Knoxville Seamless Transition Project
An Integrated Transition Systems Project
operated jointly by the
Knoxville Area Career Center &
The Cerebral Palsy Center
Stephanie Potter
stephanie.potter@knoxcac.org
Characteristics of the Transition
Systems Integration Model
 No lag time between systems
 Supports driven by the student
 Students learn in the community 6 hours a day
 Services managed by highly structured schedules that
include work & non-work activities
 Staff are trained to set up environments and support job
seekers in speaking up for self, decision-making &
problem-solving
 Supporting families as they transition from entitlement to
eligibility
Partnership
 Critical Stakeholders involved from the start:
 Knox County Schools
 Division of Rehabilitation Services
 Division of Intellectual Disabilities Services
 University of Tennessee
 San Francisco State University
How the Guidance Group Began
 Built on existing relationships established through
collaboration on:
• Local Business Advisory Council
• Regional Employment Consortium
• Local Employment Consortium
• TN Customized Employment Program
 Knox County Schools wanted to replicate the Transition
Integrated Transition Systems Model and pilot it in our
county
Shocking Statistics
 Only 13% of Special Ed.
Graduates are employed 2
years post exit
 Only 25% of Special Ed.
Graduates are employed
3-5 years after exit
 These graduates are at
 Of these percentages only
 The majority of these
38% earn minimum wage
or better
high risk for poverty
graduates are in
segregated programs
Study conducted in 2000 by the National Council on Education
Outcomes:
No service disruption
“The day after graduation looks the same as
the day before”
Same jobs
Same community activities
Same support staff
Outcomes:
 100% found employment
 92% are currently employed
 Averaging 10.2 hours per week
 40% receive funding from Division of
Intellectual Disabilities Services
 31% growth in quality of life indicators
after one year
Quality of life Indicators
31% growth after one year in the project
 Handling money and making purchases
 Understanding complex instructions
 Showing initiative
 Interacting with others
 Taking care of personal belongings
 Food preparation and eating in public
 Employment and other activities
What did it look like before?
Knox County Schools
 Some work-based learning (average 2 x per
week)
 Very few referrals to DIDS or VR
 Only partnered with CRP’s for sheltered work
 Life skills taught in a classroom
 IEP’s did not include long-term transition goals
Cerebral Palsy Center
 Very few referrals from transitioning students
 Referrals would come after students graduated
and sat at home for several months frustrated
 Community-based and Employment-based
services were separate
 Participants saw staff as friends
 Safety and protection first instead of Employment
First
Workforce Connections/
Career Center
 TN Customized Employment Grant ending
 Career Center was fully accessible but people
with disabilities were not utilizing the services
 VR was a mandated partner but not truly
integrated
Role of the Student
Students MUST :





want to work
have family support
attend and participate in all IEP meetings
be open to home visits
participate in person centered planning
and divulge information such as:
• Likes, dislikes, experiences, personality traits, skills,
motivation
• Support needs and accommodations
• Work history, employment preferences, stamina, schedule
Role of Voc. Rehab.
Specify one case manager for all
students in the project
Take the application as soon as
students are identified
Fund the employment piece up
to 90 days after placement
Role of DIDS
 Assign one case manager to all participants
 Take application as soon as students are
identified
 Fund post-employment follow up services
and community-based services (only happened
40% of the time due to the long waiting list)
Role of Workforce Connections
 Provide an employment specialist
 Conduct Self-Advocacy training
 Ensure all Career Center resources are
accessible
 Access WIA funds including summer youth
employment funds
Role of School System
o Refer appropriate students
o Modify IEP’s to match project goals
o Fund community-based services until
graduation
Role of the CP Center
 Attend all IEP meetings
 Conduct interests inventories and home visits
 Develop master and individual schedules
 Hire community specialists/ case managers
 Provide transportation
 Support students in the community
 Provide direct service
The Nuts and Bolts
How in the world do we do this?
Significant Scheduling Details
 Heterogeneous groups based on common
interests
 Chronological age-appropriateness
 Natural Supports from non-disabled persons
 Use the students’ network (Including family,
friends, classmates, church members, etc)
Significant Scheduling Details cont…
 Natural Consequences
 Natural Proportion
 Activities based in the student’s neighborhood
(so they become regulars)
 Supports driven by the student
 Employment: First Service to Consider
Required: Large Doses of Creativity,
Perseverance & Commitment
Significant Staffing Components
 Staffing support 1:3 ratio, Employment 1:1
 Non-authoritarian approach
 Natural consequences
(follow behavior plans)
 Staff support families and
act as case managers
Significant Staffing Components
 Staff help students
by “fitting in”
 Staff trained to
support students in
• Speaking up for self
• Decision making
• Problem solving
EMPLOYMENT
Adhere
to typical
processes
Student
Motivation
1st
Skills 2nd
Use
student’s
network
Consultant
vs.
Salesperson
Customized
and
Competitive
Eric’s Schedule
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Pick up time/
8:30am
8:45am
8:45am
8:45am
8:30
Staff/
Kevin
Susan
Rachel
Rachel
Nikki
Phone number
715-9716
705-9720
705-8812
705-8812
905-9717
Activities/
Drop to work 9:00
Volunteer at Mobile
Meals
Drop to work 9:00
Swap to Kevin’s group
Drop to work 9:00
Grocery shopping-$5
Pick Up from work
11:30
Items needed
Pick Up from work
11:30
Library/ Personal
Shopping/ Bowling
$2
Pick Up from work
YMCA workout/ swim 11:30
(bring bathing suit,
shower stuff and
Volunteer at Angelic
change of clothes)
Ministries
Sack Lunch park
Cooking class
Laundromat
(bring 1 load of
clothes, soap, $3.00)
Cooking class at John
YMCA- workout
(bring change of
clothes)
Banking- cash
paycheck
Lunch/
Sack lunch
Lunch at Mall-
Fast Food $5
Where/
CAC atrium
Sack or $5
Drop off time/
2:45pm
3:00pm
3:00pm
3:00pm
2:45pm
Staff/
Kevin
Susan
Rachel
Kevin
Nikki
Phone number
715-9716
705-9720
705-8823
715-9716
905-9716
23rd on UT campus
$ or sack
MASTER SCHEDULES
How Do We Fund it?
 School System funds community
and work based learning during
the student’s last year in school
 VR funds employment services
during the student’s last year
 DIDS funds begin when the
school funding ends to continue
community based activity and
long-term employment supports
Additional grants, fundraisers, and
WIA funds are required to
supplement public funding
Success Stories
How YOU can get started today!
 Build partnerships
 Incorporate employment into every day
 Empower your participants
 Make the day meaningful
 Re-train or hire new staff
 Get creative
 Think you can…think you can…think you can!!!
For more information contact:
Stephanie Potter
Workforce Connections
PO Box 51650
Knoxville, TN 37950
865-544-5200
Stephanie.potter@knoxcac.org