1. 2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
OSEP Disclaimer
2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
DISCLAIMER:
The contents of this presentation were developed by the presenters for the 2018 Project Directors’ Conference. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474)

2. AEM for Secondary to Postsecondary Transition Planning
Cynthia Curry, Director
National AEM Center
OSEP Project Directors Conference 2018

3. Changes Ahead
@AEM_Center

4. For whom are you here today?
Someone you know is going to take a big leap.
@AEM_Center

5. What is your role in transition-focused planning?
Educator, service provider, family, etc. of learners at which level:
Pre-K
Elementary school
Middle school
High school
Postsecondary
In the chat:
Your role(s)
Which level(s)
@AEM_Center

6. Working Backward in the Transition Process
1st year in HE
Summary of Performance (SOP)
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
@AEM_Center

7. Topics
Differences between special education in K-12 and disability services in postsecondary settings.
Examples of how learners use AEM and accessible technologies to meet HE requirements.
Strategies for preparing students to be independent users of AEM and accessible technologies before completing high school.
Notes:
SWD = Students with Disabilities
HE = Higher Education
@AEM_Center

8. Current Landscape for SWDs and HE
Where HE happens
Concerning and promising statistics
The power of transition planning
@AEM_Center

9. Higher Ed (HE) Destinations
2-year community college
4-year college or university
Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs (career tech/technical college systems)
@AEM_Center

10. Students with Disabilities with Associate Degrees
24.9%
of adults with disabilities
have an associate degree or higher
compared to
45%
of adults without disabilities
source: Ryan & Bauman, 2016
@AEM_Center

11. Students with Disabilities with Bachelor’s Degrees
16.7%
of adults with disabilities
have a bachelor’s degree or higher
compared to
34.9%
of adults without disabilities
source: Ryan & Bauman, 2016
@AEM_Center

12. Population High School Students with Disabilities
There is a significant high school graduation gap between students with disabilities and students without:
Population High School Students with Disabilities
65.5% vs. 84%
source: NCES, 2017
And students with disabilities enroll in college at half the rate of their peers without disabilities and graduate at a lower rate.
@AEM_Center

13. Promising Statistics
Rate of SWDs in postsecondary education has almost doubled since 1995
6% in
11.1% in
(44% enroll in 2-yr or community colleges, 32% in CTE schools, 19% in 4-yr institutions)
-Cited in Newman et al., 2016
@AEM_Center

14. The Promise of Transition Planning
Research has shown that SWDs who receive transition planning services in HS and attend HE are more likely to:
Self-disclose their disability earlier
Have higher GPAs
Earn credits by their sophomore year
Receive disability-specific supports
Access supports available to all students
-Cited in Newman et al., 2016
@AEM_Center

15. From Your Observation Students are being: effectively prepared
somewhat prepared
not prepared at all
for postsecondary learning.
@AEM_Center

16. Factors Contributing to the Challenges of the First Year
K-12 – Postsecondary Legislation Differences
Shift in Responsibility
Navigating Accommodations
@AEM_Center

17. Legislation Differences
K-12 Laws
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of (Section 504)
Postsecondary Laws
Americans with Disabilities Act as amended in 2008 (ADA)
Section 504
@AEM_Center

18. K-12: IDEA
The nation’s K-12 special education law for children from infancy to HS graduation or age 21.
Requires schools to:
Serve the educational needs of eligible SWDs.
Find and evaluate students suspected of having disabilities-at no cost to families.
Guarantee a free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE). 
@AEM_Center

19. Postsecondary: ADA
Requires HE institutions to provide SWDs with accommodations that are necessary to afford the SWD an equal opportunity to participate in the institution’s programs.
Title II – State and local governments
Public universities and community colleges
Title III – Public accommodations
Private colleges and universities
@AEM_Center

20. IDEA-ADA Distinction IDEA Student progress and success ADA
Equal access
@AEM_Center

21. Shift in Responsibility: From the Team to the Student
K-12
IEP team is responsible for developing a program that ensures student progress
Postsecondary
Student is responsible for requesting and using accommodations for equal access
@AEM_Center

