Transitional Services

Question 1

Statistics about employment

Answer 1

• 19.1% of persons with disability were employed versus 63.7% of persons without a disability (bureau of workforce statistics)
• regardless of educational attainment, people with disabilities were employed at a lower rate than people without disabilities
• nearly 50% of autistic persons were unemployed (autism speaks, 2022)
• estimated 27% persons with a disability versus 11% without a disability live below the poverty line

Question 2

0-21 services are mandated

Answer 2

• community takes responsibility for support/services
• funding from the local, state, and federal level
  IDEA:
• case manager for support
• transportation
• educational and therapy services
• goals and requirements of individual education plan (IEP)
• daily support
• surrounded by same aged peers

Question 3

Adult services

Answer 3

• families/individuals are responsible for support/services
• funding sources vary greatly and there can be significant limitations
• limited case management or assist with finding services
• more diagnosistic restrictions to qualify
• waitlists, particularly for 1:1
• requires greater access to financial resources
• age ranges from 18 to older adults

Question 4

Laws that impact transitional planning

Answer 4

• IDEA
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act

Question 5

IDEA

Answer 5

• requires transitional planning to be part of IEP at age 16 (starts talking about it at age 14)
• appropriate measurable post-secondary goals
• present loved = contains not only information about the academic setting and performance but skills and needed supports for post-school life
• action steps to move the student and family toward the post-secondary goals
• course of study for the remaining secondary educational experience
• annual goals, modifications, and accommodations to support the accomplishments of the post-secondary goals

Question 6

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Answer 6

• reasonable accommodations = employer/school must take reasonable steps to accommodate an individual’s disability
• ex: grab bars at work, AT, online materials are accessible

Question 7

ADA

Answer 7

• addresses access and discrimination in public and private spaces
• extends beyond organizations that receive federal funding

Question 8

Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act

Answer 8

• altered the way IEP transition plans are written to better prepare students for life after high school
• requires state vocational rehabilitation partner with schools, students, and families
• federally funded by the government
• vocational rehabilitation partner must offer community based employment to students when they are still in high school
• 15% of state vocational rehabilitation partner must be dedicated on pre employment transition

Question 9

What is transitioning planning?

Answer 9

• assists with transition from school life to adult life
• cooperative effort between school, students, family, and community agencies
• focuses on all areas of individual’s life
• required by law to be part of the IEP at age 16, sometimes begins as early as age 14

Question 10

10 Ways Identified to Build Independence (IMPORTANT FOR EXAM)

Answer 10

• strengthen communication
• introduce a visual schedule
• work on self-care skills
• teach your child to ask for a break (advocacy)
• work on household chores
• practice money skills
• teach community safety skills
• build leisure skills (programs like KEEN, Best Buddies, Paths to Independence)
• teach self-care during adolescence
• work on vocational skills

Question 11

Life after high school

Answer 11

• daily life = What do I think I will do or want to do during the day? Will I continue my education? What type of job or career do I want?
• housing = Where would I like to live? Will I live alone or with others?
• social and spirituality = How will I connect with spiritual and leisure activities and have friendships and relationships in my adult life?
• services = What support to I need to live as independently as possible?
• family support = How do I want my family to be involved?

Question 12

College as an option?

Answer 12

• programs for students with intellectual disabilities

Question 13

Evidence-based practice in transitional services

Answer 13

• early, paid work experience
• student involvement in transitional planning
• emphasis on social competence (research suggest that work sites have no problem working with individuals on developing on their job skills)
• development of life skills
• use of AT
• collaboration of interdisciplinary interagency teamwork

Question 14

Self-determination

Answer 14

• “volitional actions that enable one to act as the primary causal agent in one’s life and to maintain or improve one’s quality of life”
• required skills = choice-making, decision-making, problem solving, self-regulation, self-management, self-advocacy

Question 15

Soft skills

Answer 15

• underlying skills required to engage successfully in employment
• skills are universal to all jobs, not explicit nor typically taught
• social and communication skills
• hygiene
• adaptability
• time management
• work ethic
• problem solving

Question 16

Daily life

Answer 16

• full time employment
• part time employment
• supported employment
• sheltered workshop
• day program, leisure, socialization, care outside the home
• home

Question 17

Work

Answer 17

• Employment First = national movement to promote community-based employment versus sheltered workshops
• Project SEARCH = one year transitional to community employment program which combines on-site internships, job coaching, and employment skills
• Think College = national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving higher education options for individuals with intellectual disabilities

Question 18

Expanding employment

Answer 18

• What work opportunities are available for individuals with developmental disabilities in your hometown?
• Who hires people with disabilities?
• How can we expand work opportunities?
• Do work places who support individuals with disabilities get compensation?
• Does your town have any novel businesses that support individuals with developmental disabilities (ex: Sammysoap)

Question 19

Day/Leisure programs: How do individuals spend their day if not employed?

Answer 19

• What day/programs/leisure opportunities are available for individuals with disabilities in your hometown?
• How are the programs funded?
• What are the hours of the program? How do individuals get to the program?
• How can we expand programming so that individuals have somewhere to go?

Question 20

Ongoing therapy

Answer 20

• What happens to our children with developmental disabilities with a physical component (such as CP) as they age?
• What happens to individuals who have a history of trauma or are within the foster care system as they age?

Question 21

Relationships in young adulthood (supporting sexuality)

Answer 21

• sexuality is unique to each student
• teachers and parents do not know what to do
• there is a potential role for OT which is teaching sexuality in young adults

Question 22

Skills related to dating and relationships

Answer 22

• reading social cues
• how to express intimacy
• dating behaviors
• public vs private behaviors
• empowering youth to let caregivers know how they are feeling
• boundaries and physicality
• activities to develop identity
• social skills to develop relationships
• socially accepted behaviors (and considerations of culture and value system)
• resources
• words and concepts associated with sexuality
• education on sexual development
• advocating for oneself