Tips & Tools

All Tuesday Tips

Navigating the right support for your classroom can feel like a full-time job. Whether you are working with early learners or preparing students for life after graduation, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) at Indiana University is your go-to partner.

Review the list below to learn how IIDC’s seven centers can support your specific needs this school year.

For Early Childhood and Foundational Years

  • Early Childhood Center (ECC): If you are working in early childhood education, this center is your partner for professional development. ECC focuses on sustainable improvements to ensure young learners get the best start possible.
  • HANDS in Autism® (HANDS): Need help with specific behavioral or educational practices? HANDS provides hands-on coaching and implementation assistance to schools, specializing in effective strategies for autistic students and those with other disabilities.

For K-12 Strategy and Instruction

  • Center on Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL): CELL works directly with school leadership and teachers to conduct needs assessments. If your school is developing a strategic improvement plan, CELL provides the technical assistance needed to make research-based instruction work in practice.
  • Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA): When you need specialized training to improve outcomes for autistic students, IRCA offers technical assistance and professional development to help you stay ahead of the curve. Their neuroaffirming approach celebrates the diversity and strengths of the autistic community.

For Transition and Future Planning

  • Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC): As students with disabilities prepare for life after high school, CCLC provides resources to support a smooth transition. From microcredentials for educators to guidance on employment and community living, we help you prepare students for adult life.

For Community and the Environment

While this list provides an overview, these centers’ work extends far beyond these brief descriptions. For more information, visit their respective websites or contact each team directly.

Bonus Tips

  • Explore the new and improved Transition Miniseries. This 7-course miniseries is a free online training from INSTRC. Each course is designed to help you become more familiar with the components of the cyclical planning process and support you as you create quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios with your students. Register today.
  • Enroll in the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course. A 10-week, comprehensive online training that gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition. Ready to get started? Register today.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can be a transformative tool to support students with disabilities as they prepare for life after high school. This continuum of interventions and supports can be especially beneficial for promoting soft skill development in adult environments, like Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), work trials, and employment settings, where independence, emotional regulation, and social success are essential.

To ensure PBIS is implemented effectively during this critical transition period, educators can use the following strategies:

  1. Align Behavioral Expectations with Adult Outcomes
    Frame school-wide expectations (e.g., respect, responsibility, safety) in the context of adult environments like workplaces, college campuses, and community settings. Teach behaviors that directly support independence, self-determination, and employability.
  2. Individualize Supports Based on Transition Goals
    Use students’ IEP transition plans to guide behavioral instruction and reinforcement. For example, a student aiming for competitive employment may benefit from targeted support in punctuality, communication, and task persistence.
  3. Embed PBIS into Real-World Experiences
    Reinforce positive behaviors during community-based instruction, internships, and job shadowing. This helps students generalize skills across settings and see the relevance of school-based expectations.
  4. Use Meaningful Reinforcers
    Choose reinforcers that reflect adult life, such as increased autonomy, mentorship, or leadership opportunities, rather than traditional school-based rewards.
  5. Collaborate Across Systems
    Partner with families, adult service providers, and community organizations to ensure consistency in behavioral expectations and supports across environments.
  6. Monitor Progress and Adjust Supports
    Use data to track behavioral growth and make timely adjustments. Celebrate progress toward adult readiness, not just compliance.

By integrating these strategies, PBIS becomes a bridge to adulthood that empowers students with disabilities to thrive beyond high school.

Bonus Tips:

Ready to sharpen your skills in preparing students for a transition to the workplace? Enroll in Transition Educators Facilitating Employment, a comprehensive, 10-week online training beginning January 5, 2026.

This essential course is designed for educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and all related professionals ready to elevate their practice.

You will gain:

    • A strong foundation in adult vocational transition.
    • Proven techniques for effective job placement.
    • A strong foundation in adult vocational transition.
    • Proven techniques for effective job placement.

Cost: $250

Transform your approach to transition education, enroll today!

As an educator or support professional, one of your goals is to ensure that every student is equipped for a meaningful life beyond the classroom. To support this goal, HANDS in Autism® is hosting a 3-Day Intensive Training specifically designed for those supporting individuals with autism and related disabilities.

This training provides transition teams, families, and clinicians with evidence-based, person-centered tools to bridge the gap between high school and adulthood. Participants will learn to move beyond compliance-based planning toward purposeful, individualized outcomes.

Learning Objectives

  • Assessment and Planning: Master transition assessments to drive actionable goals.
  • Strengths-Based Guidance: Utilize student interests and preferences to shape postsecondary pathways.
  • Postsecondary Mapping: Navigate the landscape of higher education, vocational opportunities, and community engagement.
  • Fostering Independence: Implement practical tools to increase student autonomy and meaningful participation.

This intensive session blends theoretical frameworks with real-world application, ensuring that attendees leave with a clear roadmap for student success. Whether you are an educator, administrator, or support partner, this training will help your team replace uncertainty with a structured, confident approach to transition services.

For more information, visit the HANDS in Autism® Trainings webpage. Register by Tuesday, April 7, to receive a $250 discount.

HANDS in Autism® Resources

Self-advocacy is a crucial skill that every special educator should strive to instill in their students. Effective self-advocacy starts with students understanding their own needs and rights. Once they have this understanding, self-advocacy enables them to communicate their needs, preferences, and goals to others. These skills are vital throughout life and often begin while students are still in school. Learning and practicing self-advocacy helps students become more independent and confident, and it increases the likelihood that they will receive support in achieving their personal goals. Teaching and facilitating self-advocacy skills is like giving students a superpower!

The Skills Needed

The following information is designed to assist educators and professionals in developing focused lesson plans for self-advocacy. Effective advocacy entails articulating one's needs, rights, and goals with respect, clarity, and confidence. We propose the following essential steps for developing these skills:

  1. Developing Self-Awareness
    Students should learn to identify their strengths, challenges, and necessary supports. This process includes understanding personal values and long-term goals.

  2. Understanding Personal Rights
    Students must learn about legal rights in educational, vocational, and healthcare settings. This may include requesting disability accommodations, leading IEP meetings, understanding guardianship options, or accessing mental health support.

  3. Practicing Clear Communication
    Students must learn to communicate effectively. This involves using “I” statements (e.g., “I require additional time to complete assignments because...”), being direct yet respectful, asking clarifying questions, and practicing active listening.

  4. Establishing a Support Network
    Students benefit from identifying trusted peers, mentors, and family members who provide encouragement and guidance. These individuals serve as a reliable foundation for the student's advocacy efforts.

  5. Engaging in Skill Rehearsal
    Encourage students to practice self-advocacy skills in safe spaces before tackling more challenging situations.

  6. Prioritizing Self-Care
    Navigating self-advocacy can be emotionally demanding. It’s important to encourage students to take breaks, seek ongoing support, and acknowledge their progress.

Resources

As an educator, you have the power to provide learning opportunities, both formal and informal, throughout the school day. Focusing on skill development and the steps outlined above will give you an excellent start.

We have included additional resources below and encourage you to incorporate this information into your instructional approach.


Health literacy is a foundational independent living skill for transition-age students. The ability to understand, communicate, and act on health information supports safer decision-making, self-advocacy, and autonomy in adult life. Teaching health literacy early helps students prepare to manage their own health once they leave school.

What are basic health literacy skills?

  • Finding basic health information, including knowing when, where, and how to seek help.
  • Understanding instructions from doctors, pharmacists, and caregivers.
  • Asking questions to clarify information to ensure understanding.
  • Using health information to make personal health decisions, practice prevention strategies, and advocate.

For young adults with disabilities, this includes improving communication skills, identifying helpful supports for managing health needs, and knowing where to find assistance.

Put theory into practice with these hands-on activities:

1. Teach students how to speak up and actively participate during medical appointments.
Encourage students to practice describing their symptoms. Use the following sentence starters and prompts:

  • “My pain is…” (Is it sharp or dull? Is it mild or strong?)
  • “It started when…” (When did you first feel sick?)
  • “It gets better/worse when…” (What makes you feel better?)

Students can practice these prompts with a partner. Pretend one person is the doctor, nurse, or pharmacist, and the other is the patient.

2. Create a personal health profile (PHP).
Have each student create a simple, one-page health profile including:

  • Allergies
  • Medications
  • Emergency contacts
  • Preferred communication style
  • Supports or accommodations they need

This profile becomes a transition-ready resource for adult appointments.

3. Build medication literacy skills.
Use everyday classroom objects (such as candy or colored beads) to simulate medication and teach essential safety skills. This hands-on approach helps students practice:

  • Reading labels
  • Dosage instructions
  • Timing
  • Safe storage
  • Safety and expiration labels

This activity can be adapted for any cognitive level. Use visual aids, checklists, and step-by-step guides.

4. Teach students how to use everyday health technology and tools.
Practice reviewing:

  • Emergency contacts
  • Calendar reminders for appointments
  • Apps or devices to track sleep, hydration, or movement
  • Patient portals (with family support)

Technology proficiency helps students do more things for themselves. With practice, students can solve problems and feel more confident.

5. Build self-advocacy through question stems.
Teach students the “Ask Me 3” questions for any health appointment.

  • What is my main problem?
  • What do I need to do?
  • Why is it important for me to do this?

This aligns perfectly with supported decision-making skills.

Resources

March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, making it a great time to focus transition practices on what matters most: recognizing and leveraging student strengths as you help them plan for their future. Person-centered planning (PCP) offers a practical framework to ensure seamless transition plans reflect a student’s authentic preferences, abilities, and vision for their emerging adulthood identity.

Why it Matters

Strength-based planning fosters student and family engagement, increases self-determination, and provides a shared starting point for interagency partners. When teams understand what a student does well and what motivates them, they are better prepared to design supports that lead to meaningful postsecondary outcomes. Strength-based planning includes:

  1. Preparing for Student-Led IEPs

    Encourage students to take the lead in their IEP meetings. Students can start by sharing their strengths, interests, and goals. Even small actions, such as introducing the participants or presenting their strengths, can help build their confidence and sense of ownership. Prepare students in advance by asking questions like, “What are you most proud of this year?” or “What helps you feel successful?” This approach sets a positive, strengths-focused tone and models authentic student leadership.

  2. Using Family Interviews to Fill in the Gaps

    Families often recognize strengths in their children that may not be evident in school settings. Interviewing both the family and the student can create enthusiasm as they explore interests, routines, skills, cultural values, and community roles. This information can significantly enhance and influence the transition plan. Additionally, the findings from this activity can serve as an authentic assessment.

