to direct their own lives. Students who have self-determination skills tend to be more successful in making the transition to adulthood, employment, and independence. Families and schools should foster both the development and use of necessary skills. By providing opportunities for students to set goals, make decisions, see options, solve problems, speak for themselves, understand what supports are needed for success, and learn how to evaluate outcomes the student will be better prepared for adulthood. IDEA supports this by requiring that students participate in the IEP process, especially in the development of the transition services plan. Students who are capable should be encouraged to lead their own IEP meetings.

Work-based learning means hands-on experience in a real setting, and includes a wide range of activities from job-shadowing, informational interviews and workplace tours, to apprenticeships and paid employment. In this way youth can identify interests, strengths, skills, and needs related to career development, and can develop work skills and an understanding of the workplace. It helps them to clearly understand the relevance of what they are learning in school to the expectations of a job. Students who participate in work-based learning show an increase in completion of related course-work and an increase in attendance and graduation rates. [NICHCY] Work-based learning also helps to develop crucial job-keeping skills that are referred to as “soft skills.” These skills include a strong work ethic, self-discipline, self-respect, and reliability; and they seem to make the difference in whether or not an employer hires and keeps someone on the job.

When youth with disabilities look toward the future, they need a support system that recognizes their individual strengths, interests, fears, and dreams and allows them to take charge of their future. Parents, teachers, family members and friends can offer informal guidance and support.

When preparing to make the transition from high school to work or post secondary school, do not forget informal, natural supports in your rush to secure new services from programs and systems that provide supports for adults with disabilities. These supports include vocational rehabilitation, day training programs through Developmental Disability agencies, Mental Health Services, Social Security, Medicaid, housing and transportation support. (Once the student becomes 18, one might want to contact the local Center for Independent Living or CIL for help.) In contrast to a young person’s informal support network, these systems can be impersonal and formal in their assessment methods and staff tends to have heavy caseloads. This may be a time to consider getting a service coordinator so that the student has someone other than their parents to assist in coordinating all the needed services. Parents should also feel free to use networking and collaboration within a community as a whole to create or access what will work best for their student. Be creative. Be persistent.

When a student turns 18, the age of majority in Idaho, parents are no longer required to be involved in the IEP/Transition process unless the student is determined to be unable to provide informed consent. If it is determined by the IEP team that the parental rights should not transfer to the student at 18, the parent will retain all special education rights. However, if the parent needs to continue to in decision-making for the student outside of school, the parent will need to apply for some sort of guardianship or conservatorship for the student.