Community-based Education and Learning
For 18-21 Year Old Students
With Disabilities
Introduction
The passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 1990 and the subsequent reauthorizations,
including the latest in 2007, mandates school districts to provide transition services for students with
disabilities in order to improve post-school outcomes for these young adults. To help meet the
requirements for transition, many school districts have developed community-based transition options.
These service options are designed to support students who need to continue to work on their
transition goals and who have completed academic requirements and credits for graduation as outlined
in their Individual Education Plans (IEP).
Community-based transition programs are alternative special education opportunities, developed by
public school systems, in age-appropriate settings. They are located in community settings such as
vocational-technical schools, houses, offices and other community locations.
18-21 Year Old Transition Services
Definition
18-21 year old transition services are developed by local school districts. They provide opportunities for
students with disabilities, 18-21, to gain independent living skills, transition skills, social and functional
skills and self-advocacy in real-life settings and to participate in age appropriate activities in their
communities.
Rationale
Some students with disabilities remain in high school until they are 21 years old. This means they are
often receiving services in classrooms with much younger students. Also, since most high school
students typically graduate at 17 or 18 and go onto higher education or employment, students with
disabilities who remain in high school until the age of 21 have fewer opportunities to interact with same
age peers without disabilities. The 18-21 services are developed to increase the opportunity to interact
with same age peers without disabilities. The 18-21 services are developed to increase the opportunity
to interact with same age peers in age appropriate settings and provide further transition skills and
employment opportunities in the community. They also provide a continued connection to a student’s
home community. The programming moves away from classroom instruction and towards integrated,
hands-on implementation of skills learned in age-appropriate settings.
Goals of 18-21 Services:
The overall goal of these services is to provide students with disabilities, age 8-21, who have met the
graduation requirements, a transition-focused program within community-based environments.
Objectives:
1. Identify student needs and parental expectations for services for students, age 18-21 through
surveys and interviews.
2. Identify and allocate staffing to meet needs of students in 18-21.
3. Develop off-site facility that allows for programming and work experiences (i.e. building in Sauk
City or Prairie du Sac business district) which allows for offering variety of job experiences in a
18 – 21 community store (i.e. coffee shop, laser business, art & craft sales), space for teaching of
skills, personal care area and a group meeting area.
4. Identify capstone businesses within the community to access and provide feedback to students
on social and communication skill readiness for work through job shadows, mock interviews and
job experiences and to increase availability of job pool in community by locating jobs in clients’
interest areas and making contacts.
5. Facilitate friendships with same-age peers by focusing on individual interests and availability to
events within 20 mile radius of Sauk –Prairie area and by providing social outlets for our clients
to strengthen friendships.
6. Establish a parent cooperative to facilitate and find ways for parents to share their strengths and
resources with clients and to help establish connections to supporting services, resources and
organizations for the client and their family once the client leaves 18-21 program.
7. Establish daily transportation for 18-21 services to include family’s ability to provide or make
connections such as resource mapping and identifying taxi and bus routes.
8. Give students the opportunity to increase their level of independence.
9. Increase independent living/life skills.
10. Improve self-advocacy/self-determination skills.
Program Supports:
Examples of types of support students and families can receive
 Job development, training, coaching and coordinating and collaborating with outside
agencies to support employment goals;
 Exposure to life-long fitness options and how to access them in the community;
 Connecting with student support services at post-secondary institutions;
 Training in accessing transportation to work and recreational activities;
 Support in menu planning for meals;
 Working with families and county services to locate and investigate adult living options
in surrounding area, when appropriate;
 Supporting students in learning the social skills involved in developing and maintaining
friendships and participating in leisure activities;
 Investigating local apartment availability and costs;
 Offering seminars in areas of interest that support the independence of students;
 Practicing the organizational skills needed to keep a weekly schedule of appointments
and to make appointments;
 Support and instruction in practicing safety in the community, in personal lives and at
home;
 Support in budget planning and affordability of their life choices for leisure and every
day activities;
 Regular staffing to discuss programming and facilitate long-term service connections;
 Parent cooperative group