  3. Turning Strengths Into Actionable Goals and Activities

    If a student excels with hands-on tasks, explore Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses or work-based learning. If a student thrives with visual supports, incorporate them across employment, education, and independent living goals, as well as transition services and activities.

  4. Reinforcing Strengths Across Settings

    Share what works with related service providers, general educators, agency partners, and the student and their family to ensure that effective strategies are understood, applied consistently, and reinforced across all settings. This approach strengthens communication, builds collective confidence, and helps the student experience more predictable and meaningful success.

Ready to learn more? Explore INSTRC’s Seamless Transition Toolkit for additional strength-based planning resources.

Summer is more than just a break; it is a pivotal window for students to explore careers, sharpen skills, and build a foundation for postsecondary success. As an educator, you can help families pivot from a “stagnant” summer to one of profound growth.

The Impact of Summer Camps

Camps offer a low-stakes environment for students to try new things, build peer confidence, and develop independence outside the classroom. To help your students make the most of the season:

  • Encourage Early Action: Popular programs fill up fast. Advise families to research and register now to secure their spots.
  • Remove Barriers: Many camps provide financial aid or sliding-scale tuition to ensure affordability.
  • Prioritize Inclusion: We have compiled a list of inclusive camps with trained staff and adaptive programming for students with disabilities.

Sharing the resources listed below during upcoming parent-teacher conferences can be the catalyst a student needs to stay engaged over the break.

Bradford Woods

  • This camp provides a variety of accessible, therapeutic summer programs tailored to youth and adults with physical, sensory, chronic, or developmental disabilities.
  • Phone: 765-342-2915
  • Address: 5040 State Road 67 N., Martinsville, IN 46151

Noble Summer Day Camps

  • An inclusive day camp where youth with and without disabilities can have fun together through music, dance, and social skill-building activities.
  • Phone: 317-254-6621
  • Address: 7701 E. 21st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219

Summer@CIP (College Internship Program)

  • A two-week residential program focused on building independence, enhancing social skills, and providing a taste of college life.
  • Phone: 812-323-0600
  • Address: 204 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404

Camp Sharing Meadows

  • A transformative overnight camp with programming that emphasizes independence and self-esteem while fostering fellowship among participants.
  • Phone: 219-778-2585
  • Address: 6357 N. County Road 300 E., LaPorte, IN 46350

Camp Millhouse

  • An inclusive day and overnight camp fostering self-discovery for individuals aged 7 to 75+ with diverse physical and developmental needs.
  • Phone: 574-233-2202
  • Address: 25600 Kelly Road, South Bend, IN 46614

Diabetes Youth Foundation: Camp Until A Cure

  • A day and overnight camp for children aged 5 to 15 with type 1 diabetes.
  • Phone: 317-750-9310 or 317-695-6485
  • Location: 5050 E. 211th Street, Noblesville, IN 46062

Anderson Woods Summer Camp

  • A nature-based overnight camp focused on dignity, safety, and personal growth.
  • Phone: 812-639-1079
  • Address: 3966 Adyeville Road, Bristow, IN 47515

The search does not have to stop here. We recommend the Indiana Disability Resource FINDER to discover additional events or opportunities.

Special educators navigate the complex demands of individualized instruction daily. Focusing on a single skill, such as vocabulary, reveals a wide range of strategies within a professional teaching toolkit. As you know, vocabulary connects students to the world around them. It serves as the bridge between students and their environment, facilitating reading comprehension, active listening, and both receptive and expressive communication. However, balancing person-centered delivery with diverse learning profiles can often make significant vocabulary growth overwhelming.

The Frayer Model

The Frayer approach isn’t new. In the 1960s, Dorothy Frayer and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin were credited with its development. Similar to the transition portfolio, which uses four domains to highlight and summarize student characteristics, the Frayer Model is a graphic organizer using four general teaching “buckets.” Each bucket represents something about the target vocabulary or word that you want the student to learn.

A graphic organizer representing the Frayer Model for vocabulary building. The image features a central white rectangle labeled "Target Word" with four colored quadrants surrounding it: • Top-left (Pink): Labeled "Definitions". • Top-right (Yellow): Labeled "Characteristics". • Bottom-left (Blue): Labeled "Examples". • Bottom-right (Green): Labeled "Non-Examples"

  • Definition: The formal meaning of the word.
  • Characteristics: Specific traits or qualities.
  • Examples: Correct applications or synonyms.
  • Non-Examples: Antonyms or common misconceptions.

Versatility in Special Education

The Frayer Model’s inherent flexibility ensures student-centric application across various instructional settings. Educators can easily adapt the framework to suit specific accessibility requirements and individual needs.

  • Digital Integration: Utilize Google Docs or interactive slides for technology-driven lessons.
  • Tactile Support: Incorporate teacher-created physical images or manipulatives for hands-on learners.
  • Auditory Adaptation: Use audio prompts to guide selection and reinforcement for auditory learners.
  • Traditional: Apply standard paper-and-pencil methods for direct instruction.

This model supports both independent progress and collaborative team goals. It proves particularly effective for students transitioning into employment, independent living, or postsecondary education, where mastering specialized terminology is critical for success.

Explore the following links to access self-guided learning modules and Frayer Model templates designed to enhance your vocabulary instruction.

Resources:

Why It Matters

Early planning for life after high school is vital for students with disabilities. Transition planning under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires educators and families to prepare students for life after high school. Exploring postsecondary employment, education/training, and independent living options ensures students with disabilities have equitable access to college, career, and independent living opportunities.

Postsecondary Pathways

Four-year colleges and universities offer bachelor’s degrees and may provide programs catering to diverse needs, such as Think College. You can search for programs by state and disability. It's important to discuss higher education options with families. Connecting them with campus disability services offices early on can help address any necessary accommodations.

Community colleges are often affordable, flexible, and frequently have strong disability support. Encourage students to research inclusive programs and dual enrollment opportunities.

Trade and technical schools offer hands-on training for a variety of in-demand careers, including those in healthcare, information technology (IT), and other skilled trades. It's important to encourage students to look for programs that are ADA compliant and offer assistive technology. A great starting point is to explore the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs available in your area.

Apprenticeships and internships can be a good way to earn while you learn. Help your students explore inclusive apprenticeship and internship programs available in your state and through the Department of Workforce Development. Some examples from Indiana are:

Military and service programs offer education benefits and structured training in a variety of specialties. Review eligibility and discuss accommodations for service-related roles with students and their families.

Key Planning Tips for Teachers

Various transition assessments, Person-Centered Planning models, and other frameworks can help educators support students during their transition to adulthood. One helpful resource in this area is the LifeCourse Framework.

The LifeCourse Framework can help people of all ages think about what they want their life to look like and identify the supports, skills, and experiences needed to get there. It emphasizes that every person, regardless of disability, background, or circumstance, has skills and abilities shaped by daily experiences, environments, and opportunities. For educators, this perspective encourages a shift from focusing solely on academic performance to understanding the broader context of a student’s life.

A key element of the LifeCourse approach is the idea of trajectories or the paths students are currently on and the paths they want to be on. When educators intentionally design learning experiences that nudge students toward positive trajectories, they help students build the confidence, skills, and networks needed for long-term success. This might involve exposing students to early career exploration, integrating real-world problem-solving into lessons, or helping students reflect on how their choices today influence their future options.

Another powerful component is the use of LifeCourse tools such as the Trajectory Worksheets and the Integrated Supports Star. These tools help students articulate their goals, identify what is working or not working in their lives, and map out the supports they need. When educators use these tools in classrooms or transition planning meetings, they empower students to take ownership of their futures. This builds self-determination, one of the strongest predictors of positive postsecondary outcomes.

For educators ready to explore the framework more deeply, the LifeCourse Nexus offers free tools, examples, and training materials that can be used in classrooms and transition programs. You can explore these resources on the LifeCourse Tools website.

Bonus Tips:

In the new year, we remain committed to providing robust support through professional development and technical assistance, including:

  • Explore the new and improved Transition Miniseries. This 7-course miniseries is a free online training from INSTRC. Each course is designed to help you become more familiar with the components of the cyclical planning process and support you as you create quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios with your students. Register today.
  • Enroll in the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course. A 10-week, comprehensive online training that gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition. Register today.
  • Join Virtual Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. Our staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the Zoom link.

CTE programs are an important bridge between high school, postsecondary education, industry, and workforce development. These programs can open doors to hands-on learning, industry-recognized skills, and meaningful employment opportunities. For students with disabilities, CTE can build confidence in specific skills, foster independence, enhance career exploration, and connect classroom learning to real work experiences and future careers.

Why it matters for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs):

  • A multi-state study conducted in Indiana and Minnesota found that special education students who participated in CTE programs were more likely to become “concentrators,” those who complete multiple courses in a single career-oriented track. Those students also achieved higher employment rates within the first five years of graduation compared to their non-participating peers.
  • Research across Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Washington indicates that CTE concentration is linked to improved graduation rates. Furthermore, in most of these states, students who focused on CTE experienced higher employment rates one year after high school.
  • Another study confirms that students with IEPs who engage in CTE programs achieve better graduation, college enrollment, and employment outcomes than their peers who earn fewer CTE credits.

To ensure students find programs that support their long-term goals, educators should introduce CTE options early during transition planning. CTE programs are specifically designed to help students with disabilities achieve their IEP goals through tailored instruction. By earning microcredentials, students can formally demonstrate their proficiency, giving employers greater confidence in their technical skills.

CTE Pathways Microcredential Pilot Project

We invite you to pilot CTE microcredentials in Automotive Technology and Early Childhood Education. Additional programs in Culinary Arts and Hospitality will be available soon. These microcredentials validate skills students acquire through practical experience. They offer a portable, competency-based method for students to demonstrate their talents to future employers. This collaboration between special education and CTE programs ensures that all stakeholders succeed.

Interested in joining our pilot project or learning more? Email us today at instrc@iu.edu!

Supporting students with disabilities during the transition to adulthood is most effective when educators stay connected to high-quality resources and supports. National organizations offer tools that help teachers understand best practices in transition planning, from employment preparation to independent living skills. Explore the websites listed below for strategies, materials, and training opportunities that will strengthen your transition programming.

The resources below will also help you stay informed on evolving policies, supports, and inclusive postsecondary opportunities. Whether you are developing transition IEP goals, coordinating work-based learning, or helping students explore postsecondary options, these national agencies offer reliable guidance. Integrating these tools ensures that students with disabilities receive the support they need to thrive in adulthood.

The list below includes key agencies and online supports. Use it as a starting point to build your own teaching toolkit.

