Family members, guardians and other caregivers are critical partners in a youth’s transition success — teaching them skills needed in adulthood and helping them navigate new decisions and responsibilities.
Key things to know:
Your youth is the decision maker.
Your role is to support and help them navigate new decisions.
You play a critical role in setting high expectations for your youth.
As your youth gets older and gains more independence, they’ll drive the transition process. Your youth is the decision maker. However, they still need close contacts — like family members, guardians and friends — to help them make decisions. Family members and others can help your youth make their own decisions, rather than making decisions for them.
Video resource
From the Pacer Center: Understand how your role shifts as your youth gets older
As you and your youth plan for the future, you can help:
You can support the decision-making process by:
Helping your youth make decisions. Close contacts can help the youth make decisions, like which services the youth receives and who is on their support team. These close contacts can also help communicate questions or concerns to the support team and ensure the youth's voice is heard during the process.
Participating in meetings. Your youth can ask you and others close to them to participate in planning meetings. Share what you know about your youth by communicating strengths, interests, and needs during these meetings. You can also build self-confidence and self-determination in your student by encouraging them to participate and even lead these meetings. If your student isn’t comfortable with this at first, help them find creative and effective ways to express themselves, like constructing a Powerpoint or writing a letter to voice their goals.
Providing signatures for minors or those under guardianship. Guardians provide approvals and signatures for any planned services.
Rallying supports. Family members and friends can identify, activate and engage informal supports, like arranging a neighbor to drive the youth to work or finding a friend to help practice riding the bus. These close contacts can also make sure other activities, services and supports wrap around the youth's transition planning and process.
Planning logistics. You can help your youth think through decisions like transportation, schedules and the impact of independent living, employment, and postsecondary education and training on other daily activities.
Using My Vault. Encourage your youth to complete and share activities and plans in My Vault to facilitate shared understanding of perspective, vision and resources.
Your expectations matter. Setting high expectations for what your loved one with a disability can do now and as an adult promotes growth and development and is a key factor in their success after high school. Learn more about setting high expectations »
You also play a critical role in helping your youth build responsibility and new skills, like completing tasks, having a good attitude, and speaking up for what’s important to and for them. Learn more about building responsibility and skills »
Transition planning is based on your youth’s goals and dreams—what they want for their future. You can help your youth think about their strengths and interests, explore options, and identify the steps or experiences needed to get there.
You may think guardianship is an automatic step in the transition process, but there are other options, including supported decision making, that can preserve your youth’s choice and control. Learn more about decision making options »
Expand social and community networks “Social and community networks are more than fun; they are important tools that help connect people to their community and provide a wider network of support. As youth with disabilities become adults with disabilities, they may need support from a variety of sources.
Start now to develop helpful social and community support networks for your youth. Who do you know in your family, social group, professional circle, faith-based community, or other area who could help provide social, recreational, work, or volunteer experiences for your young adult? Transition planning that addresses opportunities for social relationships and recreation can build a bridge to new friendships, potential employment opportunities, and a wide range of natural community supports.”
Help your youth find a mentor [this is from DB101] Consider seeking out a person in the community who have the same disability as your youth to be a mentor to them. A lot of people have found ways to work around obstacles to reach their goals and have interesting lives, and many of them are eager to share their time and ideas. Talking to somebody living with your disability or a similar one can help your youth learn about tips and resources that are available to help them succeed in whatever they decide to do in life.
Mentoring opportunities can often be found through:
The University of Minnesota’s mentoring program for students with disabilities called Check and Connect. Other universities may have similar programs
You can help your youth explore their options and prepare to live as independently as possible, to work in the community, and to obtain postsecondary education and training.
The best gift a parent can give a child is optimism and high expectations, offering encouragement, support and experiences to prepare for the road ahead.
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