Tips

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America’s WorkOne Centers help people get jobs! Per their website, WorkOne staff can help you find a new job, access training you need for a job, and locate information you need to be successful at your job!  

Anyone can visit WorkOne centers located throughout Indiana! WorkOne center staff are connected to their local communities and also have access to information about jobs elsewhere. They can help job seekers learn how to: 

  • Complete applications 
  • Gain better interviewing skills 
  • Find job listings 
  • Write cover letters and resumes, and  
  • Access education and training opportunities to increase job skills.  

Using a WorkOne center is easy! They have in-person and virtual appointment options.   

Special education teachers, school counselors, and other school personnel help your students become familiar with their local WorkOne center. You can visit on a field trip or help students look up and make appointments using the internet. It’s also helpful if you and your colleagues make your own visit to the local WorkOne center to meet some of the staff there and learn more about what these centers offer for students.  

The Indiana WorkOne website provides information about the locations of all of the WorkOne centers in Indiana.  

Our last issue of Tuesday’s Tips focused on supported decision-making. Did you know there are other supports available to help individuals make those important life decisions along the way? Exploration surrounding supports should start early. The continuum of support, listed here from least to most limiting, may include:

  • Independence—enables self-determination and full responsibility. When a person is independent, they take care of their own needs including finances, health care, employment, and housing and are not directed by others.
  • Informal support—describes support provided by immediate family and close friends. It is considered informal because it is provided on an as-needed basis, the support person is not paid, and there is no formal agreement in place.
  • Supported decision-making—allows an individual to keep their rights and make their own decisions with the aid of trusted people who help the person understand, make, and communicate choices.
  • Health care representative—makes health care decisions in the event of an emergency or when the individual is too sick to make decisions on their own behalf. Providing representative documentation to a health care provider can help prevent communication barriers in matters having to do with medical care.
  • Power of Attorney (POA)—gives one or more individuals (e.g., a person or non-profit) the power to act for another person. Those with POA, a legal document, can make decisions about an individual’s property, finances, or medical care.
  • Guardianship—refers to the legal process by which the court assigns someone the authority to make decisions. It can affect the person’s right to choose where to live, work, receive medical care, marry, and more. 

Note:  Indiana law requires that a petition for guardianship discuss what less restrictive alternative options have been considered before guardianship.

Resources:


Per Indiana law, we are now required to talk about supported decision-making and other alternatives to guardianship during a student’s case conference starting in grade 8 or at age 14. This annual conversation should be thoroughly documented within the IEP and revisited as circumstances change.

That talk can seem overwhelming. It’s a lot of information, involving complicated legal decisions. Here are a few points to share with students and families. 

What Everyone Should Know

Essentially, supported decision-making gives a person with a disability more options, allowing them to keep their rights and make decisions about finances, health care, housing, employment, and other life choices with the help of people they trust. That’s why families and young adults should consider supported decision-making first, before immediately deciding on more restrictive paths, like Power of Attorney (POA), health care representation, or guardianship.

Self-determination 

Promoting independence and self-direction is key to developing and implementing successful supported decision-making agreements. Skills involved include choice-making, goal setting, problem-solving, and self-awareness. Individuals should feel confident in communicating their needs with those they trust. Supporters can assist in developing these skills while ensuring the individual maintains final decision-making authority.

Collaboration

Supported decision-making requires a collaborative approach between the young adult and those they deem trustworthy to assist with major life decisions. The person with a disability will lead these collective conversations. Initial discussions will outline the individual’s strengths, needs, available resources, and how they will be supported. Supporters on the “team” can include friends, family, and/or professionals who can help the person understand, make, and communicate their choices.

Agreements

In Indiana, supported decision-making can be informal or formal, depending on whether there is a written agreement or not. (Rules vary in other states.)  Written agreements are not required but helpful. They specify how the person will be supported and who is committed to providing that support. Supported individuals can change their agreements at any time, add new support team members, and define each member’s role and how they will advise the person with a disability.   

 

Next week, we’ll explore the continuum of adult support by diving into informal support arrangements, health care representatives, POAs, and guardianship.

 

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Health care transition is one of many challenges associated with transition to adult life. Parents and caregivers may be accustomed to taking care of all the health care needs for their child. Health care transition skills and advocacy is an area of independent living that students can develop through independent living goals in their transition IEP.

For example, many students may not know their diagnosis, why they are taking certain medications, or how to arrange for their own health care appointments. These gaps in knowledge and skill can be translated into Independent Living goals:

  • I will name my health conditions and explain how they affect me with a medical provider.
  • I will keep a list of my prescriptions and what health care conditions they address to share with medical providers.
  • I will schedule medical appointments online or by phone.
  • I will contact my pharmacy to refill prescriptions.
  • I will prepare a list of questions for my medical provider before meeting with them.
  • I will enter dates of medical appointments into my calendar and set a reminder.
  • I will keep a record of my medical providers and their contact information.
  • I will complete an emergency contact form and carry it with me in my wallet, backpack, or purse.

