¶ Intro
Post Secondary Transition refers to the process of moving from high school to further education, employment, and or independent living. This transition typically involves planning and support to help students, especially those with disabilities achieve their goals and successfully adjust to life after high school. And that's why we're here to get the conversation started. Welcome.
This is the post secondary transition process where we cover the ins and outs and everything in between of the transition process for families. I am one of the hosts My name is Patrick Cadigan. I am a public school special educator and who's my co-host?
I am Meghan Smallwood, and I am a public school transition coordinator.
¶ Disclaimer
So for this week's conversation, we are continuing our discussion around what parents should expect in each year as their students are moving through high school for our episode 50. For that discussion, we introduced or reintroduced some of the new middle school expectations around the IEP however, the bulk of the conversation talked about what families can do during their freshman year. So this conversation will focus on what you can be doing during
sophomore year. And just a quick note, we want to make sure that the conversation is as inclusive as it can possibly be. So we have broken it down into two camps, our non diploma students and our which we refer to as our certificate tract students, but then also our diploma-bound friends as well. Meghan, okay, so the student has transitioned into sophomore year, where do you think that the families can start for our certificate track for answer for non-diploma friends?
¶ Non-Diploma focus
Special education we all know is not black and white, it's gray. So you never know which bits and pieces may apply. And a lot of this information that we're going to talk about, it's not centered just around sophomore year, I mean, this will be throughout their whole high school career. But we like to make sure you're thinking about it, at least at this point, if you haven't already during
freshman year. But when we talk about our certificate students, this is usually the time you know, you've already hopefully applied to developmental disabilities, administration, or DDA, maybe you've done a referral for the Division of Rehabilitation Services or DORS. So you're kind of in that timeframe between like 14, and 18, which is when the next big array of milestones usually
occur. So this is a great time during sophomore year to do some of that research and you know, background investigation of things to come. And if you have a transition coordinator at your school, they're a great person to have the conversations with as well as the case manager who may be savvy to some of it. The other parents who have gone through the process or are currently going through the process are a great resource.
But just to make sure you take everything that you hear with a grain of salt and double check to make sure it's accurate. Anyway, consider thinking about
¶ ABLE Accounts
opening an ABLE account. And I know many have heard of the 529, which is the college savings account when your child is young, you might have opened one of those, the ABLE account is that 529 A, which I think we've talked about in other conversations together. Oh, yeah, it's come up a few times. But just to just to reiterate, the ABLE account is that tax advantage savings account for individuals with disabilities
and their families. And it's a great account to have just another option, in addition to a special needs trust. But you can open it to make sure that you have any extra money for your child put away in there. Because as we've gotten into before, if they were to receive Social Security after 18, you cannot have more than $2,000 in an account in any time. And the evil count is, you know, safe and separate from that. So doing a little research, there's always pop up informational
sessions about it. It's a fairly easy process to set one up. And they're very communicative. If you ever have any specific questions. Well, that's something to start considering.
One other thing that I was going to throw out there about the ABLE accounts, and obviously I don't know a whole lot about it, but they can be very specific to the location in which you live. So there will be a link in the show notes that gives a broad definition or a broad like covers the idea of ABLE accounts very broadly, but just you know, make sure that you are doing the research to your areas specifically.
Yeah, good point. We in Maryland, obviously have it here but it is in a select number of actually there's a large number of states throughout the country. So it's good to double check to, again, like we've mentioned before when
¶ Work Programs
your student was transitioning to Freshman year continue exploring those school based options for them, including work programs. With the students on the non diploma track, we have an array of work programs available to them within our county. And I know every county has it set differently. But there are options. And you definitely want to get the information to see if it would be a good fit. So you can start looking at that future track for your student, I like to sit with
my families and back map. So let's look at the exit year of your student from the school system and kind of back map how many years out they have, and what your plan might be, if they're going to start in a general work program, if they're if they have the independence level, to go to the next step and where they might ultimately
end before they exit. So you want to work with your school based team to figure out what might be the most appropriate classes for them to take based off of their needs, skills and abilities. And just gather all that information, again, talking to other parents to hear about the different programs and how it runs and all the specifics about them. But if you know your child has a certain interest, see what else there is out
there. Even besides the work programs, you know, our school system offers a variety of different career academies. There's different electives that are suited for different areas that you know, over interests. So just to make sure it's individualized.
