teens |
PREPARING FOR AN INDEPENDENT LIFE Programs help transition students with special needs to life after high school. | BY ANDREA STETSON
T
he pathway is clear for most high school seniors: graduate from high school, then go to college, get a job or join the armed forces. But for teenagers with special needs, it isn’t that simple. The path usually has more challenges. That’s why experts in Lee and Collier counties start early to prepare the students and their parents for the future. “With every student, we start meeting at age 14 with a
transition IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and talk about future employment and future living,” says Scott Kozlowski, Exceptional Student Education coordinator for Lee County Public Schools. “Starting at the age of 14, we start working at everything with graduation in mind.” Collier County has the same program, and sometimes they start even earlier. “Beginning around seventh grade, we encourage the student to come in with their parents to go through interest inven-
tory, looking at strengths and barriers,” says Rick Duggan, executive director of Exceptional Student Education and Student Support Services at Collier County Public Schools. “The emphasis is on self-advocacy.” Rick says it’s important for students and their parents to plan early and understand what is needed for the future. “It’s the ability to be assertive and knowing their rights,” Rick explains. “As students leave school, they are no longer covered under the student disability act. They go under the
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA PARENT & CHILD » OCTOBER 2020 » 25
