The IDEA mandates transition planning in Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for disabled students, who are now enrolling in postsecondary education programs at higher rates than ever before. Despite this, disabled students experience significantly worse post-school outcomes than their non-disabled peers. The purpose of this mixed-methods…

Study One Abstract, Introduction: Individuals with disabilities (IWDs) struggle to access health services that they need which ultimately leads to poorer overall health outcomes and health disparities. IWDs often rely on surrogate decision-makers, or caregivers, to help them make important health decisions. Therefore, the aims of the current study…

Veterans Affairs (VA) offers education benefits to veterans with disabilities through the GI Bill, VA's largest education program, and Veteran Readiness and Employment (VR&E), which helps veterans with service-connected disabilities re-enter the workforce. Each offers distinct features that may better serve veterans depending on their…

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore African American parental involvement of students with disabilities during transition planning in urban high schools. Through an explanatory case study the author seeks to gain a better understanding of parental involvement during the transition process in preparation for employment or…

This study examined effects of two parent-training approaches to increase knowledge of transition resources by (a) giving parents a brochure describing local transition services or (b) providing the same brochure plus 60 min of small-group training. We randomly assigned parents to groups who completed pre- and posttests on knowledge of transition…

Post-school outcomes are poor for youth with disabilities, in general, but even more discouraging for certain subpopulations of individuals with disabilities, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. The authors discuss structural inequalities in public schools which potentially contribute to the poorer…

Students with disabilities, especially those with non-apparent conditions, are entering universities in growing numbers. Yet more and more students are going off to college unprepared to manage their disabilities, in part because their high schools are overburdened, understaffed, and uninformed to identify and support them. A recent survey of…

Legislation has mandated that secondary schools provide services for students with disabilities that prepare them for independent living, employment, and/or post-secondary education (IDEA, 2004). This study examined the perceptions of special education directors, assistant directors/program coordinators, and secondary special education teachers…

Youth with disabilities receiving transition from services from State/Federal VR agencies accounted for more than one quarter of closed cases within in FY 2010 (RSA, 2010). This unique population of clients, however, has received little attention in empirical studies, scholarly journals, and as a focus within training programs. By investing in…

In recent years, the concept of teachers as researchers in both special and mainstream school settings has become part of our everyday language. Whilst many educational practitioners will see the need for research within their setting, many may not be familiar with the technical elements they believe are required. "Creating Meaningful Inquiry in…

Enhancing parents' ability to make informed choices is important to successful transition planning for youth with disabilities. This study used a multiple probe design across content areas replicated across participants to examine the effects of a computer-based instructional program on acquisition of parents' knowledge of the transition planning…

A pretest-posttest control group experimental design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of EnvisionIT, a 10-unit web-based curriculum designed to teach secondary students information technology (IT) skills in the context of transition-planning activities. Fifteen high schools were stratified by socioeconomic status and randomly assigned to the…

Promoting active student involvement in transition planning has become best practice in promoting self-determination. This study examined the contribution of self-determination to transition planning knowledge and skills for 180 students with disabilities. Utilizing multiple regression analyses, the study found that global self-determination was a…

A survey of 85 parents of offspring (ages 14-25) with handicaps examined parental involvement in programs facilitating transition from school to adult life. The survey found that a significant number of parents were unaware of any transition program for their offspring, although virtually all parents desired involvement of some kind. (Author/JDD)

This study, undertaken at a Michigan high school, examined the development of collaborative relationships among school personnel, community members, and agency staff for the effective transition of students with disabilities from school to adult life. It attempted to identify the essential components and common barriers to such relationships and…