Life after high school

Welcome to the Transition Planning Resource Center

For families of students who are blind or visually impaired, or who have multiple disabilities, it can feel as if you’re falling off a cliff when your child turns 22. Thoughtful transition planning — focused on your young adult’s goals, strengths, and vision for the future — can help ease this journey to adulthood.

In this resource center, explore goal pathways within a transition framework, get actionable tools such as timelines and checklists, and discover curated resources to help you and your student create a rich and meaningful future. Hear from families and students, as they share their stories, to build inspiration and stamina.

You’re not alone, and there’s no cliff. Transition planning is an opportunity for continued growth and learning, and a journey toward living more independently. Let us guide you along the way.

Young man walking with white cane and holding a box under his arm, as he restocks plastic silverware in cafeteria. — Anderson at Faulkner Hospital – World of Work

Transition planning: What do you need to know?

Transition planning is the process of preparing to move from high school to adulthood. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) mandates that transition planning begins no later than age 16; in Massachusetts, the starting age for mandated transition activities begins at age 14.

Transition services and the preparation for adulthood start at birth and continue through every stage of growth and development. Early planning is a helpful way to ensure that the student, family, school, and community are well-prepared.

The resources we’ve put together here are designed to support you and your student on this journey.

Comprehensive, person-centered transition planning is important, because it:

Identifies strengths, needs, and preferences of the individual across multiple settings: school, work, home, and community
Involves a coordinated set of activities designed to be results-oriented
Promotes self-determination and a person-centered process
Identifies the student’s post-secondary goals through age-appropriate transition assessments
Is the driving force of a student’s individualized education plan (IEP)

2023-24 virtual workshops

Let’s talk transition. Join our monthly parent workshops

Learn from Perkins and Industry Experts

If you’re wondering what your student might do after graduating high school and what services are out there to support them, we’ve got you covered.

Join for a series of transition-packed workshops designed to help you plan your blind or visually impaired young adult’s future.

IEP planning
What it means legally when you turn 18
Socializing, online safety and friendship
And more!

Understanding the IEP process

To get you started, we’ve developed a full guide to understanding, building and executing on a transition-focused IEP. Visit our Transition IEP guide and other resources for insight into:

Talking the talk

Our glossary will help you familiarize yourself with some of the most common transition-planning terms you’ll encounter on your journey.

Visit the glossary

Building the plan

As you approach the IEP process, you’ll have questions. We have the answers to help you craft a powerful, personal plan for your student.

Build a strong IEP

Nailing the details

There are many elements to a strong, successful IEP – and we have resources that help you dig into the most critical things to think about.

Explore IEP components

Let’s consider your student’s goals

We have resources to support your student’s transition goals after high school: services, assessments, and action items appropriate for each pathway.

A Family that’s been there

“Don’t expect all your ducks to be in a row right away. It takes a village—and time!”

One family has learned how to be open to their daughter trying out new things after she completed high school. Meet Jill and her mom, Brenda.

Jill is continuing to learn through college experiences, while still making time to be with her friends and have fun as a young adult.

Brenda says, “It’s so easy to think you must have everything prepared right off the bat. One of the things I wish we had known when we were thinking about transition is that we didn’t have to have all the ducks in a row on day one.”

There’s lots more to learn

View more transition resources

Teaching children to perform small chores like unloading the dishwasher builds confidence while helping them develop independent living skills. Photo Credit: Brian Smith.

Tips and facts

10 transition planning tips for parents of young adults who are blind

Two girls examine their bill in a restaurant

Guide

Transition glossary: Key terms for transition planning

A clipboard with a series of checked boxes on it

Article

Incorporating transition into the IEP

Get in touch. Stay in touch.

Need help? Have questions?

If you need help at any age or any stage along the post-secondary transition journey, we’re here to help.

Send us an email

An aerial shot of the Perkins campus that shows the iconic Howe Tower against the Boston skyline

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Our experts are changing the way people think about preparing students with disabilities for their post-secondary journeys – in college, career and the community. Stay up to date about the latest insight, research and resources.

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