Accessibility Tools
Youth Transition to Adulthood
One of our focus areas within special education is helping youth aged 14-22 understand and advocate for transition planning and services. Transition planning and services are provided by the school and other state agencies like the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVRS), to help students prepare for adult life after high school. It can include things like vocational training, structured learning experiences, and life skills.
How we help:
Students
Disability Rights New Jersey has developed a Transition Planning Tool to help students create a transition plan for their Individualized Education Program (IEP) that reflects their future goals. ASPYIR (Accessing Strategies to Prepare Youth for Independence and Responsibility) is an interactive self-assessment tool that asks students about their likes, dislikes, interests, needs, strengths, and preferences related to three core areas of development: education, employment, and independent living.
Their answers will generate a document to help prepare them to advocate for themselves with their schools or other agencies to get a transition plan for services they want and one that meets their needs. They can bring the document to IEP meetings, or meetings with state agencies, to refer when developing a transition plan and requesting services. Self-advocacy, motivation, and other skills and responsibilities needed to be ready for their futures are also addressed.
Disability Rights NJ assists students by explaining their rights, walking them through the online planning tool, reviewing and discussing their results, offering ideas on how to use those results in multiple ways and providing additional advice and counsel on other educational, and vocational, concerns. In person or virtual presentations explaining ASPYIR are available.
ASPYIR is an accessible approach to transition planning. Students, this is your opportunity to take the lead.
Graduated Youth Under 22
Disability Rights NJ assists youth who have graduated from high school work with the Vocational Rehabilitation Offices as they join the workforce or pursue further education or training. This includes helping clients with advice, counsel, and representation connecting with the VR agencies, as well as assisting through the development and implementation of the Individualized Plan for Employment.
Youth 14-22 years old Interested in Comprehensive Transition Programs (CTP)
Disability Rights NJ has been advocating with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation regarding sponsorship for the Comprehensive Transition Programs at universities in New Jersey. These programs are designed for students with Intellectual and developmental disabilities who need additional transitional support after high school before transitioning to the workforce or college. Youth who are considering these programs are encouraged to contact Disability Rights NJ to discuss their rights, how to connect with the Vocational Rehabilitation Offices, and how we can support you on your journey.
Pre-ETS Supplemental Information
If the IEP team, family member, or service provider determines the student with disabilities requires Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), staff from the that individual should refer the individual to either the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) or NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI). A school official or teacher may consult with DVRS or CBVI to determine which agency will be responsible for arranging and providing the necessary service(s).
Vocational rehabilitation counselors from local DVRS offices are assigned to every New Jersey high school to serve as the liaison between DVRS and the schools and to collaborate with school personnel regarding the provision of Pre-ETS and other DVRS services, and to consult with IEP teams about a students’ transition plan and transition services. The title of the school staff person who will be the liaison to postsecondary resources should be identified in the IEP. A college or university may not discriminate against an individual solely based on disability. The school must provide reasonable accommodations to the student’s known disability. These accommodations must give the student an equal opportunity to participate in the school’s programs, activities, and services. This includes everything from the classroom to extracurricular activities. The ADA and Section 504 provide students with disabilities powerful protections from discrimination.
Pre-ETS may be provided in one-to-one or group settings. DVRS and CBVI may contract with community partners to deliver Pre-ETS.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Counselors, Pre-ETS Instructors, and representatives from any other agency that is expected to provide or pay for transition services, such as Pre-ETS, must be invited to attend the student’s IEP meetings, provided that the parent/guardian or adult student has provided in writing consent for this invitation, beginning with the meeting to develop the IEP to be in place for the school year the student turns 14, or younger if appropriate. A parent can request that a VR Counselor be invited to the IEP meeting to discuss Pre-ETS and/or VR services for the student.
For more information about Section 504 click here.
For more information about the ADA click here.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT TRANSITION PLANNING AND TRANSITION SERVICES IN THE IEP
At what age does Transition Planning begin and what is the importance of the IEP for the year the student turns 14 (“age 14 IEP”)?
Transition planning is a long-term, multi-year process that is based on the individual student’s needs, taking into account their strengths, preferences, interests, and goals for adult life. All of which may change over time. Successful transition planning requires collaboration among the student, their parents/guardians, school staff and other agency staff who all have a role in preparing the student to be a successful adult.
In New Jersey, transition planning must be included in the IEP developed for the school year in which the student turns age 14 (“age 14 IEP”). The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) website includes a Model IEP Template.
