Issue Brief: Innovative Practices that Support Student Self-determination in Transition

Planning for life after high school can be at once exciting and stressful for youth with disabilities and their families. It involves more than deciding what you want to do for employment; it also includes thinking about where to live, with whom, and what you want to do during free time. It also involves thinking about the supports a young adult’s needs to make those plans a reality. Too often, transition teams are unaware of the many innovative practices and strategies that can make those plans possible. This policy brief highlights some of those innovative practices that have been successful in raising expectations and eliminating some of the barriers to improved postschool outcomes for youth with disabilities.

Postsecondary Education

There is ample evidence to demonstrate the positive impact that a college degree has on an individual’s life. College graduates earn more, are more likely to have pensions & health insurance1, and are more likely in general to live healthier, happier lives2. Until recently, however, youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities were unlikely to have the opportunity to transition to postsecondary education after high school. Two federal initiatives were catalysts to begin to change this status quo.

First, the Higher Education Act3 allowed the Pell grant program to provide financial assistance to students with intellectual disabilities (ID) who were enrolled in qualified postsecondary education (PSE) programs. Second, the U.S. Department of Education provided funding for Transition PostSecondary programs for youth with Intellectual Disability (TPSID). In 2010, twenty-seven programs were funded through the Office of Postsecondary Education to develop model demonstrations projects. The ThinkCollege.net website provides information about the programs, as well as other PSE programs that were started prior to the TPSID programs. Families can use this website to find out if there is a program near them, the components of the programs and their admission criteria.

In addition to the programs funded through the TPSID program, there are also a number ofPSE programs that are accessed through local school districts. Students with disabilities can continue to receive education beyond the age of 18 when most students without disabilities have graduated, making it difficult to provide opportunities for them to learn alongside their same age peers without disabilities. For this reason, some districts have partnered with a local university or community college to develop dual enrollment programs. Typically, these programs use school district employees to provide the supports students with disabilities need to be able to access college courses and/or participate in activities on campus that are part of the college experience (i.e., employment, sporting events, student organizations, volunteer/service learning activities).

While there can be challenges in combining the resources and personnel from these two different educational settings, there are a number of benefits to this kind of program. First, the school district personnel are skilled at providing the educational accommodations and modifications needed to make the instruction accessible for students with disabilities. Second, because the funding for the programs comes from the local school district, students who would not be able to afford a college education have the opportunity to participate, bringing those economic and quality of life benefits to a more diverse population of students. And, third, programs based at community colleges provide job-specific training that can be linked to students’ real world work experiences and goals, increasing postschool employment outcomes.

Research on the impact of participation in PSE programs for youth with ID has been increasing in the past few years, and the outcomes are promising. Studies document increased employment outcomes, improved connections to others, and an increase in perceived quality of life. Qualitative research describes improved relationships with others and increased expectations. The Think College website has a number of stories about students who attend PSE programs, to help transition teams learn more about what participation in these programs can do to enhance outcomes for youth with ID.

Employment

Improving the employment outcomes for youth with disabilities as they transition to adult life is a critically important task for the field. A number of innovative practices arehelping youth with disabilities find work and provide supports to sustain employment after hiring, including securing internship experiences, helping individuals start their own businesses and the Employment First Initiative. Employment Firstis a movement supported by a number of state councils on developmental disabilities and/or Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) chapters; the idea is that employment is the primary service priority and preferred outcome for people with disabilities. Information about Employment First, along with examples from various states and resources can be found on its website (

One of the most important advances in employment supports for individuals with disabilities is the focus on customized employment outcomes. Customized employment practices build onan individual’s strengths and finds employment options that use those existing strengths and skills. For some transition-aged youth without prior work experiences, the identification of these strengths may require internships, volunteer and/or service learning options. Customized employment can with employers to carve, create, enhance, or negotiate work responsibilities into a paid position that meets the needs of the company or business.

