Transition Portfolios For Students With Disabilities

'Transition Portfolios For Students With Disabilities' offers practical details on gathering critical information, including tips on what to include, sources and timelines.

Do you have a teen or young adult with a developmental disability who has moderate to severe communication issues, but could benefit from job training or transition programs? Don't let them graduate to the couch! Collect, organize and summarize the information that will be needed to get into job training, schools and special programs when the student leaves the school system at age 22. This guide highlights dozens of useful online resources, many of them free, to help parents and others plan for meaningful community participation after high school. This book also suggests ways to develop positive life experiences, and discusses proactive strategies to improve the systems that serve young adults with special needs.

The purpose of this project is to review current transition practices for students with disabilities, and to present a curriculum guide which meets areas lacking in current transition instruction. Research establishes that there are deficits in student preparedness for post-secondary programs. In transition training, an intense focus has been placed upon legal implications and measurable student outcomes, without emphasizing the need to teach students how to make choices and self-advocate for the future. Research further indicates that the most successful transition training programs are based upon teaching self-determination skills such as problem solving, self-assessment, goal setting, and self-advocacy. (Cobb & Alwell, 2009; Lindstrom et al. 2007; Campbell-Whatley, 2008). A transition curriculum which embraces these best practices, Building Transition Portfolios, is presented in this project. This curriculum project includes a guidebook of lesson plans designed to provide support to teachers in leading students through the process of developing self-awareness, functional goal setting skills, and employment preparedness. As students progress through the curriculum, a personal portfolio of work is created, called a Transition Portfolio. Implications for this model are examined, and developed as the end product of this project.

Organized into four modules, Overview / Social Skills / Orientation and Mobility / Low vision, with full PowerPoint programs on CD-ROM included.

The need for transition services for students with exceptionalities is apparent and critical for their success after high school. It is essential for school professionals, parents, and students to work collaboratively and consultively to determine each student's future goals and develop an effective plan to meet those goals successively. This book, therefore, focuses on all aspects of that transition planning from school to postschool levels. The text provides the reader with a foundation of transition services and a historical overview of models and practices and offers a critical look at transition with students from culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds. In addition, it presents an in-depth look at assistive technology to assist students in fully participating in the planning for their future and also describes the process for planning and the importance of family collaboration. It offers an extensive discussion of career development and the importance of work experiences and also reviews key social skills and leisure options. Finally, the text looks at independent living options and reviews available successful postsecondary education programs. The format of the book is unique and the text is written in a style that all readers can comprehend and understand; the information can be easily applied to classroom and transition programs. This book will be an excellent resource for researchers, scholars, educators, and service providers and will serve as either a required or supplementary text for undergraduate and graduate transition courses in special education.

For Transition, Secondary Special Education and Career Education/Vocational Transition courses at the undergraduate and graduate level. A comprehensive, yet practical, text for diverse courses that contribute to the transition process, Transition Planning for Secondary Students with Disabilities, Third Edition, describes the varied transition needs of students with disabilities and the myriad options and career paths potentially available. The authors' approach to transition is treated in a generalized way by cross-categorical, practical, and real transition examples. Redesigned to focus more directly on supporting teachers and professionals in developing and implementing transition activities, the revision remains comprehensive and provides broad coverage of transition content, ranging from the legislative-policy base to specific transition activities. More so than in previous editions, the third edition content reflects transition issues confronted at the high school level, problem-solving strategies, and updated content that reflects the IDEA. transition that presents themes to organize each chapter, connecting content across chapters and topics, derived from the IDEA legislation. The resulting integration of policy and practice systematically builds the reader's understanding and provides guidelines for daily transition activities. Outcomes of transition services, across various middle school, secondary, and postsecondary programs are viewed in the book from the perspective of post-school outcomes and quality of life. The combined process and outcome analysis will help the reader determine whether transition programs are doing things right, and if they are doing the right things.

"As mandated by federal law, schools must assist students with disabilities in developing appropriate goals and transition plans for life after high school. Written for teachers and student assistance professionals, this comprehensive and practical book focuses on how the planning process can prepare students for the greater independence of postsecondary settings. Recognizing that students with disabilities have a wide range of needs, this resource discusses the transition requirements of various postsecondary options, including colleges, universities, career and technical training programs, and employment. Developed by highly regarded experts, this authoritative guide includes: the most up-to-date information on key legislation that affects transition services and the rights and responsibilities of students and professionals; advice for helping students document disabilities, develop self-advocacy skills, and seek accommodations; information about postsecondary resources on campus and in the community; students' personal stories and a look at the role of family involvement. An overview of transition considerations for middle school youth."--Publisher's website.