22. Entering HE: Student Responsibilities
Voluntarily self-disclose a disability to Disability Support Services (DSS)
Request accommodations
Participate in an interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations in the postsecondary setting
Provide documentation
Meet with DSS personnel to discuss the request for accommodations and associated documentation
@AEM_Center

23. Barriers to Seeking and Using Accommodations
Lack of self-advocacy skills
Belief that services aren’t needed
Desire for self-sufficiency
Desire to avoid negative social reactions
Insufficient knowledge about services
Fear of future ramifications
Quality and usefulness of DSS and provided accommodations
Negative experiences with faculty
-Lyman et al., 2016
@AEM_Center

24. The Role of Accessible Materials and Technologies in Transition Planning
Definition of Accessibility
Materials and Technologies
Assistive Technology
Interoperability
@AEM_Center

25. Accessible – U.S. DOE/U.S. DOJ
equally effective, equally integrated, with substantially equivalent ease of use
acquire the same information
engage in the same interactions
enjoy the same services
A person with a disability can
as a person without a disability
@AEM_Center

26. Accessible Materials and Technologies
Information or content
Designed or enhanced in a way that makes them usable by the widest possible range of learner variability regardless of format
Print, digital, graphical, audio, video
Accessible Technologies
Hardware of software that delivers material
Usable by people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities
Directly usable without assistive technology (AT) or usable with it
accessibletech.org
@AEM_Center

27. Material-Technology in Accessible Harmony
Students read accessible ebooks on accessible tablets with built-in options for access:
Screen reader
Text to speech
Display customization
Bluetooth-enabled
Closed captions
Video description
@AEM_Center

28. Interoperability: Material - Technology - AT
@AEM_Center

29. AEM-Related HE Accommodations
Alternative formats of printed textbooks and inaccessible digital materials
Use of AT
Extended time on exams
Note taking services
Audio recording of lectures
@AEM_Center

30. AEM Tools That Increase Student Independence in HE
Individual memberships with Bookshare and Learning Ally
Accessible digital versions of textbooks and course materials from commercial sources (Amazon, Audible, VitalSource, the college bookstore)
Text-to-speech software for laptop, tablet, smartphone use
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) apps
Audio recording software and apps
Smart pens
Note taking software and apps
@AEM_Center

31. AEM in Transition Planning
Definition
A Successful Model
@AEM_Center

32. Timeline of Transition Requirements in IDEA
1975- Education for All Handicapped Children Act
1990- Requires transition planning for SWDs beginning at age 16
1997- Requires transition planning begin at age 14 with a statement regarding course of study and at ≤ 16 a statement regarding needed services, including outside agencies
2004- Requires Summary of Performance (SOP)
@AEM_Center

33. IDEA Definition of Transition Planning
A coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability
Results-oriented
Based on individual needs, taking into account strengths, preferences, and interests
Includes instruction, related services, community experiences, employment, etc.
[34 CFR ]
@AEM_Center

34. Definition of “Transition-Focused Education”
Transition planning is
A fundamental basis of education that guides the development of all educational programs-including strategies that keep students in school
Not an “add-on” activity for SWDs
Based on abilities, options, and self-determination
-Cited in Kohler & Field, 2003
“A shift from disability-focused, deficit-driven programs to an education and service-delivery approach based on abilities, options, and self- determination.”
@AEM_Center

35. Implementing Transition-Focused Education
@AEM_Center

36. Five Categories of the Taxonomy
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37. Summary of Performance (SOP)
In IDEA
Model Template
@AEM_Center

38. SOP in IDEA IDEA 2004 Sec. 300.305(e)(3)
For a child whose eligibility under special education terminates due to graduation with a regular diploma, or due to exceeding the age of eligibility, the local education agency “shall provide the child with a summary of the child’s academic achievement and functional performance, which shall include recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the child’s postsecondary goals.”
Must be completed during the final year of HS.
@AEM_Center

39. Nationally Endorsed SOP Template
@AEM_Center

40. Sections of the SOP Model Template
Background
Postsecondary Goals
Summary of Performance
Recommendations
Student Input
@AEM_Center

