A comedy is told about a express successful executive planning a business trip to Detroit. The plan was to have facade to frontage meetings with an influential client to further the companys goals. Tickets were purchased, car rented, hotel final, meetings imminent and times confirmed. On the morning of the meetings the executive took the pre - ordered comp out of the glove department and began to drawing out his migration ( obviously pre - GPS times ). Try as he might he could not find his destination, streets were not right, addresses did not pencil and the executive was becoming anxious that not isolated was he lacking but was average racket to be dilatory. The executive pulled the car over and took a short assessment of the direction; the plan was sound, everything was great prepared right down to the model. The executive then looked more closely at the map and laughed out loud; the rental car company had left the wrong map in the glove department it was a street map of Denver not Detroit. There was no way he would get anywhere in Detroit using a map of Denver. The executive pulled into the next gas station, bought a Detroit map, and made his appointment a little frazzled and with just minutes to spare.
We use this story in our Transition Planning Lecture to illustrate the importance of mapping out the planned route for post secondary options for our children. The trip to this destination will look different for many students and families; however, with the right map all students can be successful in reaching their final destination.
Part 1: THE PLAN:
The dictionary definition of transition is movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another.
So to plan for transition from high school means to have a coordinated set of activities for students with disabilities, designed to promote movement from high school to post - school activities, including post - secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment ( including supported employment ), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. The transition plan ( which is part of the students IEP ) should begin at age 14 ( or earlier ) and updated annually. The plan is written as students preferences, potential, abilities and interests for post - secondary education, work or vocational training. Recommendations for support ( related services, community experiences, internships, etc. ) to help the student reach his / her goal are also expressed in the IEP ( Annual Goals / Objectives ) as well as strategies for instruction. The transition plan is a mandated service provided under the Federal IDEA Section 504, Subsection D.
The transition plan is the beginning of the map. Here the plan begins: what do we need to know and do in order to make the transition a positive experience. The Goals and Objectives are the start point, the proverbial X on the map the " you are here ". The plan begins with asking your child five Essential Questions:
