Transition Services for Students with Disabilities

Transition Resources

Resources

Virginia Intercommunity Transition Council (VITC) Fact Sheets – The Fact Sheets have been developed by the Council to assist others in understanding the various facets that promote exemplary transition for Virginia’s youth.
Fast Facts: Secondary Transition: Why it is important to plan early (PDF)
Transition Practitioners’ Councils
Two Transition Practitioners’ Councils meet bi-annually on both the east and west sides of Virginia. These councils are facilitated by the Virginia Department of Education’s Training and Technical Assistance Centers (VDOE’s T/TAC) and the Division of Rehabilitative Services. For more information, contact Debbie Grosser for the east and Mac McArthur-Fox for the west.
Local Transition Practitioners’ Councils
Across Virginia there are many local councils dedicated to improving transition for students with disabilities. These councils meet regularly and are involved in a variety of activities. For more information, visit the Virginia Division on Career Development and Transition.

Professional Development

Writing the Summary of Performance
This webinar covers legal requirements as well as good practices for writing the Summary of Performance.
Presenter: Kristin Holst, May 21, 2007, 10 min.
Transition to Employment: Module #2a Eligibility Requirements
This Module is part of a series of webinars on Social Security, Supplemental Income, Disability Insurance, Medicaid, and Work Incentives. They are designed to provide parents, students, teachers and service providers with information to improve understanding of these programs. They are presented by Sharon Brent, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the National Disability Institute.
Presenter: Sharon Brent, June 5, 2007, 19 min.
Transition to Employment; Module #2b Eligibility Requirements
This Module is part of a series of webinars on Social Security, Supplemental Income, Disability Insurance, Medicaid, and Work Incentives. They are designed to provide parents, students, teachers and service providers with information to improve understanding of these programs. They are presented by Sharon Brent, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the National Disability Institute.
Presenter: Sharon Brent, June 5, 2007, 22 min.
Transition to Employment Module # 1 Checklist for Success
This Module is part of a series of webinars on Social Security, Supplemental Income, Disability Insurance, Medicaid, and Work Incentives. They are designed to provide parents, students, teachers and service providers with information to improve understanding of these programs. They are presented by Sharon Brent, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the National Disability Institute.
Presenter: Sharon Brent, May 17, 2007, 25 min.
Transition to Employment Module # 3: Student Earned Income
This Module is part of a series of webinars on Social Security, Supplemental Income, Disability Insurance, Medicaid, and Work Incentives. They are designed to provide parents, students, teachers and service providers with information to improve understanding of these programs. They are presented by Sharon Brent, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the National Disability Institute.
Presenter: Sharon Brent, May 17, 2007, 23 min.
Transition to Employment Module # 4 Work Incentive 1619(b)
This Module is part of a series of webinars on Social Security, Supplemental Income, Disability Insurance, Medicaid, and Work Incentives. They are designed to provide parents, students, teachers and service providers with information to improve understanding of these programs. They are presented by Sharon Brent, Director of Training and Technical Assistance at the National Disability Institute.
Presenter: Sharon Brent, May 17, 2007, 26 min.
Youth Power
Betsy Valnes and Peter Squire, with the National Youth Leadership Network (NYLN) explain what the NYLN is and what this group does. Additionally they tell youth how they may participate in the Network. A link is provided to a video about some of the NYLN activities.
Presenter: Betsy Valnes, April 11, 2007, 20 min.
SpEIS - Designing Appropriate Transition Services
This module explains planning a student's courses of study. Both the requirements and best practice are covered. Examples are used to make clear the importance of this component when designing transition services.
Presenter: (Marianne Moore) Kristin Holst and Dale Pennell, August 14, 2006, 12 min.
SpEIS - Developing Effective Transition IEPs - Writing Postsecondary Goals
This module discusses four guidelines used to write postsecondary goals. Examples and non-examples are given. Federal statutes relating to postschool goals are explained.
Presenter: (Marianne Moore) Dale Pennell and Kristin Holst, August 14, 2006, 15 min.
SpEIS - Developing Effective Transition IEPs - Writing The Present Level of Performance (PLOP)
This presentation covers four guidelines for writing a PLOP. Examples are given. Statutory language which supports these guidelines is explained.
Presenter: (Marianne Moore) Kristin Holst and Dale Pennell, August 14, 2006, 10 min.
SpEIS - Designing Appropriate Transition Services - Activities
Special Education Instructional Services
Presenter: (Marianne Moore) Dale Pennell and Kristin Holst, July 28, 2006, 1 hr.

