Keeping Transition on Track Using Local Transition Councils Ann Deschamps Todd Bonney – Carroll County Jackie Gast – Wicomico County Donnae Bushrod – Baltimore City Maryland Seamless Transition Collaborative

Who are Transition Councils? Job Seeker Employer D E M A N D S U P P L Y Local Area Transition Council Community Rehabilitation Providers Additional Resources School System Social Security Independent Living Center Assistive Technology Center Mental Health AC Key is the Interagency braiding of resources and funds at the local level to address each student’s post-school plan. This model promotes and supports early teaming of key partners to work toward this end. Developmental Disabilities Post Secondary Education One-Stop Career Center Vocational Rehabilitation

What is a Transition Council? The goal of the council is to develop linkages and services within the community needed for student post school success in any of the following: employment post-secondary education adult education and training adult services independent living community participation and integrated community living (“Interagency Transition Councils: Stakeholders at Work” – PowerPoint by Lu Nations-Miller, Ed. D., GaDOE Transition Specialist)

Why Transition Councils? Improve post school outcomes for students with disabilities Research and experience show that transition stakeholders working collaboratively leads to better outcomes for transitioning youth

Transition Councils Developed to meet specific needs of local area Evolve and change membership over time, depending on the needs of the transitioning youth and community Can address activities including: independent employment, post-secondary education, career and technical education, adult services, independent living needs, community activities

Types of Interagency Transition Councils Informational: designed to collect and disseminate information related to transition services, including how to access resources for students who are transitioning how to develop solutions to specific transition issues that exist in the system and in the community. Student Specific: designed to allow school system personnel, vocational rehabilitation personnel and a group of representatives from community agencies to address the transition needs of specific students and develop strategies to address these needs. Combination Informational and Student Specific

Mission of a Transition Council Examples include: To facilitate a collaborative transition process for students with disabilities that will lead to the students’ desired post-school outcomes To provide a clearinghouse to disseminate updated transition information regarding available services in the area To advocate together to provide resources for parents and teachers to support transitioning students in moving forward to achieve their highest level of independence

Four Elements of Building Interagency Teams Gather stakeholders of interest in the transition process Generate a common vision and common outcome across different agencies participating on the team (ensure team members have valued roles, and that the roles are formalized in the team) Decide on process of activity – conduct of meetings, agenda, task completion, and what happens between meetings Define how you are making progress, team effectiveness – how will this be measured (i.e. # of students experiencing a seamless transition?) (National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, 2005)

Managing a Transition Council Meet regularly; at least once a month Expect and allow for all four phases of team building (forming, storming, norming, performing) Be respectful Be open to new ideas Make sure all transition team members understand their roles and responsibilities Make sure transition team members are accountable for a part of the plan Have brief monthly progress reports Help team members to see and recognize their role in results and outcome. (NSTTAC, 2011)

Resources “Interagency Transition Councils: Stakeholders at Work” – PowerPoint by Lu Nations-Miller, Ed. D., GaDOE Transition Specialist, http://www.gatransition.org/ National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (2005) Essential Tools; Interagency Transition Team Development and Facilitation. Minneapolis, MN. http://www.ncset.org/publications/essentialtools/teams/ National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (2011) Transition Team Leader Sustainability Toolkit. Kalamazoo, MI. http://www.nsttac.org/content/transition-team-leader- sustainability-toolkit