Transition for Students with Deafblindness or Multiple Disabilities

As students with deafblindness or multiple disabilities prepare for the transition from the school years to adult life, they need information and advice specific to their needs. In this section you'll find resources for students, parents, families, and professionals.

For Families and Professionals

Suggestions for Creating Successful Transitions from School to Adulthood
California Deaf-Blind Services
This fact sheet, which is also available in Spanish, looks at some of the steps in successful transitions, such as planning early, moving toward a desired outcome, the importance of social skills, documentation, and networking. (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Creating Community for Adult Life: Planning an Effective and Exciting Transition
California Deaf-Blind Services
This 3-page article (on pp.6-8 of the newsletter) provides an introduction to transition and offers strategies for planning an effective transition from school to adult life. It includes information about the members of the team and how the futures plan relates to the Individual Education Plan or Individual Transition Plan.

Creating Vocational Portfolios for Adolescents with Significant Disabilities
Perkins School for the Blind
This webcast presented by Mary Zatta uses closed captioning and a power point presentation to describe the purpose and components of a vocational portfolio. It lasts approximately 30 minutes and addresses the how's and why's of vocational portfolios, including development processes and effective contents.

For more information on this topic, see this title from Perkins Publications:
School to Work - Developing Transitional Portfolios for Students with Significant Disabilities

How to Create a Winning Video Resume
California Deaf-Blind Services
This 2-page fact sheet lists tips for creating a video resume to facilitate the transition from school to work. Video resumes are a way to document a student's abilities and achievements to share with potential employers and others whom the student may encounter after leaving school.

Student Portfolio: A System for Documenting the Strengths, Needs, and Abilities of Students Who Are Deaf Blind
Kansas State Board of Education
This guide focuses on the development of student portfolios to document "accom­plishments, needed adaptations, modifications, and accommodations, including transition to the next environment or postsecondary environments."

Transition Guide for Youth who are Deaf-Blind
Deaf-Blind Program, Center for Disabilities, South Dakota
Although this guide is designed for youth who are deafblind, much of the information is applicable to other youth as well. The materials in the appendices include a Transition Checklist and a Transition Student Portfolio.

Transition To A Medicaid Waiver Program For Individuals Who Are Deafblind With Multiple Disabilities
Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
This document looks at the pros and cons of a specific Medicaid waiver for individuals who are deafblind. It offers definitions, outlines specific services, and training/monitoring.

Transition
National Consortium on Deaf-Blindness

NCDB is an information clearinghouse on deafblindness. This site provides links to extensive resources, including a specific transition packet, articles and other publications, bibliographies, internet resources, and related topics.