The transition from high school to adulthood can bring excitement, opportunities, and many questions. The Region D1 Transition Learning Collaborative (D1 TLC) connects youth with disabilities, families, Parent Centers, and community partners across Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Hawaiʻi, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands to improve access to transition information, resources, and support.
A Brief Overview
- Transition planning helps students with disabilities prepare for life after high school, including employment, education, independent living, and community participation.
- D1 TLC is funded by Rehabilitation Services Administration and led by PAVE in partnership with FACT Oregon.
- The collaborative connects Parent Centers and community partners across four states and territories to share resources and information.
- D1 TLC works to improve access to transition information, resources, and support related to employment, education, independent living, and community participation.
- Youth/young adult and family experiences help guide the development of transition resources, training, and collaborative activities.
- Regional partnerships help address barriers to transition support in rural, remote, military-connected, Tribal, and island communities.
- Youth/young adults, families, and professionals, can access resources and learn more through PAVE’s Region D1 TLC webpage.
Transition planning is about helping young people explore their interests, identify their strengths, set goals, and prepare for the future they want. There is no single path to adulthood. Every young person has different goals, experiences, cultural connections, and support needs. Youth should have a meaningful voice in planning their futures. Families, educators, and community partners can help by listening, sharing information, and supporting informed choices.
D1 TLC works to make transition information and resources easier to find, understand, and use.
D1 TLC is a regional project funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Education. This collaborative is led by PAVE in partnership with FACT Oregon.
PAVE and FACT Oregon are Parent Training and Information Centers (PTI) that help families understand special education, disability-related services, and their rights.
Together, they partner with the Parent Centers throughout D1 region, to strengthen transition supports for youth with disabilities and their families.
Rather than expecting every community to use the same approach, D1 TLC encourages partners to share knowledge, learn from one another, and develop resources that reflect the needs of the people they serve.
The D1 TLC serves a large and geographically diverse area including Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Hawai’i, which includes the American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Families may live in cities, rural communities, remote villages, Tribal communities, or islands separated by long distances. Military-connected families may navigate different school and service systems when relocating. Families in Tribal and island communities may also seek resources that reflect their cultures, languages, community relationships, and priorities.
These include:
- Alaska: Stone Soup Group (PTI) and LINKS Mat-Su Parent Resource Center (CPRC).
- Washington: PAVE (PTI) and Open Doors for Multicultural Families (CPRC).
- Oregon: FACT Oregon (PTI).
- Hawaiʻi: Leadership in Disabilities and Achievement of Hawaiʻi (LDAH), the state’s PTI.
D1 TLC partners with these organizations and other community partners to share resources, identify barriers, and strengthen access to transition information across the region.
By learning from families and community partners, D1 TLC supports transition planning that respects each young person’s identity, culture, community, strengths, and goals while creating more opportunities for connection, collaboration, and shared learning.
Collaboration is the heart of D1 TLC’s work.
Youth, families, Parent Centers, educators, vocational rehabilitation professionals, employers, and community organizations each bring valuable knowledge and experiences to transition planning.
D1 TLC creates opportunities for these groups to connect, identify common challenges, share promising practices, and learn from one another.
An important part of this work is listening to youth and families. Their perspectives help ensure that transition information is practical, relevant, and responsive to the communities it is intended to support.
D1 TLC provides resources and learning opportunities that youth, families, Parent Centers, and professionals can use when preparing for life after high school.
One available resource is the D1 TLC Transition Toolkit: My Voice. My Goals. My Future.
The toolkit helps young people explore their strengths, interests, preferences, and goals while identifying support and next steps. It can be used during Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings, conversations with family members, vocational rehabilitation planning, and other transition activities.
The D1 TLC webpage also includes a Resource Collection with information to help families and professionals find transition-related resources, including information connected to states and territories throughout Region D1.
These resources are designed to support conversations, encourage planning, and help young people take an active role in shaping their futures.
Transition planning does not happen all at once, and families do not have to navigate every step alone. D1 TLC continues to develop resources, share learning opportunities, and strengthen partnerships throughout Region D1, keeping youth and family perspectives at the forefront.
Youth, families, Parent Centers, and community partners are also invited to connect through the D1 TLC Facebook Group to share information, learn from one another, and build connections across the region.
Together, we can support transition planning that centers youth voices, respects community strengths, and helps young people prepare for the futures they choose.