Why you need to be informed and what important role Transition Services plays in your student’s life.
Introduction
There are two common “crises” in the lives of children with disabilities and their families. The first turning point is when they enter the Special Education System. The second is when they leave it. This area on Transition Services-Information for Parents is geared towards helping this population as they begin to prepare to leave the world of special education. In order to make a successful transition from the context of secondary school to the next phase; either further schooling or work, educators, you will need to prepare for issues that need to be addressed well in advance. You will need to become knowledgeable about resources at the local, state and federal level that are available during the transition phase of special education in order to assist your students in this transition process.
In the transition process there are issues that are global; common to all. However, there is also a great variety of specific personal needs which depend upon the personality, interests and nature and severity of the disability of your students.
This area of NASET has been developed to help you through the very difficult and confusing process of transitioning your students and their parents from school to adulthood. The process of transition and the services that are available have only recently been developed and utilized by school districts. The federal and individual state laws governing this requirement are also new and always changing. Schools and institutions must now provide transitional IEP’s and services for these students and their families. However, many parents as well as professionals in special education and regular education are unaware or uninformed about procedures, rights, school responsibilities , organizations, present laws, responsibilities and available support services within the school, community, city , state and government agencies.
While many local school districts offer some pamphlets or short manuals on transition, they only focus on local responsibilities and services. The purpose of this entire section from NASET will be to provide you with a enormous reference source that will include procedures, laws, school responsibilities, organizations, forms, legal requirements, your responsibilities, state and government agencies, and anything else that a would ever need to help ease you and your students and their parents through this process.
Teachers and parents of disabled students faces a very difficult task when it comes to trying to maneuver through all the red tape, options, forms etc. that are involved in the special education process. Nowhere is that procedure more intense and important than in the transition of disabled children to adulthood. Faced with a lack of information and responsibilities that they did not have to face for 21 years, professionals and parents sometimes tend to become very anxious about what will occur when their students with disabilities leave the safety of their local school. The transition process first begins when the student with a disability reaches 13 or 14 years of age and continues through 21 if necessary. Parents need the assistance of special education professionals who are aware of transition needs for students every step of the way and professionals need to be ready to help students and parents with the most up-to-date options possible. This section of NASETwill fill that void.
State of the Field
The last two decades have witnessed significant changes for people with disabilities, in large part due to the Disability Rights Movement which in many ways paralleled the Civil Rights Movement. People with disabilities used to be thought of as “the invisible minority.” They were overlooked and “hidden away.” They were embarrassments, and treated as objects of pity and shame. Now, these individuals are taking their place in an inclusive society. Individuals with disabilities are a presence in all the media, commercial advertising, and many forms of public life. Changes in the laws and progress and technology have helped make these advances possible. Despite these gains, the barriers to acceptance remain society’s myths, fears and stereotypes about the disabled. Consequently, the efforts for change need to view as an ongoing process. The implementation of transition services is a significant component of this pathway to acceptance.As most adults know from their own experience, the period in American society known as adolescence is probably the most difficult and unsettling period of adjustment in one’s development. It is a time filled with physical, emotional and social upheavals. Until a child leaves secondary school, parents experience a sense of protective control over their child’s life. This protective guidance normally involves educational, medical, financial, and social input to assist their child’s growth. When the child leaves this setting, there is a personal struggle on the part of parents in “letting go”. There is always a normal amount of apprehension associated with the child’s entrance into the adult world. Now the greater responsibility for adjustment falls on the child, and the parents’ role diminishes.
However, for the child with a disability, this developmental period can be fraught with even greater apprehension for a variety of reasons. Depending on the nature and severity of the disability, parents may play more of an ongoing role in their child’s life even after he/she leaves secondary education. Historically parents and their children have spent years actively involved in IEP development and meetings, transitional IEP development, and CSE meetings concerning educational and developmental welfare. Depending on the mental competence (the capability to make reasoned decisions) of the child with disabilities, some parents may have to continue to make vital decisions affecting all aspects of their child’s life. On the other hand, the parents of such children not affected by diminished mental competence should use all their energies to encourage their child’s steps towards independence. Consequently, parents need not shy away thinking that they are being too overprotective if they are involved in their child’s life after they leave school.
Since planning for the future of a student with disabilities can arouse fear of the unknown, there may be a tendency for parents to delay addressing these issues and instead focus only on the present. However, it is our belief that working through these fears and thinking about the child’s best future interest will ensure a meaningful outcome. Regardless of the nature and severity of a disability, parents will be exposed to a transitional process during their child’s school years that will provide a foundation for the adult world. This transitional process will include many facets of planning for the future and should be fully understood by everyone concerned each step of the way. Planning for the future is an investment in your students’ well being and we hope this section of NASET helps you understand all the aspects of this important time.