What happens when a student’s potential is primed to soar, but their home life lacks the support to achieve it? For students with disabilities, the lack of affordable technology and reliable internet creates more than just an inconvenience; it creates the special education homework gap. This is digital inequity in its rawest form. True digital equity means every student has the technology, high-speed access, and digital literacy required to participate fully in the classroom and beyond.

Since the end of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in 2024, this divide has only deepened, leaving our most vulnerable learners further behind.

The Digital Divide

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology identifies barriers, or divides, to equitable information and communication technologies (ICT). These barriers include:

  • Digital Use: refers to the disparity between students actively or passively using technology throughout the learning process.
  • Digital Design: refers to the often-inadequate ability of educators to design effective instruction and learning for students through the use of technology.
  • Digital Access: refers to reliable, affordable physical access, including knowledge use, to ICT.

There is no "quick fix" for systemic inequity, but the first step toward closing the gap is understanding its depth. We invite you to dive deeper into these digital barriers. By engaging in self-directed learning, we can begin to design new remedies that ensure no student is left offline and unheard.

Resources:

Bonus Tip:

Registration is now open for the 10-week Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course! This $250 online, self-paced training covers essential strategies for successful vocational transitions, including customized employment, marketing, and assistive technology. Ideal for educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, and transition coordinators, it provides the foundation needed for effective adult vocational support. Enroll today!

Celebrate 2026 by making transition fun for you and your students! One effective way to achieve this is by helping students set goals using LifeCourse Tools! The LifeCourse Framework provides a structured, person-centered way to help students and families plan for the future.

Why use LifeCourse Tools in your classroom or transition program?

  • They empower students to express their preferences and priorities, ensuring that goals align with what is most important to them.
  • They help students identify short-term goals and a plan to reach their long-term postsecondary goals across life domains like education, employment, and community living.
  • They provide visual tools. Reference the Exploring Life Domains, Person-Centered Portfolio, and the Integrated Supports Star to make planning interactive, easy to understand, and fun.

5 Tips for Effective LifeCourse Tool Implementation

  1. Pair the LifeCourse Tools with creative activities contributing to students’ transition portfolios, digital planners, or vision boards. This will keep students and their families motivated and engaged.
  2. Explore the Life Domains to get students thinking, families exploring, and educators bonding and connecting to activities with meaningful outcomes.
  3. Facilitate discussions to encourage students to share what’s important to and for them with their transition team.
  4. Break goals into actionable steps to help students choose one or two priorities for the next few months.
  5. Review progress regularly for transition check-ins, not just in IEP meetings.

As the year comes to a close, the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center sends warm wishes for a festive holiday season and a prosperous year.

Thank you for being a dedicated subscriber to Tuesday’s Transition Tips. We especially want to recognize the invaluable, hard work you perform every day to serve youth, students with disabilities, and their families. Your commitment is the foundation for the successful future of those you serve.

We look forward to connecting with you again in 2026!

Bonus Tips:

In the new year, we remain committed to providing robust support through professional development and technical assistance, including:

  • Explore the new and improved Transition Miniseries. This 7-course miniseries is a free online training from INSTRC. Each course is designed to help you become more familiar with the components of the cyclical planning process and support you as you create quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios with your students. Register today.
  • Enroll in the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course. A 10-week, comprehensive online training that gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition. Register today.
  • Join Virtual Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. Our staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the Zoom link.

By now, everyone should know there are four domains in the transition portfolio. Similarly, there are four domains included in recognized High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) for special education professionals. HLPs are foundational practices and competencies that every educator should master and incorporate into their professional practice. Using HLPs optimizes educator readiness to meet the diverse needs of students, thus enhancing student outcomes.

The Four Domains:

a four-panel graphic with white outline icons and text on colored squares. The first blue square: icon of four hands meeting in the center. Text: Collaboration. The second orange square: icon of a gear atop a rising line graph with an arrow. Text: Data-Driven Planning. The third green square: icon of a teacher pointing to a whiteboard/easel. Text: Instruction in Behavior and Academics. The fourth red square: Icon of a clipboard with a checklist and a pen. Text: Intensify and Intervene as Needed.

HLPs Within Each Domain:

  1. Collaboration: Cooperating and partnering with general educators, paraprofessionals, support staff, and families.
  2. Data-Driven Planning: Using various assessment tools, interpret the results to identify student goals and design student-centered instruction.
  3. Instruction in Behavior and Academics: Developing and delivering instruction that more effectively manages student behavior and increases engagement by creating, practicing, and reinforcing clear expectations.
  4. Intensify and Intervene as Needed: Align instructional strategies and support methods with students’ academic and behavioral needs.

For more information and self-guided learning about HLPs, we invite you to explore the four resources listed below.

Resources:

Bonus Tips:

On Monday, December 15, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET at Easterseals Crossroads (4740 Kingsway Drive, Indianapolis), the Center on Community Living and Careers and Easterseals Crossroads will host A Place of My Own, a free session exploring residential options for individuals with disabilities. The program covers housing models, funding, regulations, workforce challenges, and intentional communities, and welcomes families, transition-age students, caregivers, and professionals.

James M. “Jim” McCarten, a special needs attorney specializing in SSI, Medicaid, and Special Needs Trusts, will lead the session. In-person seating is limited to 60 participants, and a virtual attendance option is available. Please help us spread the word! Share the registration information with families and colleagues.

As Thanksgiving approaches, it’s the perfect time to pause and reflect on the incredible dedication of our high school teachers, staff, and administrators. You are mentors, advocates, and champions for every student who walks through your doors.

You shape minds and futures with every lesson, every encouraging word, and every moment spent helping a student believe in themselves. Your work is not easy. It requires patience, creativity, resilience, and above all, heart. And yet, day after day, you show up with unwavering commitment to your students’ growth and success.

As educator Rita Pierson once said, “Every child deserves a champion—an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be.” You are those champions!

To every teacher, staff, and administrator who has helped a struggling student, celebrated small victories, and who has believed in potential even when it wasn’t yet visible – thank you. Your impact is immeasurable, and your service is deeply appreciated. May this season remind you that your work is valuable, and your presence in our schools is a cherished gift that we appreciate.

Bonus Tips:

The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) is excited to offer a new and improved Transition Miniseries. This free 7-course online training teaches transition professionals, teachers, and interagency teams the cyclical planning process for creating quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios. Schools, Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), Vocational Rehabilitation, adult service agencies, families, and their community support systems are among the many who could find this information useful. Participants can complete the full series for up to 18 professional contact hours or take individual courses to enhance their skills.

Courses in the Transition Miniseries include:

  • Self-Determination in the Transition Process
  • The Transition IEP
  • Adult Services and Supports after High School

Register for one or all seven courses today!

We invite you to participate in Comprehensive Transition Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. CCLC staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the Zoom link.

A successful transition to adulthood requires students to practice self-advocacy and communication skills and utilize community resources and services with their families. These strategies help high school students build self-determination, resilience, and strong support networks for their future. As extended holiday breaks approach, we are reminded of the transitions students and families experience before graduation. These seasonal periods offer a S.M.A.R.T. opportunity to use transition strategies that alleviate stress and support mental health, behavioral adjustments, and environmental changes.

What is the S.M.A.R.T. Criteria?

S – Support Communication and Self-Advocacy

Encourage students to express their needs and emotions. Using tools like visual aids, communication apps, or guided conversations as needed. These skills are essential for navigating environments and relationships.

M – Monitor for Warning Signs

Watch for changes in behavior, mood, or engagement before extended school breaks. Early signs of distress, especially during high-stress times like the holidays, may warrant timely intervention.

A – Access Mental Health Resources

Proactively connect families to reliable resources such as:

These tools offer guidance on therapy, crisis support, and transition planning.

R – Reduce Pressure and Redefine Success

Create realistic academic and social expectations to minimize student overload before extended school breaks. Emphasize progress, connection, and well-being just before the holiday season.

T – Teach Coping Strategies

Introduce techniques like mindfulness, movement breaks, and sensory regulation. These strategies help students manage stress now and build resilience for adulthood.

Bonus Tips:

Want to better support your students as they prepare for a career after graduation? The CCLC Learning Academy offers 10 online courses, created by professionals with lived experience and over 70 years of combined expertise. All courses provide the deep understanding and practical applications needed to help people reach their vocational goals.

Join our upcoming cohort starting Monday, December 1.

  • Mental Health Series: Explores anxiety, bipolar, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and more.
  • Special Populations: Deep dive into Acquired Brain Injury, Autism, Substance Use Disorders, Trauma-Informed Care, and Formerly Incarcerated Individuals.
  • Online & Affordable: $75 per course, with professional development credits available.

These courses come with a certificate of completion, CRCs, PGPs, and more. Register for one or more courses today! 

Effective communication is the foundation of successful transition planning. The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC)’s Seamless Transition Pilot found that clear, consistent, and collaborative communication among transition teams, students, and families was one of the most critical factors for success.

INSTRC spent two years gathering data from regions around the state through family interviews and interagency team focus groups. Both the families and teams identified that effective element communication strengthens trust and meets the expectations of families for each team member.

Below we’ve included a few important points to keep in mind:

  • Every team member has valuable input—communicate that point early.
  • Students and parents/caregivers must be equally contributing members of the transition team.
  • Start transition communication early. The more engaged students and families are in transition planning, the better prepared they will be for transitions into adulthood.
  • Advocacy is crucial for navigating complex systems. Help students and families understand and access the essential services and resources they need.

Effective communication is not a one-way street, like a quick note or email update. It should be an ongoing dialogue that fosters learning, builds trust, and collaborates toward meaningful outcomes. Good communication is intentional and inclusive. Some opportunities for clear, consistent, and reciprocal communication might include the following:

  1. Student-centered communication through student-led IEP meetings.
  2. Family-centered communication through family interviews and partnerships.
  3. Interagency collaborative communication through consistent and inclusive team updates by:

INSTRC provides a toolbox of resources to support effective communication. The FranklinCovey Blog suggests 8 Communication Strategies you can practice for clarity, preparation, nonverbal cues, tone, active listening, interpersonal skills, audience awareness, and overcoming barriers.

Bonus Tips:

The “Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application" webinar series is only a week away! A series of 6 focused 90-minute virtual trainings. Learn how each section of the Transition IEP seamlessly connects with a quality Transition Portfolio. This training is designed for the entire student transition team: special education educators, coordinators, and administrators; employment professionals and agencies; and family members.

