Educators

Shogren, Wehmeyer, Palmer, Forber-Pratt, Little, and Lopez (2015) define self-determination as a “dispositional characteristic manifested as acting as the causal agent in one’s life. Self-determined people (i.e., causal agents) act in service to freely chosen goals. Self-determined actions function to enable a person to be the causal agent in his or her life” (p. 258). Individuals with disabilities who have higher levels of self-determination tend to have better transition outcomes and report higher satisfaction with their lives (Shogren et al., 2015). Because of the evidence linking self-determination to positive post-school outcomes, Texas educators are required to consider and address, if appropriate, “the use and availability of appropriate supplementary aids, services, curricula, and other opportunities to assist the student in developing decision-making skills; and supports and services to foster the student's independence and self-determination” (TAC §89.1055(j)(10)(A) and (B)).

                                                                                  References 

Shogren, K. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., Palmer, S. B., Forber-Pratt, A. J., Little, T. J., & Lopez, S. (2015). Causal agency theory: Reconceptualizing a functional model of self-determination. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 50(3), 251-263.

2BSD offers a continuum of assessment and curricular resources based on the Action Model for Self-Determination to meet the needs of children from early childhood through post-secondary education. Additionally, you can use this website to learn about the concept of self-determination. 

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is a national disability rights organization created by people with autism for people with autism. They that work to advance civil rights, empower people with autism, and improve public perceptions of autism. In addition to learning more about autism, you can learn how to get your students involved in local, state, and national advocacy efforts

Center for Self-Determination Theory
The Center for Self-Determination Theory is a non-profit organization created to advance self-determination theory by disseminating their philosophy, research, and practices. This link leads to the educator page of the site.

Disability History Museum
The Disability History Museum is an online museum that provides information about how disability has been experienced in the past and present. An understanding of disability history can help your students with their advocacy now and in the future. 

The I’m Determined project, a state-directed project funded by the Virginia Department of Education, focuses on providing direct instruction, models, and opportunities to practice skills associated with self-determined behavior. This link leads to the educator page. The resources link on this page leads to materials such as videos of people with disabilities explaining self-determination.

University of Kansas Beach Center on Disability: Self-determination
The Beach Center on Disability focuses research, training, and advocacy on promoting abilities of people of all ages who experience disability, to assure a self-determined, goal-driven, and self-selected quality of life within communities where everyone lives. There are many resources on the website that are of interest to educators, including “A Teacher's Guide to Implementing the [Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction] SDLMI for Elementary Teachers.”

University of Oklahoma: Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment
The Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment facilitates successful secondary and postsecondary educational, vocational, and personal outcomes for students and adults with disabilities. This link leads to free self-determination assessments.

For many careers, additional education or training after high school is a requirement. Education after high school is called postsecondary education and includes trade schools, community colleges, and universities. Even if a student’s desired career does not require postsecondary education, it is likely they will need additional training beyond high school. Some examples of training include on-the-job training or an apprenticeship.

The Office of Disability Services is the office at the postsecondary educational institution that can provide accommodations, academic adjustments, and auxiliary aids and services to students who have temporary or permanent health impairments, physical limitations, psychological disorders, or learning disabilities. It is important for educators to encourage their students to visit the Office of Disability Services during college visits and to register with them once they are admitted. The name of the Office of Disability Services may vary; other names include Student Accessibility Services, Disability Services Office, Student Disability Services, Disability Services, and Student Accessible Services.

Explore the following links to learn more about postsecondary education and training.

The 60x30TX (“60 by 30 Tex”) higher education strategic plan contains four broad goals. Each goal contains a set of targets that will move the state toward reaching one or more goals. Many stakeholders across Texas will need to develop and implement a wide range of strategies to meet each goal: educated population, completion, marketable skills, and student debt. This link leads to postsecondary programs and services in Texas for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Beyond High School: Your Rights at College, Trade School, and More
This page, by Disability Rights Texas, contains frequently asked questions for students and families as they prepare for postsecondary education/training options.

Higher Education Resource Guide for Students with Disabilities
This guide focuses mainly on attending college, but it also touches on other options, such as online training, technical and trade schools, job training programs, adult education programs, and new transition models for students with disabilities.

