P1246341509IaviT

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Determining Transition Plans Charles
history Charles was born with cerebral palsy,
mild mental retardation and visual impairments.
He became completely blind at age 4. Charles is
confined to a wheelchair but can also sit in
regular chairs by pulling himself onto them or by
receiving physical assistance. He can feed
himself, but cannot fix meals, get dressed or get
himself to the toilet without assistance. He
speaks with a severe stutter most of the time and
when under stress his limbs jerk uncontrollably.
He scores at about 65 or 70 on an intelligence
test although those scores may not show his true
ability Planning for Charles future Where will
Charles live when she leaves school? Who should
Charles live with? What day activities could
Charles take part in? What types of services will
Charles need?
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Where will Charles live when he leaves
school? Charles rents a 2-bedroom condo in
Pasadena, a block from Colorado Blvd. After
graduating from school Charles lived in a large
facility for blind/multi-handicapped individuals
but moved out after a year of boredom. From age
12 to age 21 Charles attended The California
School for the Blind in Freemont, CA. He flew up
to school every Sunday night and returned home
for weekend visits on Friday afternoons. Nothing
like those Southwest flight attendants!
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Who should Charles live with? Charles lives
with a roommate/personal care assistant that he
interviewed and chose from numerous applicants.
When his roommate has weekends off, there are
other assistants that take turns being with him.
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What day activities could Charles take part
in? Charles takes music classes at Pasadena City
College, sings in the choir there and also enjoys
individual voice lessons. He enjoys grocery
shopping with his attendant, going for walks in
the neighborhood, hosting his friends for a Bible
study once a week. Charles also is involved in
his local church and attends social events with
the 20-30 year old group. He loves renting
movies, listening to CDs (Jazz, and Oldies are
his favorite), checking out books on tape from
the library and watching The Simpsons. Charles
also has tried water skiing, jet skiing and snow
skiing, and just recently got back from a weekend
in a mountain cabin. He does a wonderful
impression of Bill Clinton.
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What types of services will Charles need? Most
of all Charles needs people to support her and
listen to her. These people are called his
friends. He needs the assistance provided by a
personal care attendants specifically ones that
will not leave him on the toilet for 7 hours!
SSI provides enough for daily expenses, but yet
Charles goal is to secure a job answering
phones. He doesnt stutter when he sings or
speaks on the phone.
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Moral of Charles story If you let other
people plan for your life, it wont be your life
or maybe much of a life! All people can dream
big and make big things happen in their
lives! Self-determination and advocacy makes a
difference!