That is also a conversation that we have had before. So again, check out the link in the show notes, I will make sure there is a link to that discussion, because it is actually one of our most listened to discussions.
It's got a lot of good information there. Also,
¶ Long-term thinking
like we mentioned, but they will count thinking for the next milestone at 18. This is another good time to start considering options when it comes to whether you think guardianship or an alternative to guardianship might be the best choice for your child and your family. So consider consulting with an attorney in order to think about those options, and also just to protect their assets and come up with an estate plan for your
child's future. There are just a number of workshops available throughout the year from the county, from different attorney offices I know in our county that offer informational sessions about what it means with estate planning and what guardianship or alternatives to guardianship are. So just make sure you're keeping an eye out for information coming from your school. Or just you know, if there's any other social media outlets that you are a part of. I know a lot of times they get
posted there as well. So it's a great time for that research piece.
And playing off of keeping an eye open. I believe that we're going to have a discussion coming up with someone who is going to talk with us around that idea.
Yes, sir, I think the focus is going to be around one of those alternatives to guardianship, which is supported decision making. Again, it's not in every state, but Maryland has now passed it into legislation. So it's a very exciting and great option to consider when you're thinking about future plans.
¶ Transition Fair
Then one other option is attending the transition fair.
That's a big one. I know in our county, we have it every year. And I know all the other counties do as well. And it's just an event, they can give you a ton of information and resources about community school and job related information. And we typically have breakout sessions specifically about some of those state funded agencies like DDA and DORS. So it's a great chance to get some of those one on one questions answered and really
gather up the resources. And I know it can be overwhelming, I stand at the doors people are leaving and the look on everyone's face with that bag of papers. It's a lot, but it's a great start. And then you can go through and organize your transition folder, which you hopefully have at home and consult your transition coordinator to get that conversation going.
Well and it's funny, because I heard you say that, you know, obviously, counties, states, municipalities, depending on you know how it is you're looking at it that they plan for these things quite often. You are already planning for the next one that I would imagine is coming up in the in the fall of next year. Right like so you're already you're already building that out.
I already have the date and land and locations that so that's one of my lists on the the summer to do list to reach out to all the people who hopefully will be attending.
Very cool. All right. So let's shift shift
¶ Diploma-bound Transition
focus a little bit I suppose. And again, these things can be interchangeable. However, when it comes to the information or some of the Some of the steps along the process how what does it look like for diploma-bound friends? Where can they...where can those families start?
Yeah, so there might be a little more rigidness, I guess, to their schedule, because obviously, they've got classes that they need to take in order to meet those requirements for diploma. However, the focus around their student centered transition plan can continue. And just reiterating what their goals and interests are in terms of a career, what their activities are, and just going through that timeline of what they plan on doing after high school, and how we can help support them
currently to get there. So that goes into building and exploring their career interests, when able, and I know, I've met with many students who very tight schedule, because they need to take this extra class, they need to take a tutorial they're trying to fit this in, there's a lot going on, and they have a lot of pressure, but talking to them about ways that they can just explore the potential career path, whether it be an academic class that they can fit in, whether it be accessing a
career assessment, with the transition coordinator, or through DORS, even, or job shadowing, you know, I've talked to students who have expressed an interest in let's say, physical therapy, and their parent has a good friend who owns a physical therapists
office. Well, we just had the conversation about what if you were to go in and just shadow them for a day or sit down and talk to them about the specifics of their job and what their responsibilities are, it's something that you know, isn't going to intrude on their day to day schedule in the class setting, but they're getting the information and they have that
connection. So just looking at those additional opportunities, both within their school day and outside of the school day to kind of help build that career interest. So then when we think
¶ Academic Planning
about their academic planning, I know that they're working with their guidance counselor to make sure they're on track with
graduation requirements. And I think it's important when they have that annual IEP meeting just to double check on that, make sure there's no surprises, make sure the parents are aware the students aware and see if there's any additional support that they need, whether maybe it's a summer class that they have to retake something, if they need an extra support in their schedule, tutoring, anything that's going to help to make sure we get them where they
need to be. And then if there is room, hopefully in their schedule, just making sure they had, they're able to enroll those courses that align with their career goals. Now, that gets very tricky. And sometimes it's disappointing to see that it doesn't work out because they have to retake a class or they've got this extra class. But I also think it's important to note now that it doesn't all have to be done in four years. And that's a huge stigma I come
across a lot. When we talk about adding a fifth year or even a six year if they are working towards the diploma but they're not able to do it in that four year, timespan. It's okay. You know, it doesn't there's nothing saying that they have to have it done. And it alleviates some of the pressure when you break up some of those higher level classes back to back in their schedule. So just something to
consider. And I think that's something maybe we can have more conversations about moving forward, you know, just looking at an individual timeline.
