TRANSITIONAL PLANNING FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION

Transitional Planning for Special Education Students during Secondary Education

Transitional Planning for Special Education Students during Secondary Education

Overview and Purpose of the Community Support Guide

The Transition Planning for Youth with Special Needs: A Community Support Guide was developed to provide community partners (school personnel, social workers, and community members) with useful information and practical tips for supporting successful transition planning for youth with special needs. For the purpose of this guide, a youth with special needs is considered to be a young person who requires specialized supports to improve health and to participate in daily activities at home, at school and in the community because of significant impairments in one or more of the following areas: 

health

cognition

communication

sensory-motor skills

social integration

emotional/behavioural skills

self-help skills

Although this guide is intended for community partners, it is also accessible to youth with special needs and their families who wish to increase their understanding of the best practices associated with transition planning. The Community Support Guide is designed to complement the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) Your Future Now: A Transition Planning & Resource Guide for Youth with Special Needs and their Families (Everson & Reid 2009). Your Future Now provides a Transition Planning Workbook to assist youth, their families and the transition planning team with the various steps needed to complete a successful Transition Plan. A Resource Guide, included in the back of Your Future Now, provides more information on housing, funding supports and recreation (Pianta & Kraft-Sayre 2003). 

Objectives of the Guide

This guide was designed to address the following objectives:

1. Provide information to school personnel, social workers and community members, including youth and adult service agencies, on the best practices and key factors that support successful person-centered transition planning for youth with special needs.

2. Provide practical tips for supporting the active participation of youth with special needs and their families in the transition planning process.

3. Provide information on supporting a collaborative approach to transition planning.

Development of the Guide

The information in this guide incorporates best practices research and material from a number of sources, including input from parents, a reference group comprised of Ministry of Children and Family (MCFD) staff and community members, and the Inter-ministry Committee on Transition Planning for Youth with Special Needs. The two primary sources that informed the best practices component of this guide are Life Beyond the Classroom: Transition Strategies for Young People with Disabilities (Malette et.al. 2005), and the Transition Guide for Washington State.

What is Transition Planning?

Transitioning to adulthood is a challenge for many young people. A youth with special needs and his or her family must make some important decisions about the future. Such decisions include making choices around future living arrangements, education and employment, finances, and community and social involvement (Wehman 2008). These are often complex issues that benefit from proper planning. Transition planning is a partnership involving the individual with special needs, their family, local service providers, school personnel and government staff who support youth transitioning to adulthood. Transition planning is an interactive, dynamic process that requires a number of meetings to prepare, plan and implement a successful transition for a youth with special needs. The purpose of transition planning for youth with special needs is to identify opportunities ...