Special Education and the Transition to Post-Secondary Life
by
Joseph C. Maya on Apr. 05, 2017
Other Education Criminal Juvenile Law Civil & Human Rights Civil Rights
Summary: Blog post on the process of transitioning special education students to life after public school.
If you have a question or concern about special education law, school administration, federal standards, or the overall rights of a student, please feel free to call the expert education law attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. in Westport today at (203) 221-3100 .
Children (people up to and including the age of 21 who have not received a high school diploma) with disabilities that interfere with their educational progress are entitled special education and related services, including transition planning and transition services beyond the age of 18.
When young adults complete their secondary education many continue their education in colleges and universities. Most of those institutions have obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Children with disabilities are entitled to special education and related services, which includes transition services. Significantly, eligible children from the age of 16, or even as early as 14, must be provided with a transition plan and then, transition services, to assist them in moving into post secondary education, training, employment or other post secondary activity. These services can be academic but also may be other kinds of Instruction:
- related services (language therapy, occupational therapy, counseling),
- community experiences,
- the development of employment and other post-school adult living skills (for example, travel training, learning to access community facilities for recreation, social skills training) and
- acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational evaluation. Special Education is not limited to classroom work.
Some school districts routinely exit young adults from special education services when they complete the academic requirements for a high school diploma by conferring the diploma. However, in many cases young adults are entitled to extensive vocational and community integration services from their school districts from the age of 18 to 21. These services are not readily available elsewhere and are not funded by other agencies.
If you have a child with a disability and have questions about special education law, please contact Joseph C. Maya, Esq., at 203-221-3100, or at JMaya@mayalaw.com, to schedule a free consultation.
Source: Transition from High School to Post Secondary Life, Connecticut Legal Rights Project(2010) http://www.clrp.org/legal-issues-we-handle/community-rights/transition-from-high-school-to-post-secondary-life/