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= TRANSITION RESOURCES  =

Transition to Employment

Transition to Post-secondary Education and Training

Legal Resources and Government Agencies

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 * Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (BRS) **

BRS is for people with disabilities looking for competitive employment that do not qualify for services under the Department of Developmental Disabilities or the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. BRS provides supported employment for individuals who have significant physical or mental impairments that without them, they would have equal access to competitive employment. The BRS website provides information on who can and cannot receive services from BRS, how to apply for services from BRS, and what programs and services are provided. For students and parents who are looking towards transition services and information on “school to work transition” are provided. A student can be referred to BRS as early as age 14, allowing BRS to participate in transition planning for students. There are brochures geared toward students and transition planning as well as information for parents and schools systems. BRS provides services for a wide range of people with disabilities. For students and parents, it may take some time to navigate through relevant resources.

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 * Department of Developmental Disabilities Services (DDS) **

DDS provides services to persons with intellectual disabilities. Services include support in independent living, daily living skills, education and vocational training and vocational opportunities. Families and persons with intellectual disabilities can find a wide range of information on how to apply to DDS, how to access services, and their legal rights. Students who are transitioning can obtain information on self-determination such as choosing your own staff and case managers. There is also information on the definition of self-advocacy and the importance of self-advocacy for individual clients. The DDS website provides a wide variety of services and therefor contains much information. One must pick through the information to locate what they are specifically searching for. This site is not user friendly for students. Although it may contain information on self-determination, information is not presented in a format transitioning students can easily access or understand due to the use of professional jargon.

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 * Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services (DMHAS) **

DMHAS provides a vast array of services for people of all ages who have a history of significant mental health issues. The website is laden with information for people from all walks of life. DMHAS provides services for independent living, recovery programs, vocational services, community participation and education. The website provides information on what services are available and how to locate them. DMHAS has programs specifically for young adults. Students can be referred into DMHAS starting at age 16. DMHAS offers programs for youth transitioning into adulthood. When sifting through the DMHAS website, it is clear DMHAS provides assistance to people of all ages and backgrounds. Once one decides where they might qualify, they can access information on who can apply, how to apply, frequently asked questions, what programs are available and who to contact for more information. The information on this website is not well organized for ease of use. It takes some digging to discover what services are available.

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 * Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (OPAPD) **

The OPAPD provides advocacy and protection for persons with disabilities. This website provides the means for a person with a disability to access advocacy, report discrimination, abuse and neglect. People with disabilities and parents of people with disabilities can access training on their legal rights. The Client Assistance Program guides people with disabilities in obtaining vocational services. The website contains information on what legal rights people with disabilities have to vocational rehabilitation. There are also self-help guides for families and people attempting to ensure they obtain what is legally their right and how to self-advocate for rights. This website is helpful when looking for resources about protection and advocacy. Much of the information contains legal jargon that might present a barrier to those looking for information. Resources for young adults who are transitioning and looking towards the legal rights transferring to them at the age of 18 would prove to be invaluable.

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 * Connecting the Disability Community to Information & Opportunities **

Connecting the Disability Community to Information and Opportunities is a website created and run by the federal government to disseminate information to people with disabilities. This website contains information on a variety of subjects including benefits, civil rights, community living, education, housing and technology. The disability.gov website includes resources for students, families and educators on transition planning. Transition planning resources encompass vocational rehabilitation, post-secondary education, self-advocacy, support and accommodations. There are specific articles about laws and regulations regarding transition, discrimination, civil rights and employment. The links and articles are helpful and rich with sources of information. Students looking for information must be motivated and experienced in reading through various articles along with deciding what information is relevant to their individual transitions. This is a great resource for students, parents and educators who are actively engaged in their transition process and are looking for what protection they have under the law.

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 * Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA) **

COPAA is an independent non-profit organization. Attorneys, parents, advocates and other professionals provide information and resources to other parents, advocates and attorneys. The organization was created to ensure the rights of students with disabilities rights are protected. COPAA members are able to use this site to network, gather information and connect with professionals who can provide assistance. Visitors of the site can read about past and current court cases that have and could possibly set legal precedent and affect the rights of students. There is also information on the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004 which includes students right to transition planning. This website gives a nice overview of legislative actions in Congress and issues related to government and the rights of students with disabilities. The COPAA is a membership organization. Parents must provide a $50 membership fee to gain access to all resources provided by COPAA. The site encourages visitors to join COPAA in order to reap the benefits of the organization and its expanded information.

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 * Center for Children’s Advocacy (CCA) **

The Center for Children’s Advocacy is a non-profit legal office located in Hartford Connecticut. They specialize in providing legal assistance to children who are at risk. This website contain legal resources and information in regard to past and current education and special education court cases in Connecticut. Within this site, there is specific information on Education/Special Education civil rights lawsuits in Connecticut, federal laws, regulations and policies, and Connecticut laws, regulations and policies. There are links to Special Education Forms in Transition and Individual Education Program information. This is a good site to gather legal documents used in Special Education, and to gain legal information and tips for Special Education Rights. However, there are links that have not been updated or that lead to other organizations’ sites that must be sorted through.