Many university programs understand the benefits of internship experiences as a means of refining the employment skills development process. Programs in engineering, communications, education, social work, psychology, and medicine all have used this approach to provide real world experience, and feedback to students as they refine the skills they learned throughout the program. Project SEARCH is an example of an internship program available to youth and adults with disabilities to support the development of skills necessary for success in a specific, targeted employment setting. Begun in collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, offers job training in real world settings for jobs in high need fields such as the medical, business, government, or technology fields. Like many internship experiences, many of the youth with disabilities who participate in Project SEARCH training experiences are ultimately hired by the host organization. Project SEARCH programs have been spreading across the country.

Self-Determination and Transition Planning

Youth with disabilities and their families need supports and services to help them achieve their goals for the transition from school to adult life. Research has linked self-determination to improved transition outcomes for employment, postsecondary education, community living, and perceived quality of life. Involving students in the process of identifying goals for their adult lives and putting plans in place to help them achieve those goals are important steps in increasing both student self-determination skills and assuring that the transition plan reflects a student’s preferences and interests, while taking into account their strengths and needs.

The transition process requires more than simply asking a what he or she wants to do in the future. Self-determined transition planning should start with involving students in the transition assessment process, where they explore options, identify their strengths and needs, and learn to communicate their preferences and interests. During the transition planning meeting, studentscommunicate those preferences, interests, strengths and needs, and then work with their team members to identify goals that will help them achieve those postschool goals. This part of the process of supporting student self-determination requires that transition team members are aware of innovative practices, as well as how to implement innovative, individualized supports.

To ensure this knowledge and awareness, transition team members must engage in ongoing professional development by connecting with state and national professional organizations that provide opportunities to learn from those implementing demonstration projects or are conducting research in the field. Table 1 provides information about some of the national organizations that hold professional conferences with transition-related topics. While not exhaustive, the listprovides a starting point for transition stakeholders to increase their knowledge of innovative practices that will help students achieve their goals for adult life.

Table 1

Organization / Purpose / Website
Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) / A division of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC); this is the professional organization focused on improving transition outcomes for youth with disabilities. /
National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) / A federally-funded center designed to meet the following objectives:
  • Assist State Education Agencieswith collecting data on IDEA (2004) Part B State Performance Plan Indicator 13 and using these data to improve transition services;
  • Generate knowledgethat provides a foundation for states to improve transition services that enhance post-school outcomes;
  • Build capacityof states and local educational agencies to implement effective transition education and services that improve post-school outcomes; and
  • Disseminateinformation to state personnel, practitioners, researchers, parents, and students regarding effective transition education and services that improve post-school outcomes.
/
Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) / A professional organization focused on increasing employment opportunities for and self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities. /
Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) / A professional organization focused on supporting the full participation of students with disabilities in postsecondary education. /
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) / Interdisciplinary professional organization focused on promoting progressive policies, sound research, effective practices, and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. /
State of the Art Conference on Postsecondary Education for students with ID / Annual conference designed to share innovative practices and research on postsecondary education for students with ID. /
TASH / Disability advocacy organization committed to supporting the full inclusion and participation in their communities of children and adults with the most significant disabilities. /
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) / Professional organization for teachers of students with disabilities and those who are gifted/talented. /
Community of Practice on Transition / Coalition of Federal, state and local agencies with a shared interest in improving school and post-school outcomes for youth. Today, four federal agencies, 10 states and many national organizations are joined in the community.
Together, they focus on issues including:
  • Behavioral/MH and Transition,
  • Common Core (College and Career Ready) Standards and Transition,
  • Employment,
  • Increasing Accessible Transportation,
  • Outreach to Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Mental Health,
  • P-16/P-20: ‘Cradle to College and Career',
  • Post-secondary Options,
  • Self-determination and Youth Investment, and
  • Transitioning Youth on the Autism Spectrum Disorder
/
American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) / Professional organization of private community providers of services to people with disabilities. /
Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) / Membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. /

References

1Baum, S., & Ma, J. (2007). Education pays: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. Washington, DC: The College Board

2McMahon, W. (2009). Higher learning, greater good: The private and social benefits of higher education. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

3 Higher Education Opportunity Act. Public Law 110-315, August 14, 2008.

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