Tag: TVR

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.

Native Americans with Disabilities in Washington State may be eligible for Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Posted on by Nicol Walsh

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) is a service provided to help someone with a disability get ready for work, access a job, maintain a job, and more. The right to VR services is guaranteed under federal law, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which grew from regulations in place since the Smith-Fess Act of 1920 established the first employment protections for people with disabilities.

The right to Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation (TVR) is newer and offers an option for some people who are members of a federally or state-recognized Native American Tribe.

Washington State’s Department of Services for the Blind (DSB), which offers VR to individuals who are blind or visually impaired, maintains a website page to help people find and contact Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Organizations in many regions of Washington State.

Washington’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) also maintains a website page to help clients find information about Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Programs.

TVR provides culturally supportive services

Tribal VR can provide services that are culturally supportive. Federal law (34 CFR, Subsection 371.41) allows AIVRS projects to include “expenditures for services reflecting the cultural background of the American Indians being served, including treatment provided by native healing practitioners who are recognized as such by the tribal vocational rehabilitation program when the services are necessary to assist an individual with disabilities to achieve his or her vocational rehabilitation objective.”

Christopher Zilar, who directs the Spokane Tribe Vocational Rehabilitation Program, provided information for this article. He shares an experience to help spread understanding about what cultural awareness can look like:

“In one case, a client felt the need for healing for his addiction to alcohol. His TVR counselor was able to set him up with a locally known spiritual healer. The counselor was able to provide smudge. Lastly, when the client asked the counselor to pray with him, the counselor was able to do so. This was a perfectly acceptable approach to helping the client stay on track with his employment goal, and yet not something one would experience in a traditional DVR setting.”

Washington is a leader in providing TVR Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation was not built into federal disability protections until 1992, when a section of the Rehabilitation Act was amended to establish American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS), which serves 91 programs in 25 states. The states with the most AIVRS programs are Alaska (12), Washington State (11), and Oklahoma (10). For a United States map and further information, visit aivrttac.org.

Below is a map that shows many of the tribes in Washington State. Of 574 federally recognized tribes, 29 are in WA State. Many of the state’s larger tribes have their own VR programs, and some smaller tribes belong to a cooperative of tribes that serve a sizeable area. Many AIVRS projects will serve members of any federally or state-recognized tribe.

List of Indian reservations in Washington

Historical Note: The long process that resulted in the establishment of AIVRS began in 1972, when Navajo Nation requested funds and authority from Arizona State Department of Labor to provide VR services to their tribal members.

As part of federal disability rights and protections, AIVRS programs now function much like state-run VR programs. Eligible participants build a plan for employment, and VR services are individualized to meet the person’s interests, strengths, and goals.

Here are a few unique aspects of AIVRS:

  • State-run programs, such as Washington’s DVR, are guaranteed funding and federal dollars fluctuate based on the state’s population. AIVRS projects must apply for five-year federal grants, and dollars are awarded for the grant period based on the application. An AIVRS project must re-apply every five years and is not guaranteed a grant.
  • Unlike programs that are contained within state borders, AIVRS projects may define their own service areas that consider reservation boundaries and/or ancestral lands. Service areas may overlap and clients living in areas where programs overlap may be served by overlapping programs. 
  • AIVRS projects only serve American Indians who are members of a federal or state recognized tribe.

TVR is unlikely to put you on a wait list

Order of Selection refers to a waiting list that goes into effect when there aren’t enough VR resources to meet the need. Washington’s DVR often operates with an Order of Selection process, which organizes applicants based on the severity of their disability condition and when they applied.  

Order of Selection is extremely rare among AIVRS projects, with no AIVRS projects in Washington State operating with a waiting list in Summer 2022. Tribal clients waiting for services from state agencies can request help from AIVRS, and professionals working for the state also can refer tribal clients to AIVRS.

Cultural awareness is key

The impetus for Navajo Nation to begin their own project 50 years ago remains the same for many today. AIVRS project counselors often live and/or work on the reservation. They understand the public transportation challenges their clients face. They know the local entertainment, shopping, social service, and employment opportunities that are available to their clients. Most importantly, they have a better idea of what cultural needs their clients might have.

For example, one TVR specialist recalls an appointment he supported for a Native client when an uninformed VR counselor attempted to show respect by discussing the local Pow Wow and said, “I really love the costumes you wear during the dances.”

The AIVRS counselor was able to correct the error and support the Native client by clarifying that Native Americans dance attire is not a costume: “What they wear is sacred, admired, maybe passed down through many generations. We call them regalia.” 

To learn more about Tribal rights under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, search for “Tribal” throughout a downloadable transcript of the law.