Navigate Life Texas
Navigate Life Texas was developed by parents, for parents. This website offers many resources for people with disabilities and their families. The link leads to the page dedicated to college and alternatives for people with disabilities and is a great resource to share with students and families.

Texas College and Career Readiness Support Center 
The Texas College and Career Readiness Support Center is a collection of resources and tools that can be used to prepare students for college and careers. The Texas College and Career Readiness Profile Planning Guide and the Texas Online College and Career Readiness Resource Center were created to support educators as they assist students planning for successful postsecondary options. 

Texas Project FIRST: Postsecondary Education Resources
Texas Project FIRST was created for parents of children with disabilities by parents of children with disabilities. This link provides information on postsecondary education, including a comparison of IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA. 

The Graduation Effect
This online resource demonstrates the positive impacts a 90% high school graduation rate could have on local, state, and national economies. Findings for the nation, all 50 states, and more than 130 metropolitan areas are available to business leaders, policymakers, community and civil rights activists, educators, parents, and others to use as they advocate for better educational experiences for youth. 

Think College is a national organization dedicated to developing, expanding, and improving inclusive higher education options for people with an intellectual disability. One of the most useful features of this website is a listing of all postsecondary programs in the United States for students with an intellectual disability.

For many people, employment is a big part of their life. It is important for students to learn about their interests, strengths, and needs so they can be prepared for a career that will be fulfilling to them. 

DO*IT-Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology
The DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) Center is dedicated to empowering people with disabilities through technology and education. The center promotes awareness and accessibility, in both the classroom and the workplace, to maximize the potential of individuals with disabilities and make our communities more vibrant, diverse, and inclusive. This link leads to employment resources.

The Texas Association of Vocational Adjustment Coordinators (TAVAC) is an organization for vocational adjustment coordinators (VACs), transition specialists, job coaches, vocational counselors, life skills teachers, and other professionals working directly with VAC students or in the area of transition.

Texas Workforce Commission: Home
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is the state agency responsible for overseeing and providing workforce development services to employers and job seekers of Texas. One of the major functions of this agency is to provide services for people with disabilities to obtain training and employment.  

Texas Workforce Commission: Job Seekers and Employees
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is the state agency charged with overseeing and providing workforce development services to employers and job seekers of Texas. The major functions of TWC include developing the workforce, providing support services for targeted populations participating in workforce training and adult education and literacy services, providing services for people with disabilities to obtain training and employment, and administering the unemployment benefits and tax programs. This link leads to the page for job seekers and employees.

Texas Workforce Commission-Vocational Rehabilitation Services 
Texas Workforce Commission-Vocational Rehabilitation Services serves youth and students with disabilities to help prepare them for postsecondary education and employment opportunities. Services are based on specific eligibility criteria and student need.

Transcen
Transcen is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the education and employment success of youth and young adults with disabilities. This link leads to the page for employment and support services.

U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics
The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. This link leads to the page on employment.

What can YOU do?
The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) is a collaborative effort among several disability and business organizations to change attitudes about disability and employment. Under the “Where to Learn More” tab of this website are resources for job seekers and employees with disabilities.

Independent living services help people with disabilities achieve greater independence in the home and community. Many programs for people with disabilities require documentation of disability and services may be limited, so it is important for students and families to understand these community supports and how to work with them to receive needed services. 

PACER Center
The PACER Center works to enhance the quality of life of individuals with disabilities by providing information to students and their families. On this website, you can find information about many special education topics, including transition, to share with families. 

Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities
The Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities helps people with developmental disabilities achieve their potential for independence, productivity, and integration into their communities by working to develop a comprehensive system of services and supports in Texas. This link leads to the page that discusses the alternatives to guardianship.

Texas Health and Human Services: Disability
The disability section of the Texas Health and Humans Services website has a lot of information pertaining to people who have disabilities, including information about federal programs such as Medicaid, Social Security, and Supplemental Security Income. There is also information about programs and services for specific disabilities such as brain injury, autism, visual impairments, hearing impairments, intellectual disability, and medical or physical disabilities.

Texas Health and Human Services: Independent Living Services
Independent living services are provided by centers for independent living (CILs), which are located throughout the state. CILs are not residential living centers. CILs help people with disabilities achieve greater independence in their homes and communities by providing information and referrals, skills training, goals counseling, advocacy training, and transition services. This website has links to all the CILs in Texas and describes who is eligible for independent living services and the type of services available. 

