General Information

On Transition for Students with Disabilities

Students planning for the transition to adult life need information and support to help them prepare the groundwork. Most of the necessary information applies to all students with disabilities, including those with blindness, visual impairments, deafblindness or multiple disabilities. In this section students, parents, families and professionals will find a wealth of resources to aid in planning for the future, understanding the laws, one's legal rights, and creating teams and support networks.

For Students

Student Involvement in the IEP Process
National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center
http://www.nsttac.org/pdf/dcdt_fact_sheet.pdf (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)
This fact sheet outlines ways in which students can be involved in their IEP process, specifically through the Self-Advocacy Strategy and the Self-Directed IEP.

Transition Planning for Adolescents with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities: Information for Families and Teens
Institute for Community Inclusion/Children's Hospital, Boston
http://beta.communityinclusion.org/transition/pdf/familyguide.pdf
This 44-page booklet covers four major areas of adulthood: health care, education, employment, and recreation. It includes a Health Care Skills Checklist, planning checklists, an explanation of SSI work incentives, a summary of the laws related to adolescent transition, a glossary of terms, and extensive resources.

Moving On: Federal Programs to Assist Transition-Age Youth with Serious Mental Health Conditions
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
http://www.bazelon.org/publications/movingon/
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has compiled a selection of fact sheets on topics related to transition-age youth with serious mental health issues.

For Families and Professionals

Transition Planning: A Team Effort
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)
http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/transum/ts10.pdf
This 24-page introduction to transition planning offers a brief legal overview, a description of transition teams, creation of the transition plan, suggestions for identifying resources in the community, and steps in the planning process.

IEP & Transition Planning
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)
http://www.ncset.org/topics/ieptransition/default.asp?topic=28
This page "provides information on strategies to support students, families and professionals to participate in developing a student's Individual Education Plan (IEP) and transition plan."

Transition Planning for Success in Adult Life
National Transition Network
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/14/86/93.pdf
This 4-page Parent Brief offers a basic introduction to transition services, including the IEP, graduation, how to begin, and a transition checklist.

Designing Individualized Education Program (IEP) Transition Plans
ERIC Digest
http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/16/d2/b4.pdf
This 8-page brief provides an introduction to the transition process, including taking an early, long-range approach to planning, developing a comprehensive plan, an overview of participants in developing the transition plan, transferring rights at the age of majority, and putting it all together.

Transition to Adult Living: An Information and Resource Guide
CalSTAT Technical Assistance and Training
http://www.calstat.org/transitionGuide.html
This site includes an online 172-page information and resource guide, covering all aspects of transition. In addition, there are links to three training modules: one for service providers, one for administrators, and one for families.

Transition Planning
Transition Coalition
http://www.transitioncoalition.org/~tcacs/new/files/tp_brochure.pdf
This 2-page brochure was created "to assist families in understanding the basics of transition planning, including its purpose, who is involved, and the process as a whole."

Tips for Transition Planning
PACER Center
http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-c80.pdf (English version)
http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-c80s.pdf (Spanish version)
This two-page document, available in English and in Spanish, offers tips to parents on the transition process.

IDEA – Secondary Transition
U.S. Department of Education
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CTopicalBrief%2C17%2C
The portion of IDEA that specifically focuses on secondary transition is addressed here, outlining the "significant changes from preexisting regulations to the final regulatory requirements regarding secondary transition."

Forms and Tools to Use in the Transition Planning Process
Transition Planning Timeline
http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/sped/transition/docs/timeline.pdf
This 3-page planning timeline outlines the responsibilities of the student and the educational personnel, along with the age or grade level at which each step should ideally occur.

Age Appropriate Transition Assessment
National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center
http://www.nsttac.org/pdf/trans_fact_sheet.pdf
This fact sheet identifies various types of transition assessment, guidelines for conducting an assessment, and criteria for selection of assessment tools.

Transition Services: A Planning and Implementation Guide
NY State Education Department
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/transition/guide.htm#trans
Although not specific to youth who are blind or visually impaired, this online transition guide contains extensive information about steps in the transition process, including timelines, specific checklists, and inventories in the appendices.