Transition Toolkit: Lessons Learned on Supporting Youth with Disabilities

1. Transition Toolkit: Lessons Learned on Supporting Youth with Disabilities Rachel Stewart, Youth Program Manager

2. Overview • Project Background • Youth Transition Toolkit website design and features • Contents • Topics covered • Lesson Plans and Activities • Overview of the format and materials • Pilot Site Overview • Demonstration of website

3. Funded by a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG) from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – administered by San Diego State University’s Interwork Institute. • Overall goal: increase employment of youth and adults with disabilities • Numerous projects geared towards youth with disabilities • Goal of empowering youth, developing self-advocacy skills, and providing access to information and resources • Partner with a variety of state departments and non-profit organizations

4. Youth Transition Toolkit Website www.TKNLyouth.info • Website Development and Refinement • Youth with disabilities • Subject matter experts: • Communities of Practice, CA Dept. of Ed, School District Personnel, Transition Alliance • Dept. of Rehabilitation • CA Foundation for Independent Living Centers and State Independent Living Council • Content • Target audience is YOUTH! • Tips for Parents • Information relevant to teachers, transition specialists, and service providers

5. Youth Transition Toolkit Website • Chapters include: • Education • Independent Living • Employment • Finances • Healthcare • Social/Recreation • HTML website pages and downloadable PDFs of each “chapter” and worksheet

6. Education Chapter • Empowering youth while in high school • Person-centered transition planning, leading their own IEP/ITP, etc. • Information to assist in the transition to Post-secondary education: community college, 4-year university, or vocational school • Understanding the differences between high school and college

7. Independent Living Chapter • Background on disability history, independent living movement • Information on accessible/affordable housing, transportation, and personal assistance services • Worksheets assisting with goal setting and checklists to ensure preparation for independence

8. Employment Chapter • Career planning - Choosing a career and job search resources • The impact of employment on benefits • Job accommodations and disability disclosure • Resume writing and successful interviewing techniques and preparation   • Building work experience, including volunteerism and internship programs   • Personal assistant services at work

9. Finances Chapter • Tips on money management, including basic budgeting, how to balance a checkbook, pay bills, etc. • Credit cards and how to avoid getting into debt • Worksheets on financial planning and budgeting • Tips for parents on teaching their child to start managing their own finances

10. Healthcare Chapter • Worksheets on handling one’s own healthcare needs • Keeping track of medications, making doctors appointments and communicating with the doctor • Insurance information, including Medi-Cal, healthcare through employment and continuance of coverage under the family’s plan • Tips for parents on helping their child transition into independently handling their own healthcare needs

11. Social/Recreation Chapter • Clubs/activities specifically designed for youth with disabilities • Available adaptive sports programs • Ways to become involved in the disability community • Tips on traveling with a mobility disability

12. Lesson Plans • Lesson Plans have been developed with activities for facilitators to lead in the classroom or in workshops for youth participants • Activities on the six topics covered by the Toolkit (Education, Employment, Independent Living, etc.) • All materials located in the secure section of the Youth Transition Toolkit website – currently will only be available to pilot sites • Will be available to everyone by June 2012

13. Lesson Plans • Main goal of Lesson Plan goals is to lead activities designed to: • Empower youth • Build self advocacy and self determination skills • Encourage youth to start thinking about and planning for their future • Lead youth to www.tknlyouth.info to find additional resources which can help successfully transition into adult life • Complete flexibility in how you choose to use lesson plans: • Lead only certain activities or lesson plan chapters • Modify activities

14. Lesson Plans • “Lesson Plan Overview” Document • Comprehensive summary on the lesson plans and tips for how to utilize them • Tips on enhancing lesson plans/activities: • Inviting guest speakers • “Things are about to change” Video Vignettes • Youth/student co-facilitator • “Workshop Planning Tips” • Guide for community-based organizations on how to organize workshops – information on: • Participant recruitment strategies • Tips for success: finding a youth co-facilitator, providing food, assisting with transportation, accessible venues, etc.

