Special ed forum takes on transition after high school

Serghino René

Preparing for life after high school can be tough for any student. But for special needs students, the process can be especially intimidating and daunting.

That point was underscored during “Special Education: Transition to Adult Service,” a community forum held Monday at Roxbury Community College.

Aimed at parents and those who work with parents of special needs children, the event was sponsored by the NAACP’s Boston branch, Boston Public Schools and Urban PRIDE Inc., three groups that have come together to collaborate on issues that impact special needs students after they leave public school settings.

“It’s really groundbreaking that the NAACP has taken up special education as a civil rights issue because there are more opportunities to make inroads,” said Urban PRIDE Executive Director Dee Spinkton.

What Spinkton calls opportunities, many see as problems. Access to transitional services for education, transportation and various therapies are mandated for special education students. But there are no such guarantees once a child becomes an adult or leaves school. If a person with special needs wants a service after graduation, he or she has to find it and qualify for it.

Panelists included transition specialist Terri McLaughlin of the Federation of Children with Special Needs; James Durant, head of a Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission program that helps young people who need residential services after high school graduation or turning 22 years old; and Janine A. Solomon, a staff attorney at the Massachusetts Disability Law Center.

Together they described the transition process, its value and benefits, and identified resources, laws and support systems available to help families participate and be active in the transition process for their child.

The transition planning includes a combination of supports for education after high school graduation, employment, independent living, services from agencies serving adults, community participation and other activities that focus on the achievements of the individual.

Developing stronger relationships between schools and service agencies has helped to bring transition planning to a greater number of students. But advocates agree that some schools take the task more seriously than others.

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), transition planning is a required part of each person’s individual education program (IEP). The IEP Team determines and documents the need for transition services and works to accomplish this within the IEP framework.

“Transition planning, unfortunately, is not happening as commonly as we’d like in public schools,” said Solomon. “We hope this session lets parents know what their children are entitled to and help them be progressive in seeing that it follows through.”

Panelists stressed that it’s better to start the planning process early because it increases the likelihood of putting together a suitable program. Starting early also helps to ease the anxiety many families experience as graduation approaches.

“Don’t hesitate to find out about this early on,” said McLaughlin. “You want your child to be as prepared as possible so when they exit special education or the public school system, they are ready to live and get involved with work and live independently.”

Ralph Edwards of the Boston branch of the NAACP said that for many special education students, life without ongoing supports can lead to poverty, homelessness, unemployment, incarceration and possibly institutionalization. Providing information is a positive step forward.

“Parents came and got good information about resources that are available to them,” said Edwards. “Parents know that they don’t have to go through it alone because there are other parents dealing with these issues. There are resources available to them to help, and the NAACP is there to support families because this is a civil rights issue for our community.”

Deborah Smith Pressley’s son Garrett is autistic. In 2005, she and her husband Clayton founded the Garrett Pressley Autism Resource Center, which provides recreational opportunities for children with disabilities. After listening to entrepreneur and president of SoulTouchin’ Experiences Keith Jones, an adult living with a disability, speak during the meeting, she realized that there is hope and an opportunity to reach a higher goal for her child.

“What we’re asking for is not an opportunity for our children, but basically demanding an opportunity because our children are citizens of this state and worthy of the opportunities it has to offer,” said Pressley.