Transition Works: Focus on Settings and Relationships

1. Transition Works: Focus on Settings and Relationships October 21, 2007

2. NASDSE’s Commitment to Transition Transition is the essential link… • connects IDEA to the disability policy that will support youth across the lifespan • concretely connects us with the agencies that share this responsibility • sensitizes us to the hopes and dreams of youth • focuses us on our role in providing the education and experiences that will enable youth to command their futures!

3. Presentation • Three different pictures of transition • Three unique relationships between youth and their adult ally • Dialogue grounded in the latest report from the National Longitudinal Study on Transition - NLST2 : “Perceptions and Expectations of Youth”

4. Three Environments… …Three Relationships in Support of Transition • Supported Work • Student and Employer • Secondary/ Career Technical Education • Student and Transition Facilitator • Post-Secondary • Student and Disability Service Coordinator

5. Supported Work • Panelists: • Shawn Aleonge • Student and Worker, Elwyn • Antonio De Rosa • Employer, Small Business Owner

6. Elwyn • Approved Private School (APS) for students with significant disabilities including intellectual disabilities and students on the autism spectrum • Provider of transition services to local school districts for difficult-to-serve youth • Community of Practice framework for delivery of quality transition services • Extensive employer and community outreach • Active engagement and partnerships with higher education

7. Data • More than half of youth with disabilities report being able to tell peers their feelings… and almost two-thirds say they can get adults to listen to them and get information they need. • Among out-of-school youth who acknowledge that they have a disability or special need, approximately one-third report often providing professionals with feedback on those services (NLTS2, x)

8. Questions for Mr. DeRosa • What motivates employers to become affiliated with programs for individuals with significant disabilities? • As an employer: • How do you assure that youth with disabilities have enough information and practice to be able to succeed on job tasks?   • How do you balance your performance needs as the employer with the training and satisfaction needs of the student? • What role does the school partnership have in supporting employers as they continually balance these two needs?

9. Questions for Shawn • What do your friends say when you are talking with each other about work?          • When working with Mr. De Rosa:    • How does he let you know that you are part of the team? • How does he let you know that it is OK to ask questions? • When at school: • How does your school help you think about what you want to do as a job? • How does the school help you do better at work? • If you had a problem at work or at school, how would you get the help you need?

10. Secondary/ Career Technical Ed • Panelists: • Ben Scheid • Student, Hodgson Vocational Technical High School, Newark, DE • Debbie Scott • Transition Facilitator, New Castle County Vo-Tech School District

11. Data • Dropouts with disabilities are finding some success in the employment arena shortly after high school; however, examination of other aspects of their lives reveals cause for concern. In the long run, the absence of a high school diploma and further postsecondary education is likely to have serious negative implications for the ability of youth who dropped out to find and keep jobs that pay a living wage. (NLTS2, 8-6)

12. Data • Of particular cause for concern is the much higher rate of criminal justice system involvement among dropouts with disabilities; more than half have been arrested, and nearly one-third have spent a night in jail, three times the rates of these experiences among youth with disabilities who finished high school.(NLTS2, 8-6)

13. Questions for Ms. Scott: • New Castle County Vo-Tech School District has been conducting post-school outcome surveys that indicate positive post-school outcomes for students with disabilities that often exceed their general education peers. • What is the program side of these outcomes? • What is the human side of these outcomes? • How do you and your transition colleagues in DE support youth empowerment? • How do you help students to acquire and practice the skills?

