PACER Center
952-838-9000
Champions for Children with Disabilities
Project C3: Connecting Youth to Communities and Careers
Project C3 is a Project of PACER Center in cooperation with Pathways to Employment, Minnesota Department of Human Services, Minnesota Department of education, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, and various state and local youth serving agencies.
Minnesota families can call Project C3 staff for individual assistance, referrals, and advocacy services as they work with agencies and professionals. Call (952) 838-9000 or (800) 537-2237 (Greater Minnesota) or (952) 838-0190 (TTY).
Check out Project C3's exciting new web site at
www.c3online.org!
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Interagency Collaboration and Transition
"Collaboration is a way of thinking and relating, a philosophy, a paradigm shift, an attitude change. It requires a set of behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, and values. The result is a sense of shared ownership, shared responsibility, shared success."
-Bishop, K.K. (1993) Family/Professional Collaboration for Children with Special Health Needs and Their Families (Monograph), Burlington, Vermont: Department of Social Work, University of Vermont, pg. 11-12.
As parents anticipate the transition of their student with disabilities from school programs to adult services they are faced with significant challenges. In order to accomplish the complex planning and successful outcomes desired, effective collaboration between parents and professionals is essential.
"No one can do it alone. Improving the quality of life and the education of children with disabilities and their families requires the collective knowledge, skills, experience and expertise of all family members and professionals. It requires that the community and all service systems work together to achieve the goals of the child and family."
-IBid.
What is Collaboration?
An adaptation of a working definition of collaboration is "a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more [individuals or] organizations to achieve common goals. The relationship includes a commitment to: a definition of mutual relationships and goals; a jointly developed structure and shared responsibility; mutual authority and accountability for success; and sharing of resources and rewards." This definition establishes the premise from which successful collaborative relationships in transition planning can begin.
"Collaboration involves parent and professional, professional and child, parent and parent, professional and professional, agency and parent, federal and state administrators, and others. Collaboration will not look the same for all families and professionals. Some collaborative relationships will be simple to develop, others will be much more complex and demanding. Collaboration must be developed between and among all of us."
-Mattessich, P. and Money, B. (1992). Collaboration: What Makes It Work, p.7.
What is Transition?
Transition simply defined, is "passage from one state to another." It is change. It is movement. Throughout life there are many transitions ~ the movement of young people with disabilities from school to the adult community is one of the most important transitions in their lives.
Transition as defined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA Amended 1990, P.L. 101-476) and the Rehabilitation Act Amendments (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1992, P.L. 102-569) is:
"A coordinated set of activities for a student, designed within an outcome-oriented process, which promotes movement from school to post-school activities..."
The coordinated set of services included in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) should be based on the student's needs, interests and preferences and might include, but not be limited to the following services:
- post-secondary education
- vocational training
- integrated employment
- adult services
- independent living
- community participation
Why is Collaboration Important in Transition?
"The reason I want to collaborate is because I want something for my daughter that otherwise would simply not happen. There's no way I'm going to be able to accomplish for her the kind of future she wants for herself and that I want for her without some really powerful partners."
-Janet Vohs, Parent
Transition services and transition planning began as one of the many ideas for increasing the quality of life for young adults with disabilities. Today, transition from school to adult services is more than a nice idea, it is a requirement of the law! The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that transition services be included in every student's IEP. This requirement includes, when appropriate, a statement about how agencies will work together to provide needed services after the student leaves the school setting. The foundation of the plan needs to be a coordinated effort among the student, parents, schools, adult service providers to achieve a desirable future for the individual.
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
-John Scully, Odyssey, 1987
Parents of students with disabilities have had to call upon creative resources throughout the life of their child. "Inventing the future" usually requires that parents, their student and planning team members look beyond "the systems," beyond conventional answers and requires them to consider anything that works.
For many students, the school has been the primary provider of services. When a student leaves school, needs and issues often change. Assistance and support from multiple agencies, organizations and providers may now be required. Eligibility may need to be determined for services that were mandated before.
When Do We Collaborate for Transition Planning?
The transition plan is the part of the IEP that outlines what training and supports a student will need to live, work and participate in the community as an adult. The transition plan should be part of the IEP as soon as appropriate based on individual needs, but must be included when the student is 16 years old. The transition plan becomes part of the IEP. The purpose of the meeting between collaborating members of the IEP team should be to:
- determine the needs of the student
- target the services available
- develop a formal transition plan
- monitor the performance of the student
- provide education and training for parents
Who Should Collaborate During Transition Planning?
Transition plans are most effective when they are developed by many people working together. Members of the planning team could be:
- the student
- parents
- family members
- special educators
- vocational rehabilitation counselors
- independent living counselors
- other adult service providers
- anyone else who can provide information or support
How Do Team Members Collaborate in Transition Planning?
Team members might collaborate as previously defined by coming together to:
- communicate and decide how to work together (relationship and structure);
- consider needs, interests and preferences of the student as well as input from the parents in determining and agreeing to goals that will be worked on (mutual goals);
- include the student, parents and those who can represent the various agencies, organizations, providers or others who can assist in providing support and/or services that are needed to accomplish the goals and objectives of the plan (responsibilities and accountability for success);
- share resources, knowledge, unique experience and expertise;
- benefit from successful outcomes (shared rewards).
As partners in an vital planning process, parents need effective interagency collaboration between the many agencies and providers of adult services to ensure a "seamless transition." As transition planning team members share dreams and a vision for the future, generate ideas, explore options, develop and implement a plan, and effectively follow-through, successful outcomes will be achieved for students with disabilities as they transition into the adult community.
The above information was prepared for the Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act (TATRA) Project in 1997 by the Education Transition Choices (ETC) Project of the Utah Parent Center. The ETC Project was funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) and received support from the TATRA Project to share its expertise on interagency collaboration with other RSA funded parent training projects.
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