TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
TETN Broadcast #30903
VI Transition Discussion Group
September 17, 2008
1:30-3:30 PM
Presented by
Eva Lavigne-Thompson, VI Transition Specialist
And David Wiley, DB Transition Specialist
TSBVI Outreach
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
IEP Process for Transition Services
IEP Process of the Past
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
Present Level of Performance
Annual Goals
Short Term Objectives
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
IEP Process of the Present / Future
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
Post-Secondary Goals
(Vision)
Present Level of Educational Performance
Statement of Transition Service Needs (Educational Plan)
Statement of Needed Transition Services
(Long-range Plan for Adult Life)
Annual Goals
Short-term Objectives / Benchmarks
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
Person Centered vs. Systems Centered
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
Person Centered
• Focus on individual
• Peron helps plan future based on individual hopes and dreams
• Plan built on person’s strengths, preferences, gifts and capacities
• Planning group includes family, friends, community members, support staff who know and care about the person
• Planning team meets regularly and takes time to plan in ways that best meet the person’s needs
System Centered
• Eligibility, labels and services
• Forms, paperwork, meeting legal requirements
• Develop plans based on programs available
• Experts/professionals make up teams and provide services
• Planning is generally one time at ARD/IEP meeting.
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TSBVI Outreach TETN #30903 – VI Transition Discussion Group 09-17-08
Transition from School to Adult Life in the Community
A Three-Part Planning Sheet
Young Person's Name: ______
Date: ______
Part 1: Creating a Vision/Developing Goals
(To be completed by the student’s family and significant others.)
Instructions: In order to make transition planning meaningful, the family must be able to share clear goals for life after school. Discuss the following questions, and write your vision of your child's life as an adult. Do not limit your vision based on programs, services, or situations you think may be currently available. Answer the questions with what you would most like to see happen based on your child's preferences and abilities.
• What kind of place will your child live in the future?
Location:
Physical Space:
People sharing the space:
• What kind of help or support will your child need?
Frequency (Continuous, daily, weekly, infrequent, etc.):
Activities needing support:
Type of support or help
• What will your child do to be productive? (Develop self-esteem/respect of others.)
Employment:
Community Involvement:
At home:
• What additional education or training will your child take part in after school is complete?
College, technical, or trade school:
Classes in the community:
Training from agencies and service providers:
• What will your child do for enjoyment?
During unstructured free time at home:
In community settings:
Together with other people at home and in the community:
As part of an organized group:
• How will your child maintain a satisfying social life?
Meeting new people who may have similar interests:
Maintaining contact with significant others:
• How will your child need help with decision-making, managing his or her affairs, and advocacy?
In what areas should your child be a self-advocate:
In what areas will your child need someone else to act as an advocate:
Who will be an advocate in the near future:
Who will be an advocate in the distant future:
Any documents, records, or legal safeguards needed:
• What will be your child's means of financial support?
Income:
Benefit programs:
Estate or trust:
• What are other areas of concern do you have about your child's adult life?
Communication:
Adaptive equipment:
Medical issues:
Orientation and mobility:
Transportation:
Religious concerns:
Other thoughts about your dream for your child's future:
You should consider your thoughts again in the future, as your child grows and develops, and the vision evolves.
Transition from School to Adult Life in the Community
A Three-Part Planning Sheet
Student:______Date:______
Part 2: The Ideal Day!
(To be completed by the student’s family and significant others.)
Instructions: What would your child consider to be an ideal day once he or she is no longer in school? Think of your child at age 25. Write a description of the ideal day and be specific. Complete the exercise for two days, in order to make any distinctions between weekdays and weekends, or workdays and days off.
Describe the day from when your child arises until he or she goes to bed. Describe:
· what he or she would do:
· what time and for how long;
· where he or she would do it;
· who else would be involved.
Consider both days listed on the form.
The Ideal Wednesday:
(over)
The Ideal Saturday:
You should consider your thoughts again in the future, as your child grows and develops, and the vision evolves.
Transition from School to Adult Life in the Community
A Three-Part Planning Sheet
Student:______Date:______
Part 3: A Plan of Action
(To be completed by the transition team.)
Instructions: 1.) Write a detailed description of the team’s shared vision for the student’s future in the following areas. The vision should be based on the student’s skills and preferences, in collaboration with ideas from the family and involved professionals. (Part 1 of this form can assist the family in clarifying a vision of the future.) 2.) Then, for each area, list any skills and services the student will need to successfully achieve these visions, or goals. Skills needed should be addressed in the IEP. Services needed may come from a number of different agencies and organizations.