What to expect:

  • Focused Learning: Each session targets a specific area: Present Levels, Postsecondary Goals, Transition Services, and more.
  • Immediate Support: Our sessions include breakout rooms where you can ask specific questions and get one-on-one support in needed areas.

Starting Wednesday, October 22, 2025! Each session costs $35 and runs from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Register for one or all six sessions today.

Why is teaching healthcare skills to students with disabilities important?

As youth transition to adulthood, the ability to monitor their health and medical needs becomes vital. From managing medications, making appointments and filling out forms, to transitioning from pediatrics to adult providers, these skills are crucial for a healthy future. Health Care Transition (HCT) focuses on building these skills, fostering self-advocacy, and preparing individuals for the adult model of care. These efforts will:

  1. Promote Self Advocacy and Independence: Empowering students to take charge of their health prepares them for a successful transition to adulthood. By learning to advocate for themselves, students develop a vital skill that benefits them in all aspects of life. They become more confident in communicating their needs and preferences to healthcare providers and others.
  2. Improve Health Outcomes and Enhance Quality of Life: Effective health condition management can significantly improve health outcomes, reduce complications, and enhance overall quality of life. This allows individuals to fully participate in all aspects of their lives.
  3. Reduce Healthcare Costs: Participating in health-promoting activities can significantly reduce healthcare costs by decreasing the need for emergency room visits and hospitalizations. This benefits individuals, their families, and the overall healthcare system.
  4. Facilitate Smooth Transition: Teaching HCT skills ensures a smoother transition from pediatric to adult healthcare. This reduces the risk of gaps in care and ensures continuity of treatment.
  5. Support Long-Term Success: Developing healthcare skills early in life helps students establish healthy habits and gain confidence in communicating and advocating for their needs. This sets the foundation for lifelong well-being.

The following resources can help assess, write IEP annual goals, and teach Health Care Transition skills to students.

Bonus Tips:

October is packed with learning opportunities. Join the third webinar of our fall series:

  • Portfolios and Profiles: Portals to Competitive, Integrated Employment (CIE)

This session will take place on Thursday, October 17 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. To register, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) kicks off in Batesville, Indiana Friday, October 25. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register for this and other events, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.

Transition teams support students’ postsecondary goals in the areas of employment, education, and independent living. This intentional planning and collaboration process is referred to as Seamless Transition. Teams utilize seven key steps to guide this process with students and families.

  1. Encourage Families to Apply for Benefits 

As soon as a child is diagnosed, families should begin to apply for:

  1. Social Security
  2. Medicaid
  3. Medicaid Waiver
  1. Create an Interagency Team

Engage the student's stakeholders to build a collaborative network. Integrate your expertise with other providers to promote shared planning, strategy alignment, and the development of actionable next steps.

  1. Map the Vision

Use tools like the Positive Personal Profile or LifeCourse Framework. By aligning the student's current position and future aspirations, the team can create, support, and monitor goals. Advocate for the consistent use of these person-centered planning tools and resources.

  1. Enroll the Student in Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS)

Pre-ETS offers invaluable resources for students. Promote its benefits to families of students aged 14 to 22, emphasizing its role in developing job readiness, self-advocacy, and work experience.

  1. Help Families Apply to Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS)

Refer students to VRS. You’ve done so much work to make sure students’ goals are met; help families keep the momentum going! Remember, students can receive services from VR and Pre-ETS simultaneously.

  1. Address the Financial Impact of Employment

Decisions and choices about employment often involve financial planning. Pre-ETS providers, VRS, educators, and families can assist the student with this process.

  1. Discuss ABLE Accounts.
  2. Seek a Benefits Analysis.
  3. Provide information on Rep Payees.
  1. Discuss Adult Decision-Making

Before the 10th grade, inform families of the various types of legal guardianship. To ensure the student's best interests are served, families need sufficient time to review and express their concerns regarding future supports.

Share the Seamless Transition Map and Timeline with families and consider it a key resource for your own planning.

Resources:

Twice-exceptional students, referred to as 2e, may be in your special education classrooms regardless of school size or geographic area. Research shows that between 2% and 9% of special education students are twice exceptional. These students simultaneously exhibit both exceptional (gifted) abilities and a disability recognized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

As a special educator, you must recognize the potential for both giftedness and disability to be present, significant, and experienced jointly by the same student. While you may not encounter 2e students often, having global knowledge about this population will serve you, the student, and the student’s family well.

2e students benefit from intervention and strategies specific to both attributes. This is a tall order for educators and school systems. Students benefit from having an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) while also focusing on nurturing their strengths and giftedness. Twice-exceptional students may have an IEP if they have at least one disability as defined by IDEA categories and demonstrate a need for special education. Indiana also provides a High Ability Coordinator Handbook outlining services and best practices for identifying and serving 2e students.

The Identification Challenge

Identifying 2e students can be challenging. Often, the strengths of high-ability students can mask their disability-related needs, which makes it difficult to recognize their challenges. This phenomenon is known as masking. On the other hand, the effects of a disability can also hide one's giftedness. Additionally, there is a risk of missed diagnoses in this complex process.

The 2e student may be diagnosed as neither disabled nor gifted. The student might be assessed as having high ability but not as disabled. Alternatively, the student could be assessed as disabled but not as gifted. None of these three scenarios is beneficial because the student does not receive a suitable education, making it difficult for them to experience success and achievement.

Supporting 2e Students

Given the complexities described above, an excellent starting point for your self-directed learning are the resources listed below.

Bonus Tips:

Join us for the "From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application" webinar series, featuring six focused 90-minute virtual training sessions. This training is designed for the entire student transition team: special education educators, coordinators, and administrators; employment professionals and agencies; and family members. Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.

  • November 5: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • November 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • November 19: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • December 3: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

The Microcredential Development Project offers an exciting opportunity to formally recognize and credit students' real-life employment skills within Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathways. This project is specifically designed to support students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) who are working toward an alternate diploma or certificate of completion.

What are Microcredentials?

Microcredentials are short, specific, competency-based certifications earned through CTE courses and real-life employment. Microcredentials officially credit students for their skills and highlight their expertise in a chosen career area.

Project Status and Pathways

The Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) has developed and piloted these microcredentials across Indiana. We focused on the most popular and in-demand CTE career pathways for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs). Currently, CCLC has been working with school districts to pilot curriculum guides for:

  1. Early Childhood Education
  2. Education as a Profession
  3. Auto Mechanics

CCLC is actively collaborating with teams of special education and CTE educators to create a microcredential curriculum guide for the Culinary and Hospitality pathway. We are gathering feedback to ensure maximum real-world relevance. We look forward to creating curriculum in other pathways of interest for the future.

Join the Development Project

If your school or district is interested in curriculum design or piloting microcredentials in any of these pathways for students working toward an alternate diploma or certificate of completion, please contact INSTRC at instrc@iu.edu or Dr. Mary Pearson at pearsom@iu.edu.

Bonus Tips:

The “Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application" webinar series continues this week! A series of 6 focused 90-minute virtual trainings. Learn how each section of the Transition IEP seamlessly connects with a quality Transition Portfolio. This training is designed for the entire student transition team: special education educators, coordinators, and administrators; employment professionals and agencies; and family members.

What to expect:

  • Focused Learning: Each session targets a specific area: Present Levels, Postsecondary Goals, Transition Services, and more.
  • Immediate Support: Our sessions include breakout rooms where you can ask specific questions and get one-on-one support in needed areas.

Continuing October 29, 2025! Each session costs $35 and runs from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Register for one or the remaining five sessions today.

Data-based decision-making (DBDM) isn’t just a buzz phrase; the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires it. It provides the foundation for a student’s comprehensive assessment, IEP development, and progress monitoring. Educators should recognize DBDM as best practice. In short, DBDM boils down to using facts, data, and other information to inform instructional strategies that lead to positive student outcomes. Using data allows the educator to adjust instruction, adapt classroom support, and make an informed decision about teaching effectiveness. Viewed from this lens, data-based decisions help both the student and the educator to be as successful as possible. It’s a win-win proposition.

The Data You Should Classify and Use

Every person, every day, is drowning in data. Escaping the constant flow is simply impossible. A special educator, for instance, constantly manages both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data includes test scores, grades, student demographics, or anything characterized or summarized by a number. Qualitative data includes observations, student conversations, parent chats, surveys, student logs, and transition portfolios. The educator must use this information to select an instructional strategy, evaluate its effectiveness, and adjust teaching methods, because success is never one-size-fits-all.

Consider the life teachings of Marc Gold, and his book, Try Another Way, both promote the essential message: If a student is not learning, the teacher must try another instructional approach. His core principle is to never blame the learner; instead, use data to modify your approach. Teaching methods are limitless, so keep experimenting!

Resources:

Bonus Tips:

The Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) is excited to offer a new and improved Transition Miniseries. This free 7-course online training teaches transition professionals, teachers, and interagency teams the cyclical planning process for creating quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios. It's useful for schools, Vocational Rehabilitation and adult services staff, and families. Participants can complete the full series for up to 18 professional contact hours or take individual courses to enhance their skills.

Courses in the Transition Miniseries include:

  • Self-Determination in the Transition Process
  • The Transition IEP
  • Adult Services and Supports after High School

Register for one or all seven courses today!

Indiana is undergoing an employment systems transformation. Important changes may affect the students you support, especially those with significant disability impacts. These changes mean students using an Indiana waiver will no longer be able to attend state-funded, facility-based prevocational services (sheltered employment). Helping students understand their postsecondary employment options is critical. As they progress, developing an employment vision becomes increasingly important.

How Educators Can Empower Informed Choice Regarding Employment

Transition services and activities within the IEP offer a powerful avenue for developing students' employment visions. By incorporating concrete, action-oriented goals, students can articulate their future aspirations more clearly. Transition services and activities to consider might include:

  1. Facilitating and creating job shadowing opportunities for students.
  2. Developing and coordinating informational interviewing with local industry leaders.
  3. Helping students research the goods and services Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) offers.
  4. Collaborating with students to create one dedicated transition portfolio page that includes the:
    • Ideal conditions a student optimally needs at work.
    • Student’s most persistent strengths, including soft and hard skills.
    • Kind of supports, both at work and outside of work, a student will need to be successful and maintain a job.
  5. Exploring meaningful day options to ensure each student has balanced and holistic well-being.  ​

As always, connect students to VR as early as possible, no later than their junior year of high school. Students may now concurrently receive VR and Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Lastly, make sure the student can access his/her electronic transition portfolio after graduation.

Bonus Tips:

The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) starts January 28 and runs through March 4, 2025. These sessions are offered in both Spanish and English. To learn more, visit the English FEAT registration and Spanish FEAT registration webpages.