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 * Legal Aid for People in Connecticut **

Legal Aid is an organization created to help people with limited income receive legal assistance in Connecticut. Legal Aid provides self-help guides and basic information about multiple categories and sub-categories such as disability rights, education, work and unemployment. Under the category of disability rights, there is information about job discrimination, employment rights for people with disabilities, and health care instruction. Under the category of health care instruction, persons with disabilities can access a guide to self-determination in the process of making decisions about one’s own medical care. There are guides under Special Education to assist in the referral process and how parents can protect the rights of their children. Legal Aid also provides resources and information on Individual Transition Plans along with state departments and the major components of the Summary of Performance forms. The Legal Aid website is packed with information on a wide variety of topics. There is much information on broad topics and general questions regarding transition planning. The definitions and basic guides are a great starting point when sorting out Special Education law, policies and procedural safeguards.

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 * Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center **

Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center is run by parents of children with disabilities who have experience advocating for their children in a multitude of areas. This site was created for parents who are the main advocates for their children with disabilities and need information about Special Education law. This non-profit organization provides free services, resources and training for parents. This website can provide parents with a foundational understanding of Special Education law, both federal and within Connecticut. There is some information about transition services such as when they should start and where they are included in the Individual Education Program. There is also information about federal disability laws that pertain to students’ rights while in K-12 school and in their post-secondary lives. While there is not much in the way of specific information on transition, this website provides useful sources on transition and the law for after students graduate high school. This website is also limited in that it is expected parents that be the sole advocate for students as opposed to helping students become their own advocates.

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 * Connecticut State Department of Education **

The Connecticut State Department of Education carries out administrative duties for the public school sector in Connecticut. The website is a rich resource for parents, teachers and school administrators. This website contains information for teachers, students in teacher preparatory programs, administrators and parents. This site provides up-date information on educational policies and procedures in Connecticut. Using the State Department of Education Website, parents and students are able to gain full access to the same materials and forms teachers use to develop Individual Education Programs (IEP). Students and parents can review procedural safeguards and the IEP form. There is also information about post-school outcome goals statements, summary of performance and writing transition goals and objectives. There is a lot of professional jargon within this website as it is geared towards education professionals. This site is not user friendly for parents and students trying to obtain more information in area of Special Education.

Community Participation for Adults with Disabilities

**Special Olympics Connecticut- Athlete Leadership Programs ** []

This section of the Connecticut Special Olympics is dedicated to the Athlete Leadership programs. Along with the various opportunities to get involved in the community by being an athlete; the website discusses various opportunities that athletes have to participate or to be trained in positions such as a member of the board of directors where they would be on the decision making side of the organization, a team coach, where an athlete would face a new set of challenges as they carry on their involvement in Special Olympics. An athlete can also further their involvement by becoming a volunteer, a part of the management team, amongst many others. As a member of the leadership program, the athletes are encouraged to bring their own perspective to the team.

[] FAVARH is an organization that aims to help individuals with various disabilities through their three pillars of support; home support, job support, and personal life support. The services at FAVARH not only include transportation services, life skills training, and job search help, but also include various recreational activities such as clubs, a thrift store, unified activities, and other leisure activities. The website is very organized and has many great opportunities to donate, participate, and learn about the program.
 * FAVARH**

http://www.thearc.org/
 * The ARC**

ARC is a nationwide organization for people with disabilities with 18 chapters in Connecticut, one being FAVARH mentioned above. This website has two tabs at the top labeled "Who we are" and "What we do". These tabs include many sub-groups of information relating to the foundation's mission, various events happening across the country, and support services that the chapters offer. The purpose of the organization is to teach self advocacy, and advocate for the families of young adults with disabilities. The ARC works to be active, participating members of the community, more specifically they have created the Walmart Foundation, School-To-Community Project. Learn more about this project under the "What we do", then "programs" tab.

Independent Living Skills and Programs

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 * DMV- Drivers with Disabilities in Connecticut **

This section of the Connecticut DMV website is specifically for those individuals with disabilities. There are many sections including one for different types of permits, and license plates that people with disabilities can use, what the qualifications are to apply, and what offices to use to obtain them. There is also a section on how to take driving training classes, and license tests using a vehicle that has been adapted with specialized equipment such as steering devices, hand operated breaks, and hand operated gas peddles.

**Project Genesis SESS Program** []

Project Genesis is a program that serves adults and students with disabilities. They offer services ranging from life-skills supports and long term education, to temporary job support. The SESS program which stands for special education support services. In this program, the professionals provide transition services to students with a wide range of disabilities in such areas as vocational assessments, life skills, social skills, community placement, and the idea of future jobs. The website lists links to the different programs with in SESS, as well as testimonies from individuals who have worked with Project Genesis. The links at the top of the website lead to different programs that Project Genesis offers.

**The State of Connecticut Department of Social Services Bureau of Rehabilitation Services Independent Living Program** []

This section of the Connecticut Bureau of Rehabilitation Services provides information on the independent living program that is offered by the state. There are five independent living centers located throughout Connecticut that are community based, and function by the independent living model of service. The website details what each community based living center offers, and promotes to the individuals living in the facilities. At the bottom is a list of the five centers in Connecticut, the addresses, and contact information.