Transition Services

AT Act Programs develop and disseminate training materials, conduct training, facilitate access to AT, and provide technical assistance to assist school children with disabilities transitioning to work or postsecondary education and adults with disabilities who are maintaining or transitioning to community living.

Transition to the Community

• AT to Aid Transition to the Community
  Here are resources to aid programs increase public awareness and inform about policies related to individuals with disabilities transitioning to community living.

Technical Assistance and Training Related to Transition for Students and Adults

• AT, Work and Transition Aged Youth – June 18, 2009
  Jim Sheldon from Neighborhood Legal Services led a discussion on how students with disabilities and their families can fund a range of assistive technology (AT) needed as they finish their last years of high school, move into higher education, and plan to enter the workforce. Using a case scenario, Jim facilitated a discussion about how a young person can access several funding sources, including special education programs, Medicaid, Medicare, vocational rehabilitation programs, and SSI Plan for Achieving Self Support (PASS) that can be used to acquire a range of AT.
  Transcript (RTF format)     MP3 (26 MB)
  PPT Presentation
  Case Study (RTF format)
  Work and AT Booklet (WORD format)
  
  
• AT and Transition for Students and Adults, held on February 23, 2006
  • Transcript (RTF format) and MP3 file (10.8 MB)
  • Transition from School to Work: A Benefits Planning Model (handout from Jim Sheldon, NLS-PAAT) (RTF format)
  • Diversion and Transition Services in the U.S.: Promising Practices and Options for the Future - A National Report(RTF format)
  • Resources from Iowa
  • Resources from Maine
  • Resources from North Carolina (RTF format)
  • AT and Transition - An Article from Maryland Technology Assistance Program(RTF format)

IDEA Definitions and Requirements for Transition Services

Section 602 (34) of P.L. 108-446 states the following:

"The term `transition services' means a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability that--

"(A) is designed to be a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the child with a disability to facilitate the child's movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;

"(B) is based on the individual child’s needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests; and

"(C) includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and vocational evaluation."

• IDEA 2004: Transition Services for Education, Work, Independent Living.  (2005)
  Wrightslaw has published a short article that outlines changes made to the definition of "transition services." 
  
• Key Provisions on Transition: IDEA 1997 Compared to H.R. 1350 (IDEA 2004) (2005)
  The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition published a side-by-side analysis of transition requirements under IDEA 1997 and IDEA 2004.
  
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: Transition from School to Work and Community Life (2000)
  The Arc published a Q&A regarding transition services.

Assistive Technology and Transition Services

• Assistive Technology and Transition (2001) by T. Canfield and P. Reed (text format)
  This classic on AT and transition services includes a number of forms for use by clinicians.
• The Transition from School to Work: The Special Education and State Vocational Rehabilitation Systems' Obligations to Prepare Students with Disabilities for the World of Work (ca. 2000)
  Text Format     PDF Format
  This article is part of a series of articles written for benefits specialists employed by Benefits Planning, Assistance and Outreach (BPA&O) projects and attorneys and advocates employed by Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) programs. The author is Ronald M. Hager, an attorney with Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. (NLS) of Buffalo, New York.
• The following resources are available for purchase via the CEC website:
  • CEC’s Assistive Technology Monograph Series
    This monograph series provides administrators, practitioners, and other IEP team members with practical ways to consider assistive technology for students with disabilities. The kit includes: (1) Assistive Technology Consideration Quick Wheel, (2) A School Administrator's Desktop Guide to Assistive Technology, (3) Technology and Media for Accessing the Curriculum, Instructional Support for Students with Disabilities, and (4) Considering the Need for Assistive Technology within the Individualized Education Program Planning Process.
  • The Assistive Technology Consideration Quick Wheel (AT Quick Wheel)
    The Quick Wheel is described as a "fun, hands-on resource that offers quick and easy access to a generic list of AT tools for a variety of tasks."
• The Division on Career Development and Transition of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) devoted two issues of Career Development for Exceptional Individuals to the topic of AT and transition. They are as follows:
  • Volume 20, Number 2, Fall 1997: Systems Change in Transition
  • Volume 22, Number 2, Fall 1999: Technology in Transition