15. Lesson Plans • Activity format: • Objective • Suggested time frame • Format • Materials needed • Vocabulary/terms • Suggested facilitator preparatory activities • Creating context • Procedure • Closure

16. Education Lesson Plan Activities • Me, Myself and My IEP • Presentation and discussion on the purpose and importance of an IEP • The Future’s Wide Open... • Filling out worksheets to prepare for leading their own IEP/transition planning meeting • Planning For College • Learning about university and community college supports, preparing for the transition to college and requesting accommodations • Expanding My (Training) Horizons • Researching vocational training options other than a traditional college setting, including ROP, trade schools, internships, and volunteerism

17. Independent Living Lesson Plan Activities • The Untold History • Presentation on disability history (including the independent living and disability rights movements) and discussion of additional advocacy efforts • Models of Disability • Understanding the difference between the medical and social models of disability and how these impact how we perceive disability • Thinking About Disability • Thinking about how disability has impacted their life (both positively and negatively) and learning about disability as a shared experience

18. Independent Living Lesson Plan Activities, Cont. • Living on my Own and Reaching my Goals • Understanding and planning for what steps need to be taken to live independently, including cost of living and finding personal care attendants • Setting Goals • Learning about different programs and services to assist with gaining independence (regional center ILS, IHSS, Independent Living Centers, etc.), and setting goals/next steps to transition into living independently

19. Employment Lesson Plan Activities • Work it Out • Understanding the difference between a job and a career, and thinking about why going to work is personally important • Connecting the Dots… • Thinking about barriers to employment, and learning about services which can help break down some of these barriers (i.e. Department of Rehabilitation, Regional Centers, One-Stop Career Centers) • Employment Rights! • Presentation on employment and anti-discrimination laws; personal planning related to disability disclosure and requesting accommodations

20. Employment Lesson Plan Activities, Cont. • Resume Writing • Workshop to begin the process of writing a resume and learning about different resume styles • Employment Shouldn’t Be in Jeopardy! • Participants test their newly acquired knowledge around employment-related topics by playing a jeopardy game

21. Finances Lesson Plan Activities • “Money Smart for Young Adults” Curriculum • Flexible FREE curriculum designed by the FDIC to help youth learn the basics around money management • Disability Benefits 101: Planning your Future • Learning how to navigate the Disability Benefits 101 website and going through an interactive benefits calculator demonstration • Work Incentive Programs: Working it! • Understanding basic information about Social Security cash benefit programs and how these programs interact with paid employment; learning about benefits planning best practices

22. Healthcare Lesson Plan Activities • Learning to Manage Your Healthcare • Activity to help youth develop ideas on how they can begin handling their health-related needs • Creating a Healthcare Journal • Creating a personal healthcare journal as a way to track disability-related symptoms and quickly access all healthcare information in one place • Communicating with Your Doctor • Preparing for the transition from a pediatrician to an adult physician by practicing having a conversation with a new doctor

23. Social/Recreation Lesson Plan Activities • Sports, Hobbies, and Clubs - Oh my! • Sharing current activities and brainstorming how other activities can be modified to be made more accessible; learning about social and recreational opportunities available in their community • Do you like to move it, move it? • Viewing a video about a guitar player born without arms, and then trying out adaptive ways to play musical instruments • You’re Trippin! • Planning a day trip by utilizing online resources and public transportation

24. Pilot Sites • 30 Pilot Sites testing Toolkit website and lesson plan materials: • High Schools/districts • Includes Workability I, Transition Partnership Programs, and special education/adult transition programs • College 2 Career Program • Independent Living Centers • Family Empowerment Centers • Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities • Other Community-Based Organizations providing transition services

25. Website and Lesson Plans Demonstration www.tknlyouth.info

26. Contact information • For questions or to request information on lesson plan activities/materials contact: • John Kerr, Youth Program Specialist • 916-319-9563 • John.kerr@dhcs.ca.gov • Rachel Stewart, Youth Program Manager • 916-319-8519 • rstewart@interwork.sdsu.edu