Hi all-
Our two days are coming to a close, but I promised to address how teachers
can help students participate in the transition planning process. Since it
all centers on students¹ vision of their future, before the meeting they
should be guided through a series of conversations about post-school
outcomes, what they would like their life to look like once they leave high
school. These discussions should help them prepare to answer questions that
will arise in the meeting, such as in what setting and with whom they would
like to live, what they would like to do with their free time, how they
envision themselves participating in community life, the kind of job they
would like to have, whether they would like to continue their studies, and
about other similar long-term aspirations.  In Guiding Teens with LD, there
is a questionnaire to help students think through their vision in each of
these domains. There is a parallel questionnaire for parents.
 
As I mentioned in one of yesterday¹s posts, students should be explicitly
taught about the purpose of the IEP, the goal of the transition planning
process, and the importance of their active involvement and self-advocacy.
They should know what to expect in terms of the meeting¹s agenda. Role
playing active involvement is often a useful strategy to help them prepare
to participate. One of the Discussion List participants asked how to fit in
such training for college-track students. For those who need it, I recommend
writing in this training as a transition goal and building it into the
student¹s schedule as a workshop during free periods.
 
My outline of these two days also included talking about what adult
educators might expect students to know if they have been on an IEP in high
school.  The answer is that since the IEP is highly individualized, there is
no one set of goals for students on ed plans; thus, it is impossible to
predict what they will know when they come to you. In the best of worlds,
one could expect self-advocacy training, study skills, and organizational
support to have been built in and that students will arrive in adult ed with
an awareness of the kinds of accommodations they need to manage in work and
learning environments. I¹m interested in hearing what others of you have to
say on this topic! Have students come to you with this knowledge?
 
I also promised to talk about what adult educators can do to help those who
have NOT been diagnosed and served under IDEA with transition-related
skills. My chief suggestion is to focus first on the self-determination and
self-advocacy skills discussed at length over the last couple of days. If
they don't have the knowledge described in the previous paragraph, help them
develop it. And despite the controversy, I still contend that community
living skills are essential and worthy of your time in ABE settings. Find
out what students are struggling with- can they fill out application forms
for work and medical forms at their doctor¹s office? Can they read a bedtime
story to their child or grandchild? Do they know how much change to expect
when they make a purchase at their grocery store? Can they read the aisle
signs at their local pharmacy? Focus instruction on survival skills, which
will be highly motivating and practical.

In the days ahead, I will keep an eye out for more questions and comments
and will try to come back to some of the questions there was no time to
address. It's been a pleasure!

Arlyn Roffman, PhD
Professor of Special Education
Lesley University
29 Everett Street
Cambridge, MA 02138-2790
617/349-0955
aroffman at lesley.edu