Adult
Life Roles
(Taken
from Fundamentals of Transition - a joint document
developed by the Michigan Department of Education-Office
of Special Education and Early Intervention Services and
the Michigan Department of Career Development/Rehabilitation
Services. (June, 1995)
View
a formatted version (PDF) of Adult Life Roles
Frequently
Asked Questions:
What
are the major areas of transition to consider?
Planning
for post-school life must be based upon a thorough, ongoing
assessment of an individual's skills in major post-school
adult life roles.
In
general, the transition services include the following four
areas.
-
Employment
- Post-School
Adult Living
- Community
Participation
- Post-Secondary
Educational Training
How
does transition planning involve employment?
This
domain refers to the individual's preparedness to perform
paid work for the purpose of achieving economic independence.
Planning for and defining employment goals does not necessarily
result in placement in a specific job for pay. It is appropriate
and important for students to develop specific job skills
and goals; however, students should also have opportunities
to become aware of the world of work, explore career options,
make career decisions within the context of community-based
experiences, and develop general employability skills for
seeking, securing, and maintaining employment. Development
of the student's ability to generalize skills across settings,
people, materials, and time is an important element of transition
planning. Consequently, supporting the student in a variety
of work-related experiences should be planned for early
in the student's education. The identification of specific
employment-related transition goals for a student requires
a discussion of issues such as:
-
type of work the student envisions himself/herself performing
at the conclusion of formal schooling or training;
-
nature and severity of the student's disability and
job interests and types of support needed to work in
an occupational field of choice;
-
strengths that can be capitalized upon and specific
work skills the student needs to acquire;
-
school experiences, programs, classes, and activities
that will help the student acquire needed work-related
skills and behaviors;
-
agencies, individuals, and organizations (school, businesses,
para-professionals, job coaches) that can collaborate
to develop a personalized employment training program
to address student needs;
-
accommodations the student may need on the job.
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How
should employment-related transition services be delivered?
Delivery
of employment-related transition services should include
activities that take place in the classroom, home, neighborhood,
and community. Classroom activities may focus on employability
skills, community skills, vocational training, etc. Activities
within the home and neighborhood may focus on personal responsibility
and daily living skills. Community-based activities may
address community service and volunteerism, part-time work,
after school and in the summer, cooperative education or
work-study, individualized vocational training (IVT), development
of mentor relationships, etc. Job-related skills can also
be taught within a work environment. Observation of the
student's success in the transference of skills from the
classroom/home to the community provides assessment information
for evaluating his/her job readiness and future vocational
training needs.
What
is post-school adult living?
This
domain refers to the depth of one's emotional, physical,
or situational support in society as well as one's use of
time in a typical 24-hour period. Post-school adult living
requires the acquisition of a variety of skills and knowledge
that enable an individual to live as independently as possible.
This domain typically consists of the following areas:
- Personal
and Social Skills:
Personal and social skills are important subcomponents
of the post-school adult living domain. Mastery of tasks
such as clothing selection and dressing, grooming and
personal appearance, planning for social activities,
home decorating and maintenance, shopping for self and
household, and budgeting and financial planning is critical
to independent living. It is imperative that students
be provided support and ongoing assessment as they make
choices about their futures.
- Living
Options:
Not every student with a disability needs to consider
where he/she will live immediately after leaving high
school. Some young adults remain in the family home;
others live on campus as they pursue post-secondary
education. For many students, however, the question
of where to reside after high school is an important
transition issue.
- Income
and Finances:
An important student outcome in the post-school adult
living domain is development of financial awareness
and responsibility. This outcome is best accomplished
through a partnership between the school and family.
- Medical
Needs:
A fundamental goal identified in this domain is to assist
the student in becoming aware of and communicating his/her
needs concerning medical symptoms and issues. Medical
awareness involves identifying common illnesses and
how they can be treated, choosing physicians, identifying
and reporting medical emergencies, first-aid training,
and accessing services from Medicaid and Medicare. Training
in this domain also should be approached as a partnership
of the student, school, home, and community.
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What
is post-secondary educational training?
Many
students want to pursue further education or training after
leaving high school. It may be academic in nature and pursued
in a university or college setting, or technical in nature
and pursued in a trade school or vocational center setting.
Goals and objectives developed for this transition area
depend upon:
-
the nature/severity of the student's disability
-
the student's understanding and acceptance of his/her
disability
-
the student's interest in pursuing academic or technical
education after high school
-
arrangements for accommodations needed during college
board or SAT testing (e.g., testing in Braille, oral
presentation of questions, untimed testing, etc.)
-
identification of the types of accommodations and support
services needed that relate to the student's disability
-
identification of post-secondary institutions that offer
the desired training or education
-
identification of post-secondary educational institutions
that provide accommodations or support services needed
by the student, and/or
-
application to schools of choice and advocacy for needed
accommodations.
Community-based
instruction can also be utilized within the domain of post-secondary
education. Within the community, students can meet college
and training center representatives and visit post-secondary
institutions. Students can also arrange and attend meetings
with outside agencies that provide rehabilitation services,
academic support services, community education programs,
advocacy and support, and other services.
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What
is community participation?
This
domain refers to the individual's quality of interaction
with his/her surroundings, including people, places, and
things. This also includes one's level of involvement in
completing self-care and other activities of daily living
as well as the physical access to one's surroundings. If
the end goal of transition is to live successfully in the
community, then transition teams must address where the
young adult will live, work, or go to school, as well as
how he/she will live within the community. Specific attention
to the following four dimensions of community participation
may be necessary.
- Recreation
and Leisure:
It is important to remember that facilitating recreation
and leisure goals and objectives in a transition plan
must be desired, preferred, and chosen by the individual.
Many youth with disabilities need assistance to learn
how to use their recreation and leisure time constructively.
- A
transition team must be cautioned against developing
transition goal statements that essentially force
the student to participate in recreational activities
that are not of personal interest or value. Planning
often focuses first on exploring types of skills
and activities that interest the student. Goal statements
might focus upon supporting the student to use his/her
leisure time constructively and in ways that are
personally enriching. Next steps can include helping
the student to locate those activities in the school,
neighborhood, and/or community, then supporting
his/her participation. In communities that have
open recreational facilities and activities, goal
statements might focus upon developing basic student
skills of information-gathering, self-initiation,
and choice-making, all of which can empower the
student to pursue his/her own interests.
- Personal
and Social Skills:
While transition planning cannot encompass all phases
of an individual's life, the long-term benefits of assisting
the student to develop satisfying relationships across
all domains. Effective personal and social skills can
help the student form and maintain friendships with
the community, interact with service providers, and
obtain and maintain employment. Thus, development of
personal and social skills is an important transition
goal for students.
- Citizenship
and Legal Issues:
A desired goal for the student is to be a respected
and responsible citizen. Skills acquired in this area
involve student awareness of local, state, and federal
government; knowledge of civil/citizen's rights; and
how to register to vote.
- Community
Access, Mobility, and Transportation:
A desired goal for the student is to continually develop
his/her ability to move around the community independently.
These skills involve familiarity with the local community,
awareness of traffic and safety measures, use of public
transportation, and how to maintain specialized equipment.
Social
workers, fellow students, families, and other individuals
can assist the student in embracing his/her independence
in this area. Participation in sports, clubs, and after-school
events should be encouraged. Leisure skills should be identified,
built upon, and extended into the community. Personal skills
such as conversation, manners and etiquette, social networking,
locating resources, and vacation planning can further integration
into the community-at-large.
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