This toolkit was created to make transition planning easier and offers easy-to-understand information about the purpose of transition planning, the goal and importance of age-appropriate assessments, and the required rules that are used by schools. It also includes information on the community partners that can provide youth with supports as…

In 2007, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) law was passed in Minnesota mandating newborn hearing screening. Recognizing that a number of state-level agencies and statewide advocacy and direct services organizations share responsibility for serving deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing children and youth, the Minnesota Commission…

While conversations around the inclusion of individuals with disabilities often focus on the educational rights and needs of children with disabilities during their school years, there is a growing recognition that the period of transition from secondary school to adult roles is a critical time in the lives of individuals with disabilities. For…

After decades, the concept of "how to change the status quo of deaf education" continues to dazzle and frustrate us intellectually and academically. We want deaf and hard of hearing students to achieve academically and to thrive in the world as adults. Yet, too often, test scores and post-school outcomes remain unacceptably low. Our…

Transition into college for students with disabilities has been written about extensively over the past decade, due in part to legislative mandates implemented at the secondary level. With significant increases in the number of these students in the college population, a focus on their transition through college is imperative to improve retention…

Veterans with disabilities constitute a vast, capable, deserving, and under-utilized workforce, and many successful hiring campaigns have targeted the employment of veterans. Colleges offering comprehensive, individualized transitional services have proven successful in supporting veterans with disabilities reentering the civilian workforce. With…

This student handbook on job seeking skills was developed by a project to enhance career services for students with disabilities in higher education. The guide is intended to provide students with basic information on setting career goals and looking for work, including special considerations for job seekers with disabilities. Individual sections…

Transition is a dynamic lifelong process that seeks to meet individual needs as a person with disabilities moves from childhood to adulthood. Per laws in most states, once an individual becomes 18 years of age that person is considered an adult regardless of the level of his or her disability. Initiating planning for adult living activities and…

Research suggests that more students with disabilities are pursuing higher education than in years past, and recent legislative changes, such as those in the Higher Education Opportunity Act and Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008, have the potential to increase the number and diversity of this population. GAO was asked to…

Some of the opportunities and challenges associated with postsecondary education for young adults who are deaf-blind are considered. Suggestions are offered for transition planning teams to consider, including analysis of students' most and least favorite classes, vocational goals, housing goals, and methods of paying for postsecondary education.…