Despite federal laws mandating services to support their postsecondary transitions, students with disabilities overall pursue less continued education and vocational training and get fewer jobs than their peers without disabilities. To enhance outcomes for students with disabilities after they exit high school, this article describes how state…

With early student-centered transition planning and interagency collaboration efforts, schools can be better equipped to prepare students with specific learning disabilities for effective transition to post-school environments.

In response to growing evidence that young people aging out of foster care face significant challenges during their transition to adulthood and fare more poorly than their peers across a wide range of life domains, the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 gave states the option to extend eligibility for federally…

The transition from school to adulthood is a pivotal time in the lives of all students. For a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), change of any kind can be challenging, and a transition as momentous as this can seem especially daunting. Thoughtful planning, sound information, and open communication will help parents support young adults…

Several federal agencies, including the Small Business Administration (SBA), provide training and other assistance to veterans seeking civilian employment. For example, the Department of Defense (DOD), in cooperation with the SBA, Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, and several other federal agencies, operates the Transition Goals…

This Fast Fact #20 describes ways that Transition Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID programs) engage with state vocational rehabilitation agencies to provide pre-employment transition services to students with intellectual disability enrolled in colleges and universities.

This supplementary document supports the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) Secondary Transition Position Statement by providing definitions of terms for students and youth with disabilities, as well as definitions related to: (1) Career Development; (2) Employment; (3) Collaborative Systems; (4) Student Skills; and (5) Policy. [For…

Religious organizations often serve as mainstays of communities, especially rural communities with otherwise limited support to promote improved transition outcomes. Yet, religious organizations appear not to be utilized as agencies in transition service partnerships. This article addresses involving religious organizations in the transition…

The Youth Transitions Partnership (YTP) in Alameda County, California blends service coordination, intensive case management, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help transition-age youth in foster care engage with available support systems and subsequently improve their outcomes. As part of a formative evaluation of YTP, Chapin Hall…

In partnership with state vocational rehabilitation and special education agencies, a local university contributed interprofessional expertise in low vision rehabilitation to an established pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) program (Coduti, Herbert, Chiu, & Doke, 2017). This program was established to provide high school students…

Foster youth are among some of the nation's most underserved students in higher education. Of the more than 430,000 youth in the foster care system, only about 50% will graduate from high school and as little as 3% will ever earn a bachelor's degree (Pecora, 2012; Wolanin, 2005). While critically important for smoothing students' transition from…

This article synthesizes policy and intervention options for youth with disabilities based on recent reports from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy. To frame findings from both reports, we utilize a life course approach. This approach is important as…

Graduating from high school and moving to the next phase of life can be difficult for any student but is particularly so for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Social and communication difficulties, sensory concerns, and narrow interests can negatively affect these students' opportunity for postsecondary education and employment. Preparing…

In the United States, more than 70 million students are enrolled in public elementary and secondary (K-12) schools or degree-granting postsecondary institutions. School and campus safety and security for these students encompasses many issues, including violence prevention and response, school climate, and the physical and mental health of the…

Principals in the United States are responsible for creating educational environments that enable students, including those with disabilities, to achieve both academic and postschool goals. Unfortunately, many principals lack the preparation necessary to effectively lead special education programs. To support principals and ensure that students…