How can students be actively engaged in transition planning?

Transcript: Valerie L. Mazzotti, PhD

Teaching self-determination and self-advocacy skills should be a component of the transition planning process because we know that when students leave school with high levels of self-advocacy and self-determination, they’re more likely to get jobs, attain postsecondary education, to be active, inclusive members of their community. And so it’s critical that teachers and schools are using strategies and curricula to teach students to participate in their IEP meetings—for example, to advocate for services and supports and general education and other school-based opportunities—that they’re advocates for services and supports in their community, with employers, with higher education so that they can advocate for themselves to attain the outcomes that they want to attain once they leave school.

It’s also critical for them to understand their disability and disability rights. When they understand their disability and their rights while they’re in high school, they’re going to be better self-advocates and have higher levels of self-determination when they transition into adult life. And they’ll be able to advocate for their rights as an individual with a disability when they get a job. It’s also important that they have opportunities to gain knowledge and skills around supported decision-making and identifying and accessing supports that are available to them as they move through the transition planning process and into adult life. All of those knowledge and skills are going to build a student’s self-determination and self-advocacy in high school that will allow them to be self-advocates and actively engage in their community once they leave high school.

Transcript: Erik Carter, PhD

For a teacher who really wants to make their transition planning process much more student centered, I think the first step is really to make an investment in the preparation of their students and find time within the school day to prepare the students for these kind of meetings. Very few students when even asked about the prospect of coming to a meeting filled with teachers and staff and others are going to probably be excited about that idea. What adolescent would feel really comfortable and confident in that kind of setting? So really preparing students so they understand the purpose of a meeting, the value of their presence and voice in that process, and understanding of the kinds of things that would be shared, what their role would be in sharing some of that information, and what the roles of others who are going to be invited to that meeting are is really an important part of that preparation.

And I think a second thing for teachers is to think through what kind of process would make sense for students to have that active role in the planning meeting. There are a variety of ways students can be involved, in everything from having a list of steps that they would work through as part of that process from welcoming everyone to the meeting, making introductions, stating the purpose of that meeting, sharing the progress that they’ve made over the past year, and sharing some of their goals for the upcoming year. That step-by-step process needs to be outlined for students, and deciding what makes the most sense for your students in the context of the meeting is really important.

There’s also ways that you can involve students in things like role-playing as a group for an upcoming transition planning meeting, followed by a time of discussion and reflection on how that went. You might have students who have either graduated or who are a little further along in their transition process share with younger students about their experiences leading their own transition planning meetings. Or you could even connect students to any number of community organizations or self-advocacy groups. That also gives students opportunities to build those self-advocacy skills and skills they would need to ultimately lead their own planning meetings.

One of the things I want to emphasize is that the investment that we’re making in preparing students for this once-a-year planning meeting really does have a long-term ripple effect on students for the rest of their lives after they’ve exited school. They’re going to be part of these kinds of planning meetings. And the degree to which they’re prepared to contribute to those, to be able to advocate for what they need, communicate the supports and opportunities and linkages that they need to support them is going to be really important for living well long after graduation. So it’s easy for us to think in the very short term, “Wow, this requires my time and investment that we may struggle to make right now.” That investment’s going to have a much longer-term impact on students even after the meeting’s done and after they have graduated, so it’s worthwhile.

Nia

Before the IEP meeting: Mr. Longoria knows that Nia must practice speaking for herself, a skill she will need when she gets out of school and finds a job. One way he can help Nia is by preparing her to assume more responsibilities in her IEP meetings. With this goal in mind, for a couple of months they meet weekly near the end of class to:

• Discuss disability law, the purpose of the IEP, and her disability
• Determine which parts of the meeting she is comfortable leading (i.e., team member introductions, summary of assessment data)
• Practice making introductions
• Develop a script to help her present the assessment data
• Brainstorm a list of questions or ideas that Nia might contribute during other portions of the meeting

During the IEP meeting: Nia leads the parts of the meeting she has practiced, referring to her script as needed. Mr. Longoria provides support (e.g., verbal prompts, thumbs-up) and encourages Nia to voice her interest in pursuing a career in fashion design. The team agrees that the employment goal proposed by Nia and Mr. Longoria is an important one to include in her IEP.

Jeremy

Before the IEP meeting: Because several ninth graders (including Jeremy) have never attended an IEP meeting, Mr. Longoria decides to conduct group sessions for six weeks to help these students prepare. He teaches them the basics of an IEP meeting and the IEP document. Then Mr. Longoria meets with Jeremy the month before his meeting to discuss his current IEP, what Jeremy thinks is going well with his supports and services, and what might need improvement.

Jeremy decides to lead the beginning portion of the meeting by introducing the team members and sharing his strengths and interests. Mr. Longoria provides a slide template with sentence starters to assist Jeremy in leading the meeting. He loads this onto Jeremy’s tablet so he can edit the slides and add his own pictures and words. Jeremy creates his slides and practices his introductions during his individual meetings with Mr. Longoria.

During the IEP meeting: Jeremy introduces himself and the other members of the team. He presents his slideshow, highlighting his love of animals and his excitement about gaining more independence. Even though Jeremy doesn’t lead the rest of the meeting, Mr. Longoria makes certain to ask him questions and invite him to contribute to the decisions being made. He frequently pauses to rephrase information in plain language and reminds team members to give Jeremy time to contribute his ideas using his communication device.