Transition AHEAD Roundtable
Ensuring the next steps are the right steps.
The Transition AHEAD Roundtable is an exciting day of interactive activities, information sharing, and futures planning for a youth and their family. This one-on-one day results in a comprehensive action plan, new tools and resources, and follow-up support for the participants and their teachers.
The Roundtable is a day-long, one-on-one set of activities addressing five key areas:
- Employment
- Healthcare
- Education & Training
- Relationships and Community
- Independent Living
The day culminates in a brief Roundtable presentation – led by the young adult – about what they have identified as their strengths, as well as key goals and meaningful supports they want in order to achieve their desired level of independence. It also helps the adults in their lives identify opportunities and actions they, too, can take to support those aspirations.
The young adult and family member[s] participate - sometimes separately and sometimes together – in activities that allow the team to get to explore, identify and support the young adult’s strengths, interests, and vision for the future. As a result, each young adult, together with their family member and the Transition AHEAD multidisciplinary team, develops a set of “next steps” to greater independence in mutually identified areas.
VIEW REAL EXAMPLES OF PERSONAL VISION BOARDS
Developed with feedback from youth, parents, and school staff to ensure that all needs are met and the program works for everyone.
Benefits for Students and Families
- An individualized Transition AHEAD Roundtable experience for each young person and their family
- Work with our team of experts to start important conversations about transition in a safe, supported environment
- Families get connected to important resources that can help provide support and assistance in transition
- Receive a post-Roundtable report, which summarizes the day’s activities and provides customized recommendations.
- Parents clearly increased their expectations of their emerging adult and now include (a) youth working "unprompted" on tasks/chores, and (b) on becoming more "proactive" defining and setting new goals.
- Many parents reached out to at least some of the agencies and organizations they met during TAR.
- Many parents noticed and supported growing independence by their emerging adult, especially regarding (a) speaking up, even “self-advocating” (b) medical/healthcare issues and (c) getting their driver's licenses.
Benefits for Teachers and School Staff
- Build a better relationship and gain a better understanding of each student and their family’s goals
- Learn about new resources that are available to youth in Arizona and how you can connect families to them
- Be introduced to the Transition AHEAD Roundtable Community Network to share and connect with other teachers, transition specialists, and support staff across the state.
The most significant area of growth was related to students expressing interest in living independently. Other notable changes include the liaisons’ perceptions that the students talk more about personal interests and preferences and that students are interested in classes and training after high school. According to the data, liaisons are hearing students talk about their goals and express an interest in living independently after participating in the TAR. In terms of the liaisons’ expectations of the students, there is a significant difference in the expectation that the students can maintain good health practices on their own. Liaisons also recognized that after experiencing the TAR, students are more interested in pursuing college or vocational experiences.
What happens next?
After the Roundtable session, a follow-up report is developed that addresses those next steps and provides specific content-area recommendations and action steps that are individualized to the young adult. The report is written to the young adult. It also contains meaningful information that could be shared with other key people involved in the young person’s transitions (e.g., school, health care, and adult services) should they choose to do so
- A document that summarizes the day’s activities/recommendations will be sent to each family.
- Parents will be contacted by the Roundtable team after 60 days and again after 6 months to conduct a post-Roundtable interview
- Parent will be asked to complete a post-Roundtable survey online
- Teachers will also be asked to complete a post-Roundtable survey for each participant you schedule
- Teachers will receive a Transition AHEAD Roundtable implementation guide, which will guide you through the steps of putting each participant’s new goals into action via their IEP transition plan.
- Teachers will be introduced to the Transition AHEAD Roundtable Community Network to share and connect with other teachers, transition specialists, and support staff across the state.
News
Partners
Tohono O’odham Community College
Division of Developmental Disabilities and Vocational Rehabilitation
Arizona Department of Economic Security
Ability 360
Direct Advocacy & Resource Center
