Planning and Implementing the Transitions of Severely Handicapped Students from School to Postschool Environments

• Main Author: Nisbet, Jan
• Format: Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: 1982
• Subjects: Adjustment (to Environment); Community Resources; Employment; Individualized Transition Plans; Postsecondary Education; Severe Disabilities; Transitional Programs

Individual transition plans (ITPs) outline specific curricular content and implementation strategies to help the postschool adjustment of severely handicapped students. ITPs should be longitudinal, comprehensible, based on functional objectives, oriented to a wide variety of actual environments, and should include input from competent related services personnel. A model for developing and implementing ITPs is composed of five phases: (1) developing transition timelines and targeting desirable characteristics of postschool environments and services; (2) gaining access to and/or creating postschool environments and services; (3) prioritizing, developing, and coordinating transition objectives; (4) generating, developing, and implementing training and supervision models; and (5) evaluating ITP effectiveness. ITP procedures can promote independence in living in supervised apartment situations, working in nonsheltered vocational settings, and accessing a wide variety of community recreation/leisure activities. Appendices include: a guide for use as a parent/guardian transition questionnaire; and forms for documenting parental, school, and postschool agency contacts and for organizing information on transitioning students and transition objectives. (CL)