Federal legislative mandates require Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to allocate funds for Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities who are or may be eligible for VR services. These students, aged 14 to 22, must have an IEP or 504 plan, and be enrolled in a secondary, postsecondary, or other education program. In Indiana, these services are coordinated and provided by approved Pre-ETS VR contractors, typically adult services community rehabilitation programs.

Pre-ETS services include five core categories:

  1. Job exploration counseling
  2. Work-based learning experiences
  3. Counseling on postsecondary opportunities
  4. Workplace readiness training
  5. Instruction in self-advocacy

The Family and Social Services Administration website has more information on Pre-ETS core services and providers. Youth VR counselors can offer additional support to educators, students, and Pre-ETS providers. The Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) further defines the roles of Pre-ETS and VR counselors delivering Pre-ETS.

Concurrent VR and Pre-ETS Services

Students may concurrently receive Pre-ETS services and have an active case open through VR. According to DDRS, “High priority referrals include students getting ready to graduate who need VR services (e.g., those with no clear pathway after graduation), and students with more complex needs who might need VR services earlier (among other possible students).” Referring a student to VR is simple.

The Transition Portfolio

Pre-ETS providers should use the work they have completed to assist in developing or enhancing a student's transition portfolio. Educators and Pre-ETS providers should work collaboratively to develop or enhance student transition portfolios.

Bonus Tips:

CCLC has upcoming trainings for educators who want to strengthen their knowledge of transition IEPs and portfolios! Our sessions include:

  • Developing Quality Transition IEPs
  • Using the Transition IEP to Focus Education and Build Relationships
  • Portfolios and Profiles: Portals to Competitive, Integrated Employment (CIE)

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) kicks off in Batesville this October. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register for this and other events, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.

The United States Department of Education states, “By 2027, 70 percent of jobs will require education or training beyond high school.”  That's a lot of competition! Setting and achieving quality postsecondary education or training goals helps students stand out. These goals guide students through the often-micromanaged territory of high school to the diverse and often challenging world of higher education or career training programs. Research shows that goal setting is a powerful tool for success. The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) even lists it as one of the top predictors for positive post-school outcomes for students with disabilities.

Why Postsecondary Education and Training Goals Matter

  1. Enhance Future Opportunities: They help students align their current educational experiences with their long-term career aspirations and the training needed to obtain them. Whether they’re aiming for college, vocational certification, or on-the-job learning, clear goals ensure a smooth transition.
  2. Promote Self-Advocacy and Independence: Students gain a sense of ownership over their future and learn to articulate their needs. These skills are essential for navigating higher education and the workforce.
  3. Align with Individual Strengths and Interests: Effective postsecondary goals are tailored to a student's individual strengths, preferences, and interests. This personalized approach helps prevent disengagement and leads to a rewarding educational experience.
  4. Provide Tailored Support: Clear goals help educators and families identify and provide specific support, such as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services, academic counseling, career exploration activities, or specialized training programs.
  5. Foster Long-Term Success: Students with well-defined goals and a roadmap for achieving them are more likely to complete postsecondary education and training. This leads to better job opportunities and overall life satisfaction.

Quality postsecondary education and training goals are a roadmap to success, guiding students towards meaningful opportunities, fostering independence, and supporting their future. By prioritizing these goals, we ensure that every student has the chance to realize their full potential and achieve their dreams.

Resources

CCLC has upcoming trainings for educators who want to strengthen their knowledge of transition IEPs and portfolios! Our sessions include:

  • Developing Quality Transition IEPs
  • Using the Transition IEP to Focus Education and Build Relationships
  • Portfolios and Profiles: Portals to Competitive, Integrated Employment (CIE)

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

Bonus Tip: The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) kicks off in Batesville this October. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register for this and other events, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.

Prevalence 

According to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are a common condition. More importantly for educators, nearly one-third of teens experience an anxiety disorder, resulting in poor school performance. The National Institute of Mental Health’s data confirms that anxiety occurs more often in female teens. There is no single cause for anxiety. Educators can expect one in every three students to suffer from an anxiety disorder. More sobering is that this anxiety can be well-masked by the student, but no less devastating.

What to Look Out For

Feelings of anxiousness are normal for all teens. Anxiety rises and falls in response to different situations. Students can overcome anxiety through emotional support and skill-building. An anxiety disorder is persistent. For students experiencing ongoing anxiety, the impacts can be profound and may include, and not be limited to:

  • Physical complaints such as headaches and nausea
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Resistance to being in unfamiliar physical spaces/avoidance
  • Lack of concentration
  • Poor decision-making
  • Unrealistic thinking patterns, such as expecting self-perfection
  • Anger/agitation
  • Excessive concern about what others think

What You Can Do

  • Communicate with the family. Coordination and collaboration with families ensures ongoing support, especially when the student is under medical care.
  • Develop opportunities to teach the student coping and adaptation skills, such as relaxation techniques.
  • Identify safe places for the student to calm down.
  • Provide structure to minimize anxiety production. Before a schedule changes, rehearse transition skills with the student.
  • Be understanding.
  • Consider pairing the student with a peer partner.
  • Collaborate with the school guidance counselor. It takes a team.
  • Use accommodations

Resources

Bonus Tips

We're excited to offer the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course, starting April 7, 2025! This 10-week, comprehensive online training gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition.

Course modules include:

  • Developing Transition Programs within the Traditional School Environment
  • The Evolution of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Principles of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations
  • Discovery and Customized Employment
  • Marketing for Employment Services
  • Job Development, Training, and Workplace Supports
  • Assistive Technology
  • Federal Programs for Businesses and People with Disabilities
  • Criminal Justice Involvement

This online, self-paced course costs $250. For more information and to register, visit the CCLC Transition Educators Training webpage.

Research consistently shows that parental involvement is one of the most important predictors of student postsecondary success. School programs can make parent and family involvement easier by treating them as education partners and empowering them with knowledge (Mazotti 2021).

The reason isn’t hard to figure out. The Vermont Family Network sums it up nicely: “Families are often the first, most knowledgeable, and most consistent ‘case manager’ youth with disabilities have.” Partnership with parents should be front and center.

Here are some practical suggestions for involving parents in their child’s education: 

  1. Ask for parents’ input about the student’s strengths, preferences, interests, and needs.
  2. Invite parents to share their social and business contacts to facilitate career exploration.
  3. Provide hospitality when parents wish to observe in the classroom—drop the fear of scrutiny.
  4. Coordinate with parents to follow up with skill building, especially soft skills, and goal setting at home.
  5. Review the resources below.

Resources

Real-world work experiences before high school graduation are a key component of a seamless transition, contributing to students’ long-term success in competitive, integrated community employment. Early exposure to various career experiences aligned with the students’ interests and abilities allows them to explore multiple career paths. This exploration leads to increased career readiness, improved employability, and a better match between students and their future careers.

Work-based learning opportunities may include:

  • Work-site tours
  • Service learning with hands-on experiences
  • Job-shadowing with a mentor
  • Internships
  • Career and Technical Education

Success Stories

Meet Jeremy! Jeremy worked during high school. A job developer from The ARC discovered that Jeremy wanted to become a magician, entertaining young children. The job developer helped Jeremy get a job with FunFlatables, providing inflatables for children’s parties. After he graduated from high school, Jeremy became a dishwasher at Cracker Barrel. He earned at least minimum wage, working 30-40 hours a week, to earn enough to no longer rely on social security insurance. He improved his communication skills, made progress in his job, and made business cards promoting his work as a magician for children’s parties.

Meet Colton!  Colton worked in competitively paid, integrated jobs at 14 as a barista at a local cafe. He walked to his job twice a week. Colton bussed tables, helped the barista, and was a host there until he went to college. Colton held other part-time jobs during summers and evenings. Colton loved working with children at his former elementary school cafeteria. During the summer, he worked in the school’s ESY program as a mentor and role model.

Pre-ETS and Vocational Rehabilitation services can help you and your transition teams find good work experiences for students. To find a local Pre-ETS provider, visit the Counties by Pre-ETS Provider Fact Sheet. For additional information, visit the Family and Social Services Administration: Pre-Employment Transition Services Forms webpage.

Bonus Tips:

The virtual Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) continues this week. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.

Upcoming sessions:

  • Tuesday, May 13: Individual Employment Possibilities
  • Wednesday, May 14: Employer and Employee Supports
  • Monday, May 19: Maintaining Employment Resources and Medicaid
  • Tuesday, May 20: Benefits
  • Wednesday, May 21: Local and State Agency Presenters

We're excited to offer the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course, starting July 14, 2025! This 10-week, comprehensive online training gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition.

Course modules include:

  • Developing Transition Programs within the Traditional School Environment
  • The Evolution of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Principles of Supported and Customized Employment
  • Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations
  • Discovery and Customized Employment
  • Marketing for Employment Services
  • Job Development, Training, and Workplace Supports
  • Assistive Technology
  • Federal Programs for Businesses and People with Disabilities
  • Criminal Justice Involvement

This online, self-paced course costs $250. For more information and to register, visit the CCLC Transition Educators Training webpage.

As a special educator, you must be familiar with the Indiana Department of Education Notice of Procedural Safeguards. Sections highlight both parental and student rights, describing important changes occurring when a student turns 18, the age of majority. When a student turns 18, they are considered an adult and may make decisions and take actions on their own behalf, such as getting married or using credit cards. At that time, all of the special education rights belonging to the parent transfer to the 18-year-old student, unless a guardian or educational representative has been established. It is your responsibility, as an agent of the school and as an educator, to prepare both students and parents for this milestone. As an informational pipeline for parents and students, you must also prepare yourself!

After reviewing the messaging below, brainstorm some ideas and create a transition activity that allows students to explore their options.

Messaging for Parents from Educators

  • Until the child reaches age 18, you have access to all educational records maintained by the school. When a student turns 18 or attends a postsecondary program, the final decisional authority lies with the student.
  • Transfer of Rights doesn’t mean termination of decisional input.
  • Transfer of Rights is an opportunity for personal growth for students.
  • Use critical thinking and intentional support planning before seeking restrictive guardianship; guardianship is exceptionally difficult to overturn.
  • Involvement, support, and guidance are possible without guardianship, even for students with significant support needs.
  • Prioritize consideration of least restrictive alternatives.

Messaging for Students from Educators

  • You have options; know what they are and explore various resources.
  • Advocate for your preferences.
  • Make informed decisions about the types of support you need and who could provide that support.
  • Work toward a decision about guardianship well before you turn 18.

