Children with disabilities transition to adulthood in as many different ways as they are unique, each with their own goals, talents, and challenges. Whether your teen already has specific goals for their future or you want to help them explore their options, there are a variety of ways in California for kids with disabilities to further their education and/or begin working after high school.
Here are the most important steps to help your child prepare for the transition to adulthood at age 18.
The school district is responsible for coordinating most transition services, including day programs and vocational training, until a student graduates from high school or turns age 22. (Students who obtain a certificate of completion or a Section 51225.31 alternative pathway diploma can still receive school services until age 22). Once an individual leaves the school district, the responsibility shifts to Regional Center for providing day programs, vocational programs, etc.
While your child is a high school student, the school will work with you to coordinate transition services through a process called an Individualized Transition Plan (ITP).
Creating an Individualized Transition Plan is part of the IEP process and a great opportunity to begin building a road map for your child’s transition by identifying programs, resources, and services that your child is interested in.
Under the California Education Code, the school district is required to initiate formal transition planning no later than a student’s 16th birthday, but families can ask for this process to begin as early as eighth grade.
Through the ITP, you and your child together with your IEP team will explore your child’s interests, strengths, support needs, and future goals so that you can plan how to work toward those goals. To learn about what the ITP entails, how to start the process, and which resources to check out, read our article Individual Transition Plan 101.
Some students with disabilities earn their high school diploma and go on to earn a traditional two- or four-year degree from the college or university. In college, creating a supportive and inclusive academic environment is paramount for students with disabilities. Check out our list of college accommodations for students with disabilities here!
In the last ten years, there has been a real shift in post-secondary programs for students with disabilities who require academic, social-emotional, and other supports that extend beyond what is typically offered at two- and four-year institutions.
There are more post-secondary options throughout California for students with an intellectual or developmental disability to prepare them for employment. For a deep dive into the types of programs available and how to find the right fit, see our article about college for students with intellectual disabilities. If college isn’t the right fit, another option is trade or vocational school, which can offer focused, career-driven education full of opportunities. Check out this article to learn more about how students with disabilities can apply to and attend trade school, including a few scholarship opportunities.
To help students plan for their future, some schools offer partnership programs through contracts with the Department of Rehabilitation while others have created their own career-related exploration course or curriculum, including Workability programs (note that some Workability programs can start as early as age 14).
Many Regional Centers offer resource fairs and/or career fairs in the spring. These fairs can be very useful to families when their child is in their early-to-mid high school years as they showcase many of the resources, programs, and services that are available. Exploring the options early will allow your child to visit the programs they are interested in with plenty of time to prepare and make decisions.
Work training programs run the gamut from trade-specific training to targeted skills such as resume building and computer skills. Many vendors offer supported employment services that provide ongoing coaching to support permanent, paid positions. Specific trades can be explored in areas like culinary arts or retail; other companies cater to budding artists by marketing, selling, and commissioning artwork. Many job training programs in packaging and manufacturing can lead to employment at the same site. These are often through a formal apprenticeship program, a PIP (Paid Internship Program), a college setting, and/or a worksource center like America’s Job Centers of California (AJCC) or the Employment Development Department (EDD).
In this clip, special education advocate (and owner of KnowIEPs) Dr. Sarah Pelangka, BCBA-D, highlights the importance of making sure that the program your student is interested in is the right fit for them:
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
You can also see the Job Accommodation Network and Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) for more information about accommodations provided in the workplace.
The school district is still primarily responsible for servicing students aged 18-22 who have a certificate of completion or a diploma earned through the alternative pathway.
Larger school districts such as LAUSD may have a variety of programs for you to choose from. Smaller school districts may only have one Adult Transition program (for example, Manhattan Beach Unified’s Choice program) or may share a program with their SELPA. You do not have to accept a one-size-fits-all approach. Talk to your IEP team about other options such as participating in vocational training at a Regional Occupational Center or taking a community college class with the school district supports. Your school district may contract with other agencies such as ICAN or New Horizons to provide job coaching and independent living skills.
The focus during the 18-22-year-old adult transition program is typically on daily living skills and on employment. Most programs offer a supported workplace experience and transportation training. However, there is nothing to say that the school should not continue to educate on basic academic skills such as reading, writing, and math. For more about this topic, stay tuned for our upcoming article on school district adult transition programs for 18-22-year-olds.
Note that Regional Center may not be able to offer supports such as job coaching or a day program until you have exhausted the generic support offered by the school district.
The transition to adulthood is a team effort that requires the coordination of services from multiple agencies, including your child’s school district, Regional Center, Medi-Cal, Social Security, and the Department of Rehabilitation. For some families, this may also include services from the Employment Development Department, America’s Job Centers of California, Medicare, and/or In-Home Supportive Services.
Regional Center can provide or coordinate independent living skills training, personal assistance, supportive housing, adult day programs, work opportunities, tailored services, and more. Some Regional Centers will transfer a child to a new transition-focused service coordinator when they turn 14 in preparation for the transition to adulthood.
Keep in mind that Regional Center is generally the payor of last resort, which means that families are expected to utilize generic resources before Regional Center will fund those services. Generic resources include agencies that have a legal responsibility to serve the general public and receive public funds for providing those services.
The eligibility criteria for many public benefits programs is different for adults than for minors, so once your child is 18, help them apply for benefits such as SSI, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and In-Home Supportive Services. If your child already receives Medi-Cal and IHSS, note that their eligibility and services will be based on different criteria after age 18.
Learn more details about public benefits in the transition to adulthood here.
In addition to programs offered by Regional Center, there are a variety of community-based activities that can fill a young adult’s life with learning, enrichment, increased independence, community outings, life skills training, and socializing. Some examples local to Los Angeles include Best Buddies Living, the Exceptional Children’s Foundation, Giant Steps, and New Horizons. Many of these programs reinforce daily living skills that are essential to living as independently as possible, and some, like Able Arts Work, focus on self-enrichment and the arts.
Stay tuned for a future article with more resources on this topic!
In many ways, we are preparing our kids to be adults from the moment they are born. As the age of majority approaches, parents begin to step back and allow our children to do more and decide more independently. Teens with developmental and intellectual disabilities need to practice independence gradually in the years before their 18th birthday.
Although our children become legal adults at age 18, we want to continue to provide support with their life decisions, especially when it comes to important medical, financial, and educational matters. Many parents are able to support their loved ones while helping them develop independence by using supported decision-making, sometimes in combination with other legal documents such as a power of attorney, court authorization of medical treatment, representative payee, trusts, use of facilitators to assist in decision-making, and advocacy training. You can read more about supported decision-making here.
The system of conservatorship (or guardianship in other states) is intended as a last resort for adults who need significant support making decisions about their finances, medical care, housing, or other legal matters. Our article about limited and full conservatorships in California goes into much more detail.
Whether parents encourage their young adult’s autonomy through informal supported decision-making or they establish formal documents for the process, it’s important to follow the principles of person-centered planning. To make a person-centered plan means to focus on the whole person and their desires, interests, preferences, and dreams. It means to begin with the individual’s vision of themselves in the future, bringing together the various people and organizations involved in their life, and working together to help bring that vision to reality.
Here is a list of other community organizations that can help support you and your teen as they transition to adulthood:
What questions do you still have about preparing your teen for life after high school? We’re continually updating and expanding our content on this topic, so let us know how we can help!
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