41. Sections of the SOP Model Template for AEM
Background
Postsecondary Goals
Summary of Performance
Recommendations
Student Input
@AEM_Center

42. Summary of Performance: Academic Area
@AEM_Center

43. Summary of Performance: Academic Area: AEM
Use of text to speech tools for reading and writing support
Use of speech recognition
Books provided in specialized formats
Accessible formats of classroom materials
Audio recording of class lectures
Use of digital study skills tools
@AEM_Center

44. Recommendations
@AEM_Center

45. Recommendations: AEM
Be as specific as possible about AEM and accessible technology-related accommodations
@AEM_Center

46. Student Input
@AEM_Center

47. OH Packet: SOP Form, Guidance, Sample Cover Letter, Resources
@AEM_Center

48. IEP
Student leadership and self-determination
@AEM_Center

49. ASPIRE Active Student Participation Inspires Real Engagement
Students voices are increased to set the direction of their goals
Parents take leadership roles with their students
Georgia Department of Education
@AEM_Center

50. AEM in the IEP
AEM in the IEP: Where Do Accessible Materials and Technologies Fit?
AEM Center webinar by Joy Zabala and Diana Carl recorded May 1, 2018
Link to the recording and materials, including article, in the digital handout
@AEM_Center

51. Final Recommendations
Set High Expectations. And Provide AEM for Reaching Them.
Give Students a Record of AEM Use
Explain Documentation to Students
Provide (lots of) Opportunities to Use AEM
Give Students an Active Role in AEM-Related Decisions
Teach Self-Determination Skills
Foster Family Engagement
@AEM_Center

52. Set High Expectations. And Provide AEM to Reach Them.
Ensure IEP goals are aligned with challenging academic content standards for the grade in which a student is enrolled.
Research findings:
SWDs who took rigorous HS academic courses were more likely to enroll in college, earned more college credits, had higher college GPAs, and were more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree
SWDs who took more gen ed classes were more likely to be actively involved in their transition planning
-Cited in Newman et al., 2016
Provide students with the AEM and accessible technologies they need to reach those high expectations.
@AEM_Center

53. Give Students a Record of AEM Use
IEP
Make clear the connection between the need for accessible materials and technologies and annual goals.
SOP
Make the need for accessible materials and technologies explicit in the Summary of Performance, Recommendations, and Student Input.
@AEM_Center

54. Explain Documentation to Students
Prepare students to discuss their evaluation results or physical records with DSS personnel:
Neuropsych or psychoeducational evaluation reports
Medical records (MD, PT, OT, OD, etc.)
@AEM_Center

55. Provide (lots of) Opportunities to Use AEM
Across
Purposes
Content areas
Environments
Technologies
Materials
@AEM_Center

56. Give Students an Active Role in AEM-Related Decisions
Conduct trials of formats and features
Have input on related goals and services
Be empowered to self-evaluate and communicate effectiveness over time
Actively contribute to AEM in transition plans and their SOP
@AEM_Center

57. Teach Self-Determination
Independent access and use of accessible materials and technologies
Ability to articulate need
@AEM_Center

58. Foster Family Engagement
Involve, empower, and prepare families (from Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0; ASPIRE)
Communicate effectively and share information
Develop collaborative partnerships
Connect families with one another (by request)
Show genuine care for and recognition of children
@AEM_Center

59. Conclusion
Transition to adult roles is a complex process all youths must negotiate and that a myriad of factors work together to influence students’ lives after school completion.
-Kohler & Field, 2003
@AEM_Center

60. Contact Information
Cynthia Curry, Director, AEM

61. OSEP Disclaimer
The contents of this webinar were developed under a cooperative agreement with the US Department of Education, #H327Z However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government, Project Officer, Tara Courchaine, Ed.D.
@AEM_Center

62. 2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
OSEP Disclaimer
2018 OSEP Project Directors’ Conference
DISCLAIMER:
The contents of this presentation were developed by the presenters for the 2018 Project Directors’ Conference. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1221e-3 and 3474)