Home Life (Where the student will live/what kind of help he or she will need there):
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Productivity/Contribution at Work, Home, and in the Community
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Further Education/Training
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Leisure/Enjoyment
Independent leisure at home
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Recreation in the Community
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Social Life
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Advocacy/Self-Advocacy
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Additional Area: ______
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Additional Area: ______
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Additional Area: ______
Vision of the student’s adult life:
New skills the student needs to learn to achieve the vision:
Services and supports the student will need as an adult to achieve the vision:
Developed by: David Wiley, Texas Deafblind Project
Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St.;
Austin, TX 78756.
<www.tsbvi.edu/Outreach/deafblind/index.htm>
Texas Deafblind Outreach is located at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and is supported by grant funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), administered through the Texas Education Agency. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education. The Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in employment or the provision of services. (Revised 2-04)
Personal Futures Planning – An Overview
Excerpts taken from
A Brief Guide to
Personal Futures Planning
Organizing Your Community to Envision
and Build a Desirable Future with You
A Different Way To Think About Planning
The Personal Futures Planning process is different than other kinds of planning you may have taken part in because of both the underlying philosophies and the methods employed. The differences can be seen in the focus, the identities of the people involved, the questions asked, and the level of follow-through. Consequently, the outcomes are often different, and hopefully more positive.
This process would be beneficial for anyone, young or old. The Outreach Program has been training facilitators to lead this process and create positive futures for individuals with deaf-blindness, and severe multiple disabilities. The fact that the process focuses on these individuals' capacities rather than their limitations, however, is only one way it may differ from more traditional planning.
The Focus
Personal Futures Planning is different than most planning meetings for people with disabilities simply because it is voluntary for everyone involved. The meetings are not mandated by any law, and no one needs attend unless he or she wants. No participant is assigned anything to do during the meetings. Even though, hopefully, participants will be accomplishing great things individually and as a group, all action is voluntary.
Because no one is required to take part, there are no rules as such. Committed individuals form a group or "circle" that is self-governing. With the help of a facilitator, the group decides where, when, and how often to meet, as well as what the goals are. Personal Futures Planning is very flexible, and there are no forms to fill out. There are some guidelines that help make the process successful, however they are not specific. Any formula would limit the process, and take away from its diverse nature.
The focus is also different because planning is done with the individual and his or her family, instead of for them. Even when professionals consider their meetings student-, client-, or family-centered, these meetings usually take place on the professional's "turf". Generally they are held in intimidating offices or conference rooms and at times which make it difficult to get the entire family and other community members to gather. Agendas are often laid out in advance, to conform to a regulation or paperwork requirement.
Personal Futures Planning is done anywhere the group finds comfortable and convenient--someone's home, church, park, classroom, library, etc. The group picks a mutually workable time for meetings. It is an informal setting, often including snacks and some time to socialize. Participants usually find Personal Futures Planning to be fun and exciting, even though they are dealing with difficult and often emotional issues.
The Participants
For most of us, friends and neighbors have a greater impact on our lives than bureaucracies. You may remember that you found your first job or apartment through family or neighborhood connections. Unfortunately, these powerful connections fail to develop or get severed for many people with disabilities. Planning and support is turned over to agency staff members who are often caring, but ultimately uninvolved.
Traditionally, planning by different groups is usually done in isolation. Families make plans at home. Schools and agencies plan in their respective buildings. Community clubs and organizations make plans at their own meetings, as do churches, neighborhood groups, and so on. Transition Planning for students nearing graduation is one step toward unified planning, but it is limited in time and scope. With Personal Futures Planning, all of the significant people influencing an individual's life sit down in the same room. Together with the individual they make decisions and plan appropriate actions as a unified group.
The Questions
When employing the Personal Futures Planning philosophy, we start by asking, "What are this individual's preferences and strengths?" The focus is not his or her problems or disabilities. Instead of asking what we as professionals and family members feel the individual needs, we ask, "What does the individual want? What choices does he or she make? What things do we know work well from that person's perspective?" The participants in the process try to identify what the ideal situation might be in the person's future. They also identify obstacles that may stand in the way of reaching this person's unique ideal situation, and brainstorm ways to work around those barriers. Traditional planning methods most often lead us to describe the existing service options, and decide where a person might best fit. This results in a very limited number of "individualized" situations, stifling creativity, and making us settle for circumstances that are less than ideal. Personal Futures Planning gives us permission to dream.