supporting transition
Transition is recognized as being a lifelong process and is defined as the passage from one life stage to another.
The perpetuation of systemic and institutional barriers that leads to continued exclusion of diverse learners.
Participation in higher education and employment are two key components of achieving full participation as citizens and as members of civil society (Greenholtz, Mosoff, & Hurtado, 2007)
Moving from school to post-secondary training or education or to community is the traditional path to adulthood and carries with it expectations of independent living, employment, and recreational pursuits.
Alberta and British Columbia, through the collaborative efforts of parents, post-secondary institutions, and not for profit organizations, have embraced a model of full inclusion at the post-secondary level that appears to be leading the way to removing this systemic barrier to full citizenship.
Benefits to students have consistently been observed in the areas of improved academic and personal skills, employment outcomes, self confidence, self advocacy, transition to community, and independence (Bowman& Weinkauf, 2004; Casale-Giannola & Wilson Kamens, 2006; Hafner, 2008; Hart et al, 2006; Hughson et al, 2007; Stodden and Whelley, 2004; Thompson, 2008; and Weinkauf, 2002).
The perpetuation of systemic and institutional barriers that leads to continued exclusion of diverse learners.
Participation in higher education and employment are two key components of achieving full participation as citizens and as members of civil society (Greenholtz, Mosoff, & Hurtado, 2007)
Moving from school to post-secondary training or education or to community is the traditional path to adulthood and carries with it expectations of independent living, employment, and recreational pursuits.
Alberta and British Columbia, through the collaborative efforts of parents, post-secondary institutions, and not for profit organizations, have embraced a model of full inclusion at the post-secondary level that appears to be leading the way to removing this systemic barrier to full citizenship.
Benefits to students have consistently been observed in the areas of improved academic and personal skills, employment outcomes, self confidence, self advocacy, transition to community, and independence (Bowman& Weinkauf, 2004; Casale-Giannola & Wilson Kamens, 2006; Hafner, 2008; Hart et al, 2006; Hughson et al, 2007; Stodden and Whelley, 2004; Thompson, 2008; and Weinkauf, 2002).
While part of transition planning for high school leaving is to determine and to facilitate appropriate post-secondary and community options, sufficient post-secondary options must exist.
Minister’s Review of Programs and Services for Students with Special Needs,(Aylward, Farmer, and MacDonald (2007) identified the need for increased post-secondary options in Nova Scotia for these students.
Transition planning is taking place without sufficient post-secondary and community options to meet student’s needs, schools, parents, and students are planning for a transition to nowhere.
With inclusive post-secondary programs in Alberta leading the way in the early 1990s, Canada has made noticeable strides in providing post-secondary options for students who would not otherwise have access to a college or university experience
The need for increased opportunities for diverse learners to acquire life and work skills that will facilitate transition to the community has been clearly documented in Canadian jurisdictions.
This systemically excluded segment of our population, life goals and dreams continue to be oppressed because special educators and transition teams do not usually present going to college or university as a viable option for continued learning after high school (Hart, Grigal, Sax, Martinez, & Will 2006 and Hughson et al, 2007)
In reality, students with intellectual disabilities can benefit from post-secondary education and experiences as much as any other student (Casale-Giannola & Wilson Kamens, 2006; Hafner, 2008; Hart et al, 2006; and Weinkauf, 2002).
Diverse learners can take regular university and college courses alongside their peers, IPSE allows them to follow the same path to adulthood and citizenship as their peers
Excerpts from
Inclusive Post-Secondary Education
For Diverse Learners:
Supporting Transition May, 2011 (Read full PDF here)
Canadian data from the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey shows that post-secondary education has a strong bearing on employment outcomes for youth with disabilities. It also shows that youth with more severe disabilities are less likely than others to attend college or university. Given the strong connection between post-secondary education and employment outcomes, there have been many efforts placed toward securing post-secondary access for students with developmental disabilities.
The Alberta Association for Community Living reports that upwards of 70% of students who have participated in inclusive post-secondary education programs have had positive employment outcomes. This represents a near reversal of national statistics on employment rates for persons with developmental disabilities where more than 70% are outside of the labour force (Uditsky and Hughson, 2007). Read full pdf HERE |