Transcript Workshop for Families

Education: It’s Not Just a Degree!
A Presentation by East Bay Innovations (EBI) and the
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund )DREDF)
May 10th, 2011
Osher Education Center
Ed Roberts Campus
Berkeley, CA
A Vision for the Future
• Take a few minutes to envision your hopes and
fears about your child transitioning out of school
(or for students, for yourself!)
• What words describe the outcomes you
envision?
• So what are the outcomes right now?
Current Outcomes:
Why are transition services required?
KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE:
Studies show the “average” young person relies on parental
support until age 26!
Compared to their peers without disabilities, people with disabilities
experience:
• Half the graduation rate
• Higher dropout rates (21% v. 10%)
• Lower college entrance/completion
• Lower employment (35% v. 78%)
• Higher dependency on public assistance
• Higher poverty rate (26% v. 9%)
• Lower life satisfaction rate (34% v. 61%)
•TRANSITION PLANNING, DONE RIGHT, SUPPORTS ACCESS AND INCLUSION,
AND CREATES NEW POSSIBILITIES!
The 2004 Congressional Finding:
• “Almost 30 years of research and experience has
demonstrated that the education of children with
disabilities can be made more effective by• (A) having high expectations for such children and
ensuring their access to the general education
curriculum in the regular classroom, to the maximum
extent possible, in order to –
• (i) meet developmental goals and, to the extent
possible, the challenging expectations that have been
established for all children; and
• (ii) be prepared to lead productive and independent lives
to the maximum extent possible (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1401
(c)(5)
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Critical Elements of Transition
Family
Involvement
Transition to
Adulthood
Inclusion,
Access &
Accountability
Curriculum
&
Instruction
Transition – What is goal of
IDEA?
• Goal of IDEA is to promote maximum
independence in adulthood
• Goal of transition plan is to promote
maximum transition plan in adulthood
• Transition plan must address child’s
interests, aptitudes, plans regarding
education, career, housing and community
involvement
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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
has required transition language in the IEP
since 1990 with the following:
 An expectation of coordinated services
 Transition planning based on the student's interest
and preferences
 Including instruction, related services, community
experiences, development of employment, or other
post-school adult living objectives, and when
appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and a
functional evaluation
 Transition services
 Transferring rights at the age of majority
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
of 2004 requires:
Transition language in the IEP at age 16
AT THE LATEST! Services can begin as
early as IEP team determines necessary.
Measurable postsecondary goals
Based on age-appropriate assessments
related to: training, education, employment,
and, where appropriate, independent living
skills
Providing a Summary of Performance upon
school exit
What are Postsecondary Goals?
The IDEA ‘04 requires:
appropriate, measurable postsecondary goals
based on age-appropriate assessments related
to training, education, employment, and, where
appropriate, independent living skills
Postsecondary goals are what the student
plans to do upon school exit
What are Postsecondary Goals?
The IDEA indicates the need for:
… measurable post-secondary goals … related
to training, education, employment, and,
where appropriate, independent living skills
What is the difference between
training and education?
What are Postsecondary
Goals?
• Training = a program leading to high
school completion or certificate like adult
education or a short-term training program
like a vocational program.
• Education = community or technical
colleges (generally two-year programs) or
college or university (generally four-year
programs)
Let’s talk about Education:
• Who gets to go to college?
• What is done to prepare students for
college?
• What are the outcomes of college?
• Who can provide support for college?
What is Needed?
• Learning doesn’t have to end when
special education does
• All students with disabilities should be
encouraged to seek out and access adult
learning opportunities
• PSE can change not only employment
outcomes, but self image and social value
• Lifelong learning requires two things:
– The expectation that it should happen
– The instruction needed to access it
Why a Need for Higher Education if
NON Degree program? :
• Experience-what does it feel like to learn
with other adults outside of high school?
• Process-how do you access learning as
an adult?
• Content-I am interested in art history,
computers, theater and want to know
more?
• Open the door for later down the road
Take Aways
• Information learned in the class
• The understanding that learning can be a
chosen experience
• The knowledge that adult learning
opportunities exist in their community
• How to seek help to access future adult
learning options to meet a desire or need.
“Without goals, a transition plan
becomes a transition to
nowhere.”
• IEP inadequate where not based on
transition evaluation, contains inadequate
transition services, lacks goals.
• ITP is a FLEXIBLE roadmap to a
destination that matters!
• Goals need to include
EDUCATION—we are all
lifelong learners.
Goals come out of ASSESSMENT—
Where is the student NOW?
