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…

Students who have significant disabilities have the same aspirations as their non-disabled peers: living productive, enriched, and self-determined lives. Adolescent-to-adulthood transition services have the potential to help position students with disabilities to obtain the best possible outcomes, thereby helping them lead full and included adult…

One of the key purposes of public education is to prepare young people to reach their full potential as independent adults and engaged citizens. This transition to adulthood may be especially challenging for youth with disabilities. Students enrolled in special education often need additional supports and coordinated planning to prepare for…

This practical guide has been developed to help facilitate collaboration and build effective partnerships at the local level between local educational agency (LEA) and vocational rehabilitation (VR) personnel. Unfortunately, there is no magic formula that will instantly create these partnerships; however, there are proven strategies and processes…

In this brief, the perspectives of special education administrators from Massachusetts and Indiana, who have been engaged in college-based transition services (CBTS), are shared. It summarizes the conversations they had during a fall 2019 Think College webinar and a follow-up discussion in summer 2020. Each administrator has had extensive…

How do we reach the summit in terms of supporting the best transition possible for each young deaf or hard of hearing individual in the United States? Should professionals who are hearing work alone to succeed with deaf and hard of hearing students? No matter how good the intention, if we want deaf and hard of hearing students to transition from…

Oklahoma implemented universal pre-K in 1998. It is one of only five states that has or is implementing universal preschool, and for several years has served more four-year-old children than any other state. The organization, Community Action Project (CAP) Tulsa, occupies a unique position in this work. As one of the largest anti-poverty agencies…

Transition education is a distinctive aspect of special education that extends well beyond the boundaries of the school building, engages partners from all corners of the local community, and addresses so many different life domains. In the midst of a pandemic, creative strategies are needed to equip students with the skills, knowledge,…

In New York City (NYC), the process of developing a child's kindergarten Individualized Education Program (IEP) happens during the year before kindergarten. This process is commonly called Turning 5. Approximately 30,000 NYC children between the ages of three and five are classified as being preschoolers with disabilities. The Turning 5 work…

Parental involvement and parent-school-community partnerships receive wide acclaim for making a positive difference in the educational and transition outcomes for youth with and without disabilities. Although the impact of parental involvement in education remains undisputed, secondary education traditionally emphasizes the emerging adult…

Empowering students with disabilities to remain physically active after graduation is often a struggle for physical educators. One reason for this is that physical educators are often left out of the transition-planning process. In order to be seen as a key member of the special education team, physical educators need to use the same instructional…

Many students with intellectual disabilities want to graduate with their peers and move on to the next phase of their lives. By the time students have reached age 18, most have exhausted the coursework the school system has to offer, and they have yet to master the skills necessary for employment and independent living. Community-based transition…

During the 1980s, school-community partnerships increased nationwide, prompted by diminishing federal and state financial support for education, increasing numbers of at-risk students, and initiatives promoting local decision-making. Numerous examples in the literature portray partnerships involving "adoption" of schools by businesses, school use…

In Ohio, a food service program is partnering with a national restaurant chain to help students with learning disabilities transition from school to work. The Greene County Career Center in Xenia, Ohio, has a food service program satisfying the appetites of visitors, students and staff, as well as meeting the training goals of students with…

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) has created this Parent Guide to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) so parents can become informed and effective partners with school personnel in supporting their child's special learning and behavioral needs. It is hoped that parents will use this IDEA Parent Guide to…