As the school districts surpasses 15% special education enrollment, LCISD Transition Specialist Marquettia Lewis said early planning is important given state-funded programs serving individuals with disabilities have yearslong waitlists
“If there's a waiting list or if there's something they need to get on that, we're doing that early enough so that when they finish their school time with us, they already have connections to those resources,” Lewis said.
The gist
Under Texas law, transition planning must begin at a student’s Admission, Review and Dismissal, or ARD, meeting as soon as the student is diagnosed with an intellectual and developmental disability, or IDD. At the same time, families are referred to their local IDD health authority for resources.
In Fort Bend County, nonprofit Texana and other partner organizations help individuals with IDD connect to resources that support life after public school, including postsecondary programs, job training and medical care. However, accessing many of these services requires joining a Medicaid waiver waitlist, which can stretch 10-15 years, Director of Special Education Savannah Read said.
“Parents sometimes ... don't start thinking about it till senior year and in reality we have to start planning way earlier,” Read said.
In August, LCISD Special Education Director Tiffany Mathis said the district had already emailed health-authority information to secondary students with IDD ahead of the school year and provided pamphlets at ARD meetings.
The key players
In addition to the district’s Adult Transition Programs, which provides work-based learning programs where students are matched with local businesses for students over 18 years old, Lewis said the Texas Workforce Commission was among several major state agencies focused on helping students with disabilities between ages 14 and 22 prepare for employment.
TWC Transition Counselor Niyah Jawo said counselors work directly with high schools, attend individualized education plan meetings when invited and help students plan job training or direct employment.
“Everything is individualized, based on their interests [and] capabilities,” she said. “We built that plan for employment,” Jawo said.
The agency contracts with vendors—including Employment 4 Everybody and the Support, Motivate and Achieve, or SMA, Agency—to provide support such as job coaching, which helps students understand workplace expectations without overwhelming employers.
SMA agency owner Shannon Andre said job placement focuses on matching students with work they enjoy. Students drawn to music, theater or stocking positions succeed at much higher rates than those placed in roles they dislike.
"We really try to form that connection when that student or that individual and get them those jobs that they really want. When they wake up in the morning, then they are happy, they're excited to go to work," Andre said.
In the classroom
Career and Technical Education programs are increasingly important in transition planning, offering small class environments and hands-on learning in fields like culinary arts, robotics and animal science that support students receiving special education services, LCISD CTE Coordinator Kristin Gann said.
She said teachers can also provide accommodations, such as virtual reality headsets for high-risk equipment such as blowtorchers.
“With our growing technology, the sky is the limit,” she said.
New specialized programs are also emerging, including Elite Training Service, which offers entry-level healthcare certifications in phlebotomy, electrocardiography technician and pharmacy technology.
Founded by Angela Blanchard, who is on the autism spectrum and has attention deficit disorder, the Elite Training Service’s program aims to open pathways to high-demand health care careers for students who may benefit from small classroom and learning accommodations.
“We have children and young adults who are completely capable,” she said. “They can learn all of this stuff and have a great career, take care of themselves, have families and have a good life with minimal training.”
Moving ahead
Local organizations including nonprofits reported a growing demand for basic necessities—including food—and said many families remain unaware of the resources available to them.
With service providers feeling increased pressure, Endeavors Program Director Carmen Hernandez said events like this are essential for building networks and identifying where to refer her clients.
“These resource fares are not only super important for the community, but it's also important for us as organizations,” she said. “There’s times when they're low on funding or they cut a program. ... But through networking and asking questions and making that connection, you can very well become aware."