¶ Skills and Independence
Something else just to think about when we are looking at our diploma-bound students, I know we talk a lot about independent living skills with our non
diploma students. But I think it is also important to consider these independent living skills with our diploma-bound students, just focusing on what they're going to need after high school, such as budgeting their time management, cooking transportation, I send out a parent questionnaire every year for all of my students with IEP s and I have one specific for those diploma-bound students.
And there's a section on there asking how the parents feel they will suffice after high school in all these different areas, and it's always shocking to me to see who checks off. No, they're gonna need help, or no, they don't do any chores at home. It's just it's it i I'll be the first one to admit, when I left for college, I didn't know how to do my laundry, I had no idea how to write out a
check. So those are the things that even if a student doesn't have an IEP, I think it's important that we are making sure that independent label living skills are being addressed as well.
¶ Consider appropriate support services
It probably also, along those lines this this year, just probably continuing to look into those support services. Right, that would be available potentially through VR, vocational rehabilitation.
Yeah, so at this point, if you haven't done like a DORS referral for those pre-employment transition services that and this would be a great time to do it. Usually the wait a little longer for the VR status, maybe closer to graduation, you know 18. But it's some a conversation that you can have to see if there might be something that you'd want to complete an application for, if you think they're going to need it after they graduate, and they're moving on to that
post secondary world. But yeah, I'm considering what other services they can offer, such as academic assistance, counseling, career exploration.
And one thing that I do want to throw out and I apologize, because I know that you've heard me say this a million times. But we're always going to refer back to the to the services that we're familiar with, because of the place that we live in. But each one of these is going to have, potentially could have a different name. There will be a link in the show notes, we found a handy-dandy website that essentially covers all 50
states. And so you just go to this resource, and you click on the state that you live in, and it will give you the information for that vocational rehabilitation administration that exists in your state. So it's, it's a great resource.
Yeah, definitely. So I think we've
¶ Connections
mentioned about the career exploration, adding to your support network. And like we said before, just making sure you're connecting with other parents who might be going through this process. And seeing you know, social media is such a great place. Are there support groups that you can join? Are there organizations that also help with the focus of transition in your area, we have many nonprofit organizations in our area, which we are fortunate to have that offer support for
families. And just those shared experiences and advice can be really valuable resources in your journey with your student, again, encouraged extracurricular involvement, just giving them the chance to participate in some of those extracurricular activities that may align with their interests and goals, whether it be a club at school, whether it be a sport, or even volunteer work, I know our students have to do
service learning hours. And that's a great chance for them to try and align it with something that might be a true interest for them.
One other nugget of information that I wanted to throw out there, this as I'm looking at this, I'm like, oh, I need to go back and make a change to our website, because this also should be for our non diploma-bound friends as well. You know, I'm sure that lots of different places have different activities for all different types of students. Here, where we live, they refer
to it as allied sports. And they they do amazing things, I have just there was a student that I worked with a couple years back, and he was in a wheelchair, and I had just found out that that team, it will literally rigged him up with this. The best way that I can describe it is a fork, and they put it right at the front of his wheelchair. And he plays soccer. And that is how he participates in that sport. And I just thought that that was
that was a that was nifty. And I was really happy to see that.
And I know there's been other opportunities aside from Allied Sports, which I love. But we've had students who maybe they were interested in basketball. And basketball is not one of the Allied Sports. Well, they were able to act as you know, what is the word?
Like assistant manager or like...
Yeah, like the supplies, the terminology, you know, helping with the basketball team, or like the football team?
Sure.
Yeah, just thinking outside the box. And
¶ Assistive Technology
like, like you mentioned, I know a lot of these things, we're talking about our diploma-bound students, but thinking of our non diploma-bound students, you know, both of them, both groups, we're going to explore assistive technology might look a little different. But it still all falls under that label. I mean just seeing what kind of tools and resources that they are accessing, or they could be accessing to help support their
learning and needs. And I know when we go on our tour of the community college, they have a whole department assigned for that. And it just blows my mind some of the things that they have there to offer. And I'm like, dang, if we just had had our students try this out in high school, they want to be something that they could have been accessing and already had, you know, available to them. So and there's a number of resources available in our area for that too. So just keeping
that in mind. And again, making sure you're starting that exploration process of any post secondary option, whether it be college, whether it be vocational training, employment, or community program, depending on what the best fit is for your child's goals and abilities. There is no harm in doing too much research or starting too early. Obviously things may change but at least you have a general idea of what is to come.
¶ Home Folder
And we will always say to make sure you have an at home folder and to keep it organized and updated. And I know everyone has their own organizational system. But I would love a nice binder with color coded and labeled and full of chock full of all the resources. And again, things
change. So you might need to update, but it's just a good thing to have in a place that you can go through and periodically look at and add to and refresh your memory on some of the things I know I've met with parents who will sit down, we'll have a great meeting. And then a week later, they're like, can you do that again, because I felt so confident when we met. And then I went home and tried to remind or reiterated to my husband and couldn't remember thing, you know, it's a lot,
it's tough. So anything you can do to help jog your memory in that notebook will will be a good step.
And we've said it before, and we'll say it again, remember that this is a very individualized process for each one of the families that can look drastically different from one family to the next. And the reason that we throw that out there is to to be flexible, to be patient with yourselves. And just to work your way through it. One rung of the ladder at a time.
Yeah, and it's okay to go to like the transition fair and gather every single paper from every single table, bring it home, go through it on your own time and decide, okay, I don't need this, after all, or I do need this, you know better to have it and then figure out later on, so you don't miss anything. Because there's things that even to this day, I'll find them like, oh, wow, that's a great thing. I wish I wish I knew about this sooner. But I'm sure along the line somewhere, it was there.
And I was just overwhelmed. And there were so many other things to look at so happens to us all.
And with that being said, I think that that's a good place. There's clearly a lot of information here. So we can stop the conversation there. Because by the time we come back to this discussion, again, we'll be able to cover both junior
year and senior year. However, not a whole lot happens during junior year for the most part, or at least in some cases, like that's kind of where you can take a little bit of a breather, but then senior year is going to have a whole lot of information, we'll be able to have that talk. But obviously we've thrown it
¶ Summers
out there before everyone knows we're working teachers, and this is the summer months. So we have a few more discussions that are coming up. But we plan on taking a break for the month of August, there will be no original content in the feed, we're working on some behind the scenes stuff where we can still push out content, but we need to get permission for that content first. So we'll keep you updated, check out our Facebook feed, we'll be able to throw out what we're what we're doing.
Sounds like a plan to me.
¶ Outro
We would love the information from this and all our other discussions to reach as many families as possible. And we need your help to do that. So please like follow and share out our podcast, you can find our conversations on all the major podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, YouTube music, and that's just naming a few. So please share and share often. You can always find the links to the information from this discussion in our show notes. Check out our YouTube channel.
We've done some of the legwork for you by curating videos of topics that revolve around transition. We have playlists that cover guardianship alternatives to guardianship ABLE accounts. And there's still more to come as we're finding videos that we think will be valuable to us. So please be sure to subscribe there as well. And then finally, check out our website, which is full of information and links to resources around the transition
process. So make sure to go to www.postsecondarytransition.com We thank you so much for the time that you've spent with us and look forward to talking again soon.
Yes, definitely.