Youth Transition Toolkit:

1
Youth Transition Toolkit A guide for young
people with disabilities transitioning to
adulthood
Rachel Stewart, Youth Program Manager
2
Overview

• Personal and Project Background
• Youth Transition Toolkit website design and
  features
• Contents
• Topics covered
• Lesson Plans and Activities
• Demonstration of website

3
My Personal Background

• Born with spinal muscular atrophy, used a
  wheelchair since the age of 5
• Use personal care assistance
• Transitioned to living independently for college
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medi-Cal, and
  In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
• Ready to transition into the workforce -- SSI as
  an employment support vs. poverty trap
• Work incentive programs
• Resources are out there to help, but theyre hard
  to find if you dont know where to look

4

• Funded by a Medicaid Infrastructure Grant (MIG)
  from the federal Centers for Medicare and
  Medicaid Services (CMS) administered by San
  Diego State Universitys Interwork Institute.
• Overall goal increase employment of youth and
  adults with disabilities
• Numerous projects geared towards youth with
  disabilities
• Goal of empowering youth, developing
  self-advocacy skills, and providing access to
  information and resources
• Partner with a variety of state departments and
  non-profit organizations

5
Things are About to Change Video

• Youth with disabilities telling their transition
  stories, and giving tips on avoiding pitfalls
• Helping you to realize whats possible!
• Sneak preview

6
Youth Transition Toolkit Website

• www.TKNLyouth.info
• Website Development and Refinement
• Subject matter experts
• Communities of Practice, CA Dept. of Ed, School
  District Personnel, Transition Alliance
• Dept. of Rehabilitation
• CA Foundation for Independent Living Centers and
  State Independent Living Council
• Youth with disabilities Nothing about us,
  without us!
• Content is designed to EMPOWER YOUTH
• Target audience is YOUTH! ages 12-28
• Tips for Parents
• Information relevant to teachers, transition
  specialists, and service providers

7
Youth Transition Toolkit Website

• Chapters include
• Education
• Independent Living
• Employment
• Finances
• Healthcare
• Social/Recreation
• HTML website pages and downloadable PDFs of each
  chapter and worksheet

8
Education Chapter

• Empowering youth while in high school
• Person-centered transition planning, leading your
  own IEP/ITP, etc.
• Information to assist in the transition to
  Post-secondary education community college,
  4-year university, or vocational school
• Understanding the differences between high school
  and college
• Information on financial aid and scholarships

9
Independent Living Chapter

• Background on disability history, independent
  living movement
• Information on housing, transportation, and
  personal assistance services
• Worksheets to help you set goals for your future
  and checklists to ensure preparation for
  independence

10
Employment Chapter

• Career planning - Choosing a career and job
  search resources
• The impact of employment on benefits
• Disability benefits 101 website
• Job accommodations and disability disclosure
• Tips on resume writing and successful
  interviewing techniques  
• Building work experience, including volunteerism
  and internship programs  
• Personal assistant services at work

11
Finances Chapter

• Tips on money management, including
• basic budgeting
• balancing a checkbook
• paying bills
• tracking your spending
• opening up a bank account
• Credit cards and how to avoid getting into debt
• Worksheets on financial planning and budgeting

12
Healthcare Chapter

• Keeping track of medications, making doctors
  appointments and communicating with your doctor
• Insurance information, including Medi-Cal,
  healthcare through employment and continuance of
  coverage under the familys plan
• Worksheets on handling your own healthcare needs
• Tips for your parents on how they can empower you
  to start handling your own health-related needs

13
Social/Recreation Chapter

• Clubs/activities specifically designed for youth
  with disabilities
• Youth Organizing (YO!) Disabled and Proud Program
• Youth Leadership Forum (YLF)
• People First
• Adaptive sports programs
• Ways to become more involved in your community
• Tips on traveling with a mobility impairment

14
Pilot Sites

• 25 Pilot Sites!
• High Schools/districts
• Includes Workability I, Transition Partnership
  Programs, and special education/adult transition
  programs
• College 2 Career Program
• Independent Living Center
• Family Empowerment Center
• Center for Excellence in Developmental
  Disabilities
• Other Community-Based Organizations providing
  transition services

15
Lesson Plans

• Lesson Plan materials are geared towards
  teachers, transition specialists, independent
  living center staff, etc. to help them lead
  transition-related activities
• Main goal of Lesson Plans is to lead activities
  designed to
• Empower youth
• Build self advocacy and self determination skills
• Encourage youth to start thinking about and
  planning for their future
• Lead youth to www.tknlyouth.info to find
  additional resources which can help successfully
  transition into adult life

16
Lesson Plans

• All materials located in the secure section of
  the Youth Transition Toolkit website currently
  will only be available to pilot sites
• Will be available to anyone by the middle of 2012
• Complete flexibility in how facilitators/teachers
  choose to use lesson plans
• Lead only certain activities or lesson plan
  chapters
• Modify activities

17
Lesson Plans

• Lesson Plan Overview
• Comprehensive summary and instructions on the
  lesson plans and tips for how to enhance
  activities (i.e. inviting guest speakers, showing
  video)
• Workshop Planning Tips
• Guide for community-based organizations on how to
  organize workshops information on
• Participant recruitment strategies
• Tips for success finding a youth co-facilitator,
  providing food, assisting with transportation,
  accessible venues, etc.

18
Education Lesson Plan Activities

• The Futures Wide Open...
• Filling out worksheets to prepare youth for
  leading their own IEP/transition planning meeting
  
• Planning For College
• Learning about university and community college
  supports, preparing for the transition to college
  and requesting accommodations
• Expanding My (Training) Horizons
• Researching vocational training options other
  than a traditional college setting, including
  ROP, trade schools, internships, and volunteerism

19
Independent Living Lesson Plan Activities

• The Untold History
• Presentation on disability history (including
  the independent living and disability rights
  movements) and discussion of additional advocacy
  efforts
• Models of Disability
• Understanding the difference between the medical
  and social models of disability and how these
  impact how we perceive disability
• Thinking About Disability
• Thinking about how disability has impacted their
  life (both positively and negatively) and
  learning about disability as a shared experience

20
Independent Living Lesson Plan Activities, Cont.

• Setting Goals
• Learning about different programs and services to
  assist with gaining independence (regional center
  ILS, IHSS, Independent Living Centers, etc.), and
  setting goals/next steps to transition into
  living independently

21
Employment Lesson Plan Activities

• Connecting the Dots
• Brainstorming personal barriers to employment,
  and learning about services which can help break
  down some of these barriers (i.e. Department of
  Rehabilitation, Regional Centers, One-Stop Career
  Centers)
• Employment Rights!
• Presentation on employment and anti-discrimination
  laws personal planning related to disability
  disclosure and requesting accommodations
• Resume Writing
• Workshop to begin the process of writing a resume
  and learning about different resume styles

22
Finances Lesson Plan Activities

• Money Smart for Young Adults Curriculum
• Flexible FREE curriculum designed by the FDIC to
  help youth learn the basics around money
  management
• Disability Benefits 101 Planning your Future
• Learning how to navigate the Disability Benefits
  101 website
• Work Incentive Programs Working it!
• Understanding basic information about Social
  Security cash benefit programs and how these
  programs interact with paid employment

23
Website and Lesson Plans Demonstration

• www.tknlyouth.info

24
Contact information

• For questions or to request information on lesson
  plan activities/materials contact
• Rachel Stewart, Youth Program Manager
• 916-319-8519
• rstewart_at_interwork.sdsu.edu