KatherineVanase

 Middle school transition planning for students with disabilities

flat =__Introduction__ = Life is full of transitions, whether it means going from one activity to another or from grade to grade or anything larger or smaller; every day we experience change, we experience transitions (PACER). For students with Individualized Education Plans (IEP's), transition is focused on extra planning and consideration of self-determination, self advocacy, and post-secondary goals. All students should have the opportunity to experience success after they exit high school and are no longer protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. With this in mind, transition planning should begin early -- as early as middle school -- so that students understand and are involved in their IEP meetings.

Now, you might be thinking, **//Middle School?!// That's a bit young, isn't it?** But, many transition experts and advocates feel that __age 16__ [the age mandated by law to begin transition planning] __is too late__ to start transition planning (CITE THIS!). IDEA 04's federal regulations make it clear that IEP Teams are free to begin transition planning at an earlier age if the team determines it appropriate to do so. And, it really is OK to start in middle school! Here are some important things to keep in mind when beginning transition planning with a middle schooler: > //--> Not to mention all those changes in their cognitive, social, psychological and physical lives!// > //--> Identify strengths, interests, and preferences!// > //--> Drop out prevention!// > --> If students feel autonomous, competent, and see relatedness to their work and their lives, success is inevitable. Transition Planning is used to identify and develop goals which need to be accomplished during the current school year to assist the student in meeting his post-high school goals**.** **A transition plan is required for students enrolled in special education who have an IEP.** || Check out this link for basic "[|transition starters]." It will help you better understand transition planning and connect you with various resources that can help you begin the transition planning process with your student. For a more comprehensive look into transition, check out this [|Transition Toolkit]provided by the Colorado Department of Education.
 * 1) **Middle School is a time when students without disabilities are often gaining their first steps towards independence and responsibility through chores, volunteering experiences, pet/child care, newspaper routes, etc.**
 * 1)  **Middle School is a safe environment for students to build competence, learn social skills, and foster independence.**
 * 1)  **Involving your student in the transition planning process may just help him/her stay interested in school because it will make classes/homework more relevant to their specific needs.**
 * 1)  **By beginning transition planning in middle school we are preparing students for lifetime success.**
 * [[image:arrow_right.png width="37" height="13" align="center"]]

= = = __**The law**__ = An article by the //Technical Assistance on Transition and the Rehabilitation Act (TATRA) Project in 1997// says most clearly that, "Transition services and transition planning began as one of the many ideas for increasing the quality of life for young adults with disabilities. Today, transition from secondary school to adult services is more than a nice idea, it is a requirement of the law!" Let's check out what the law, IDEA or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 actually says!

According to IDEA, transition services are, a coordinated set of activities provided to the student by the school that promotes a successful transition from high school to post-secondary life. [34 CFR 300.43 (a)] [20 U.S.C. 1401(34)]
 * Transition services improve the academic and functional skills of the student in order to facilitate the student's movement from school to post-school activities such as post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living or community participation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">It is based on the individual student's needs, taking into account his or her strengths, preferences and interests
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">It includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives and, when appropriate, the acquisition of daily living skills.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 130%;">In short, Transition Services is a results-oriented process that include "instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation."

For more detailed information on IDEA, look at the US Department of Education Website or [|FAPE.org]or check out the [|US. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division] for a comprehensive look at disability law.

=<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #13dd13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Where to begin = <span style="color: #13dd13; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Okay, Okay... but this still seems a bit much. <span style="color: #13dd13; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Where do you even begin at the Middle School Level?

<span style="color: #000000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">The next section will focus on 3 big ideas of transition planning for middle schoolers. These key concepts are: **<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Self-Determination ****<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">, Self-Advocacy, and ****<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Career Training **

=**__<span style="color: #13dd13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Self Determination __**=

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">//"To be self-determined is to endorse one's actions at the highest level of reflection. When self determined, people experience a sense of freedom to do what is interesting, personally important, and vitalizing." Edward Dci & Richard Ryan.//

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Self-Determination is a term that has emerged from special education to describe a combination of skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enables individuals to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behaviors (OSEP NLS2 2005). Transition and self-determination became a part of the federal legislation in the reauthorization of IDEA 1990, 1997, and 2004. [|NCSET], (The National Center on Secondary Education and Transition) indicates that, "Self-determination is the drive to determine our own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and choices over life events. It includes the internal motivation and self-awareness that encourages us to define personal goals based on our interests, preferences, values, and needs." Clearly, this is a skill that takes time to develop. As middle school students mature, their self-determination skills will change and deepen. Some students may want full control over big decisions while others may want more supports to make the right choices, but no matter what the first steps to becoming self determined in middle school will be developed through the feeling of belonging, the mastery of skills, and the increase of general independence.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Research tells us that the development of self-determination skills in youth with disabilities, especially as they mature and transition to independent/adult lifestyles, is an important element to student, post-school success (NLTS-2, 2005). This National Longitudinal Transition Study, conducted by the Office of Special Education demonstrated that individuals who have higher levels of self-determination achieve more positive adult outcomes than those with lower levels of self-determiniation (Deci & Ryan). Because these are skills that are difficult to master in short periods of time, early introduction can only benefit a student's overall successes.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Click [|here] to watch the video or read the transcript of three individuals' stories of self-determination. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">The process of developing self-determination skills leads to the student's ability to become self-motivated, autonomous, and self-regulated. This is exactly what the <span class="wiki_link_ext">[|Self Determination Theory] emphasizes for a <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">student to become goal-oriented or //self determined//: a component that is crucial to promoting self-advocacy.

=**__<span style="color: #13dd13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Self Advocacy __**=

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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">The above video is an clear example of how being able to self-advocate can change your life! Understandably, this is probably not a conversation you will be having with your middle schooler, but nonetheless it is important that students begin to develop this skill so that they don't get "put into a [metaphorical] box" their whole li<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">fe.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">The term, self-advocacy, in this sense refers to persons with disabilities living lives consistent with their own values, preferences, strengths, and needs (Turnbull et al., 2006). Self-advocacy means speaking up for oneself. See Wrightslaw Self-advocacy. It requires knowledge of personal strengths, needs and rights as a citizen. Self-advocacy also includes acting in an assertive manner to make ones needs known to others (Manual). A quick guide to self-advocacy is available [|here]. These are the first steps to begin the journey of respect, responsibility, and assertiveness that goes along with developing self advocacy skills.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> According to Huber-Marshall and Maxon (1993) self-advocacy includes **realization of strengths and weaknesses, the ability to formulate personal goals, being assertive, and making decisions.** <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">So really, self-advocacy is, simply put, self-awareness. It is incredibly important that students with disabilities become aware of their strengths and areas of difficulty as well as what accommodations they need to experience success in a classroom, employment, and/or social settings.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">**//"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."//** -John Scully, Odyssey, 1987

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">A perfect way to begin to have your middle schooler practice self-advocacy is to have the IEP team begin PCP or Person Centered Planning. [|PCP] is a way for the student to begin talking about his/her dreams, goals, strengths, and weaknesses in a place where adults are working WITH the student to create meaningful goals for him/her. //(This is the basis of all PCP plans, developing and setting goals **with,** not for, the student.)// And just as the quote above indicates, the best way to take control of your future is to invent or dream it! This idea is supported in two popular "name brand" methods of PCP including [|PATH] and [|MAPS]. Both plans are designed around student dreams, but PATH was created in response to MAPS and serves as a better catalyst to have students achieve and move towards their goals rather than just set them. These are not the only examples however. One of, by far the coolest, self-advocacy pages I have come across is [|Babu's Spider Chart]a chart, created on Microsoft Word that highlights this student's interests, self-view, best day, worst day, and self-identified accommodations. This is an evolving, "living" document as Babu is very young and will experience great changes as he continues his schooling. Also, as you can see from the example, Babu is very young - - something that only benefits him as a self-advocate because of the extra time he is able to practice this skill. Of course there are other examples outside of PATH and Maps (see [|Nick's One Pager], or [|Stephen's Online Site], or [|Joe's All About Me Story])


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">In a recent conference at a Connecticut community college on obtaining services at the post-secondary level, the discussion facilitator (a professor at the college) said, "Students who talk with their professor after a class and tell them of their learning style or that they need specific accommodations to do well in a class are seen as responsible; they are taking charge of their education!" That is exactly the image that we promote by introducing self-advocacy skills at a young age. ||

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">There are a multitude of strategies that teachers use at the middle school and high school level to promote self-advocacy. [|Ann-Marie's Wiki] does a great job of delineating many of these strategies (like modeling, self assessments, role-playing, related literature) to help students develop powerful self-advocacy skills. Such examples as role-playing and teacher-modeling are practices that can also be used at home to help students work through uncomfortable situations and practice problem solving at their own pace. This training reinforces the idea that self-advocacy is a skill that can be learned - no matter if your student is shy or assertive, self-advocacy can be developed and improved on with time and practice.

=<span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Bonus SA Resources = <span style="color: #008080; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">(For Parents & Students)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Tips for Parents]to better understand self-advocacy and transition with your student.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Read: Be your best advocate ([|PDF)] This article can help students start the conversation. Whether it is asking for help or telling another person about your disability, this two page article helps delineate the steps for successful self-advocacy.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Here is a [|PDF] that helps students practice the tools they need to self advocate during an IEP meeting.


 * [|Wright's Law]: An upfront and clear explanation of self-advocacy with resources.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">A great self-advocacy tool for students with learning disabilities can be found [|here]. This site will help students understand what having a learning disability means to promote understanding of their disability as well as the skills to obtain the help needed to experience learning successes.


 * [|Smart Kids]: a site to help develop self-advocacy skills in students with Learning Diabilities.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Advocating Change Together (ACT)] is a great site that is run by and for people with disabilities. ACT helps people across disabilities see themselves as a larger disability rights movement.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">ACT makes connections between civil rights, disability rights, and self-advocacy. ACT also provides youth leadership development programs. One, called "I am a Leader" is a 10-part interactive curriculum that focuses on the history of the disability rights movement, current disability-related civil rights legislation, and basic self-advocacy concepts.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Another, called "ASK" is a 6-unit curriculum that helps student think about what comes after high school; the focus is on expanding self-awareness and building interdependency skills (like asking for hlep) to pursue small, but achievable goals. (This information was adapted from the ACT Brochure)

> >
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|PATH]: A clear guide to the steps taken when creating a PATH with a student.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|MAPS]: A quick PowerPoint that emphasizes the steps of creating a MAP with a student.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|MAP Template]: to be used to create your own, electronic map!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Checklist for Transitioning from High School to College]: although this is a high school resource, it is OK to see if your student's IEP is working towards incorporating these components.

=**__<span style="color: #13dd13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Career Awareness __**=

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> As stated in the introduction, middle school is a time where kids are starting to gain their first employment/responsibility experiences. According to the NLTS-2 study, "employment is the norm in American society, and it often begins at an early age. Approximately half of 12- and 13-year-olds in the general population report that they work (Rothstein & Herz, 2000), and by age 17, 86% of high school students do (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2004a)." Let's recognize, of course that this is not the only option for students during or after middle and high school, but that it is crucial to the development of one's feeling of personal independence and self-fulfillment (NCSET) and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 86% of students, by the time they reach the age of seventeen have been employed. Employment experiences may also be particularly important for youth with disabilities because jobs can provide new outlets for demonstrating skills and competencies and for formulating friendships (Cameto NLTS-2, 2005).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Let's not forget, federal legislation requires equal access to employment and eligibility for program benefits, however employment outcomes for students with disabilities are still disappointing compared to that of their peers without disabilities. Cameto, an author in the NLTS-2 Study, indicates that only half of students with disabilities are experiencing employment while in high school - a statistic that should, and can be higher with early introduction to employment practices.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Believe the research! There is a need for middle school career awareness. Early introduction to the idea of employment also improves, not only awareness of and respect for work, but a positive attitude towards employment! (Developmental Career Programs 1998). Middle School career education helps bridge the gap between what a student is learning and school and what they may do outside of school (whether employment or post-secondary pursuits). Early career education can also increase self concepts, create good intrinsic motivation, general self-awareness, and open opportunities for career choices. (Askew, 2011).

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Educators often use the National Career Development Guidelines ([|NCDG]) framework to create career resources, guides, and assessments. At the middle school level, these standards can be met by developing, career portfolios, taking field trips, completing interest inventories, web-resources, career days, and community experiences. Lets take a moment to look into some of these topics for a clearer picture.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Web Resources for students and parents:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|CTWorks]: (for a clear overview of what CT works does click [|here]) students can take interest inventory assessments, such as the [|Myers-Briggs Personality Test] to help them understand their personality and learning styles as well as what potential jobs they may experience the most satisfaction in.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Connectability] : a great resource for Connecticut students to get connected and explore career opportunities.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Exploring Career Information]: This is a fun source for students, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that helps students explore their interests and careers that fit best with them.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|My Future]: a website that provides information on the three major choices available after high school, employment, continued education, and military services.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Mr. Breitsprecher's Career Activity Site]: this resource is great for students just beginning the idea of employment and covers topics like manners, job seeking, and networking.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Occupational Outlook Handbook]: a book that helps identify how much money a job makes per year, the education requirements behind jobs, and projected growth over the next several years.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Career Portfolios: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">This is a place where students can use their spider charts (like Babu's above) to illuminate their own personal vision, goals, and dreams, as well as strengths and weaknesses. By being able to reflect on ones self, middle school students learn to be pensive on their actions as well as what truly makes them happy. And of course, it will change! And that is fine! Portfolios are also a place where students can house their contacts and resource pages, pictures of community-based work, and future-related journal entries.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This is a great [|template] for a middle school career portfolio.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Examples of pages withinthe portfolio: <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Employability Skills Poster1] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Employability Skills Poster2] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Employability Skills Poster3]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">More great resources can be found at the [|Center for Career Services]!

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Note of caution: Don't be too overzealous, if your middle schooler does get a job, be sure he/she is working within the limits of the [|child labor laws]!

=<span style="color: #13dd13; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Conclusions = <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">This may seem like a lot, and you still may be grappling with the idea of whether or not middle school is an appropriate time to be int<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">roducing transition planning, but don't fret! There are plenty of resources and articles, [|like this one], that can help you understand how to deal with and prepare for that all-too-soon day when your child is ready to become an adult. Mastropieri and Scruggs (2010) tell us that students with strong self-<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">determination skills generally have better post-school outcomes, so starting early can't hurt! <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> Research tells us that students with disabilities are likely to face poor outcomes when they leave high school, so providing self-advocacy, self-determination, and career awareness education is only going to benefit students with disabilities in the long run. The overall goal of transition planning is to provide students with a good foundation for successful living as well as the tools they need to get there. Let's bring up our students in a supportive environment where they can have extra time to practice skills they will use their entire lives! Let's begin early!

__General, but Helpful Links to Keep Your Student Informed:__ [|Health] [|Resources by kids, for kids] <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">[|Transition to Middle School] : A great resource for getting ready for the transition INTO middle school, like what to expect. [|National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities] [|NCSET]: provides national resources, offers technical assistance, and disseminates information related to secondary education and transition for youth with disabilities.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">**Resources** Askew, Mary. (2011) The Bridge Between Elementary and High School - Middle School Career Education. Article retrieved from: http://EzineArticles.com/4880510.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved from: http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Cameto, Renee., (2005). EMPLOYMENT OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES AFTER HIGH SCHOOL. National Longitudinal Transition Study - 2. Chapter 5, 1-21.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Deci, Ryan., (2008). Self-Determination Theory. University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627 retrieved from: http://www.psych.rochester.edu/SDT/

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Faggella-Luby, M. (2010). Connecticut Post-School Outcomes Survey: 2008-2009 School Year Exiters of Special Education Services Final Report.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Garza, Nicolle M., (2005). ENGAGEMENT IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, WORK, OR PREPARATION FOR WORK. National Longitudinal Transition Study - 2. Chapter 3, 1-6.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Konrad, Walker, Fowler, Test, Wood (2008). Teaching exceptional children, Vol. 40, No. 3, 53-64.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 12pt;">Martin, J., Huber-Marshall, L., & Maxson, L. (1993). Transition policy: Infusing self-determination and self-advocacy into transition programs. //Career Development for Exceptional Individuals.// 16(1), 53-61.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;"> IES National Center for Special Education Research. Retrieved from, http://www.nlts2.org/

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Person Centered Planning. Inclusive-Solutions. Retrieved from: http://www.inclusive-solutions.com/pcplanning.asp

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Turnbull, A. P., Turnbull, H. R., Erwin, E., Soodak, L. (2006). Families, Professionals, and Exceptionality: Positive Outcomes through Partnerships and Trust (5th ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill/Prentice Hall.

Week 6 Discussion Post Prompt: How are self-advocacy, person centered planning and self-determination connected?

These three topics are interrelated in developing students who are able to promote their own strengths, areas of improvement, and obtain needed services. As seen in the videos of Sabine and the Get out of the box clip, person centered planning (PCP) helps develop individuals who are confident enough to advocate for themselves, be determined to have certain experiences in life while understanding the need for inter-dependence upon others who may help them. PCP uses collaboration amongst the student, his/her parents/guardians, and related staff to develop goals and plans that directly facilitate the student as an active and meaningful participant. By incorporating PCP in student's PPT and transition plans, students have to opportunity to practice and to become self-advocates who are comfortable enough in their own skin to make requests, demands, and decisions on their own. I can't help but think back to Richard who, if not given the opportunity to develop as a self-advocate, would live an unfulfilling, not "normalized" life - which clearly he and so many other individuals with disabilities are capable of having! To become a self-advocate like Richard however, students with disabilities must be the main component of PCP. Teacher and parent wants must be secondary to student goals in order to facilitate student self-determination, independent decision making, and other typical life experiences.

As a special educator it is important for me to create this opportunity for my students, because they have to be told that they are believed in to be competent individuals. Like any person in need of help, my students will require guidance and age appropriate responsibilities and opportunities to practice self-determination and self-advocacy as they go through school. Importantly, PCP should be occurring in Elementary and Middle schools - not just secondary, high school settings, so that students experience themselves as the expert of who they are and what they want.


 * //From Joe - I like this point about using some of these techniques in elementary and middle schools. I also think it is useful for all students. Can you think of ways that you can do this within other lessons and academic areas? Be creative!//**

Week 5 Discussion Post

Self determination for students who are accepted into the Big Picture Learning community, the program behind my internship this year, is crucial to their success. The school is based on independent learning projects, interest driven curriculums for all students. However, students who apply into this program have demonstrated repeated failure in traditional school settings and are in need of tier II and III interventions, much of which means 1:1 relationships. For the school, that means 27 different projects, 27 different interests, 27 different internships, and 27 opportunities to develop a productive, hard working, and engaged individual who is independent and self determined. Originally, when defining self determination, I said that it includes seeking out help if needed, making independent decisions, and if appropriate, identifying and advocating for your disability. As is, the students I work with day to day do not seek help, do not make wise independent decisions, and tend to not know that they have a disability. If I were to promote self-determination in this setting, I would conduct a seminar where these topics would be discussed. I loved the example that the teacher can set a goal with the students to work towards, helping all people become more aware of their ability to be self-determined and group-supported to succeed at their own goal. I think it is important to localize learning, and by having students create their own goal and reach it, no matter how small would be a step to understanding the importance of self determination. I realize this would be a lot of work to conduct and would require maintenance, but seems to me to be the only way to develop this skill in adolescent students.