Transition education is a required component of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Information Act of 2004, and all students who have disabilities must have a transition education plan to prepare them for life after high school. However, there are no definitive standards for transition programs, and it is unclear how administrators with…

Students with disabilities face the challenges of transitioning from secondary school to higher education with the added difficulties associated with specific physical, emotional, or learning disabilities. In this qualitative study, this researcher (a) observed practices that transition service professionals used during exit transition meetings…

This article reports on a multi-method study of the ways in which special and mainstream schools support the educational needs of children with disabilities in Fiji. The aims of the study were: (1) to identify capacity and functions of special schools to support inclusive mainstream schools for children with disabilities; and (2) to explore the…

Although many public schools in the United States are located in rural areas, the literature on rural youth is extremely limited, and the literature on rural youth with disabilities is practically absent. The purpose of this study was to gather the perspectives of community partners regarding rural school-community partnerships and provide an…

For youth with disabilities, transitioning from school to work and adult life often means overcoming multiple social, academic, and environmental constraints that may present as roadblocks to meeting society's expectations of 'successful transition' (Lehman, Clark, Bullis, Rinkin, & Castellanos, 2002). According to the United States Department…

Research across the board has focused predominately on postsecondary transition services as they occur, after students with disabilities have left high school and entered the postsecondary realm of education. There has yet to be a study to address the feasibility of combining the important early intervention strategies necessary for success within…

In this study I examined in depth the perspectives of stakeholders in Manitoba on the development and implementation of a transition follow-up system (TFS) for youth with disabilities. I conducted focus groups and individual interviews with a total of 76 stakeholders and obtained qualitative data. The stakeholders who participated in this study…

This qualitative case study examines the challenges facing rural secondary schools in transitioning youth from high school to post-secondary education and careers, and whether the interventions, strategies and support built into the Early College High School could offer a solution to this long-standing challenge to better meet the needs of special…

The purpose of this study was to assess the inclusion of health care components in transition Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students diagnosed with Other Health Impaired (OHI). In this study, we analyzed 50 IEPs of students with an OHI diagnosis to establish whether there are health-related components or other common health care…

This study examined how interagency collaboration occurs within one local transition community of practice using Wenger's (1998) social theory of learning. While postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities have improved moderately, there continue to be many barriers based upon changes in American society, including the diversity of the…

This study investigated the role of special education administrators in the transition planning process for children with disabilities ages 3-21 in selected Washington school districts. A basic qualitative study was selected to construct meaning from a described phenomenon. The study sought to identify and explain how special education…

Although "the compilation of lists of best practices accelerated", significant resources have been allocated, and federal mandates requiring transition special education services for students with disabilities have been in place now for over three decades, post school outcomes for students with disabilities have still not improved…

We conducted an analysis of the secondary transition qualitative and quantitative research literature to build comprehensive constructs and lists of student nonacademic behaviors associated with post-high school employment and education. From a pool of 83 initial quantitative and qualitative studies, 35 met the inclusion criteria, and the analysis…

Upon exiting high school, some African American students with disabilities experience difficulty accessing disability support services and appropriate accommodations. Many of these difficulties in access can be traced to high school transition planning as the source. To understand the underlying transitional barriers and sources of support, case…

Understanding the needs of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their post-high school experiences is a new and widely under-studied area of research (MacLeod & Green, 2009). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of a young woman with ASD in her journey following high school graduation to the world…