Transition to Adulthood

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Life is full of transitions. One of the most important transitions occurs when students get ready to leave high school and head out into the world as young adults. When the student has a disability it’s especially helpful to plan ahead for that transition . In fact, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that transition planning begin by the time the student reaches age 16, but transition planning may start earlier if the IEP team decides it would be appropriate to do so.

For a Comprehensive Guide to healthcare transition, created by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, review this resource.

Family-to-Family (F2F) Youth Leaders and Allies

Josie Badger, PEAL Youth Coordinator and Joan Badger, Adult Ally and former PEAL F2F Coordinator, discuss the value of youth leadership development for young adults with disabilities transitioning to adulthood. Their perspectives are reflective of their real life experiences. The intent of these videos is to help you understand transition to adult health care.

Self-determination:

Health Insurance & Service Eligibility (18-21):

Individualized Health Plans:

Moving from Pediatric to Adult Providers:

Medical Assistance and Operations Memo:

Parents and Students

The Pennsylvania Post Secondary Survey is a great way for exiting students with an IEP to give DIRECT feedback on their experience in school. Watch this wonderful video below that explains the importance. For more information visit: https://secondarytransition.org/page/post_school_outcomes_survey

Be a Superstar: Take the Survey (English):

Sé una Super-Estrella—Toma la Encuesta (Español):

School Professionals

It is essential that these survey’s reach students who are typically underrepresented. The resources below summarize strategies recommended by youth and their families for reaching youth who are routinely underrepresented in the post-school survey data.

Contacting Hard-to-Find Youth

More information on the survey