Tag: DDCS

School to Adulthood: Planning for Life after High School

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

A Brief Overview

  • Transition planning helps students with disabilities prepare for life after high school by exploring goals, building skills, and learning about education, employment, and community options.
  • In Washington State, all students are required to complete a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP), usually beginning in middle school, as part of graduation requirements and transition planning.
  • Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must have a transition plan with individualized Transition Services by the school year in which a student turns 16.
  • Students remain eligible for special education until they earn a diploma or reach age 22 and may participate in graduation ceremonies at the end of their senior year, regardless of when they will earn a diploma, under Kevin’s Law.
  • At age 18, legal responsibility for education transfers to the student, and schools must explain these rights ahead of time. For students who need help making or understanding decisions, families can continue to support them through options such as being invited to the IEP team, Supported Decision Making (SDM), or, when needed, legal arrangements like Power of Attorney or guardianship.
  • PAVE provides a Transition Planning Timeline in this article, available for download in multiple languages.

What is Post-Secondary Transition planning, and why is it important?

For families supporting a young person with a disability, it’s never too soon to begin planning for the years after high school. Post-secondary transition planning is the process of getting ready for life after graduation.

Transition planning benefits both families and students by:

  1. Letting them know about options and resources for an adult with disabilities
  2. Giving students time to think about their future and develop goals
  3. Allowing students to practice self-advocacy and self-determination, two skills adults need to be as independent as possible

Transition planning is so important that the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) requires all students to complete a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP), usually beginning in seventh grade, in order to graduate. OSPI also provides a summary of transition supports and services to help students, families, and caregivers understand how transition planning aligns with the HSBP. Several Washington state agencies worked together to create a downloadable guidebook that explains how required school plans fit together: Guidelines for Aligning High School & Beyond Plans (HSBP) and IEP Transition Plans.

Transition Planning in the IEP

The right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) includes the right to school-based services that prepare a young person with a disability for adult life. These services include planning for life after high school. For students who have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the transition plan is the document that will describe those planning goals and the steps a student will take to reach them. The IEP must include a Transition Plan with individualized Transition Services by the school year in which a student turns 16.

When a Transition Plan is added to the IEP, the focus shifts toward goals for life after high school. Families and students can help guide planning by considering three key questions:

  1. Where am I now?
    Consider strengths, interests, and current skills. These are often described in the IEP’s Present Levels of Performance.
  2. Where do I want to go?
    Think about dreams and post-secondary goals for education, work, and living.
  3. How do I get there?
    Consider courses, transition services, activities, supports, accommodations, and community connections.

When a transition plan is ready to review for completeness, students and families can ask these questions:

  • Is the transition plan age appropriate? (IEP transition plans can be updated as the student gets older).
  • Is information used to develop the plan gathered from more than one assessment? (This may include both informal and formal assessments.)
  • Do the post-secondary goals consider all areas of life after high school, including employment, further education, independent living, and community engagement?
  • Are goals SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely?
  • Is there a target graduation date included in the IEP?

Student Self-Advocacy

As students move toward adulthood, opportunities to practice skills of self-advocacy and self-determination become increasingly important. One way to build these skills is to encourage students to participate actively in their IEP meetings. PAVE provides a student-friendly article on this topic: Attention Students: Lead your own IEP meetings and take charge of your future.

The RAISE Center (National Resources for Advocacy, Independence, Self-determination and Employment) has a blog with transition-related news, information, ideas and opinions.

Families can help a student envision the future and start to see how to get there through conversations at home. There are a variety of tools available to aid this process, including:

Informing Families offers LifeCourse: High School Transition Toolkit, available for download in English and Spanish.

Graduation Requirements

To earn a high-school diploma in Washington State, students must:

The graduation standards for a student eligible for special education are the same as for other students. In our state, a district’s flexibility in determining which students meet those requirements comes from the Washington Administrative Code (WAC 180-51-115). Each school district has its own policy, and families can request a copy.

Each school district determines the precise guidelines for students to meet the requirements of the High School and Beyond Plan, and some schools use tools with different names. A good way to participate in making sure your student has a robust plan is to become familiar with the state-recommended format and then compare this tool to your school’s requirements and the student’s specific IEP programming.

A student remains eligible for special education until graduation requirements are met, and the student has earned a high school diploma (WAC 392-172A-02000), or until age 22. The student’s IEP team determines the student’s graduation plan, including the planned graduation date.

