Raven's Guide to Special Education: Transition

Transition - 2

IEP requirements | Post-school activities | Who is responsible | Providing services

Who is responsible for providing transition services?

The intent of IDEA is to make both the public schools and participating community agencies responsible for providing and paying for transition services. The specific responsibilities of the schools and agencies must be stated in the IEP, including the agency’s financial commitment to provide services. If an agency fails to provide an agreed-upon service, the IEP team must reconvene and find alternative ways to meet the transition objectives for the student.

How and where to provide transition services

IDEA does not state where schools must provide transition services, but the nature of post-secondary activities requires both school and community settings. Thus, educators should become familiar with the community agencies and services available for students with disabilities. Most instruction should take place in the community settings where post secondary activities actually take place and where skills learned in the classroom can be generalized to real-life settings.

Issues that school staff must deal with include developing a functional curriculum, having personnel to adequately supervise students in the community, transportation to job sites and other community locations, student safety, and school liability. The range of available activities includes the following:

School transition activities

Business classes - Accounting, finance, advertising, marketing, keyboarding, and computer applications.
Driver’s education classes - Transportation.
English and reading classes - Reading for information, writing letters, filling out applications
Fine arts classes - Theater, music, dance, stagecraft, design, ceramics, drawing, painting.
Guidance office - Career exploration, information about colleges, universities, vocational programs, and military recruitment.
Life management classes - Child development, foods and nutrition, human relations, single survival, home maintenance.
Math classes - Applied math, consumer math, managing money.
On-campus work - Learning work-related skills and job skills.
Physical education classes - Health, weight training, fitness, recreation and leisure time activities.
ROTC classes - Preparing for military service.
Science classes - Health, medical care.
Technology classes - Auto repair, drafting, electronics, photography, woodworking, computer programming.

Community transition activities

Learning how to use public transportation.
Exploring community living arrangements.
Visiting parks, libraries, and museums.
Locating and accessing adult agencies.
Practicing transition skills in real life situations.
Visiting colleges, universities, vocational schools, and work sites.
Obtaining and maintaining employment.