Transition to post school life can be difficult for all youth due to interests, preferences,
strengths and goals because some may find that what he or she had prepared for is not at all what
was imagined. However, for students with disabilities, transition can be even more of a challenge
because of limitations from the disability, societal acceptance, cultural factors, parental
involvement, etc. When considering a student’s transition plan, the IEP team is to create a plan
that adheres to the students interests, strengths, and needs while also considering the student’s
family and culture for success.
I personally have never worked with a student that is hearing impaired. However, I feel
that this type of disability could present a great challenge due to communication differences. I
know very little sign language and feel that as a teacher, this would it would be difficult for me to
ensure that I am meeting all the learning needs of my student. Suzette V. Garay of the University
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee states in her article, Transition Planning Process: Giving Deaf Students
a Voice:
“Communication and language concerns are central to many employment and transition
issues for deaf students. Lower academic achievement levels and reduced mastery of
literacy skills coupled with poor self-advocacy skills documented in the literature as is
the case for many students with disabilities can result in a lack of successful transition
planning,” (Garay, 2018).
Garay explains further in the article that student and parental involvement in the IEP and
transition planning process is vital for success and should start in middle school. I believe this
should be the norm for all students with disabilities, not just those that are hearing impaired. She
continues by clarifying that the plan should help to prepare students for an uneducated public on
disabilities, basic life skills, and provide the student with several opportunities to practice skills
learned. (Garay, 2018). For example, although many school settings offer technology to aid in
communication, when the student that is hearing impaired moves on to a career path, vocational
school, or independent living technology may not be readily available. Therefore, the students
need to be prepared to communicate in other manners if needed.
Students with Learning Disabilities and Intellectual Disabilities should also be prepared
for post school life through activities that are compliant with the student’s IEP and transition
plan. However, the challenges that face such students could vary from one student to the next
because the interests, needs, strengths and preferences may not always be the same. For example,
students with Autism. This type of student may not work well in large groups. Therefore, the IEP
team and the student need to look for transition options that can help the student to be most
successful such as working one on one or small groups and helping to prepare the student to
move into a career based upon interests. For instance, if the student is interested in technology,
lesson plan activities could help the student to move into a career of web design or computer
programing.
Although I primarily work in is special education in and elementary setting at a Title 1
school, many of the students cultures are different from my own. When I first started working
with this class our obvious differences (i.e. some of the students in the class are Muslim and
others are Hispanic) presented challenges when trying to involve parents, or ask them for
assistance with any learning activities for their children. To overcome the cultural differences, I
took the time to get to know the families that my students come from. I did my research and
worked with others on the student’s IEP teams to make the connections with the families of my
students. Once their families could get past the differences in our cultures, and began to trust me,
we could then work together to have a successful schoolyear.
References:
Garay, S. (2018). Transition Planning Process: Giving Deaf Students a Voice:
Retrieved May 31, 2018 from: http://www.idahotc.com/Portals/45/Documents/Deaf
%20Voice%20in%20Transition%20Process%20garay.pdf
