Chapter 15 Transitioning to Adulthood William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

How Do Former Special Education Students Fare as Adults? Completing high school Only 25% of the students with disabilities exited high school with a diploma in the 1999-2000 school year Employment status The unemployment rate for young adults with disabilities is 36.5% when they have been out of school for 3-5 years Postsecondary education 27% of young adults with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education compared with 68% of the general population Overall adjustment and success 37% live independently compared to 60% of the general population 4 out of 5 former special education students had still not achieved the status of independent adulthood after being out of high school for up to 5 years William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Transition Services Transition is a process involving the coordination, delivery, and transfer of services from school to post-school agencies Definition of Transition Services in IDEA Outcome-oriented process based upon the student’s individual needs and preferences Includes: Instruction Related services Community experiences Employment Daily living opportunities Functional vocational evaluation William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Transition Services Models Will’s bridges model of school-to-work transition Three levels of service: No transition services Time-limited transition services Ongoing employment services Halpern’s three-dimensional model Three domains: Quality of residential environment Adequacy of social/interpersonal network Meaningful employment William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Individualized Transition Plan When a student reaches age 14, IDEA requires the IEP team to consider post-school goals When a student reaches age 16, an individualized transition plan must be developed Appropriate transition-related objectives should be selected at each age/grade level, beginning in elementary school William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Employment Preparing students for life after school Three characteristics to good secondary programs: Functional (vocational) skills curriculum Integrated settings Community-based instruction Competitive employment Performs work valued by an employer Functions in an integrated setting with non-disabled coworkers Earns at or above the minimum wage William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Employment (cont.) Supported employment for adults with moderate and severe MR Small business enterprise Mobile work crew Enclave Individual placement Sheltered employment Vocational setting for adults with disabilities, offer transitional and extended employment The problems with sheltered employment include limited opportunities for job placement and low pay William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Postsecondary Education Postsecondary education significantly improves chances of meaningful employment Increasingly, jobs require technical training, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills that can be attained through postsecondary education The percentage of first-time, full-time freshman enrolled in college who indicate they have a disability is growing Even youth with moderate and severe disabilities can participate in some aspects of college life William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Residential Alternatives Group homes Provide family style living for a small group of individuals Foster homes As part of a family unit, the adult with disabilities also has more opportunities to interact with and be accepted by the community at large Apartment living Three types of apartment living arrangements: Apartment cluster Coresidence apartment Maximum-independence apartment William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Residential Alternatives (cont.) Supported living Helping people with disabilities live in the community as independently and normally as they possibly can Institutions Deinstitutionalization - the movement of people with MR out of large institutions and into small, community-based living environments - has been an active reality for the past 35 years William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

Recreation and Leisure Recreation and leisure activities do not come easily for many adults with disabilities Special educators must realize the importance of including training for recreation and leisure in curricula for school- age children with disabilities William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.

The Ultimate Goal: A Better Quality of Life Adults with disabilities continue to face lack of acceptance as full members of society Misguided and limiting presumptions Handicapism - discriminatory treatment and biased reactions toward someone with a disability - occurs on personal, professional, and societal levels Self-advocacy Persons with disabilities have begun to assert their legal rights challenging the view that persons with disabilities are incapable of speaking for themselves Still a long way to go William L. Heward Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education, 8e Copyright ©2006 by Pearson Education, Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 All rights reserved.