Texas Health and Human Services: Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority
The Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority (LIDDA) provides services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and enrolls eligible individuals into Medicaid programs. On this website, you can find detailed information about the services provided by LIDDAs.

Texas Health and Human Services: Local Mental Health Authorities/Local Behavioral Health Authorities
Community mental health services are provided through Local Mental Health Authorities/Local Behavioral Health Authorities (LMHA/LBHA), also referred to as community mental health centers. The LMHAs/LBHAs provide services to a specific geographic area of the state, called the local service area. You can find contact information for all the community mental health centers in Texas on this website. 

Texas State Independent Living Council
The Texas State Independent Living Council develops and monitors a comprehensive state plan for independent living services in Texas. This link leads to the page to find the nearest center for independent living.

Your Texas Benefits
This website has information about state benefit programs that help people with and without disabilities who have little or no money get access to basic needs such as food, health care, and support services.

Transition assessments are used to identify a student’s preferences, interests, needs, and strengths; determine a student’s postsecondary goals; develop instruction and transition service needs; and identify linkages needed to achieve postsecondary goals. Educators should ask themselves the following questions when choosing transition assessments:

• What do I already know? 
• What do I need to know?
• How can I get this information?
• How will I collect this information and use it in the IEP?

Transition assessments can be formal or informal. The following links to various transition assessments is not exhaustive. When choosing transition assessments, choose assessments that help answer the questions above instead of choosing assessments that are available and are always used. Transition assessment should be individualized, just like the rest of the IEP process.

Eleanor and Charles Garrett Center on Transition and Disability Studies
In addition to various tools for educators on the Garrett Center website, there are also transition assessments.

Ohio Age-Appropriate Transition Assessment Library
The website houses a collection of transition assessments. 

Transition Assessments and Activities
This link leads to a live binder with transition resources.

Transition Hub
This website has a collection of free transition assessments and links to paid and online assessments.

TransitionTN
Transition TN offers online and in-person resources to prepare transition-age youth with disabilities for life after high school. This link leads to the transition assessment database. Registration required.

University of Oklahoma: Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment
The Zarrow Center facilitates student-directed educational, employment and adult living outcomes for individuals with disabilities, fosters innovative self-determination-oriented instruction and transition education practices, and prepares educational leaders. The website also has free self-determination assessments available.

QuickBook of Transition Assessments
This downloadable resource provides technical assistance to school districts and/or agencies that provide special education or special education and related services to youth with disabilities.  

State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicator 13 measures the percent of youth 16 years old and above with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that includes:

• appropriate measurable postsecondary goals that are annually updated and based upon an age appropriate transition assessment;
• transition services, including courses of study, that will reasonably enable the student to meet those postsecondary goals;
• and annual IEP goals related to the student’s transition service needs.  

TEA SPP 13 General Information Page.
This link provides general information from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) on Indicator 13.

SPP Indicator 14 is related to post-school outcomes and measures the “percent of youth who had IEPs, are no longer in secondary school and who have been competitively employed, enrolled in some type of postsecondary school, or both, within one year of leaving high school.”

2018-2019 UPDATE
The State Performance Plan Indicator 14 (SPPI-14) is now a state reporting feature in the Texas Student Data System (TSDS).  The TSDS Core Application will include the SPPI-14 collection. The SPPI-14 collection will be used to gather data for students with disabilities enrolled in grades 9-12 who have exited a local education agency (LEA) and have a leaver record with certain leaver codes as reported in the 2019-2020 PEIMS Fall submission.

Data for SPP 14 will no longer require a collection process or data entry in TEAL. Student information will be pulled from the Texas Student Data System (TSDS). LEA's need to confirm student data is current for graduating seniors.

TSDS-SPPI-14
This link provides the TEA presentation on the new updates for the SPP 14 collection process.

TEA-19 TAC Chapter 74. Curriculum Requirements 

TEA-FAQ HB 165

TEA-FAQ CTE and Special Education  

Video Modeling Implementation Guide

This guide provides all of the information and tools necessary to create, film and implement video modeling interventions. 

Click on the image below to download or preview our new series of Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Fact Sheets. 

Remote Transition Support Tips with Vocational Rehabilitation Webinar Handout