Giving Compass' Take:

• Schools should devote more time and resources to post-schooling transition plans for students with disabilities as part of their  Individualized Education Programs mandated by the state. 

• Schools might not have enough funding or resources to help put these plans in place, making the task fall mostly on parents. How can local education nonprofits or philanthropists help schools re-allocate or add funds that prioritize post-schooling plans for students with disabilities?

• Read about why schools don't do more to encourage students with disabilities to attend college. 

Schools are legally obligated to create meaningful post-schooling plans for students with disabilities as part of their Individualized Education Programs, or IEPs. Under federal law, special education students must have transition plans in place by age 16 that include work, school and independent living goals that a student would like to achieve. Several states require schools to start this process at age 14.

Former special education students on average earn $9.40 an hour, compared to $13.20 for former general education students.

Interviews with more than 100 parents, students, advocates and experts across the country painted a picture of a special education landscape where transition planning and services are largely neglected. Students with disabilities who could pursue higher education or meaningful employment are instead living at home and working low-wage jobs. Some are unemployed, or, as Pennsylvania mother Chris Bradley described it, “graduating to the couch.”

Parents often have to take on the burden of making sure their children are getting the support they need to meet their transition goals because schools simply don’t devote enough resources to this part of special education.

Read the source article on transition plans by Sarah Butrymowicz and Jackie Mader at The Hechinger Report