14. Program Side 9th grade • Summer Visit • Student-led IEP • Quest Program • 9th Grade Academy • Opportunities to rotate through 4 or more career areas • Utilizing the State’s Student Success Plan – Career Cruising • Vocational assessments • Vocational goals are emphasized through out the school • Brochures • Parent information meeting

15. Program Side 10th grade • Student-led IEP • Students working “hands on” in career area • Mentoring • Job Shadowing • Field trips to professional organizations • Clubs • Skills USA competitions • Parent information meetings

16. Program Side 11th grade • Student-led IEP • Planning for senior year co-op • Internships • Skills USA competitions • Mock interviews • Resumes • Parent information meeting

17. Program Side 12th grade • Co-op • National Certifications • Student Led IEP • Student Leadership Clubs – promotes leadership and self advocacy for students with disabilities • Student Business Leaders – partnership with Joyce Bender, CEO of Bender Consulting • Skills USA • Programs for 18-21 year olds

18. Human Side • Educate on IDEA, ADA, IEPs, transition, self-determination and self-advocacy skills. • Home Access Center program available for parents to check homework, grades, etc • IEPplus – online IEPs • Staff Professional Development • District Transition Coordinator Position • Parent Information Meetings

19. State Transition • Delaware Division on Career Development and Training • State Leadership Advisory Council • Division of Vocational Rehabilitation – counselor works with students in school during their senior year • Division of Developmental Disabilities – Early Start to Supported Employment • Parent Information Center • Student Success Plans using Career Cruising • University of Delaware – Community Based Education Alliance Program, Junior Partners in Policymaking, Total Life, and Education Resource Center • Delaware Developmental Disabilities Committee • Agencies – Goodwill, OCI, ASSEP, DDDS, Elwyn, CIS, etc.

20. Mastery of the Skills • Training and 1-1 for parents and students • Educate students on IEP and 504 terminology • Start practicing Student Led IEPs in the 9th grade and facilitate students to lead their own IEP meetings • Train the trainers – students helping other students • Practice, Practice, Practice • Student Recognition

21. SE Grades 9-12 Dropouts by School 03/04 – 05/06

22. Cooperative Employment (seniors)

23. Full-Time Employment(~6 months after graduation)

24. Graduate Satisfaction (~6 months after graduation)

25. Data • Receiving instruction in transition planning and youth’s level of participation in the transition planning process were not associated with student self ratings of  personal autonomy or psychological empowerment. (NLTS2, xii)

26. Questions for Ben • What is the difference between learning self-determination skills and practicing them? • How have and your classmates acted as leaders in your own lives? • What have you done to help other youth become more empowered? • How are you helping teachers and families to understand youth empowerment?

27. Post-Secondary Education • Panelists: • Jesse Mayer • Student, The George Washington University • Christy Willis • Disability Support Services Director, The George Washington University

28. Data • When out-of-school youth with disabilities were still in high school, about three-fourths had postsecondary education as a goal for their early post-school years, and 60% had parents who expected that they would pursue their educations after high school. • Up to 2 years after high school, however...only one in five are enrolled in any kind of post secondary education in the Wave 2 data in NLTS2. This rate of current postsecondary school enrollment is half the rate of same-age youth in the general population.(NLTS2, 8-3)

29. Data • By far the greatest reason for students' not receiving accommodations is that their postsecondary schools are unaware of their disabilities. • In fact, about half of postsecondary students with disabilities reported that they do not consider themselves to have a disability, and another 7% acknowledged a disability but have not informed their schools regarding it. Only 40% of postsecondary students with disabilities have informed their schools of their disabilities. (NLTS2, 8-3)

30. Questions to Ms. Willis: • GW has a history of providing a full-range of support services, long before many institutions. Please share a brief overview. • What are the differences in support students are entitled to by IDEA in school and what students are entitled to in 504 post-school? What role does this play in students accessing services in higher education? • What is the role of families serving as adult allies for post-secondary aged students?

31. Questions for Jesse: • The data states that a large number of students with disabilities do not self-identify as having a disability. Based on your experiences, what might account for this? • What does self-empowerment look like in a post-secondary setting? • Please share some of your experiences in self-empowerment, in particular, some of the internships that you have chosen to pursue.

32. NASDSE’s Commitment to Transition Transition is the essential link… connects IDEA to the disability policy that will support youth across the lifespan concretely connects us with the agencies that share this responsibility sensitizes us to the hopes and dreams of youth focuses us on our role in providing the education and experiences that will enable youth to command their futures!