In April, the Nevada Department of Education Office of Special Education Hosted the First

NEVADA STUDENT LEADERSHIP TRANSITION SUMMIT

In April, the Nevada Department of Education, Office of Special Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and School Improvement Programs sponsored the first annual Nevada Student Leadership Transition Summit at the University of Nevada, Reno. The goal for this event was to gain an understanding of the secondary transition system from the student perspective and to cultivate leadership teams across the state to foster systems change for Individual Transition Planning.

With the help of many valued partners — including the Nevada Interagency Transition Advisory Board (ITAB), Nevada school districts, the University Center for Excellence in Disabilities (UCED), Nevada Parents Encouraging Parents (Nevada PEP), the Western Regional Resource Center (WRRC), the National Post-School Outcomes Center, the National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE), and the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center — the Summit was a great success!

Through collaboration with Christine Cashman at NASDSE, young adult guest speakers were selected to set the tone for an informative and empowering day. LeDerick Horne, Joe Davidson, and Carolyn Roman shared their stories of living and learning with disabilities and encouraged students to become involved in decisions that affect their lives.

Carolyn Roman, Joe Davidson, Christine Cashman, LeDerick Horne

Their “Nothing about us without us” philosophy connected the guest speakers’ message to the breakout session discussions where combined teams representing urban and rural districts discussed transition needs and hurdles, and gave students the opportunity to voice their opinions and ideas about making the transition to life beyond high school in Nevada. Students were encouraged to discuss how the system could better support them in their efforts to achieve postsecondary goals. Participants included about 150 freshmen and sophomore students, teachers, and counselors representing fourteen schools districts, as well as a team from one of Nevada’s state-sponsored charter schools.

Following lunch, attendees participated in a Vendor Fair, and received information from the following organizations: Great Basin College; Nevada Career Information System; Nevada Disability Advocacy & Law Center (NDALC); Nevada PEP; People First of Nevada; State of Nevada, Vocational Rehabilitation Division; Truckee Meadows Community College; University of Nevada, Reno – Disability Resource Center, and the Office for Prospective Students; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Western Apprenticeship Coordinators Association; and, Western Nevada Community College.

The Office of Special Education, Elementary and Secondary Education, and School Improvement Programs will host the next Nevada Student Leadership Transition Summit on

May 7, 2009. For more information, please contact Jennifer Kane, Secondary Special Education Consultant at (702) 486-6622 ext. 1 or .