Our Transition Journey: First Year after Graduation

My son graduated from his beloved school eight months ago. I’m happy to say we have survived! We’re no longer in the planning stage of his transition. We’re living it in real time. Here’s a look at how our transition is playing out, including his wins and challenges.

The Wins

My son attends an adaptive recreation program run by our local parks department three days each week. Once a week, he volunteers as a greeter at a nearby youth organization, and on Fridays, he goes to the local Special Olympics program. We round out his weekdays with trips to the grocery store and eating out. Weekends bring plenty of downtime watching his favorite online videos. 

Our big win during the week is meeting his most important transition goal: getting out of the house and going to places he’s known and welcomed. He loves to be greeted when he enters a building, and feeling known gets him excited for his weekday activities.

The adaptive recreation program provides a community where he has made new friends. It also offers structured activities and opportunities for learning, all of which I thought we would leave behind when he graduated. 

The Challenges

His activities are limited by his physical restrictions. That’s just a fact. We haven’t found any programs with the same level of mobility and comfort accommodations he had in school. For example, he can’t stay at the recreation center the whole day because their bathroom facilities don’t fit his specific needs. He misses field trips if the center’s wheelchair van is broken, and he can only work at the youth organization for one hour because he gets too fatigued. 

Another challenge is he needs a full-time attendant or nurse, whether he’s at home or out and about. We’ve been fortunate to have a nurse provided by his Medicaid waiver this year. She goes with him wherever he goes. Without a nurse, our transition plan would fall apart.

Overall

The overall report for the first year: it’s not perfect, but we’re meeting his main transition goals. Reliable caregivers have been the key to our success this year.

If you’re not sure where to begin, visit the Transition to Adulthood page. It has a variety of resources and information about what to expect and where to get help.