Resources

Competitive, Integrated Employment (CIE) is a vital concept for educators working with students with disabilities. CIE is also referred to as community integrated employment, inclusive community employment, competitive integrated work, or simply, integrated employment. These terms aren’t buzzwords; they're frameworks for building a successful future for your students.

CIE refers to a job that:

  • is located within the community,
  • offers minimum wage or above pay,
  • provides the opportunity to work alongside non-disabled peers, and
  • includes opportunities for advancement.

Key Components to Know

Competitive: Employees with disabilities performing the same work at the same level receive equal wages and benefits, including health insurance and paid time off, as their colleagues without disabilities, regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time. What is offered to one part-time or full-time employee is offered to all according to employer policies. Reasonable accommodations are provided as needed, which may include assistive technology or equipment adjustments. CIE includes opportunities for career advancement. As an educator, you can help students understand that they’re capable of performing work at the same level as their peers.

Integrated: Employees work together in the same physical space, fostering social interaction and teamwork. Integration moves beyond physical presence, meaning that individuals with disabilities are not isolated or separated from their colleagues within the workplace. Encourage students to participate in collaborative projects and transition meetings. This is where their social skills, communication, and teamwork truly shine. You can prepare them for CIE by creating similar opportunities in the classroom.

Employment: A wide variety of jobs are available within every community. Many businesses cultivate positive and inclusive workplace cultures. Students can receive ongoing support from an adult agency, such as job coaching, skills training, or job adaptations. To help students explore their options, refer them to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR).

Benefits of CIE include:

  • Employer-paid benefits
  • Improved quality of life
  • Financial empowerment
  • Skill development
  • Social connections

By focusing on CIE, you are not just preparing students for a job; you are preparing them for a fulfilling and meaningful life. For more information, review the Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) webpage dedicated to CIE.

Bonus Tip:

Join us for the “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application” webinar series. These trainings consist of six separate sessions, each lasting one and a half hours. They focus on the quality aspects of each section of the Transition IEP and how these sections relate to a quality transition portfolio. Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.

Upcoming dates:

  • October 22: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Present Levels
  • October 29: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Assessments and Postsecondary Goals
  • November 5: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • November 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • November 19: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • December 3: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

Over the years we have written several Tuesday's Tips on Transition IEP components and alignment. Quality, well-aligned IEPs are crucial for planning an education program focused on each student’s plans for employment, education, and if needed, independent living, after high school. As the new school year begins, we want to share some reminders about the Transition IEP.

Present Levels tell a story about the student’s current educational abilities. What do we currently know about the student regarding academics, functional skills, social skills, and physical and medical abilities and needs? You may also want to include information on communication, behavior, and sensory needs.

Transition Assessments help us understand the student’s SPIN (Strengths, Preferences, Interests, and Needs) in the areas of, education, employment, and independent living and lead directly to the postsecondary goals.

Postsecondary Goals are the student’s long-term preferences for employment, education/training and independent living based on information from current transition assessments. Where will the student work, learn, and live long-term?

Transition Services and Activities are specific activities aligned to the student’s current postsecondary goals. They help the student make informed decisions about continuing or changing those goals. Quality transition services and activities inform the student about their stated goals and help them determine how to clarify or change their postsecondary goals.

Annual Goals should address the student’s most significant barriers by targeting their academic, functional, and social needs. Ensuring that individual IEPs are aligned will better prepare them for their employment, education/training, and independent living goals.

CCLC has upcoming trainings for educators who want to strengthen their knowledge of transition IEPs and portfolios! These sessions are titled:

  • Developing Quality Transition IEPs
  • Using the Transition IEP to Focus Education and Build Relationships
  • Portfolios and Profiles: Portals to Competitive, Integrated Employment (CIE)

To register, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

Bonus Tip: We invite you to participate in Comprehensive Transition Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. CCLC staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the Zoom link.

In March 2024, one of our Tuesday’s Transition Tips introduced WorkOne Centers and what they do. Today’s tip will introduce additional resources teachers can share with students. Through WorkOne centers, students can access various tools, develop comprehensive work plans, and explore different career paths. The centers connect students to education and training options, helping them develop job skills through certificates, degrees, or other career training programs. WorkOne Centers advertise job affairs and hiring events, help job seekers create resumes, apply for jobs online, and connect with community employment services.

WorkOne Centers cater to various populations with higher employment needs. Young adults can utilize the following programs:

Teachers can assist their students in accessing vital information and services through their local WorkOne Centers. The Indiana WorkOne website offers information on all the centers in Indiana. Connect with your center today!

Bonus Tips:

CCLC’s comprehensive webinar series on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and Transition Portfolios starts next week. Join us for an immersive learning experience that guides transition-age students toward competitive, integrated employment, higher education, and independent living opportunities, but also fosters their overall growth and integration within the community.

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) kicks off in Batesville, Indiana next week. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register for this and other events, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.

We all make mistakes. It's a fundamental part of life. Rather than viewing mistakes as failures, we can see them as valuable learning opportunities. They show us what doesn't work, guiding us toward better approaches and fostering personal growth. While learning from our errors isn't always easy, it's often the most effective way to grow and develop.

Students with disabilities, especially those with higher learning needs, are sometimes overprotected by well-meaning adults, including educators. This can create environments where students aren't given the chance to make mistakes, take risks, and learn from their experiences—essentially denying them the dignity of learning through trial and error.

Dignity of risk is the right for individuals to make informed choices and experience the consequences, both positive and negative, of those decisions. As an educator, this means empowering students to learn, take calculated risks, and understand the outcomes of their actions. This process, even when it involves facing less desirable consequences, is crucial for building self-confidence and resilience.

Educators must champion the dignity of risk for their students, both inside and outside the classroom. This may involve educating parents about the importance of this concept and the valuable learning opportunities it provides for student growth and maturity. It's also beneficial for all members of a student's transition team to understand and support this principle.

Resources

Bonus Tips:

Join us for the “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application” webinar series. All sessions will include breakout rooms where you can ask questions and access additional support. Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.

Upcoming dates:

  • February 19: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • February 26: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • March 5: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples 
  • March 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

When planning for transition to adulthood for students, it’s easy to focus on services and checklists—but what truly matters is supporting and expanding the quality of life a young person envisions for themselves.

Supporting a multidimensional model across various wellness domains is a good start to help students begin their vision. Review the article by News at IU to learn more about the 8 Dimensions of Wellness and refer to the diagram. Experts emphasize the importance of focusing on each dimension individually, as well as recognizing how they collectively contribute to our overall health.

A colorful circular diagram titled "8 Dimensions of Wellness." The wheel is divided into eight segments, each representing a dimension with an icon: Emotional (heart), Intellectual (lightbulb), Occupational (hands), Social (people), Financial (dollar sign), Physical (runner), Spiritual (sun/star), and Environmental (earth). A white figure in a meditative pose sits in the center

Students should pursue wellness activities based on their preferences, interests, and needs. With your guidance, students can prioritize skill development, pursue individual goals, and live a fulfilling life. The Center on Community Living and Careers has developed resources you can share with students and families.

The Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) framework has specific tools to support transition teams as they shift from a systems-first mindset to a person-centered approach. Explore CtLC resources and tools with students and families. We highly recommend the tools listed below.

  • Life Vision worksheet can help students think specifically about their daily life, community living, safety, and personal relationships.
  • Trajectory for Planning worksheet can help students articulate what a good life looks like—and what they want to avoid.
  • Integrated Supports Star is another strategy that helps teams identify supports across five areas: personal strengths, relationships, technology, community resources, and eligibility-based services.

These simple tools can spark powerful conversations, reveal priorities beyond school and work, and broaden professionals’ lens to help students and families focus on the quality of life that is most important for them.

Bonus Tips:

Virtual Indiana Family Employment Awareness (FEAT) continues tonight! Learn about local, state, and federal resources supporting young adults with disabilities who want to work in their communities. Family members, transition-age students and young adults with disabilities, and the professionals who support them, are welcome to attend. All sessions are free and will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET.

Training Dates and Session Topics:

  • Tuesday, October 7: Benefits
  • Wednesday, October 8: Local and State Agency Presenters

All sessions are free. Register for this week’s sessions.

Are you looking for a meaningful way to initiate transition planning for students this fall? Start with a Student/Family Interview and a Positive Personal Profile (PPP)! These tools help transition teams see the whole student—their strengths, interests, dreams, personality traits, and skillsets—through the eyes of those who know them best.

The process alone yields tremendous benefits:

  • Builds trust by collaborating with families.
  • Magnifies the student’s voice and holistic lived experience.
  • Highlights the student’s abilities before their challenges.
  • Sets a positive tone for IEP and transition planning.
  • Strengthens interagency teams.

Who benefits?

  • The Student
    • "I didn’t know all these people wanted to get to know me and help me!”
  • The Family
    • Everyone felt more connected through the family interview and when sharing the results of the PPP. Families said that more people were “on our team, trying to help [our child].”
  • The Transition Team
    • “We learned more in one hour with the family than we had in a year of meetings.”

These are just a few of the quotes we gathered during the Seamless Transition Pilot from participants who used the PPP and Student/Family Interviews. Consider implementing these tools and observe how they positively impact your transition team and planning process.

Resources:

Bonus Tips:

Join us for the “From Transition IEP Knowledge to Portfolio Application” webinar series. These trainings consist of six separate sessions, each lasting one and a half hours. They focus on the quality aspects of each section of the Transition IEP and how these sections relate to a quality transition portfolio. Each session will cost $35 and run from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm ET.

Upcoming dates:

  • October 22: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Present Levels
  • October 29: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Assessments and Postsecondary Goals
  • November 5: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Transition Services and Activities
  • November 12: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Intersections – Annual Goal Statements
  • November 19: Quality Transition Portfolio Format, Uses, and Examples
  • December 3: Transition IEP and Transition Portfolio Work Session Breakout Rooms

To register for these upcoming webinars, visit the INSTRC Training and Technical Assistance webpage.

Quillo Connect, or Quillo, is a communication platform that houses thousands of 1-minute videos developed to improve your disability knowledge base. Share this resource with your students, their families, and even use it as a transition service or activity to explore employment, education, independent living and other areas.

Based on the theory of micro-learning, the 60-second topical videos use LifeCourse Life Domains to share information about (1) daily life and employment; (2) community living; (3) healthy living; (4) safety and security; (5) social and spirituality, and (6) advocacy and engagement. State your interest in some or all topics when you sign up for Quillo Connect, and create a “Circle” of friends, family, and/or colleagues to share videos.

