1. Transition Toolkit:
Lessons Learned on Supporting Youth with Disabilities
Rachel Stewart,
Youth Program Manager

2. Overview Project Background
Youth Transition Toolkit website design and features
Contents
Topics covered
Lesson Plans and Activities
Overview of the format and materials
Pilot Site Overview
Demonstration of website
Here is an overview of what we will be covering today.

3. Numerous projects geared towards youth with disabilities
Funded by a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – administered by San Diego State University’s Interwork Institute.
Overall goal: increase employment of youth and adults with disabilities
Numerous projects geared towards youth with disabilities
Goal of empowering youth, developing self-advocacy skills, and providing access to information and resources
Partner with a variety of state departments and non-profit organizations
GRADS project aimed at supporting transition from PSE  employment – mention GRADS workshop at CAPED

4. Youth Transition Toolkit Website
Website Development and Refinement
Youth with disabilities
Subject matter experts:
Communities of Practice, CA Dept. of Ed, School District Personnel, Transition Alliance
Dept. of Rehabilitation
CA Foundation for Independent Living Centers and State Independent Living Council
Content
Target audience is YOUTH!
Tips for Parents
Information relevant to teachers, transition specialists, and service providers
Youth Transition Toolkit website is a comprehensive Guide for Young People with Disabilities Transitioning into Adulthood
We have worked with many subject matter experts and collaborative partners in the development of the Toolkit, including various state departments, community-based organizations, and school district personnel.
In addition, we have also involved youth with disabilities themselves in crafting the Toolkit, following along with the disability rights movement philosophy of "nothing about us, without us".
Content:
designed to empower youth ages by providing resources and information to assist in successful transition in a number of different areas of their life.
The main audience for this website is youth with disabilities themselves

5. Youth Transition Toolkit Website
Chapters include:
Education
Independent Living
Employment
Finances
Healthcare
Social/Recreation
HTML website pages and downloadable PDFs of each “chapter” and worksheet
Chapters:
Education: information for youth still in high school (on person-centered planning, leading your own IEP, etc.) and information for youth interested in pursuing post-secondary education – whether it’s community college, a 4-year university, or vocation training.
Independent Living: Independent living movement and disability history (important to understand where we came from and how we got the rights to live independently in the community), as well as practical information to help transition into living on your own, including information on housing, transportation, and personal assistance services.
Employment: A wealth of resources related to transitioning into the world of work – including career planning, benefits planning information, job accommodations and disability disclosure, and a variety of agencies which can assist people with disabilities to become employed.
Finances: provides information and tips on money management, including basic budgeting.
Healthcare: information on learning how to take charge of your own healthcare needs, and the process of transitioning from a pediatric to adult provider
Lastly Social and Recreation provides information on how to get involved in your community – whether it’s advocacy, adaptive sports programs, or travelling.
Content:
Can be viewed as both HTML website pages, and in downloadable PDFs of the entire chapters as well as individual worksheets and “tips for parents” – therefore, we encourage you to help youth navigate the website or print out the PDFs so youth can look them over on their own.
In some cases, the HTML website pages may be more up-to-date than the PDF pages – we have learned that it’s much easier to update the website than the PDFs due to formatting issues. However, once we receive all feedback from the pilot sites regarding the content, then we will likely update all of the PDFs as well.

6. Education Chapter Empowering youth while in high school
Person-centered transition planning, leading their own IEP/ITP, etc.
Information to assist in the transition to Post- secondary education: community college, 4- year university, or vocational school
Understanding the differences between high school and college 6

7. Independent Living Chapter
Background on disability history, independent living movement
Information on accessible/affordable housing, transportation, and personal assistance services
Worksheets assisting with goal setting and checklists to ensure preparation for independence 7

8. Employment Chapter
Career planning - Choosing a career and job search resources
The impact of employment on benefits
Job accommodations and disability disclosure
Resume writing and successful interviewing techniques and preparation  
Building work experience, including volunteerism and internship programs  
Personal assistant services at work 8

