Indiana’s Department of Education and Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services hope to increase the number of individuals with disabilities in competitive integrated employment from 23% to 38% by 2027. One important way to prepare for that is during secondary transition.
Transitioning from high school to adulthood can be elegantly seamless rather than piecemeal. Important elements of a Seamless Transition, according to TransCen, a non-profit organization dedicated to the success of youth and young adults with disabilities, include the following:
- Establish a Vision
- Believe that students with disabilities can earn at least minimum wage in an integrated setting (one that includes people with and without disabling conditions) with businesses in the community.
- Create a Positive Personal Profile(PPP)
- Use a PPP as a transition assessment to focus on skills, preferences, and passions over labels and deficits.
- Take a look at a sample PPP.
- Explore Employment Options
- Create relationships with employers in your area.
- Offer multiple opportunities to explore employment.
- Set a goal: Employment on the last day of school will be the same as the first day after graduation.
- Build Successful Interagency Teams
- School staff
- Employment service providers, like Pre-ETS and VR
- Student/Families
- Promote Family Engagement
- Interview parents and students to identify hopes, dreams, expectations, and challenges.
- Take a look at a sample parent interview form.
Resources
- Employment First framework, Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor
- Seamless Transition modules, IRIS Center, Peabody College Vanderbilt University
- Writing a Strong Vision Statement, Make Special Education Work