Develop knowledge about oneself
- Learn about the nature of your disability
- Understand personal and academic strengths and weakness
- nature of disability & impact on learning, academics;
- self-esteem, self-perception, confidence.
Assess Interest, Aptitude, and Achievement
- Develop and assess academic, vocational, social, and personal interest potentials
- Take courses in many disciplines
- Master basic skills including:
- mathematical computation
- writing and composition
- computer use
- making public presentations
- High school preparation & courses set your foundation;
- Identify & utilize current and available accommodations;
- Be aware of postsecondary requirements—admission AND graduation.
Explore life experiences
- Try a variety of school activities, social functions, volunteer and paid jobs
- disability may currently have or may have previously had an impact on opportunities, level of involvement;
- create and/or maximize opportunities.
Seek Non-restrictive Career Counseling
- Explosion of technology has created an ever-widening range of the inventory of occupations available to people with disabilities
- Obtain realistic information about employment trends
- Obtain accurate information about educational requirements
- important to have an understanding of options, alternatives;
- recognize impact of others on you—perceptions, assumptions, prejudices;
- avoid the tendency to shy away from or be counseled out of an area.
Base decision-making about post-secondary education on a variety of criteria
- Admission requirements--applicants with disabilities must meet the criteria set
- Programmatic requirements--colleges are not required to alter programmatic requirements if a course in question is fundamental to the nature of the course of study
- Training available
- Field of study
- Reputation of the institution
- Size and diversity of student body
- Intellectual and social environment
- Cost
- Availability of financial aid, work-study positions, scholarships/internships
- Quality and type of support services
- Types of auxiliary aids and accessibility
- lowered expectations in high school may be harmful…short-term “fix”;
- curricular preparedness, skill building, & meeting established standards with accommodations (v. waiving requirements);
- be aware of requirements: course, department, degree;
- note the expectation of your increased level of personal responsibility;
- differences between high school & postsecondary (see: “Differences”);
- comparison factors: who is now the “average” student (SAT, high school gpa);
- assess your ability to work, be involved in other activities AND study;
- make contact with Disability Services to identify appropriate accommodations.
Develop self-advocacy skills
- Become comfortable in describing to others the nature of your disability, your abilities, and your academic needs
- Be informed about legislation with which colleges must comply that protect your rights
- Ensure that you secure appropriate professional documentation of your disability
- Orientation
- orientation & mobility on-campus
- information/materials in alternate format
- pace of tour, conversation, etc. & your comprehension
- Housing
- proximity to other buildings on campus
- housing preferences (note difference between “preference” and “need”)
- accessibility (building, restroom, elevator, alarm system, etc.)
- Financial Aid
- other resources
- impact of enrolled number of credit hours
- continuous enrollment and academic progress issues regarding federal
- financial aid
- Orientation
Source: OK-AHEAD Transition Guide
Adapted from U.S. Department of Education Document, Heath Resource Center, and American Council on Education