A. Transition Overview



































Reference
1.  Transition to Adulthood

The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth has made recommendations for transition to adulthood.

All youth may need:
  • mental or physical health services;
  • transportation;
  • tutoring;
  • financial planning and management;  and
  • structured arrangements in postsecondary institutions and adult service agencies.

Youth with disabilities may need in addition:

  • appropriate assistive technologies;
  • community orientation and mobility training;
  • exposure to post-program supports such as independent living services;
  • personal assistance services (such as interpreters);  and
  • benefits planning counseling.

Foster youth may need in addition:

  • opportunity to obtain a driver’s license, library card, voter registration, birth certificate and medical records;
  • adults to help navigate systems;
  • transitional and long term housing;
  • access to financial aid for college;
  • health care information;  and
  • foster care caseworkers helping youth make connections in work and community.


Reference
2.  Special Education Transition in Colorado

Colorado’s State Performance Plan for fiscal years 2005-10 reports that 2.1 percent “of youth with disabilities aged 16 and above were estimated to have an IEP that includes coordinated, measurable, annual IEP goals and transition services that will reasonably enable the student to meet the post-secondary goals.”





Id. at 89. 
Deficiencies included the following:
  • transition documentation was lacking in IEPs (possibly omitting transition preparation that had actually occurred); 
  • Post School Goals were often lacking or not coordinated, and linkage with Adult Service agencies was lacking. 
Id. at 91-93; see Exceptional Student Services Unit homepage  for contact information.
The Colorado Department of Education has provided a number of educational and training opportunities to improve transition planning.    





Also, the Colorado Department of Education Exceptional Student Leadership Unit has a variety of resources for transition planning (see Resources). Adequate transition planning should be the concern of all involved with a child in the child welfare or juvenile justice system.





29 U.S.C. § 705(37) (2009).
3.  Transition and Section 504

Transition services under Section 504 means a coordinated set of activities that may include a number of important services, such as vocational training or supported employment.




Reference
However, the structure of these services is not defined as it is under IDEA.

4. Transfer of Educational Rights

Under FERPA and IDEA, students over eighteen have control of their educational records and educational decisions. Under FERPA, consent to release of records must come from the student, though a notice of disclosure is sent to both student and parent.
Rule 6.02(9).
Under IDEA, the parents' rights to make educational decisions transfer to the student when he or she reaches the age of majority. In Colorado the age of majority for educational purposes is 21, unless the student is determined to be incompetent.