9. Finances Chapter
Tips on money management, including basic budgeting, how to balance a checkbook, pay bills, etc.
Credit cards and how to avoid getting into debt
Worksheets on financial planning and budgeting
Tips for parents on teaching their child to start managing their own finances 9

10. Healthcare Chapter Worksheets on handling one’s own healthcare needs
Keeping track of medications, making doctors appointments and communicating with the doctor
Insurance information, including Medi-Cal, healthcare through employment and continuance of coverage under the family’s plan
Tips for parents on helping their child transition into independently handling their own healthcare needs 10

11. Social/Recreation Chapter
Clubs/activities specifically designed for youth with disabilities
Available adaptive sports programs
Ways to become involved in the disability community
Tips on traveling with a mobility disability 11

12. Lesson Plans
Lesson Plans have been developed with activities for facilitators to lead in the classroom or in workshops for youth participants
Activities on the six topics covered by the Toolkit (Education, Employment, Independent Living, etc.)
All materials located in the secure section of the Youth Transition Toolkit website – currently will only be available to pilot sites
Will be available to everyone by June 2012

13. Lesson Plans
Main goal of Lesson Plan goals is to lead activities designed to:
Empower youth
Build self advocacy and self determination skills
Encourage youth to start thinking about and planning for their future
Lead youth to to find additional resources which can help successfully transition into adult life
Complete flexibility in how you choose to use lesson plans:
Lead only certain activities or lesson plan chapters
Modify activities
Flexibility:
Lead chapters/activities * Relevant to the participants you are working with. Most lesson plans also have several activities, so you can pick the ones that address the topics/learning objectives most needed by your participants.
Modify activities depending upon the participants you are working with and their abilities.
Within the evaluations, we will be asking which activities you used, and if you modified any of the activities – how you modified them. If you modified anything in writing (i.e. changed a powerpoint, etc.) it would be much appreciated if you could it to me so I can share with other facilitators!
Lesson Plan Overview document:
Go to resource guide for all facilitators on how to utilize the lesson plans and activities. It has a glossary of terms used throughout the documents, a summary of how the activities are organized, instructions on filling out the evaluations, suggestions on inviting guest speakers, and frequently asked questions.

14. Lesson Plans “Lesson Plan Overview” Document
Comprehensive summary on the lesson plans and tips for how to utilize them
Tips on enhancing lesson plans/activities:
Inviting guest speakers
“Things are about to change” Video Vignettes
Youth/student co-facilitator
“Workshop Planning Tips”
Guide for community-based organizations on how to organize workshops – information on:
Participant recruitment strategies
Tips for success: finding a youth co-facilitator, providing food, assisting with transportation, accessible venues, etc.
Further detail is provided in the “Lesson Plan Overview” Document

15. Lesson Plans Activity format: Objective Suggested time frame Format
Materials needed
Vocabulary/terms
Suggested facilitator preparatory activities
Creating context
Procedure
Closure
Objective: expected learner outcome
Suggested time frame: length of time needed to complete the activity
Format: large group, small group, individually, etc.
Materials needed: can be downloaded from secure section of website
Vocabulary/terms: definitions of terminology related to the activity, provided as background info for the facilitators
Suggested facilitator preparatory activities: these are the actions facilitators can take to best prepare themselves to lead the activity. This may include reviewing and practicing a powerpoint, reading background information on a topic, reviewing a website, or inviting a guest speaker.
Creating context: included in this section is language a facilitator can use to introduce the activity. Often this is related to the participants’ current level of knowledge or understanding around a certain topic.
Procedure: Step-by-step instructions on how to lead the activity
Closure: additional actions participants can take related to the activity or questions facilitators can use to debrief on the activity.