Students with disabilities seeking a diploma through General Educational Development (GED) testing may be eligible for testing accommodations. A website called Essential Education lists disability conditions that may qualify a person for testing supports.

In the meantime, a student can participate in commencement ceremonies at the end of a traditional senior year, with peers, under a Washington provision called Kevin’s Law. Families may want to plan well in advance with school staff to consider how senior year events are accessible to youth with disabilities. Plan early for needed accommodations at senior year events.

Agencies that Can Help with Transition Planning

Washington State’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) provides services for high-school students engaged in transition planning as well as adults seeking employment. Each school is assigned a DVR counselor to assist with pre-employment training. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provides a list of school DVR counselors, including their names and phone numbers. Youth and families may also receive pre-employment counseling through an Apple Health (Medicaid) program called Foundational Community Supports.

DVR’s website includes a section with information about Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TVR), which is available for people with tribal affiliations in some areas of the state. Each TVR program operates independently. Note that some TVR programs list service areas by county, but that sovereign lands are not bound by county lines. Contact each agency for complete information about program access, service area, and eligibility.

Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY) provides services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. This statewide resource supports all deaf and hard of hearing students in Washington, regardless of where they live or attend school.

Washington’s Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) provides services for individuals who are blind or living with low vision. Youth services, Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), Vocational Rehabilitation, Business Enterprise Program, mobility, and other independent-living skills are served by DSB.

Developmental Disabilities Community Services (DDCS, formerly the Department of Developmental Disabilities or DDA) also has a variety of school-to-work and waiver programs that support youth. PAVE offers a video to support families through the DDCS eligibility process. An article gives further detail: How to Prepare for a DDA Assessment.

Not all youth with disabilities are able to access employment-related services through DVR, TVR, DSB, or DDCS. A limited additional option is Goodwill’s Digital Work Opportunity Center. Students can take classes at their own pace for skills development. Employment skills, workplace readiness, interviewing skills, and more, are part of the training materials.

Transition Planning Timeline

Check these milestones to ensure high school paves a pathway for young adult success and achievement:

Ages 13-14: Student begins a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) in middle school.

Ages 15-16: IEP includes a transition plan aligned with the HSBP. The student is a member of the IEP team, which plans a pathway toward a diploma and target graduation date.

Age 16: Get a state identification card. Consider Pre-Employment Transition Services from DVR/TVR/DSB or School-to-Work planning with DDCS.

Ages 17-18: Coursework, IEP, HSBP, DDA/DVR/TVR all support student’s life goals and progress toward a diploma.

Age 18: Register to vote! Participate in commencement and senior year activities, regardless of when the diploma is earned.

Ages 18-19: Student may continue education in a high school transition program.

Ages 20-21: Student earns a diploma. They may apply for individualized employment support from DVR/TVR/DSB or DDA.

High School Transition Timeline (English)

Download the Transition Planning Timeline
English

When a Student Turns 18

A student takes charge of educational planning and programming at the Age of Majority, which is 18 in Washington. According to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC 392-172A-03090), “Beginning not later than one year before the student reaches the age of 18, the IEP must include a statement that the student has been informed of the student’s rights under the act, if any, that will transfer to the student on reaching the age of majority.”

When a person 18 or older has a disability, family members may want to stay involved in helping them make decisions. They have a few options if they wish to continue to have rights to participate in their child’s education:

  1. The student can choose to include “other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student” on the IEP team (WAC 392-172A-03095).
  2. Supported Decision Making (SDM) is a voluntary option that allows adults with disabilities to choose trusted supporters while retaining their legal rights. Washington law (Revised Code of Washington, RCW 11.130) includes SDM as an option under the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and Other Protective Arrangements Act.
  3. More formal options, which may involve legal actions on the part of the family include Adult Guardianship and Conservatorship, Informed Consent (medical), Power of Attorney, and several options for handling finances.

Families should clearly understand what roles and powers parents will retain under any arrangement with the school. Without guardianship or Power of Attorney, the student will need to sign consent for parents to attend meetings, participate in decision-making, and access records.

For youth who struggle with behavioral health, transitions can trigger some additional challenges. These resources may provide some helpful tips:

Student Rights after High School

An IEP ends when a student leaves secondary education. However, the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are ongoing throughout the lifespan.

These laws provide for appropriate accommodations in public programs and facilities. The IEP accommodations page or Section 504 Plan may be shared with colleges, training programs, or employers to help ensure these protections continue. The disability services office at institutions for higher learning includes a staff member responsible for ensuring that disability rights are upheld. PAVE’s College Readiness Workbook includes articles, tools, and worksheets to help students prepare for college, understand disability supports, and request accommodations.

