Transitioning from High School to Integrated Employment: My Story of Success By Patrick Young

1. Transitioning from High School to Integrated Employment: My Story of Success By Patrick Young 2012 APSE Conference

2. Who I am I am 23 years old I live in Germantown, WI with my dad, I want to get my own apartment I graduated from Germantown HS in 2008 I finished my IEP transition goals in 2010 I have a younger brother and a younger sister

3. I enjoy going to church and mission service trips • I enjoy sharing my story and life experiences • I enjoy traveling to places like California to visit family, Europe, and see monuments at Washington DC Things I like to do

4. I have had a job for 7 years as a finishing assistant at TLP • I am an advocate for people with disabilities • I have a 2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo Things I am proud of

5. Things I enjoy in the community I enjoy ushering at St. Anthony’s church I do sports like swimming, basketball, bowling, running, and Taekwondo I like to go to the movies on Friday’s with my friends

6. My Advocacy Activities I am involved with the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD) I have experiences with a Youth Leadership Forum I done in activities like “Bring your legislator to work”

7. How community connections led to my job It started with a church mission trip for a week I went with my dad and my brother to Wheaton, Illinois The mission trip was to do community service by repairing houses for people who could not do it themselves

8. My first day The first day we formed teams of 1 adult and 5 kids Each of us had a special role on the team, I was the break maker I met another person on my crew, his name was Cameron we become friends

9. In the middle Cameron saw how I work and told his father The middle of the week we needed more help to finish the work on our house, we needed a second crew Cameron’s father was on the second crew that came to help us

10. Our last day of the mission trip Cameron’s father saw me in action and he was impressed He told me he had a small company and if I wanted a job I should call him From this I got connected with my company, Tailored Label Products, or TLP

11. And from this I got my job! I filled out a job application I had a job interview with Cameron’s father and the CEO of the company They offered me a job I was in high school and worked this into my transition plan

12. The Importance of a Good Transition Plan

13. A Transition Plan is about Reaching Your Goals My goals were to be a self-advocate, to have a job, and to live independently I liked taking regular classes with my friends I led my own IEP meetings Start early – my transition plan started when I was 14

14. My Transition plan after senior year • self advocacy • community integration • job skills • math and reading Senior year I walked with my friends in the graduation ceremony The next 2 years I focused on my key transition goals :

15. Your Transition Plan – the key to Your Success You should speak up with your IEP team Make sure the goals are about what YOU want This is the plan that will prepare you for life after high school

16. I want to : ____________________ Why students should lead their own IEP No one knows what you want more than yourself Every person should be the one who sets their own goals Be responsible for the plan to reach your goals

17. Tips that helped me be successful My IEP meetings were about ME,not the school I learned to speak up and let others help me Think out of the box and use resources that will help you reach your goals Team workis the best way to get good results

18. Other good things about leading your IEP meetings It will give you good leadership experience It taught me to be a good self-advocate I learned how to make good goals and put together a good plan for achieving them TLP has a plan for my success at work and it is a lot like an IEP

19. How I led my IEP meetings Invite your parents and a couple of friends plus the staff from your school Invite others – for me it was resources like people from the department of vocational rehab (DVR) Introduce each person and their title

20. More about my IEP meetings When we talked about my strengths and weaknesses, my parents and friends also spoke up too We all did brainstorms to think of how to reach my goals We all tried to be creative when thinking about how to get things done

21. Be prepared ! The school staff on my IEP team filled out the forms I always came prepared - I used written notes that I gave to my team at the start of the meeting to make sure I communicated my ideas well

22. How my transition plan turned into actions I took reading & math classes at an education center in the community I was responsible for scheduling and paying for my transportation I had different job shadows and internships based on my interests

23. People who can help you Parents can help their children understand and express their wants and needs Friends who know you can be a big help too Your therapist or teachers can also help you with your IEP and to plan the meetings

24. Tools I use to be a good advocate Do a lot, then use your experiences Tell stories to help others see what works or doesn’t work for you Work on good communication skills for both writing and speaking Have someone you trust to help you

25. Preparing for the meeting Practice, practice, and practice Practice on people like family, friends, and teachers My speech therapist was a good coach for me Be yourself and use your strengths

26. Transition does not end when you graduate

27. Graduating from high school Graduation does not mean that you are done with goals and plans It does mean your IEP is done, but the transition to life after high school is just starting Continue to have goals and to make good plans to reach them

28. My goals for the future I want to be a better advocate I want to go to college I want to live on my own I continue to think about my goals and make plans to achieve them

29. Be the change you wish to see in the world Ghandi

30. Thank you ! Questions ???