16. Education Lesson Plan Activities
Me, Myself and My IEP
Presentation and discussion on the purpose and importance of an IEP
The Future’s Wide Open...
Filling out worksheets to prepare for leading their own IEP/transition planning meeting
Planning For College
Learning about university and community college supports, preparing for the transition to college and requesting accommodations
Expanding My (Training) Horizons
Researching vocational training options other than a traditional college setting, including ROP, trade schools, internships, and volunteerism

17. Independent Living Lesson Plan Activities
The Untold History
Presentation on disability history (including the independent living and disability rights movements) and discussion of additional advocacy efforts
Models of Disability
Understanding the difference between the medical and social models of disability and how these impact how we perceive disability
Thinking About Disability
Thinking about how disability has impacted their life (both positively and negatively) and learning about disability as a shared experience 17

18. Independent Living Lesson Plan Activities, Cont.
Living on my Own and Reaching my Goals
Understanding and planning for what steps need to be taken to live independently, including cost of living and finding personal care attendants
Setting Goals
Learning about different programs and services to assist with gaining independence (regional center ILS, IHSS, Independent Living Centers, etc.), and setting goals/next steps to transition into living independently 18

19. Employment Lesson Plan Activities
Work it Out
Understanding the difference between a job and a career, and thinking about why going to work is personally important
Connecting the Dots…
Thinking about barriers to employment, and learning about services which can help break down some of these barriers (i.e. Department of Rehabilitation, Regional Centers, One-Stop Career Centers)
Employment Rights!
Presentation on employment and anti-discrimination laws; personal planning related to disability disclosure and requesting accommodations 19

20. Employment Lesson Plan Activities, Cont.
Resume Writing
Workshop to begin the process of writing a resume and learning about different resume styles
Employment Shouldn’t Be in Jeopardy!
Participants test their newly acquired knowledge around employment-related topics by playing a jeopardy game 20

21. Finances Lesson Plan Activities
“Money Smart for Young Adults” Curriculum
Flexible FREE curriculum designed by the FDIC to help youth learn the basics around money management
Disability Benefits 101: Planning your Future
Learning how to navigate the Disability Benefits 101 website and going through an interactive benefits calculator demonstration
Work Incentive Programs: Working it!
Understanding basic information about Social Security cash benefit programs and how these programs interact with paid employment; learning about benefits planning best practices 21

22. Healthcare Lesson Plan Activities
Learning to Manage Your Healthcare
Activity to help youth develop ideas on how they can begin handling their health-related needs
Creating a Healthcare Journal
Creating a personal healthcare journal as a way to track disability-related symptoms and quickly access all healthcare information in one place
Communicating with Your Doctor
Preparing for the transition from a pediatrician to an adult physician by practicing having a conversation with a new doctor 22

23. Social/Recreation Lesson Plan Activities
Sports, Hobbies, and Clubs - Oh my!
Sharing current activities and brainstorming how other activities can be modified to be made more accessible; learning about social and recreational opportunities available in their community
Do you like to move it, move it?
Viewing a video about a guitar player born without arms, and then trying out adaptive ways to play musical instruments
You’re Trippin!
Planning a day trip by utilizing online resources and public transportation 23

24. Pilot Sites
30 Pilot Sites testing Toolkit website and lesson plan materials:
High Schools/districts
Includes Workability I, Transition Partnership Programs, and special education/adult transition programs
College 2 Career Program
Independent Living Centers
Family Empowerment Centers
Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Other Community-Based Organizations providing transition services
I am excited to report that a total of 25 schools/districts (including TPP and Workability Programs, and a College to Career Program) and community based organizations (including family empowerment centers, independent living centers, among others) have signed up to be a pilot site.
While I realize that some of you are signed up as a basic pilot site to integrate only the Youth Transition Toolkit website materials (and not an advanced pilot site which will be leading activities for youth), if after learning about the lesson plans you decided that you’d like to utilize these materials – by all means, please do so! I cannot emphasize enough that we are very flexible with how you choose to use all these materials! The main goal of having pilot sites is to learn how people can use these materials, what worked, what didn’t work, and how we can make these materials even better…

25. Website and Lesson Plans Demonstration

26. Contact information
For questions or to request information on lesson plan activities/materials contact:
John Kerr, Youth Program Specialist
Rachel Stewart, Youth Program Manager