• What is age-appropriate?
Age-appropriate means chronological rather
than development age
• What is the purpose of transition
assessments?
To provide the team with meaningful
information to make appropriate decisions.
Insufficient information is a major obstacle to
collaboration and planning!
What are Annual IEP Goals
that Support Postsecondary Goals?
 Does the student know what her post-school goals are
for education or training?
 Can the student explain her disability and
support/accommodation needs?
 Does student enjoy classroom learning? Or is he more
hands on?
 Does the student know that college is an option?
 What are the current options as far as college?
What is a Summary of
Performance?
The purpose of the summary is to provide
the student with a document that will
help establish eligibility for reasonable
accommodations and supports in postschool settings. It is also useful for the
Vocational Rehabilitation
Comprehensive Assessment process.
It is NOT an assessment in itself!
What is a Summary of
Performance?
Part 1: Background information
Part 2: Student’s postsecondary goals
Part 3: Academic and functional performance
Describes accommodations/modifications
Part 4: Recommendations to assist goals
Part 5: Student input (recommended)
• Note: This is NOT an assessment. However, in
most cases, to access DSP services in college,
recent (No more than 3 years) assessment is
required.
What Can Parents Do to Help?
• Families provide critical
relevant information!
• Participate in the
process—listen,
question, collaborate and
challenge on high stakes
issues
• Negotiate in good will—
follow through on your
end, ask what you can do
to support teachers, staff.
• Remind team of who
this youth IS and what
he CAN do.
• What am I most worried
about?
• Is there something I can
recommend?
• If your child cannot
participate in meeting,
speak to their dreams and
interests—bring them in
in any way possible.
• Bring in concrete
examples of strengths
and challenges to help
team understand.
• Know when to step back!
What Can Parents Do to Help?
•
•
•
•
•
Supporting Self Determination and
Advocacy
What can you do to encourage self
determination and advocacy?
Help youth make doctor appointments
Provide incremental independence
opportunities
Ensure youth understands his/her
disability, and can explain it to others
•
Make sure student understands
LEGAL rights and responsibilities
•
Encourage youth to USE
accommodations.
Practice! Visit DSP offices while
student is still a minor—but let
them lead. Down the road, colleges
want direct contact with students,
and will not share information
without student permission (and
prefer NOT to in most cases).
Audit a college lecture, and prep
student for expectations for
behavior/engagement.
Consider when and whether to step in,
and use person centered
approaches to planning
THERE ARE NO IEP’S IN
COLLEGE!
• Once a student receives a regular diploma
or turns age 22, the school district has no
responsibility.
• Look to Regional Center, Department of
Rehabilitation and DSP for services and
supports.
If student is eligible for support
from other agencies, address:
• Steps for applying and determining
eligibility
• Assistance with securing enrollment
• Plan for effective use
• Examples: Center for Independent Living,
Department of Rehabilitation, Center for
Assistive Technology, Social Security
Admin, Adult Assisted Living Program…
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The Higher Education Opportunity
Act Amendments 2008
• Eligible for Pell Grants, Supplemental
Educational Opportunity Grants, and federal
Work-Study Program
• Development of inclusive model comprehensive
transition and postsecondary education
programs
• Coordinating Center for the new model
programs and to provide training and technical
assistance for colleges, students with
disabilities, and their families
Burden on student/applicant to
document disability
• In testing and education context, student
must affirmatively request and document
need for accommodation
• Same in employment context, but
applicant must balance risks of disclosure
in employment context with benefits
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Additional factors in determining
eligibility for accommodation:
• Must be otherwise qualified
• Provides right to accommodations, but not
remedial services
• Accommodations cannot be unduly
burdensome or fundamentally alter nature
of program
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Criteria for Eligibility for
Accommodations
• Must have up-to-date evaluation (generally not
more than 3 years old—senior year is ideal)
• IEP or 504 plan insufficient—need
ASSESSMENT REPORTS
• Special education/Section 504 eligibility helps –
not legally essential, but functionally essential
• Evaluation must be by qualified professional
• Must show impairment in comparison to average
population
• Must link need for accommodation to impairment
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FINAL REMARKS
• Transition Planning should start early
• Plan must be Person/Strengths Centered
• Plan must link activities, classes and learning at
school to post secondary goals—education is
more than a formal degree
• Parents are critical partners in the process
• Students should be increasingly in the driver’s
seat from 16 on.
• Interagency collaboration is key
• Plan for dreams but offer reality checks—we all
learn to live within our own limits.