The paper considers the role of program planners in ensuring community adjustment of deinstitutionalized severely mentally handicapped persons, especially in light of the provisions of the Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, which provides a waiver authority to states to increase community programs for the deinstitutionalized population. The paper…

The paper describes the development and implications of Chapter 688 in Massachusetts which which provides for a 2-year transitional process to plan for habilitative services for severely disabled young adults who will lose their entitlement to special education upon graduating or reaching the age of 22. The law requires an individualized…

ASPIRE--"Assisting Special Populations in Readiness for Employment"--is a secondary special education transition program featuring coordinated services between the public and private sectors to integrate secondary level disabled students into subsidized private sector employment. ASPIRE was introduced into the Lake Tahoe Unified School…

These materials present information on implementing a collaborative team model in the delivery of transition services to students with disabilities. The materials provide charts and forms outlining strategies to be used by a local interagency transition team to assess its existing level of collaboration, to conceptualize its jointly endorsed…

Project WorkAbility is a California program serving special education secondary and postsecondary students. The model design for WorkAbility is based on well-known transition models and contains components common to those models. The design views transition as both a process and a product, supports interagency cooperation and collaboration, and…

The State University of New York (SUNY) Bridge Program is a federally funded work force preparation program that was initiated in October 1992 to help mothers receiving welfare achieve self-sufficiency by helping them acquire job skills. The program is housed at the Urban League of Northeastern New York and SUNY's 10 educational opportunity…

This paper describes a supported transition plan for preschool students with special needs who are entering a kindergarten classroom. The transition plan includes the following phases: (1) make decision regarding kindergarten placement; (2) develop a preplacement plan which includes a visitation to the preschool program by kindergarten staff; and…

The Individualized Resource Program/Community-Based Vocational Training Program of the Iowa Valley Community College District provides assessment, vocational and functional academics training, and job placement services for adults with developmental disabilities and moderate mental retardation. Participants complete a non-credit community college…

In the past decade, disappointing national outcomes have been reported regarding the transition of youth with disabilities to community and work environments. The transition outlook is even more dismal for rural youth with disabilities, in light of geographic barriers to special education service delivery, lack of jobs in rural areas, and rural…

This paper describes a rural school program that assists high school special education students in achieving a successful transition from the school to the community. Plans for transition are first introduced at the special education staffing in 10th grade and are viewed as an integral part of the individual education plan. The transition…

This compilation brings together various conference papers and a working group report on the topic of supported competitive employment for people with deaf-blindness and other profound disabilities. The title paper by Paul Wehman and Janet Hill studies 21 Profoundly/Multiply Handicapped Deaf-Blind Youth, April 7-10, 1986, Washington, DC. The title…

This study surveys states' mandates, definitions, and components of transition programs that assist disabled students in successfully moving to the community environment. Among the 60 state-level directors of special education surveyed, 34 state and 4 territorial directors responded to the questionnaire comprised of 8 questions, and nominated 230…

This packet of materials describes the experience of personnel at Poultney (Vermont) Elementary School in transitioning a student with multiple disabilities from a special day school into a regular third grade classroom. The materials outline pros and cons of the inclusion concept, requirements for inclusion to be successful, the collaborative…

The South Dakota Alliance for Transition establishes a formal partnership among state agencies, local service providers, and community stakeholders to address the transition needs of youth with disabilities. The 5-year federally funded project aims to enhance transition services through systems change: developing responsive case management and…

The Rural Transition Teacher Preparation Project was designed to train rural special educators to be clinical instructors for the University of Utah's Department of Special Education. These trained educators then serve as delivery agents of courses designed to improve transition services to mildly and moderately handicapped students in rural…