100 likes | 254 Views
Keeping Transition on Track Using Local Transition Councils. Ann Deschamps Todd Bonney – Carroll County Jackie Gast – Wicomico County Donnae Bushrod – Baltimore City Maryland Seamless Transition Collaborative. Who are Transition Councils?. Job Seeker. Employer. D E M A N D.
E N D
Keeping Transition on Track Using Local Transition Councils Ann Deschamps Todd Bonney – Carroll County Jackie Gast – Wicomico County Donnae Bushrod – Baltimore City Maryland Seamless Transition Collaborative
Who are Transition Councils? Job Seeker Employer D E M A N D S U P P L Y Local Area Transition Council Community Rehabilitation Providers Additional Resources School System Social Security Independent Living Center Assistive Technology Center Mental Health Developmental Disabilities Post Secondary Education One-Stop Career Center Vocational Rehabilitation
What is a Transition Council? • The goal of the council is to develop linkages and services within the community needed for student post school success in any of the following: • employment • post-secondary education • adult education and training • adult services • independent living • community participation and • integrated community living (“Interagency Transition Councils: Stakeholders at Work” – PowerPoint by Lu Nations-Miller, Ed. D., GaDOE Transition Specialist)
Why Transition Councils? • Improve post school outcomes for students with disabilities • Research and experience show that transition stakeholders working collaboratively leads to better outcomes for transitioning youth
Transition Councils • Developed to meet specific needs of local area • Evolve and change membership over time, depending on the needs of the transitioning youth and community • Can address activities including: independent employment, post-secondary education, career and technical education, adult services, independent living needs, community activities
Types of Interagency Transition Councils • Informational: designed to collect and disseminate information related to transition services, including • how to access resources for students who are transitioning • how to develop solutions to specific transition issues that exist in the system and in the community. • Student Specific: designed to allow school system personnel, vocational rehabilitation personnel and a group of representatives from community agencies to address the transition needs of specific students and develop strategies to address these needs. • Combination Informational and Student Specific
Mission of a Transition Council Examples include: • To facilitate a collaborative transition process for students with disabilities that will lead to the students’ desired post-school outcomes • To provide a clearinghouse to disseminate updated transition information regarding available services in the area • To advocate together to provide resources for parents and teachers to support transitioning students in moving forward to achieve their highest level of independence
Four Elements of Building Interagency Teams • Gather stakeholders of interest in the transition process • Generate a common vision and common outcome across different agencies participating on the team (ensure team members have valued roles, and that the roles are formalized in the team) • Decide on process of activity – conduct of meetings, agenda, task completion, and what happens between meetings • Define how you are making progress, team effectiveness – how will this be measured (i.e. # of students experiencing a seamless transition?) (National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, 2005)
Managing a Transition Council • Meet regularly; at least once a month • Expect and allow for all four phases of team building (forming, storming, norming, performing) • Be respectful • Be open to new ideas • Make sure all transition team members understand their roles and responsibilities • Make sure transition team members are accountable for a part of the plan • Have brief monthly progress reports • Help team members to see and recognize their role in results and outcome. (NSTTAC, 2011)
Resources • “Interagency Transition Councils: Stakeholders at Work” – PowerPoint by Lu Nations-Miller, Ed. D., GaDOE Transition Specialist, http://www.gatransition.org/ • National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (2005) Essential Tools; Interagency Transition Team Development and Facilitation. Minneapolis, MN. http://www.ncset.org/publications/essentialtools/teams/ • National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (2011) Transition Team Leader Sustainability Toolkit. Kalamazoo, MI. http://www.nsttac.org/content/transition-team-leader-sustainability-toolkit