Professionals in the authors' setting -- The Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf (CCCBSD) -- embed foundational language comprehension strategies within language-rich environments. This occurs in traditional classrooms as well as in a variety of other settings, such as therapeutic services, programs in related arts…

Community-based instruction (CBI) is one type of community experience in which students with disabilities work toward instructional goals while engaged in activities occurring in a natural environment outside of a typical school setting (Hoover, 2016; Rowe et al., 2015). Educators who implement CBI capitalize on their students' time in the…

Religious organizations often serve as mainstays of communities, especially rural communities with otherwise limited support to promote improved transition outcomes. Yet, religious organizations appear not to be utilized as agencies in transition service partnerships. This article addresses involving religious organizations in the transition…

Financial responsibility is an important step toward independence for any student. This is particularly true for students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), who may not have access to instruction in personal finance or basic financial transactions. When planning for transition, teachers should take into account skills students…

Microenterprises in the classroom provide a unique way to incorporate academic goals within transitional skill instruction for students with developmental disabilities. The purpose of this article is to discuss how the principles of microenterprises can be used by classroom teachers to practice these skills as well as an overview of how to create…

Community activities can be an important part of the transition to adulthood, but many students with disabilities miss those experiences because they are not offered in their community or high school. This lack of opportunities in schools may account for the discrepancy that is found after high school graduation between the employment rates of…

Rosemary Gallegos is superintendent of the New Mexico School for the Deaf (NMSD). Her 30+ years of service to NMSD include teaching, instructional supervision, special education compliance, and cultivating NMSD's statewide Birth-3 and outreach programs. Gallegos's goal is to ensure all deaf and hard of hearing children in New Mexico have access to…

This book provides an overview of systematic instructional strategies and is written in a format so that teachers and other service providers can immediately put the information to use. It specifically focuses upon systematic instruction for individuals with disabilities (school age and adults) and is generic across age groups as well as…

Federal legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, mandates that individuals with disabilities be integrated in all aspects of life from education to employment to independent living. A recent development involves a settlement reached between the United States and the…

There is a widespread misconception that transition planning and programming begin in high school. However, there are many opportunities for teachers to infuse transition-focused education into teaching and learning activities for their elementary-grade students. Teachers can engage students with disabilities and their families in…

A crucial step in the process of preparing students with disabilities for adult life is transition assessment. Using a comprehensive assessment that is built around the student's interests, followed by assessment administration within the context of his/her community can provide special education professionals with rich data that is useful for…

Youth with disabilities face difficulties resulting from attitudinal, environmental, and organizational barriers not only in initially accessing and entering school (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011), but also as they transition from school age youth to working adults. With a focus on facilitating a better understanding of the issues,…

Students with disabilities are often faced with numerous challenges as they progress through their school years. In addition to disability-related challenges, they may encounter additional difficulties such as bullying in school and lack of social acceptance by their peers. It is important that students with disabilities develop competence in…

The three common themes are emerging from recent research on positive approaches to adult transitions for youth with disabilities. The first theme acknowledges that a person's condition is only one factor that influences the developmental process of transitioning into adulthood; the second theme addresses the complexity of the numerous…

The purpose of the article was to identify key features within research-based school-to-career programs that were linked to positive employment outcomes for youth disabilities. Three key program features were identified and discussed that could be incorporated into the practices and programs of schools and communities to support the employment…