Of course, these are only a few examples; tailor goals to the student’s specific situation and level using an appropriate assessment. Start small and build on success. Through transition IEP goals, you can assist students in becoming more independent with their healthcare needs!

Resources:

Recently, we wrote a tip on Benefits Counseling for the Transitioning Student, which explained how students who are Social Security beneficiaries can access benefits counseling through Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) or Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation. Currently, students 18 or younger who are receiving benefits are a priority for WIPA. Students over age 18 who are working are also a priority for WIPA and any student beneficiary who is receiving services through Vocational Rehabilitation can receive benefits counseling through the VR process. These services are free.

The benefit to benefits counseling

Fear of losing benefits is one of the primary reasons beneficiaries hesitate to work. However, there are many work incentives built into the Social Security system. A benefits counselor helps the student and their family understand which work incentives apply to their situation. For example, a working transition student may benefit from the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE), which allows them to earn up to $2,290 per month and $9,230 per year in 2024 without affecting their Social Security benefits at all. This allows students to work and keep both benefits and income! The SEIE is just one of many beneficial work incentives.

How can I use this in transition?

Here are some potential independent living goals you could develop with beneficiary transition students who are interested in working. These are just examples; tailor the goals to each student’s particular needs.

  • I will call the Ticket to Work Help Line to request benefits counseling.
  • I will use benefits counseling to understand how working affects my benefits.
  • I will request benefits counseling services as a part of my vocational rehabilitation Plan for Employment.
  • I will use benefits counseling to determine if I qualify for any work incentives.

Knowledge is power, and the knowledge of benefits counseling and work incentives can empower students toward increased financial wellbeing and independence!

Resources

Understanding a student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs related to their individual postsecondary goals is how we, as educators, build relationships and provide guidance and support. To ensure that quality educational services and support is provided to students and a transition IEP is developed that will guide these services, it is important that we use multiple transition assessments every year for each student.

There are five main reasons to use multiple transition assessments.

  1. Comprehensive Information

Different transition assessments focus on various aspects of a student's skills, abilities, and preferences. By using a combination of formal, informal, and authentic transition assessments, educators can gather a more in-depth understanding of the student's interests and areas that require additional support.

  1. A Well-Rounded Approach

Transition planning requires an approach that considers various domains such as academic, vocational, social, and independent living skills. Using multiple transition assessments through the year helps to cover all domains, allowing for a more accurate and well-rounded picture of the student's abilities related to their transition to adulthood.

  1. Individualized Planning

Each student has unique strengths, interests, and goals. Using multiple assessments helps the transition team individualize the transition plan to meet the needs of the student. Collecting data from various assessments allows for tailored planning and supports.

  1. Progress Monitoring and Adjustment

Transition planning is an ongoing process that includes many years of the student’s education. Conducting multiple assessments enables educators to track growth and development. This progress monitoring helps identify changes in strengths and areas of improvement and allows for plan adjustment.

  1. Collaboration and Teamwork

Combining different assessments completed by educators, parents, the student, and other individuals who work with the student encourages collaboration among those involved in the transition planning process. Transition assessments can then be the guiding documents they are intended to be resulting in a more comprehensive and effective transition IEP.

If you have questions about transition assessments, we’re happy to help.

Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center or instrc@indiana.edu

Center on Community Living and Careers

Simply put, customized employment is an individually negotiated job arrangement that matches a job seeker’s strengths with an employer’s identified needs. By considering both the needs of the job seeker and the employer, it  gives individuals with significant disabilities the opportunity to make meaningful contributions in the workplace.

Sometimes referred to as job creation, customized employment is referenced in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), and the federal code (29 U.S. Code § 705).  

Talk with local employment providers in your area about how they work with both students and potential employers to facilitate customized employment placements. Some flexible strategies for customized employment include:

  • customizing a job description based on current employer needs or on a previously unidentified and unmet employer need;
  • developing a set of job duties, a work schedule and job arrangement, a job location, and specifics of supervision (including performance evaluation and review);
  • helping a student choose a professional who can work with the employer to facilitate customized placement; or helping a student work directly with an employer to facilitate placement; and
  • providing services and supports at the job location.

Why You Should Know About It

You can help those students who are likely to face challenges being hired in the labor market by doing two things. First, educate them about the existence and possibility of customized employment. One possible transition service and activity: Interview adult service providers about their staffs’ knowledge of and experience with customized employment. Second, work with the local Pre-ETS school-based staff person to identify the student’s most persistent and enduring skills (both hard and soft skills) that the student may offer an employer. Work together to describe an ideal employment outcome for the student. This will advance post-school employment options!

