Envision the Future ... Transition from School to Adult Life

We want to thank all of the family members, students, teachers, and other professionals who made Perkins' second annual "Envision the Future ... Transition from School to Adult Life" conference a great success.

This year’s theme was planning “beyond the traditional work day." To get the day started, Keynote Speaker Dr. Jim Earley, Ed. D., gave a thought-provoking address entitled, "Building Partnerships towards a Successful Transition."  Earley is the Managing Director for Walker Partnerships of the Walker Home in Needham, MA.

When it comes to planning for a student's future, Earley said, "relationship building is the key ingredient to success." Earley stressed the importance of starting the transition planning process early - at the age of 14. He outlined ideal guiding principles for the transition planning process that he called the "four C's": collaboration, communication, cooperation, and commitment.

Throughout various session topics, speakers offered parents and students valuable advice on transitioning from school to adult life. Mary Zatta, Assistant Director of Education in Perkins' Deafblind Program and presenter of the on-demand educational webcast, Creating Vocational Portfolios for Adolescents with Significant Disabilities, moderated a panel session called "Exploring Housing Options."

“Stay the advocate [for your child] and don’t necessarily accept that things will stay the way they are,” Zatta advised.

Thank you to all of the presenters and exhibitors who offered truly transformative information at this year's conference. To all of the parents, family members, and students - we look forward to seeing you again next year.

This conference was co-sponsored by the National Association for Parents of Children with Visual Impairments (NAPVI) and New England Consortium of Deafblind Projects (NEC).

More Transition Resources

Perkins Outreach Services to Students offers programs to help young people with disabilities advance their transition planning including our Sampling the World of Work Summer Program.

Find several more online resources on transitioning from school to adult life in our Information Clearinghouse.

Also check out School to Work, a Perkins publication, and read our bi-monthly eNewsletter, Perkins Insight focused on Transition.