Summit County Transition Resource Group

The educator responsible for coordinating the IEP/transition team meeting should be prepared to answer frequently asked questions of parents and students. While it is impossible to know about all of the agencies and services, the coordinator should have a basic working knowledge to assist the student and the family in determining who should be invited and involved in transition planning. The following are questions frequently asked by parents in regard to IEP/transition meetings.

1. What employment services are available in the community?
There are agencies in each community that provide youth and adults assistance in finding and maintaining employment. These include:

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services which provide or pay for vocational assessment, job placement, job training, postsecondary education, technology, and other time-limited services.
Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD) Programs which provide ongoing supports for students with the most severe disabilities in the areas of sheltered employment, supported employment, residential services, and case management.
Summer Youth Employment Programs which provide time-limited summer youth employment programs and a variety of job programs, generally for economically disadvantaged students
Mental Health Programs which provide case management, and occasionally supported employment for students with psychiatric disabilities.
Non-Profit Agencies such as United Cerebral Palsy, the ARC, and Goodwill Industries that provide sheltered employment, supported employment, and other services for youth and adults with disabilities, often through contract with VR.
Youth Services Programs are generally provided to youth who have been in trouble with the law, often through contract with Vocational Rehabilitation.
Employment Agencies that provide job placement, generally on a fee for service basis. Sometimes this service can be paid for by vocational rehabilitation.
Postsecondary Education Programs often provide job placement and career services for their students. VR may pay part or all of the cost of these programs for eligible students.

2. What employment services do school districts provide students with disabilities?
School districts may provide a number of services that are available to students with disabilities. These are provided through general, special, and vocational education. Some examples of programs designed to provide work experience or vocational training are: (a) work study or transition coordinators, (b) occupational work adjustment staff, (c) vocational educators, (d) School-to-Work program staff, and (d) guidance counselors.

3. What should my child do to get into postsecondary education after high school?
There are four major types of postsecondary education: (a) vocational/technical schools, (b) community colleges (two year), (c) liberal arts colleges, and (d) state universities. Every postsecondary program has academic requirements that must be met, though state universities and community colleges often have remedial programs for students who have had difficulty in general areas of course work such as mathematics and English.

Postsecondary options should be explored early in high school to select the proper course work and choose a postsecondary program that provides the services and supports that will be needed by the student after graduation. The student should also receive training in asking for needed accommodations and supports and visit and/or audit classes from desired schools (Turner, 1996). College and other entrance exams should be taken early and applications should be sent out in the final year of high school.

4. What can I do to help my son or daughter get a job?
Parents have a very important role to play in their child’s getting and keeping a job. The expectation that their son or daughter will work is important to convey to their children as they grow. Supporting the school district’s efforts to provide job preparation is also essential. Parents can assure that meaningful vocational goals are written into their child’s IEP and transition plans and provide opportunities for their child to develop important work skills, habits, and attitudes by giving them chores and responsibilities. Parents can also assist job placement professionals by providing them with leads and introducing them to employers they may know.

5. How do I apply for adult services?
Generally, a student with an IEP will be eligible for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and the school can initiate a referral at the parent’s or student’s request, but typically only students with the most severe disabilities obtain VR services. MR/DD programs typically serve only students with the most severe developmental disabilities and referral is generally initiated by the family. Summer Youth Employment programs usually serve students with milder disabilities who are economically disadvantaged, with referrals typically coming from the school. Mental health job programs are typically accessed through the mental health counselor and are generally reserved for students with the most severe psychiatric disabilities.

6. Is there an alternative to sheltered employment for students with severe disabilities?
Supported employment is designed to serve students who have traditionally gone into sheltered workshops and day activity centers. It is competitive paid work done in an actual job site by individuals who, because of their disability, need ongoing support services to perform that work. Supported employment has four characteristics: (a) paid employment, (b) integration with nondisabled co-workers, (c) ongoing support after job training, and (d) driven by student career goals. Supported employment models include:

Individual placement approaches that include structured assistance in job placement and job training. A job developer develops a job of interest to the student and a job coach trains job skills and provides other training to maintain employment (e.g., social and travel skills). Once the job coach phases out, follow-along services are provided at the job site by a professional, co-worker, or family member.
Mobile work crews of 3-8 persons are transported to perform contracted work such as janitorial and landscaping services at area businesses. These crews operate under the supervision of one or more employment specialists.
Cluster Placements or Enclaves of 3-8 persons are supervised by employment specialists and work in a business or industry doing the same job as other nondisabled workers.

7. Can a student have a job coach while still in high school?
VR or the school can provide job coaches for students with intense support needs while they are still in high school. School districts may choose to hire their own job coaches or use Vocational Rehabilitation Services for eligible students. It is important to establish eligibility and involve adult service providers in transition planning, if they are providing or paying for job coaches.

