Transition Planning for Students and Parents:

This videotape/print package will show parents successful models of transition planning for Middle and High School students with various disabilities. Since the passage of IDEA (Public Law 101- 476) students age 16 years and older must have a statement of the transition services that they need in order to prepare for life post-school. However, many parents are unaware of what services may be included in the transition plan, what the school system must provide, and how they can ensure that their child accomplishes the goals he or she has set. Also, many parents and schools wait until the age of 16 to begin planning, only to find that many elements of success need to begin at a much younger age, i.e. inclusion in regular classrooms to facilitate socialization skills and reinforce age- appropriate behavior. The package's planned documentary style will allow viewers to see how families, students, and school systems work together to find appropriate goals and the means to accomplish those goals. Videotape lets parents at all literacy and sophistication levels see what real families have accomplished and better understand the development of the transition portion of the Individualized Education Program.