Life After Special Ed Has Challenges

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Life After Special Ed Has Challenges

By NANCY ZUCKERBROD

The Associated Press

Monday, March 31, 2008; 12:46 PM

WASHINGTON -- Graduating from high school is typically a moment of great joy

for young people and their parents, but for students with disabilities it is

sometimes described in dark terms.

" It can feel like sinking into an abyss, " said Healy, the mother of an

adult son with Down Syndrome, who recently completed his studies at an

andria, Va. high school.

During their public school years, children with disabilities are entitled to

a menu of special services, such as music or occupational therapy, extra

reading help and door-to-door transportation. The law also requires they be

given an Individualized Education Program, a blueprint tailored to their

needs with involvement from educators and parents.

It's a comforting safety net that often ends abruptly when students leave

school. They might get help securing a job, enrolling in a technical school

or giving college a try. But it's just as likely they won't, says

Leggett of Silver Spring, Md., who leads a group trying to improve the

transition out of high school for students with disabilities.

Leggett said students with disabilities face waiting lists and tight funding

for services once they leave high school. " Nobody really prepares you for

that, " she said.

Educators are legally required to prepare special-Ed kids for life after

school under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The law says

that by the time students with disabilities are 16, schools are supposed to

provide planning that may include more school, getting a job or trying to

live independently.

The special education law covers about 7 million students with disabilities

in public schools. Learning disabilities such as dyslexia are the most

common, followed by speech or language impairments. Mental retardation and

emotional disturbances rank next in frequency, though they show up in much

smaller numbers.

The Education Department recently examined how well states have been

implementing the special-Ed law and issued report cards to the states. Most

received poor grades for their efforts to assist students with the

transition out of high school.

For many schools, transition probably hasn't been a focus because of the

emphasis the 2002 No Child Left Behind education law places on ensuring that

students with disabilities are being taught core academic subjects like math

and reading, said a Posny, the commissioner of education in Kansas and

former director of special education at the U.S. Education Department.

There is a sense that the focus on academics has come at the expense of

teaching so-called " life skills, " such as navigating public transit or

learning to shop for groceries, said Reder, deputy executive director

of the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

Posny said the department's finding of lackluster transition efforts is

likely to spark improvements. " I believe it's absolutely going to be at the

top of everyone's radar, " she said.

States recently sent the Education Department updates on their transition

efforts and other special-Ed programs. The department is expected to review

those and issue new report cards in June.

Another longer-standing obstacle is that schools and government agencies

that serve needy adults don't work closely together. Often a

special-education teacher will also serve as the school's transition

coordinator, and that person typically does not have close contacts with

agencies providing job training or other services for adults with

disabilities.

" If you've got a transition coordinator who is a special-education teacher

in the classroom, how does the teacher get out of the classroom to meet

those other people? " Healy asked.

The most recent version of the special Ed law, passed in 2004, tried to

tackle some of the transition problems.

The law spelled out that educators must develop appropriate goals for

students, based on various assessments, and that progress toward those goals

must be monitored.

" It's not just a matter of filling out some compliance boxes on an IEP, "

said Harvard University education professor Tom Hehir, referring to the

individualized education program written for each special-Ed student. " It's

not easy. It requires you to really think about where you're going with this

particular kid in the long term. "

The law also says that students' goals should reflect their interests and

strengths. So if a student says he wants to be a veterinarian, but his math

and science skills make that unlikely, schools might try to line him up with

a job at an animal shelter.

But change in this area is slow in coming, says Ricki Sabia, a national

advocate for students with disabilities and the mother of a high-school

student with Down Syndrome.

" For individuals with intellectual disabilities there is still a certain

status quo in the kind of jobs for which they are usually considered,

regardless of their interests and abilities _ such as food service,

custodial, laundry or mail room work. " Sabia said.

Colleges do appear to be opening their doors a bit wider for students with

disabilities.

About 11 percent of students in two- and four-year colleges are identified

as having disabilities _ roughly double the level of the mid-1990s.

Legislation pending in Congress seeks to advance that trend. Among other

things, it would make students with intellectual disabilities eligible for

financial aid that is currently unavailable to them.

While they don't serve a lot of college-bound teens, high schools that

exclusively teach students with serious disabilities appear to give the most

thought to transition planning.

Jamal Quander, a 19-year-old student with mental retardation, attends such a

school in Washington, D.C. He plans to stay another three years, as he's

entitled to do under D.C. law, and much of that time will be spent planning

for his future.

During a recent meeting at the school, St. Coletta, a job placement coach

asked Jamal a series of questions about how he liked the work the school had

secured for him at a day care center.

" It's cool going out all by yourself, " Jamal said, beaming with pride over

his success at taking public transportation on his own. But he said taking

care of kids is not something he envisions doing long term. " I would like to

do retail and office work, " he said.

His mother, Michele Quander, said the school's transition process has given

her confidence that Jamal, a self-professed fashion lover with a megawatt

smile, can become independent over time.

" I'm happy for him. I'm excited, " she said. " I'm glad we're starting early. "

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