Outside Resources

Department of Rehabilitative Services
- Virginia DRS Policy and Procedure Manual - Transition Services
- Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center provides comprehensive medical, assistive technology and vocational rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities to help them gain increased independence and employment.
- School to Work Transition Services
- Post-secondary Education Rehabilitation Transition Program (PERT) jointly operated by the Virginia Department of Education and the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center. [Visit the PERT website to see video!]
  - PERT serves school-aged students, who are in special education, usually age 16 or older in special education program within participating public schools.
  - PERT provides students with disabilities an education/rehabilitation service delivery system that supports the transition from secondary schools to post secondary training for independent employment and successful life adjustment.
  - PERT's continuum of short term services includes Exploration Evaluation, Counseling, Work Adjustment Training, Job Placement and Job Maintenance, and Independent Living Skills. These services focus on identifying appropriate choices for secondary students in their local communities.
  - Program features
    - Develops teams (special education, vocational education, rehabilitation counselor, and PERT) to focus on transition needs of students and participating school divisions
    - Features vocational assessment and exploration which utilizes hands on situational assessment and integrates vocationally relevant academic assessments.
    - Assessments of independent living skills, leisure skills and vocational skills.
    - Technical assistance in meeting the specialized needs of students and communities through team field visits and training opportunities. Implementation meetings in the community utilizing summary reports which identify appropriate training for the student while in high school.
  - Shenandoah Valley Regional Program Transition Partnership
Office of Career and Technical Education Services of the Virginia Department of Education
- Career and Technical Education Resource Center
  - Competency Based Education includes information on Virginia's Workplace Readiness Skills and All Aspects of Industry tasks and competencies that are required components of all CTE courses.
  - The CTE library has numerous resources addressing the needs of students with disabilities
PEATC [ Parent Education Advocacy Training Center ]
- PEATC assists the families of children with disabilities through education, information and training and builds parent-professional partnerships to promote success in school and community life through:
  - Information and assistance to families in understanding and negotiating the education and service systems for their children with disabilities;
  - Training for families and professionals that model partnerships and encourage active learning; and
  - Collaboration with and technical assistance to schools, state and local agencies, parent resource centersand community organizations.
Virginia' s Community Services Boards provide mental health services to the residents of Virginia.
Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
Courses and Training on the WWW
- Nuts and Bolts of Transition
  - An online course on transition including the definition of transition, Key Components of Successful Transition; Building a Transition Curriculum; and Transition & the IEP from Virginia Commonwealth University's Rehabilitation Research and Training Center.
- Project TechLink
  - The purpose of TechLink is to disseminate information, through the World Wide Web (WWW) on transition and school to adulthood to teachers, parents and other related service personnel.
  - Project TechLink staff gathers state-of-the-art information on transition best practices for students with severe disabilities which can be accessed via the WWW.
  - Some of these practices include but are not limited to person-centered planning; development of individualized transition plans; interagency collaboration; collaborative transdisciplinary teams; community-referenced, functional, and age-appropriate curriculum; and community-based instruction resulting in paid integrated employment for students with the most severe disabilities.
- Preparing Individuals with Disabilities for the Transition from High School to College and Work from VTAlumniNET at Virginia Tech
- Transition Programming for Individuals with Disabilities listed at the Electronic Campus of Virginia [courses vary by semester].
Best Practices from Virginia's School Divisions
- Fairfax County Public Schools
  - Career & Transition Services - The mission of Career & Transition Services is to empower a diverse population of students for transition to a variety of postsecondary options. Successful transition is facilitated through a continuum of instructional strategies, interdisciplinary team services, utilization of technology, and community resources. The ultimate objective is to provide students with requisite skills for self-determination, independent living, further education, and employment.
- Rockingham County Public Schools - Transition Services
Post Secondary Outcomes Survey Training

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