Transition Teams

This section looks at ways to create effective transition teams. Collaboration between team members and participating agencies is an essential part of the process.

What is Collaboration?

There are basically four ways in which people can interact to establish or improve services and plan for young adults preparing for transition from school to post-school activities. Let us look at these methods briefly.

Through networking, people gain an awareness of available resources and discover how to access or refer individuals to those services. An example of networking might be a transition coordinator talking with local business owners to identify possible job training sites for students. While networking is an essential step in collaboration, it will not be enough for students who have complex transition service needs.

Service coordination assists in the selection and scheduling of services. In coordinating, people arrange for a student with disabilities to receive specific services from different agencies (for example, one agency making a phone call to another agency to determine their respective roles and to schedule activities).

With cooperation, people look for ways to support and complement one another's transition services. For example, an adult services agency may accept a student's recent test results from his or her school to determine the student's eligibility for services. This would prevent the student from being tested twice and would save the adult services agency time and expense.

Collaboration begins with networking, coordination, and cooperation and then requires team members to share decisions, responsibility, and trust. It requires that team members invest time and energy to come up with options and design strategies for carrying out these plans. Because collaboration requires lots of time and energy, it is impossible to make all decisions collaboratively. In some instances, the desired result can be achieved through networking, coordination, or cooperation. Working together, or collaboratively, invites participation of multiple service providers and the use of multiple resources. See the Student Stories below for examples of collaboration in action.

Individual Transition Team Members

Many different individuals come together to help the student plan for transition. Typically, transition planning is handled by members of the IEP Team, with other individuals becoming involved as needed. It's important to involve a variety of people, for they will bring their unique perspectives to the planning table. The team draws upon the expertise of the different members and pools their information to make decisions or recommendations for the student.

Who are some of the individuals who may be part of the transition team? Naturally, the student and his or her family are core members of the team. They keep the whole team grounded and focused on the goals and on finding services and developing a plan that will benefit the youth with disabilities. When the purpose of the IEP meeting is to discuss transition, the student must be invited to attend. If there is no way he or she can come to the meeting, then the school must take other steps to make sure that the student's preferences and interests are considered in the plan that is developed.

Other members of the team include those normally on the IEP Team (special education and general education teachers, related service providers, administrators, and others as appropriate), plus transition specialists, who may be well informed about resources and adult services in the community.

In addition, representatives that have traditionally provided post-high-school services should be involved (see below, Common Community Agencies and the Transition Services They May Offer). This may include:

Common Community Agencies and the Services They May Offer

Vocational Rehabilitation Agency assists persons with cognitive, sensory, physical, or emotional disabilities to attain employment and increased independence. Funded by Federal and state money, VR agencies typically operate regional and local offices. VR services typically last for a limited period of time and are based on an individual's rehabilitation plan. If needed, an individual with disabilities can request services at a later time, and a new rehabilitation plan will be developed.

Examples of Employment Services:
Examples of Postsecondary Services:
Examples of Adult and Independent Living Services:

Mental Health & Mental Retardation Agencies provide a comprehensive system of services responsive to the needs of individuals with mental illness or mental retardation. Federal, state, and local funding are used to operate regional offices; local funding is often the primary source. Services are provided on a sliding payment scale.

Examples of Employment Services:
Examples of Adult and Independent Living Services:
Independent Living Centers help people with disabilities to achieve and maintain self-sufficient lives within the community. Operated locally, ILCs serve a particular region. ILCs may charge for classes, but advocacy services are typically available at no cost.

Examples of Employment Services:
Examples of Postsecondary Services:
Examples of Adult and Independent Living Services:

Social Security Administration operates the federally funded program that provides benefits for people of any age who are unable to do substantial work and have a severe mental or physical disability. Several programs are offered for people with disabilities, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Plans to Achieve Self-Support (PASS), Medicaid, and Medicare.

Examples of Employment Services:
Work incentive programs which may include:
Examples of Postsecondary Services:
Examples of Adult and Independent Living Services:

Other individuals or agencies may serve as one-time or ongoing consultants to the team, sharing a particular expertise or insight, while others may be valuable sources of specific information that helps the team plan and make decisions. Consider the useful information to be gained from any of the following:

Potential Consultants to the Transition Team

Potential Consultant: Relationship to Transition Services

Team members do not necessarily have to come from social service agencies. Students and their families may also invite a relative, friend, or advocate who can provide emotional support, access to their personal networks, or other unique expertise. If possible, it is also helpful to have team members from similar language and cultural backgrounds as the student. These members can help the team understand how cultural or language issues impact the transition process. Some typical transition outcomes, such as going away to college, getting a paying job, moving out of the family home, and making decisions independently of the family are valued differently by different cultures.

It is very important to invite service representatives and other individuals identified as transition consultants to IEP meetings that will be focused on only transition. They do not need to be at every IEP meeting of the student. If they cannot attend the meetings focusing on transition, talk to them about the IEP and bring their ideas or comments to the meeting.