Using Quillo to view and share videos is a great way to see what other people with disabilities are achieving, broaden your understanding of available waiver services, and build bridges from existing resources to actionable steps that help students get inspired to reach their goals.

Signing up is easy!

Step 1 - Download the Quillo app.

Step 2 – Create an account.

  • Set up your username and password.

Step 3 – Personalize your account.

  • Use the prompts to select your username and video interests.

Step 4 – Set up one or more Circles.

  • Personalize your Circles (e.g., colleagues, families, students) and invite them to join and share videos privately in your Circle.

Step 5 – Set up push notifications.

Step 6 – Start using and exploring videos.

Create playlists and watch videos from people with disabilities, local leaders, family members, and more.

Don’t stop with just the Quillo app. Get inspired by the CEO of Quillo, John Dickerson, on his weekly 20-minute podcast, Quillo Pod!

Bonus Tips:

Join us for six days of virtual Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT). Learn about local, state, and federal resources supporting young adults with disabilities who want to work in their communities. Families, transition-age students and young adults with disabilities, and the professionals who support them, are welcome to attend. All sessions are free and will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET. Register for next week's session today!

INSTRC staff will present at the 2025 Heart to Heart Conference on Thursday, September 25 at 3 p.m. ET. Dr. Cathlene Hardy Hansen, Dr. Mary Pearson, and Michael Nevins will share resources to support educators, families, and individuals with disabilities in achieving goals for employment, education, and independent living. Topics include transition planning, disability benefits, LifeCourse and Person-Centered Planning, and CCLC’s partnerships and training programs such as Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT). Register on the Indiana Family to Family website today.

Educators working with students with disabilities have a responsibility to teach independent living skills as students transition out of high school. These skills are essential for navigating adulthood. Even partial independence in self-care and household management can significantly improve the quality of life for students with disabilities (Empowering the Next Generation, 2025). Educators should begin instruction early and tailor lessons to each student's strengths and needs.

Daily living skills such as personal hygiene, cooking, cleaning, and time management should be taught in each year of a student’s education. Integrating independent living tasks into classroom routines, such as preparing simple meals or organizing a weekly schedule, can help students apply what they have learned in other areas of their lives.

Students can benefit from learning about financial literacy and managing their health care needs. An article from Pathways to the Future about independent living emphasizes essential skills such as budgeting, understanding benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), and managing healthcare needs. Educators can support these goals by teaching students how to track expenses, schedule medical appointments, and understand the basics of insurance.

Developing community and transportation skills expands opportunities for students, increasing their chances for employment, social interaction, and community living. Role-playing, community trips, and assistive technology can help students practice these skills in safe and supportive environments. By embedding independent living instruction into the curriculum, educators ensure that students with disabilities graduate from high school equipped with academic knowledge and the tools to thrive in everyday life.

References

Empowering the Next Generation. Building independence skills for teens with developmental disabilities. (2025, May 22). https://www.h2hhc.com/blog/building-independence-skills-for-teens-with-developmental-disabilities

Bonus Tips:

CCLC’s fall calendar is packed with learning opportunities. Review our upcoming education and training opportunities below.

Secondary transition is a collaborative process that prepares students with disabilities for life after high school, including postsecondary education and independent living. A successful transition plan involves a diverse team of professionals, and one often under-recognized yet essential member of this team is the paraprofessional. Paraprofessionals bring unique insights and hands-on support to the transition process. Their contributions span a wide range of tasks that directly impact student success.

A. Direct Instruction of Transition Skills

Paraprofessionals can provide targeted instruction in practical life and employment skills. Examples include:

  • Completing job applications
  • Practicing independent living skills (e.g., dressing appropriately for the weather, cleaning, exercising self-advocacy)

B. Teaching Students How to Use Community Resources

They can help students navigate and utilize community systems, such as:

  • Riding public transportation
  • Interacting with community members
  • Managing personal finances (e.g., opening a bank account and using bank services)

C. Facilitating Communication Across the Transition Team

Paraprofessionals often serve as communication bridges among students, educators, related service providers, employers, and school peers. Paraprofessionals will support transition teams by:

  • Relaying employer expectations to students
  • Sharing educator instructions with service providers
  • Supporting co-workers in providing natural supports to students

D. Assisting with Community Asset Mapping

Paraprofessionals can help identify local businesses and resources that support transition goals, while also offering valuable insights into students’ strengths and interests.

E. Serving as Job Coaches

Paraprofessionals may accompany students to job placements, assisting with:

  • Application and interview preparation
  • Learning workplace communication and job-specific skills

F. Contributing to Transition Planning

Their close work with students across different settings gives paraprofessionals a unique perspective that enriches transition planning discussions and decisions.

Empower Paraprofessionals Through Training and Inclusion

To maximize their effectiveness, paraprofessionals must receive appropriate training in transition-related tasks and strategies. When they are fully integrated into the transition team, their observations and experiences become invaluable assets. Their involvement ensures that students receive consistent, informed support across environments.

By recognizing and investing in paraprofessionals as key team members, educators and transition professionals can enhance the quality and impact of secondary transition services.

Resources:

Bonus Tips:

INSTRC staff will present at the 2025 Heart to Heart Conference on Thursday, September 25 at 3 p.m. ET. Dr. Cathlene Hardy Hansen, Dr. Mary Pearson, and Michael Nevins will share resources to support educators, families, and individuals with disabilities in achieving goals for employment, education, and independent living. Topics include transition planning, disability benefits, LifeCourse and Person-Centered Planning, and CCLC’s partnerships and training programs such as Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT). Register on the Indiana Family to Family website today.

Voting is an important civic responsibility for citizens of the United States. There are elections every year—many are for local positions like the school board, city council, and mayor. Most elections happen in two phases: the primary election and the general election. Primary elections are held first, and they determine which candidates will represent their political party in the general election. The general election then decides which candidate will win the position.

These elections are held for a variety of offices, including state legislative members, state governors, U.S. Representatives, and U.S. Senators. The people who hold these positions are responsible for creating laws and making decisions that affect you, your state, and the country. Every four years, we also have an election to choose the next President of the United States.

To vote, you must be:

  • A U.S. citizen and a resident of Indiana.
  • 18 years of age on or before the next national or local election.
  • Not currently serving time in prison after being convicted of a crime.
  • Living in the area where you plan to vote for at least 30 days before the election
  • Registered to vote.

Having an Indiana driver's license or state ID is very beneficial when registering. Review the websites linked below for information on voter registration online, in person, or by mail.

Federal law ensures that voters with disabilities have the right to cast their ballots independently and privately. There are accommodations available to assist your students. For example, an individual may be eligible to vote by absentee ballot if their disability prevents them from going to a polling place. Additionally, every polling place is required to have at least one voting booth that is accessible for wheelchair users.

To learn more, review the websites linked below.

Want to share how you implement this information in your classroom or transition activities? We'd love to hear some of your creative ideas! Please email us at instrc@iu.edu.

Bonus Tips:

2025 and beyond is packed with learning opportunities. Review our upcoming education and training opportunities below.

Empowering students and their families with self-advocacy and self-determination resources can be challenging for teachers, particularly given the numerous demands of education and the need to prepare students for adulthood. To make it easier to share these resources and encourage self-advocacy both in and out of school, we've summarized what families have told us they prefer in terms of products, topics, and how they receive information.

Families need resources that are easy to understand and use. When creating these resources, it's helpful to:

  • Use clear, straightforward language.
  • Limit the amount of information offered per page.
  • Develop content with people with disabilities.
  • Ensure cultural relevance and offer multiple languages.
  • Include graphics and visual aids. Use headings, bold fonts, bullet points, indexes, graphics, and statistics.
  • List follow-up resources and contact information, including phone numbers, email addresses, and website links.

Based on what families have shared, here are the key topics they need information on:

  • Funding for assistive technologies
  • Employment, including benefits eligibility
  • Postsecondary planning
  • Alternatives to guardianship
  • Products specific to certain periods of life and developmental stages
  • Accessible housing on/near campus
  • Information on healthy relationships, intimacy, and sex
  • Life tips, emotional support, and coping strategies

Based on feedback from families, you’ll find a summary of the most effective ways to share resources below.

When to Disseminate Information

  • Timely and at key moments (e.g., just after diagnosis, before a transition, or before key events)
  • In a “slow-drip” format

Who Should Disseminate Information

  • High school and higher education professionals
  • Adult-serving agencies
  • Healthcare professionals
  • Informal community settings (e.g., community centers, faith-based organizations, support groups)

A Cautionary Note on Online Products

While online resources can make self-advocacy information more accessible, it's important to design them in a way that families will use. According to families, effective online resources should be:

  • Well-organized websites that are intuitive, colorful, inviting, and easy to navigate.
  • Affirming and evidence-based content that celebrates disabilities and various cultures.
  • Engaging and interactive activities, instructional sessions, and videos.

 

For students with disabilities, developing self-advocacy skills can lead to powerful outcomes. These outcomes include greater independence, smoother transitions to adulthood, positive self-identity, better stress management, and improved overall quality of life. These skills are essential for fostering long-term success both in and beyond the classroom.

However, building self-advocacy and self-determination can be challenging—not only for students but also for their families. As educators, you play a critical role in guiding and supporting this development. To help, we compiled a collection of free, educator-friendly self-advocacy resources.

The Self-Advocacy for K-12 and Higher Education Skills sheet includes details on each resource’s format, intended audience, and purpose, making it easy to find tools that fit your classroom needs. The self-advocacy resources focus on transition planning, employment readiness, lifelong skills, and collaboration strategies.

Your students can also learn how to build these skills through our August issue of What’s Next?: Exercising Self-Advocacy and Self-Determination. If you find these tools helpful, feel free to share them with your colleagues—they may find them just as valuable in their classrooms.

Bonus Tips:

2025 and beyond is packed with learning opportunities. Review our upcoming education and training opportunities below.

Welcome back, transition education professionals! As summer days shorten and the new school year approaches, the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center (INSTRC) is excited to partner with you again to support student success.

Starting a new school year can be daunting, but a little preparation can alleviate stress and boost your confidence. Ready to dive back in? Improve your classroom with the following resources:

We’re eager and excited to support your secondary transition needs! Connect with us in three easy ways:

2025 and beyond is packed with learning opportunities. Our upcoming learning opportunities include:

Bonus Tip:
Join us for six days of virtual Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT). Learn about local, state, and federal resources supporting young adults with disabilities who want to work in their communities. Families, transition-age students and young adults with disabilities, and the professionals who support them, are welcome to attend. All sessions are free and will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET. Register today!