Transition planning and services are found in pages 4-8 of this template. Although the Model IEP Template is not used in every school district, should be the IEP teams guide of best practices for transitioning planning and developing transition services. The Model IEP Template includes references to the state special education regulations. These regulations detail the legal requirements for transition planning and transition services in New Jersey.
Typically, the IEP team, including the student, begin the transition planning process when the student is 13 years old and the annual IEP is being developed that will be in place when the student turns 14 years old (“age 14 IEP), However, transition planning can begin at a younger age if appropriate.
The “age 14 IEP” must include a completed “Statement of Transition Planning” section that states the student’s strengths, interests, and preferences as well as a summary of any age-appropriate transition assessments the school conducted. A course of study, including a list of classes the student will be taking during the current IEP and projections for courses the student might take beyond the current IEP to help prepare them to move to adult life must also be included, as well as a list of related strategies and/or activities, consistent with the student’s strengths, interests, and preferences.
A section listing related strategies and/or activities intended to assist the student in developing or attaining postsecondary goals related to training, education, employment and, if appropriate, independent living may also be completed. Beginning with the “age 14 IEP” the student’s IEP must include a description of the need for consultation from other agencies that provide services for individuals with disabilities including, but not limited to, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) r and the NJ Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired (CBVI), needed interagency linkages and responsibilities, and identify the school staff person who will be the liaison to postsecondary resources. These postsecondary resources are resources available after a student has graduated from high school to aid to aide them in adult life.
The IEP team should also discuss any Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) the student may need. If the student needs one or more Pre-ETS, the school, DVRS or CBVI will need to collaborate to decide which entity will be responsible for arranging and providing these service(s).[1] The IEP Team should review the Pre-ETS section each year to discuss services the student has received and/or services still needed.
The student must be invited to any IEP meeting where transition planning or transition services will be considered. This means the student should be invited to their IEP meetings starting at age 13 and will be invited every year until they have completed their high school education.
At What age do Transition Services start and what must be included in the IEP for the year the student turns 16 (“age 16 IEP”)?
Beginning with the IEP in place for the school year when the student turns 16 years of age, additional sections of the IEP (pages 7 and 8 in the Model IEP Template) must be completed. These sections include the Statement of Transition Services, Appropriate Measurable Post-Secondary Goals, and the Coordinated Set of Activities/Strategies to prepare the student to meet these goals.[1] These sections of the IEP, along with the sections that began to be completed in the “age 14 IEP” are collectively the student’s “transition plan.”The transition plan creates a roadmap to help the student achieve their desired postsecondary goals. It identifies the types of transition services the student needs, when and for how long those services should be provided and the person (or agency) responsible for arranging and/or providing the services. The transition plan provides information to everyone working with the student and helps track progress being made towards those goals. Like the rest of the IEP, this plan must be reviewed and updated at least once a year; however, the student or their parent/guardian can request an IEP meeting at any time to discuss transition planning and transition services. This request should be submitted to the student’s case manager in writing.
The student should be involved in any discussions about their transition planning and help fill out the transition services sections during the IEP team meeting. These discussions should focus on what the student wants to do after high school. It is about the student’s interests and the IEP team should listen to the student. Students may find it difficult to talk about their interests, dreams, and hopes for their future to the entire IEP team. The family and student should work together to find the best way for the student to express themselves to the IEP team, what they want and need in order to prepare for adult life.
All sections related to transition planning and services should be reviewed and completed at least once a year. Sections of the statement of transition services can remain blank if the IEP team determines that the student does not have a need for any transition activities/strategies in those areas. A best practice would be to have the phrase “considered, not needed” written into those sections to indicate the IEP determined the student did not have any goal in a specific area and/or activities and strategies were not needed.
Additional information about transition planning and transition services can be found in the New Jersey Transition Toolkit on the NJDOE Website at https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/programs/njtransition/. The New Jersey Transition Toolkit is designed to assist students with disabilities and their families, along with school staff, to prepare students with disabilities for entry into a successful adult life after high school.
[1] Post-secondary goals are what the student hopes to achieve in their adult life after finishing high school. The age 16 IEP should include measurable post-secondary goals for training, education, employment and, if appropriate, independent living and a coordinated set of activities/strategies to assist the student to attain the measurable postsecondary goals. Sample Activities/Strategies can be found at: https://www.nj.gov/education/specialed/programs/njtransition/docs/SampleActivitiesStrategies%202022.pdf
[1] Pre-ETS offer students with disabilities an early start at career exploration and preparation for adult life. Pre-ETS services can begin at age 14. DVRS counselors are assigned to high school schools to be the liaison between the school and DVRS and to collaborate with the IEP team and other school personnel regarding student transition plans. See