8. What are ongoing support services and follow-along services?
Ongoing support services or follow-along services are provided throughout the term of employment after the job coach is phased out. The purpose of these services is to enable the individual to continue to perform the work required by the employer. They may include services that occur at or away from the work site such as transportation, personal care services, counseling, and behavioral supports. Typically, ongoing support services are provided through MR/DD programs or long-term mental health programs, but they may also be provided by employers, family members, or other agencies.

9. What is Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?
Supplementary Security Income (SSI) is an income support program run by the Social Security Administration. Monthly benefits can be paid to youth or adults with disabilities if their individual or family income falls below a certain level, and if their disability is severe and expected to last at least twelve months. SSI can be helpful in supplementing student income while in postsecondary education or entry level work. Generally, SSI is applied for at age 18 when family income is not considered.

10. What is the difference between SSI and Social Security benefits?
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a government insurance fund that is typically paid to a young person with a disability who has a retired, deceased, or disabled parent who paid into Social Security. Social security benefits are applied for in the same way as SSI, may amount to more than SSI, or may be supplemented by SSI, if they are less than the SSI amount.

11. What information is needed to apply for SSI and SSDI?
Application should be made in person at the local Social Security office. The Social Security representative will need to see the following items:

Social Security number
Birth certificate
Information on income and resources - payroll slips, bank books, insurance policies, car registration, burial fund records, and other information about assets.
Mortgage papers and lease arrangements
Impairment related information - name, address, and phone numbers of all doctors, hospital or medical facilities where the student has been treated or tested and any medical reports in your possession.
Work history (SSDI only).

12. When can SSI benefits be applied for?
SSI benefits may be applied for at any age, if the child has a significant disability and if the income of the child and the family are very low. After age 18, students may be considered a family of one and receive SSI benefits if their income falls below SSI guidelines and if the total resources of the student amount to less than $2,000.

13. How can my son or daughter get Medicaid benefits?
People who meet the eligibility requirements for SSI benefits are usually eligible for Medicaid benefits as well. Medicaid benefits are applied for at the local office of the Department of Human Services. An individual may be eligible for Medicaid and not receiving SSI, if they are working and need Medicaid to maintain health benefits.

14. If students work, does this cause them to lose SSI?
SSI programs encourage recipients to work through a number of allowances and work incentives. Generally, SSI recipients only lose one dollar for every two they earn and are allowed to exclude $85 of earned and unearned income and any impairment related work expenses (IRWEs). A simple estimate of how much SSI payments drop due to work is to use the formula of : Net earnings minus $85 minus IRWEs divided by two equals SSI decrease. For example, a person who earns $385 dollars a month will lose only $150 of SSI benefits. SSI has other work incentives including deductions for: (a) impairment related work expenses (IRWEs), (b) student earned income exclusion, (c) blind work expenses, (e) Plans for Achieving Self-Support (PASS), (f) property essential to self-support, and (g) continued payment under a vocational rehabilitation program. These should be discussed with a Social Security representative.

15. What about Medicaid and work?
Unless recipients earn more than double their SSI check plus $85, Medicaid benefits will be continued automatically. Even if a recipient is no longer receiving an SSI payment, he or she can continue to receive Medicaid if:

the disabling condition continues
there is a need for Medicaid to work
a person can’t afford medical coverage

16. Why do I need to plan for residential living options?
Whether the student plans to remain a home or move out, parents should assure that necessary residential supports are provided to assure the individual with a disability is cared for after they retire or become ill. Depending on eligibility, the student can maintain independence through family supports, Medicaid waivers, low-income housing, personal care attendants, supported living services, or other residential programs. It should be emphasized that residential services often involve long waiting periods and should therefore be applied for many years before they are needed.

17. Why do I need to plan for community participation?
Research indicates that students with disabilities can become more isolated as they grow older. Due to lack of mobility, income, and social networks, students with disabilities may have difficulty making the right friends and meeting the right people to assure a good adult quality of life. Membership in religious/cultural affiliations (e.g., church or synagogue), clubs, and recreational programs provide natural and ongoing support networks that can assist persons with disabilities maintain friendships throughout their life.

18. Can I have a transition plan without an IEP?
If a student has a substantial mental or physical impairment, but does not qualify for special education, a transition plan can be developed under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act which requires access to appropriate education for all students with handicaps. Section 504 does not require an IEP but it does require a plan for any area needed by the student to gain an appropriate education. This can include a transition plan.

© 2007 Summit County Transition Resource Group
c/o Summit County Educational Service Center
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