Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities: What’s After Public Education?

Eventually, your child will leave K-12 education. Some children with disabilities graduate from high school at age 18 with the skills they need and move on successfully from there. Other children will need more services than the general education curriculum offers, especially as they transition out of school and into adulthood.

Children with disabilities might need help developing job skills, and there aren’t enough hours during the school day to get this help while also following the general curriculum. Some children will need help finding a college that fits their particular abilities. Some children need life skills like learning to balance a checkbook, preparing a meal, or building the social skills to be successful in the work world.

Ideally, your child will begin receiving these services early. Some children might begin vocational (job) training in middle school. Others might stay for an “18+” or “Transition” program after they’ve received a certificate of attendance instead of graduating with a diploma. If your child is receiving special education services, and it is written into their Individualized Education Program (IEP), they have the right to get help with all of these things from their school district. Your student may be able to keep getting services until age 21 or 22 (depending on which calendar month they turn 22), even if they received a certificate of attendance at age 18. Transition services are an important part of the special education curriculum. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school districts to provide them. Children receiving special education services must have a transition plan as part of their IEP by age 14 or earlier, if their Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee thinks it is necessary.

But if your child is getting older, and you haven’t started thinking about your child’s transition yet, don’t worry. Take a deep breath and move forward from wherever you are.

Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities

There are certain questions that are helpful to ask when your child is in high school. These include:

• Does your child want to go to college?
• Will your child go straight to work? If so, what kind of skills will be needed to do that work?
• When is your child going to graduate? Will it be at age 18, 19, or even 22 when they can no longer get services from the school?
• What kind of diploma is your child interested in earning? The diploma choice can impact their college choices and their classroom modifications. You can learn more about the diplomas at Texas Project First.

Answering these questions helps your child get the right IEPs and transition plan. It will help them make choices that support what they want to do after high school.

18+ or Transition Services You Might Find in Your Child’s School District

Some school districts offer 18+ and Transition programs to help students who receive a certificate of attendance in place of a diploma. Many also offer vocational programs to help students experience a work environment, learn job skills, and decide on a career.

It can be hard to get into these programs. Different school districts have different rules. Your child’s ARD committee must decide to write these services into your child’s IEP.

Some of these vocational classes could take place at your child’s high school. In some districts, classes also happen at a specialized vocational school. These programs generally include both career classes and classes that teach specialized skills.

Titles of study programs could include:

• Agricultural Science and Technology Education.
• Business Education.
• Health Science Technology Education.
• Family and Consumer Sciences Education.
• Technology Education.
• Industrial Technology.
• Marketing Education.
• Trade and Industrial Education.
• Military Science Education.

Your school district can also connect you to community organizations and programs that might help with your child’s transition.

These might be:

• Work-study programs.
• Supported employment.
• Specific training programs through the Texas Workforce Commission.
• Post-graduation programs that help your child live independently and go to college.

To find out what your school district offers, you can look on the district website, call the district’s special education contact person, or try to connect with other parents in your area.

Remember that your child has the right to transition services that:

• Are results-oriented.
• Focus on improving your child’s abilities and academics.
• Make your child’s movement from school to post-school activities easier.
• Are based on your child’s unique needs.
• Take into account your child’s strengths, preferences, and interests.
• Include career skills and development, life goals, and experience in the community.