Resources

Last week we discussed the golden thread of IEP alignment. Here’s a brief recap:

  • The Transition IEP should be well-aligned through all five sections:
    1. Present Levels
    2. Transition Assessments
    3. Postsecondary Goals
    4. Transition Services and Activities
    5. Annual Goals
  • The student’s preferences for their postsecondary goals in employment, education and training, and independent living should be the focus that guides future transition assessments and services and activities.
  • The transition IEP should be a new document each year with new assessments, services, and annual goals.

Along with making sure the entire transition IEP is a quality document, the Indiana Department of Education has made an effort this year to focus on two areas of the IEP.

  1. Independent Living Postsecondary Goals: These goals should outline a skill necessary for the student's future living arrangement (e.g., cooking, banking, transportation, or social abilities). You must tailor goals to the student’s specific needs and preferences.
  2. Transition Assessment in the IEP: A comprehensive IEP should include multiple transition assessments annually. Beyond just interviewing the student or parents, the IEP should incorporate a mix of formal, informal, and authentic assessments. This approach ensures a thorough understanding of the student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs in employment, education, and independent living.

Having an aligned, quality, individualized Transition IEP will help each student maximize their potential and access needed resources and supports. Contact the department of education in your state for specific state information about the Transition IEP.

Resources

  • Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center — Transition Assessment Matrix — Your go-to resource to find transition assessments.
  • Transition Miniseries — 13 free courses reviewing the transition IEP, student involvement, transition programs, and the transition portfolio (PGPs available for each completed course.)
  • instrc@iu.edu Email us to set up technical assistance over the transition IEP.
  • Center on Community Living and Careers—Visit our free Office Hours to ask about Transition IEPs and portfolios, benefits, vocational rehabilitation, or anything related to our work.
  • Indiana Department of Education – Technical Assistance Request — Go there to request Transition IEP help from the IDOE.

You’ve probably heard that the Golden Thread of a Quality IEP is Alignment. But just what is an aligned IEP?

In addition to just connecting all the parts, alignment refers to the ongoing, outcome-based discovery process which strengthens the thread and leads to fulfilment of the student’s dreams for long-term employment, education or training, and an ability to live independently.

Alignment begins with an evaluation of Present Levels, which tells a rich story about the student. Present Levels answers what we currently know about the student in terms of academics, functional skills, social skills, and physical and medical abilities and needs?

Transition Assessments are crucial for maintaining an aligned IEP because they help us clarify the student’s SPIN (Strengths, Preferences, Interests, and Needs). SPIN is essential for setting the appropriate, individualized postsecondary goals for employment, education/training, and independent living.

Postsecondary goals are the student’s preferences for their long-term aspirations for employment, education/training and independent living based on information from current transition assessments.

Transition Services and Activities aligned to current post-secondary goals are a powerful way to help the student make experience-based informed decisions about continuing or changing those goals. Reviewing the activities with the student builds strong relationships and informs new assessments, which should strengthen, clarify, or even change the postsecondary goals.

Annual goals are meant to address the student’s most significant barriers targeting their academic, functional, and social needs and will better prepare them for their employment, education/training, and independent living goals.

Want to learn more? The Center on Community Living and Careers has upcoming IEP training opportunities in February for new and seasoned educators who want to strengthen that golden thread!

CCLC IEP Training:click here

Who Requires a Transition Portfolio

Varying states will have varying requirements, but Indiana is clear regarding who the transition portfolio impacts. Beginning with students exiting school as a 2023 cohort, any student receiving an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must construct a transition portfolio. This includes students who are opting to receive an alternative diploma. The transition portfolio serves to satisfy Indiana’s Graduation Pathways requirement of demonstrating employability skills and highlights academic skills.

As an educator, you should be aware the transition portfolio does not supplant or replace the Summary of Performance. This can be confusing since much of the same information is used in both the portfolio and the summary. We encourage you to begin collecting artifacts (student-specific information and evidence) as early as middle school, and most certainly, without fail, throughout the high school years. Arm students with a strength-based portfolio to use after high school to enhance and improve student education/training, employment, and independent living goals. The transition portfolio is especially salient for students with significant impacts of disability.

What to Include in a Transition Portfolio

Indiana’s transition portfolio features four broad sections, each focusing on a unique life domain. These four sections are student information, student learning characteristics, academic skills, and employability skills. Within each section, you can use particular information to creatively populate content that is both strength-based and relative to the student’s positive attributes, unique learning needs, necessary accommodations and assistive technology, and academic skills. Most importantly, the portfolio serves as a possibility path, underscoring the student’s career interests and both hard and soft employability skills.

We encourage you to explore the resources below! In addition, we welcome your attendance at open office hours, offered free of charge every Thursday from 2:30–4:30 p.m. EST. Want to talk portfolio? Let’s do it!

 

Resources