This is the final edition of Tuesday's Transition Tips for the 2024-2025 school year. 2025 sure is flying by!

As we move into summer, our team at INSTRC wishes you a relaxing and restful break. We are so thankful for your tireless efforts to provide meaningful experiences and education for students across Indiana. Every day, you confront challenges with determination and perseverance. Your students are so fortunate to have you on their team!

While Tuesday's Transition Tips is out on hiatus for a few months, we encourage you to cruise through INSTRC’s growing list of transition resources:

Don’t forget about the Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC)! We also have a wealth of information to share with families.

For any questions you have, we are available at our Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30–4:30 p.m. EST. This is a fantastic opportunity to chat, brainstorm, and problem-solve transition-related issues with our team.

Thanks again for all you do to support transitioning students and their families. Have a wonderful summer and we’ll see you in the fall!

Community experiences play a crucial role in the development and well-being of students with disabilities. Well-planned community-based activities give students real-world learning experiences and help them build essential social skills, a sense of belonging, and improve their overall mental and physical health.

Why Community Experiences Matter:

  • Social Skill Development: Participating in community activities allows students with disabilities to practice and improve their social interactions. This can enhance communication skills, improve understanding of norms, and boost confidence in social settings.
  • Sense of Belonging: Community engagement helps students feel included and valued. This sense of belonging can significantly reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness, promoting emotional well-being.
  • Mental and Physical Health: Community involvement often includes physical activities, which are beneficial for maintaining and improving health. Additionally, regular social interaction can boost mental health by providing emotional support and reducing stress.
  • Personal Development: Community experiences offer unique learning opportunities. Students can gain practical life skills, such as teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability, which are essential for their personal growth and future independence.

By encouraging and facilitating community involvement, educators help students with disabilities thrive academically, emotionally, and personally. Creating inclusive environments where all students can participate in community activities is key to fostering a supportive and enriching educational experience.

Educators and students may use the resources below to plan community experiences.

CCLC Resources

Bonus Tips

The virtual Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) continues today from 6:00 - 8:00 PM. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.

Upcoming sessions:

  • Tuesday, May 20: Benefits
  • Wednesday, May 21: Local and State Agency Presenters

We’re excited to introduce the Southwest Community Family Network (SWCFN)—a new, community-based, family-led initiative funded by the Indiana Governor's Council for People with Disabilities (GCPD). In partnership with Indiana Family to Family, IN*SOURCE, and The Arc of Evansville, this project supports families navigating disability by fostering greater social inclusion, building meaningful relationships, and helping communities in Vanderburgh, Posey, Warrick, and Gibson Counties become more welcoming and supportive for all. If you, your colleagues, or any families are interested in joining the SWCFN, fill out the interest form. Once submitted, you'll receive an email with more information about the group, including upcoming meetings and events.

Trauma-informed teaching (TT) is an active recognition that “up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma, such as abuse, neglect, natural disaster, or experiencing or witnessing violence” (Minahan, 2019). TT includes ongoing use of an associated set of strategies designed to mitigate trauma impacts which compromise a student’s ability to learn. TT considers how trauma affects learning and behavior.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is both a physical and emotional reaction, sometimes chronic, to any intensely upsetting or threatening event. Examples include abuse/neglect, physical disasters, injury, loss of a loved one, bullying, poverty, violence, or discrimination, to name a few. Trauma is a deeply personal experience, rooted in the individual’s emotional and psychological experience.

Impacts from Trauma

Students experiencing trauma are more likely to fall behind academically and to present behavioral challenges. Educators shouldn’t assume a student's behavior is intentional without considering the potential influence of prior trauma. Trauma impacts include, but are not limited to:

  • Trouble with executive functions like focus, organization, and self-regulation
  • Taking longer to complete tasks/falling behind
  • Irritability or restlessness
  • Jumpy/anxious/nervous (on alert for threats, also known as hypervigilance)
  • Behavioral changes
  • Overreactions to everyday challenges
  • Negative outbursts or aggression
  • Frequent stomachaches or headaches

Trauma-Informed Process

The National Education Association defines trauma-informed practices as a framework that addresses the impact of trauma by creating a safe and caring environment. Trauma-informed teaching shows students that teachers care and can provide support.

Research offers many strategy recommendations – in fact, too many to explore fully in this issue. Rather, we strongly encourage every educator to review the list of resources below carefully.

Resources:

  1. ASCD Educational Leadership: Trauma-Informed Teaching Strategies
  2. Understood: What is Trauma-informed Teaching?
  3. Child Mind Institute: How Trauma Affects Kids in School
  4. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators 
  5. Truth For Teachers Podcast: A Crash Course on Trauma-Informed Teaching

Bonus Tips:

We’re excited to offer virtual Family Employment Awareness Training throughout May. Join all six sessions to learn about local, state, and federal resources supporting young adults with disabilities who want to work in their communities. Families, transition-age students, young adults with disabilities, and the professionals supporting them are welcome to attend. All sessions will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 PM ET.

  • Monday, May 12: A New Path – High Expectations for Employment
  • Tuesday, May 13: Individual Employment Possibilities
  • Wednesday, May 14: Employer and Employee Supports
  • Monday, May 19: Maintaining Employment Resources and Medicaid
  • Tuesday, May 20: Benefits
  • Wednesday, May 21: Local and State Agency Presenters

To register and share this free learning opportunity, visit the CCLC FEAT Registration Form.

Are you a transition educator or administrator seeking greater involvement with other transition professionals in your region? Indiana’s Cadres of Transition Educators collaborate to improve postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities. We invite you to join, share your expertise, and learn from others. With the current climate for special education in flux, now is a perfect time to unite and navigate uncharted terrain.

Established in 2011, a dedicated network of cadre transition educators works collaboratively, both regionally and statewide, to improve secondary transition outcomes for students in Indiana. Their efforts focus on implementing promising practices and creating innovative strategies, tools, and resources for teachers, other transition professionals, students, and their families.

Some of the resources created by cadres live on the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center website and are used and adapted nationally. These resources include the Transition Assessment Matrix, case conference cues, videos on independent living, and parent newsletters.

Each regional cadre chooses the best time to meet, typically monthly, bimonthly, or quarterly, based on their needs and activities. Cadre facilitators meet biannually to receive information and support from CCLC staff, which they can share with their general membership.

Cadres aim to increase their membership annually and this year it is crucial to create a support system for all transition educators.

Cadres state map

To locate the region for your county, contact a facilitator, and join a cadre, visit the Regional Cadres and Facilitators webpage.

For more information on the Indiana Cadres of Transition Educators or to discuss how to start a transition educators collaboration network in your state, contact the Indiana Secondary Transition Resource Center.

Bonus Tips:
We invite you to participate in Comprehensive Transition Open Office Hours every Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 PM Eastern Time. During these sessions, you can speak with subject matter experts in dedicated breakout rooms. CCLC staff can address inquiries concerning transition portfolios, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), Social Security Work Incentives, Vocational Rehabilitation, and other transition-related topics. To join, use the following Zoom link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/84184586146

 

What is the Family Employment First Coalition (FEFC)?

The Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services (DDRS) and the Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC) lead the Family Employment First Coalition (FEFC). This group brings together family and disability advocates across Indiana. We aim to improve each group member’s knowledge of the transition to adulthood and competitive integrated employment for young adults with disabilities. FEFC shares the latest resources with group members, ensuring everyone has the right tools to be successful.

Where can you find this information?

By visiting the CCLC’s Information for Students and Families webpage, special education teachers, transition staff, and parents can access a range of new or updated transition-related topics with an abundance of resources.

Transition Topics include:

  • Benefits Information
  • Collaborating with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) and Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) 
  • Competitive Integrated Employment
  • Effective and Positive Communication Among Parents and Schools
  • Planning for a Meaningful Day
  • Postsecondary Education
  • Preparing for Careers
  • Natural Supports
  • Self-Advocacy and Self-Determination 
  • Supported Decision Making
  • The Transition IEP
  • Transition Planning and Processes
  • Transportation
  • What is Transition?

Each topic includes an introduction, an infographic, important vocabulary to know, main messages, and resources for you. Referencing and sharing these tools will enhance your effectiveness as a special educator!

We’d also like to thank FEFC members for their contributions. Members of the FEFC include:

School districts and cooperatives have discovered significant advantages in hiring a dedicated individual to assist students as they transition from high school to adulthood. This role, often known as a transition coordinator, is essential for bridging the gap between high school and adulthood, providing students with the necessary support and resources to succeed.

We invite you to consider the following roles for transition coordinators:

School Partner

Transition coordinators work closely with students, families, and other educators to develop the Transition Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that addresses each student's strengths, needs, and postsecondary goals.

Collaboration Facilitator

Transition coordinators facilitate communication and collaboration among all involved in a student's education. By fostering strong relationships and open lines of communication, transition coordinators ensure everyone is working towards the same objectives. This collaborative approach creates a support system that can adapt to student needs as they progress toward life after postsecondary education.

Community Connector

Transition coordinators connect students and families with community resources, which include Vocational Rehabilitation, internships, job placements, community rehabilitation providers, benefits counselors, independent living centers, and postsecondary education options. Providing students with access to these resources helps build skills and confidence. They also assist with navigating the complex landscape of adult services and supports.

Passionate Advocator

Finally, transition coordinators advocate for the needs and rights of students with disabilities. They work to ensure that students receive appropriate accommodations and support services, both within the school setting and in the broader community. By focusing on the transition to adulthood and postsecondary goals, transition coordinators help to create more accessible and inclusive environments for students with disabilities. Their efforts empower students to achieve their full potential and live fulfilling lives.

All school districts should have a transition coordinator or someone assigned to manage transition and postsecondary-related issues. Many colleges and universities offer transition-focused endorsements or majors. The University of Kansas offers a Master’s program in Secondary Special Education and Transition Program. This online degree program provides educators with the fundamentals and education they need to become a transition coordinator. CCLC offers a 10-week course titled Transition Educators Facilitating Employment designed to provide a connective framework, tools, and strategies to facilitate successful adult vocational transition.

Bonus Tips:

CCLC is excited to offer virtual Family Employment Awareness Training throughout May. Join all six sessions to learn about local, state, and federal resources supporting young adults with disabilities who want to work in their communities. Families, transition-age students, young adults with disabilities, and the professionals supporting them are welcome to attend. All sessions will be held from 6-8 p.m. ET.

Training Dates:

  • May 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, & 21

To sign up for this training, visit the CCLC FEAT registration form.