Graduation’s over: Why is school calling?

Schools are responsible for tracking the outcomes of their special education services. They need to ask about a graduate’s life after High School to do so. Here’s an article to help families get ready to talk about how things are going: The School Might Call to Ask About a Young Adult’s Experience After High School: Here’s Help to Prepare

Benefits Planning and Adult Services

A consideration for many families of a youth with disabilities is whether lifelong benefits are needed. Applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) just past the young person’s 18th birthday creates a pathway toward a cash benefit and enables the young person to access Medicaid (public health insurance) and various programs that depend on Medicaid eligibility.

The Washington Initiative for Supported Employment (WISE) provides benefit planning information and resources.

Explore Related Tools and Resources

PAVE offers a training video to help you understand the transition process, Life After High School: Tools for Transition, also available in Spanish (La Vida Después de la Preparatoria – Herramientas para la Transición).

PAVE provides a printable Planning My Path Toolkit for youth and young adults that includes:

Students experiencing disabilities can get personalized support from PAVE by filling out a Support Request or call 1-800-572-7368.

Respite Offers a Break for Caregivers and Those They Support

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

Respite offers a short-term break for caregivers and those they support. This article provides information and resources to get started seeking respite services. Resources and links include sources of respite in WA State.

A Brief Overview

  • Respite offers a short-term break for caregivers and those they support. This article provides information and resources to get started seeking respite services. Resources and links include sources of respite in WA State.
  • Pathways to Respite, an online booklet published by several Washington agencies, provides further guidance. The guidebook defines caregiver stress and explains why breaks are critical to everyone’s well-being.
  • The ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center provides a free, downloadable 17-page guidebook, ABCs of Respite: A Consumer Guide for Family Caregivers. ARCH stands for Access to Respite Care and Help.
  • Lifespan Respite Washington, a program of PAVE, offers vouchers to help fund respite care.
  • Veteran’s families may qualify for respite through the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC), operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Introduction

“Putting the needs of everyone else before your own may solve an immediate stress; however, in the long-term, it can lead to increased anxiety, frustration, overwhelming feelings, resentment, depression, burnout, and even illness. Whether you think of yourself as a caregiver or not, these are all signs of caregiver stress.”

Modern families come in many styles. Primary caregivers may be parents or spouses or adult children, and they might be other relatives (kinship providers), friends, or neighbors. “Care recipient” is a term for anyone who requires assistance for daily living. “Caregiver” refers to anyone who provides regular assistance to a child or adult with chronic or disabling conditions.

Time apart can boost well-being for all: While caregivers temporarily shift their focus to self-care, care recipients have time to meet new people and explore new interests.

Finding an appropriate respite service and organizing payment can feel challenging. This article offers guidance to simplify the steps.

Check standards and safety measures

When researching a respite agency, caregivers can check whether the agency meets standards and follows appropriate safety measures.

Lifespan Respite Washington provides a checklist with questions to think about. Here are a few examples:

  • How are the workers chosen and trained?
  • Can the respite worker give medicine or help with medical tasks?
  • If the provider will be driving the care recipient, do they have a valid driver’s license? Is the company insured to have their workers do that?
  • How are emergencies and problems handled?

Registered, publicly funded respite providers need to meet certain standards and qualifications, including background checks and training. The public agency that pays for the service is responsible to track and share information about those procedures and quality measures. If respite is paid for by private medical or long-term care insurance, providers must meet the insurance company’s standards. Caregivers can ask an insurance company representative to explain the standards and how the insurance company makes sure the standards are followed.

Another helpful resource: the ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center provides a free, downloadable 17-page guidebook, ABCs of Respite: A Consumer Guide for Family Caregivers. ARCH stands for Access to Respite Care and Help.

What respite services would be most helpful?

Respite includes a broad range of services. Some organizations offer short-term, overnight stays in their facilities and some offer daytime services. Some respite services are delivered in the home, like:

  • personal hygiene care
  • meal preparation
  • light housekeeping
  • companionship, activities, or supervision

Community Living Connections (CLC) has an online tool to help caregivers figure out what type of help they may want or need.

Washington’s Pathways to Respite booklet includes “fill-in-the-blanks” tools to help define needs, like these examples:

“I would like to take a break, but I am concerned that___________” and “If I had some time to myself, I would _____________.”

Pathways to Respite was developed by Informing Families, a resource of the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council, in partnership with the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Administration, Aging & Long-Term Support Administration, and PAVE, which administers Lifespan Respite WA.

