December 5, 2013

Navigating the New Waters:Planning for Transition to Inclusive

Post-Secondary Education

Presentation by

Sheryl Arno & Susanna Miller

photifish

PH- f (as in phone)O- i (as in women)TI- sh (as in nation)

Why Inclusive PSE?

What is an Inclusive PSE Program?

History of Inclusive PSE

• Nationally• Regionally• Locally

Happening in Georgia

• KSU Academy• Georgia Inclusive Post-secondary Education

Consortium– Implementation Grants

• Capacity Building

Behavior Barriers

As a group, we are going to take turns listing out what are perceived challenging behaviors that would interfere with inclusive post-secondary education settings.

Setting up for Success

• Student’s choice • Buy-in from families• Clear communication– Everyone on same page– Honesty around behaviors when completing

transition plan

Setting up for Success

• Clearly define expectations of college life• Understand age-appropriate behaviors– Boundaries– Time-management

• Knowing when student is just not college ready– Other options

Advice from Self-advocates

• Understand differences between high school and college experiences– Expectations of college students– Rights & responsibilities – College culture

• Know your resources on and off campus

Advice from Self-advocates

• Scheduling “down time” between classes instead of having one class right after another

• Having a designated “decompression place” on campus where the student can go for some alone time

• Avoiding loud areas, crowds, stimulating activities, or anxiety-provoking meetings at already stressful times

• Requesting (with documentation) a private room or an exemption from the freshman residency requirement

Source: Navigating College: a Handbook on Self-advocacy. The Autistic Self-advocacy Network

Transition Goals

• Education• Development of Employment• Community• Adult Living/Post School Options• Related Services• Daily Living

Transition Plans

• Address the needs of moving from high school to post-secondary education

• Focus highly on Community & Adult Living Skills section of transition plans

Community Skills

• Goal Example: – Joins _____ clubs/organizations per (week/month/semester)

• Activities:– Reviews list of club/organization possibilities– Selects __ club/organization(s) of interest base on sport or hobby

preference or career choice– Contact organizer– Attend at least two meetings

Community Skills

• Goal Example:– Joins ___ advocacy organizations

• Activities:– Conduct internet search to discover ___ appropriate advocacy

organization(s)– Attend agency fair and identify at least two organizations of

interest– Contact organizer– Attend at least two meetings

Adult Living Skills

• Goal Example:– Advocates for assistance appropriately by completing ___ activity(ies)

• Activities– Makes and keeps ___ appointment(s) with counselor to review course

schedule– Makes and keeps ___ appointment(s) with teacher(s) to review

academic accommodations/assess effectiveness per (week/month/semester)

– Make and keeps ___ appointment(s) with employer to discuss job accommodations.

Adult Living Skills

• Goal Example:– Demonstrates understanding of daily schedule, class routines, and

discourse by completing ___ activity(ies)

• Activities:– Follows schedule and arrives promptly to class ____% of the time– Follows ___ step class routine– Follows ___ rules of classroom discourse– Makes entry on electronic calendar/software to manage schedule

and assignments ___ times per (week/month/semester)

Ultimate Goal

Transformed behaviors lead to meaningful contributions to college

experience for EVERYONE!

CHOICE

• College is not for everyone• College doesn’t have to happen immediately

after secondary completion

ResourcesThink College

www.thinkcollege.net

Georgia Inclusive Post-secondary Education Consortiumwww.gaipsec.org

Center for Leadership in Disabilityhttp://publichealth.gsu.edu/678.html

Kennesaw State University Academy for Inclusive Learninghttp://www.kennesaw.edu/chhs/centers/aiae/

Feel free to contact us

Sheryl Arno sheryla@abilitymatters.org

Susanna Miller smiller65@gsu.edu