Raven's Guide to Special Education
Comprehensive information about special education regulations,
procedures, evaluations, programs, and disabilities
Transition - 2
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.
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: