Candie: My son is a senior with an IEP. He will have a standard diploma , his IEP does NOT have transition goals in it. He was in private school for grades 9-11 because the state did away with his program.. (long story) Is he eligible for transition services? and if so can someone tell me how to get them?
Finally, I want to touch on you and your son’s rights regarding the transition process. Transition planning for him should have begun one to three years ago (depending on his needs and where you live) – someone dropped the ball.
You do maintain the same rights regarding transition planning that you have for other special education related issues, meaning you can request mediation or a due process hearing if you disagree with the school’s proposals. You may also be able to file a state complaint with regard to lack of prior planning.
I live in a “transition-friendly” state (Mass) that puts a lot of emphasis on the need for good transition assessment and planning. Here parents have successfully used due process hearings to halt their child’s graduation and obtain services post-graduation, both for lack of good transition planning. I can’t speak to the climate in other states, but your local parent center should be able to give you guidance about your transition-related options and rights.
Yes. All students with disabilities should have transition planning & goals. Start asking for these in writing, asap. Since he is a senior, he can request that he remain another year or so in school, or get services this summer. You can get assistance from your state parent training & information project. http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/
– Ask your son about these same needs.Transition is all about him, so it’s important that he takes a leading role in this process. As much as he is able, have him read up on transition as well.
– Consider “evaluating” your son yourself, and providing the information to the school. As I mentioned, transition goals/services should be based on evaluation data. We both know school evaluations can take a long time, and time is something you don’t have. While I think you should still ask the school to evaluate, there’s no harm in you preparing some information yourself and asking the school to use it to help develop goals/services while waiting for their results. It won’t have the same validity as a formal evaluation, but it can be a good starting place. This site has some great resources for that: https://sites.google.com/site/transitionhub/transition-assessments/transition-assessments.
When you’re at the meeting, you can ask the school to develop transition related goals and services for your son using whatever information is available (including your “evaluation results,” if you prepared any). Also ask that they conduct a comprehensive evaluation of your son’s transition-related needs.
Candie –
All students with IEPs are potentially eligible for transition goals and services. Whether an individual student (like your son) needs these, and what his specific transition goals and services should be, should determined by evaluation.
Transition can be a complicated process, and your’re starting it very late in the game. I strongly encourage you to request a meeting with your son’s IEP Team ASAP, to discuss his transition.
Here’s some things you can consider doing to prepare for the meeting:
– Get a basic understanding of the transition process. Here’s a great resource for that: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/transitionadult/.
– Learn about transition requirements in your state. See what resources you can find on your state Department of Education’s website.
– Connect with your local parent center, for information and support: http://www.parentcenterhub.org/find-your-center/.
– Think about your son’s needs now and potential needs in the future in the areas of employment, further education, and independent living. Use his IEP and most recent evaluations as a guide.