2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness: Resonance. Preparing for Life after School Saturday, Breakout Session 10:15-11:45 AM

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1 Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Outreach Programs W. 45 th St. Austin, TX Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness: Resonance Preparing for Life after School Saturday, Breakout Session 10:15-11:45 AM David Wiley, Transition Consultant Texas Deafblind Project Developed for Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs

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3 Preparing for Life after School: Using Organization and Context to Succeed in Transition Planning 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness February 23, 2019 David Wiley, Transition Consultant Texas Deafblind Project, What happens when the school bus quits coming? Full disclosure: I don t know. The answer should be different for each student. Everyone strives for a good quality of life. The details of what makes quality of life is different for each of us, and for each of our children or students. These details may not be clear for some young people, but we should be working to identify them. What does successful student-centered transition planning mean? Here are some words to think about: 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness Preparing for Life After School Wiley, D. 1

4 Student-Centered Planning We may need to support students or graduates with organization tasks related to finding contexts for meaningful life activities involving their interests. Interests Preferences Abilities Personality Connections Passions Meaningful Understanding Purpose Satisfaction Joy Organization Students who are DeafBlind may not be able to organize life activities due to barriers related to: Gathering incidental information Concept development Understanding of community roles Context What things can be done, Where can you do them, and Why would you do them? Unrealistic When is something unrealistic? Sometimes a person labeled unrealistic is more accurately labeled uninformed. Student-Centered Planning We may need to support students or graduates with organization skills related to finding contexts for meaningful life activities involving their interests Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness Preparing for Life After School Wiley, D. 2

5 Contexts for Preferred Activities How can it be a business/self-employment? Interest: Gardening How can it be a business/self-employment? Interest: Pets How can it be a business? Interest: Music How can it be a business? Interest: Coffee How can it be a business? 2019 Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness Preparing for Life After School Wiley, D. 3

6 Making Transition Meaningful If the student doesn t have many interests, prioritize systematically exploring activities, discovering preferences, and learning relevant skills. (If the student has 2 interests, help find 4. If 4 interests, help find 8. You get the idea.) Work with the student to understand and organize contexts for meaningful life activities involving their interests. Find support to participate from agencies, community services, and natural supports Texas Symposium on DeafBlindness Preparing for Life After School Wiley, D. 4

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8 Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs Figure 1 TSBVI logo. Figure 2 IDEAs that Work logo and OSEP disclaimer. This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education.