1. Technical Assistance Center
IDEA & Transition
A Webinar by the
National RAISE
Technical Assistance Center
Resources for Advocacy, Independence, Self-determination & Employment
August 18, 2015

2. Some webinar etiquette:
Your phone line should be muted.
Use *6 to mute and unmute your line.
Ron and the RAISE Team will answer questions following the presentation. You can post them in the chat box during his presentation and we will open the lines during the Q&A portion

3. National Disability Rights Network
Presented by
Ron Hager
Senior Staff Attorney
National Disability Rights Network
(NDRN)

4. Today’s webinar
Review the transition requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (DEA).
Look at some of the basic principles underlying these requirements
Hear from you about the tools young people with disabilities and their families need to secure better transition services.

5. Transition Background
Begins no later than year student turns 16
Not added to IDEA till 1990
Legislative history—not really new provisions of law
Goal-improve adult outcomes for students with disabilities

6. Transition Overview
Schools must develop a long range plan to prepare students for life after school
Schools begin to make connections with adult service providers while students still in school
Schools may look to others, such as VR, to begin providing services

7. Transition Services Definition: Live, learn, work and play
Coordinated set of activities
Designed within a results-oriented process
Facilitates movement to post-school activities
Live, learn, work and play
Based on student’s needs, preferences and interests

8. Transition Services Areas to consider—preparation for:
Postsecondary education
Vocational education
Integrated employment
Continuing and adult education
Adult services
Independent living
Community participation

9. Transition Services
Specific services to be offered (not an exhaustive list):
Instruction
Community experiences
Development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives
Daily living skills, if appropriate
Functional vocational evaluation
Financial planning (?)

10. Transition Services
Course of study includes specific examples such as vocational education and AP classes.
If a State considers postsecondary (college) courses to be "secondary education" then they may be considered transition services and paid with Part B funds. Letter to Dude, (OSEP).

11. Transition Services Yankton School District v. Schramm
Student with orthopedic impairment desiring to attend college
Driver’s education
Self-advocacy
Independent living skills
Cooking
cleaning

12. Transition Services Social Work Services
Added to related services definition in 1990
Provided based on student need, not perceived availability
Includes helping develop linkages to other community supports
May include counseling, assessment and case management

13. Transition Services Rehabilitation Counseling Services
Added to related services definition in 1990
May be provided by school or VR
Focus
Career development
Employment preparation
Achieving independence in workplace and community
An important component of transition services

14. Transition Services Rehabilitation Counseling benefits:
Discipline embodies the wide range of knowledge needed for successful school to work transition
vocational implications of disability
career development
career counseling
job placement, and job modification

15. Transition Services Rehabilitation Counseling benefits:
Professionally prepared to:
Provide appropriate counseling services
Coordinate services of special education disciplines, adult services providers, and postsecondary education agencies
Ensure effective, planned transition services for students with disabilities

16. Developing Transition IEP
Begins no later than year student turns 16
May begin earlier where nature of disability may require more time to develop essential skills
May begin earlier for students at risk of dropping out
Consider curricular modifications to reduce risk of dropping out and motivate student to complete education

17. Developing Transition IEP
Must invite student
If student does not attend, must take other steps to get student input
Must invite agencies with likely responsibility to provide or pay for transition services
If agency does not attend, must take other steps to obtain agency input

18. Developing Transition IEP
Based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to:
Training
Education
Employment
Independent living skills, where appropriate
Develop measurable goals
Identify services to meet goals

19. East Penn School District Case
Failed to ID any post-school goals for student
Did not perform any transition evaluations other than a vocational evaluation
Did not provide the “full panoply of services” to prepare him for life outside school in personal needs, community travel and recreation
Did not meet his individual unique needs but placed him in an existing program with minor adaptations

20. Dracut School District Case
Transition IEP procedurally defective
Not conducted until after two years into the process
No assessment in functional language pragmatics which cut across all areas of transitional planning for this student
No appropriate measurable transition goals

21. Dracut School District Case
Transition IEP substantively defective
No meaningful instruction in the area of pragmatic language skills, a central component of student’s ability to transition
No community-based employment experiences
No services to address independent living outside of school, particularly self-hygiene and transportation skills

22. Gibson v. Forest Hills School Dist. Case
Transition IEP procedurally defective and denied student FAPE
School district did not invite student to transition IEP and did not take other steps to consider her preferences and interests
School district did not conduct adequate assessments to determine her transition needs, particularly her employment needs
Court ordered compensatory services for student, post age 21

23. Now, let’s hear from you!
Please raise your hand, using the icon at the top of your screen
or, type your question/comment in the Chat box.

24. Coming events:
September 21st – RAISE Webinar: Rehabilitation Act and accessing vocational rehabilitation services.
October debut of
October 20th – RAISE Webinar: Sheltered Workshops and WIOA

25. Thank you for joining us!
We appreciate your commitment to improving outcomes for people with disabilities!
We want to hear from you. Please complete the evaluation.
From the RAISE Center Team
Debra Jennings Josie Badger Peg Kinsell