Creating a Seamless Secondary Transition for Students

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

 

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