Ways to pay for respite and find respite providers

If a family will pay directly for respite services, they can find respite providers online. Here are some ideas to start a search:

  • “Adult Day Services Washington State”
  • “After-school programs children with special health care needs Washington State”
  • “In-home care agencies near me”

Another way to find a respite provider is to connect to a website managed by SEIU 775:  The Service Employees International Union is for independent service providers who have a collective bargaining agreement with Washington state’s Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS). This is one way to find an independent respite worker (usually for in-home care) that meets WA State qualifications for the work.

Care.com is a private, online service connecting respite or personal care workers with potential care recipients and their families. Families are on their own to follow up on an individual worker’s qualifications, references, and background, although some listings will show someone has passed a background check.

If a care recipient is eligible for respite through private medical insurance, the insurance company will list approved providers or caregivers may call their insurance company representative.

Publicly funded respite programs also have lists of registered providers. Family caregivers who have respite funding through Medicaid or the Developmental Disabilities Community Services (DDCS) can use CarinaCare.com, an online tool to connect individuals with providers. A Who’s Who page describes the provider’s qualifications.

Lifespan Respite WA vouchers can help fund respite services

Lifespan Respite WA provides information about how to apply for a voucher. Vouchers are “mini-grants” for unpaid caregivers supporting a family member, friend or neighbor who has a special need or condition. The vouchers, up to $1,000 per qualifying household, can be used with any of the registered Lifespan Respite Providers listed on their website.

To qualify, the caregiver or care recipient can not be enrolled in a Medicaid respite or personal care program through DDCS (formerly DDA). (Exceptions are made for people on a waiting list and not scheduled to get respite services within 30 days of applying for a Lifespan voucher.) Additionally, a caregiver must:

  • Not be paid to care for the care recipient
  • Give 40 or more hours a week of care
  • Not get respite from any other program
  • Live in Washington State
  • Can’t afford to pay privately for respite care

Who qualifies for free or low-cost respite care?

In Washington State, eligibility for free or low-cost respite services may depend on a person’s circumstances or the category of disability.

  • Seniors and Adults with Disabilities
    • Seniors 65 and older who meet functional and financial eligibility can get a variety of services through Department of Social and Health Services Home and Community Services Administration (HCSA).
    • Unpaid caregivers of adults 55 and older who meet functional and financial eligibility can get respite care and other needed support services like caregiver education, support groups, housework and errands and other services.
    • The easiest way to learn about services and eligibility is to contact the county or regional Area Agency on Aging, which administers many of HCSA’s services. They are also listed at Washington’s Community Living Connections/waclc.org.
  • People with Developmental Disabilities (All Ages) and Children with Disabilities
    • Children and adults with developmental disabilities who meet eligibility criteria for Developmental Disabilities Community Services (DDCS) might get respite, personal care, assistive technology, community engagement support, and other services provided through Home and Community-Based Services and Community First Choice (CFC).
    • Children with disabilities who are not DDA eligible may still get CFC through DDA.

How to apply:

Foster care respite

Respite care is available for foster parents licensed by the Division of Licensed Resources (DLR), a Tribal agency, or a Child Placing Agency (CPA). Unlicensed relative caregivers or those determined to be “suitable person placements” also can get respite, as can caregivers assigned by the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) or a Washington Tribe. 

Child Specific Respite (CSR) is linked directly to the medical, behavioral, or special needs of an individual child. CSR authorizes respite relief to families providing care to a child placed by DCYF on a case-by-case basis, consistent with the written service plan for the child.

Veterans and Military Family Caregivers

Veteran’s families may qualify for respite through the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC), operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. PCAFC offers up to 30 hours of respite: Program options, eligibility and the application process are described in a downloadable booklet published Oct. 1, 2020.

Active-duty military and Activated Reserve or National Guard family caregivers may be eligible for respite care through TRICARE, the military healthcare system. Here are resources for military family caregivers:

  • Respite care for primary caregivers of service members injured in the line of duty can be found on the TRICARE website.
  • Extended Care Health Option (ECHO) can be a respite resource for caregivers of non-military family members.
  • Some installations have respite funding available when the care recipient is enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program.
  • Coast Guard family caregivers have the Special Needs Program which may offer respite or funding for respite:
  • Coast Guard Mutual Assistance has Respite Care Grants available for eligible Coast Guard clients who have responsibility 24 hours per day to care for an ill or disabled family member who lives in the same household.