Topic: Transition

This document provides background information and considerations for placement decisions for deaf students into developmental and college-level coursework.

Although college enrollment for deaf students has increased over the years, college completion has not increased to the same extent.

This document explains work-based learning where the student actively participates in a work environment and summarizes the literature of why work based learning opportunities are important to all youth.

Work-based learning programs have a shared goal of building skills and experiences to help students reach their employment goals. These work-based programs benefit all students, including deaf students. 

Self-determination is when people make choices and decisions based on personal preferences and motivations. People who have stronger self-determination are able to make their own choices, manage their time, solve problems, advocate for themselves, set goals, and make plans to reach these goals.

Transition is the process all students go through as they move from a high school setting to what lies beyond. Transition programs assist students and their parents as they plan for life after high school in a proactive and coordinated way. An effective transition program provides students with the tools and the confidence to assume responsibility for their educational and employment decisions as they move into adulthood.

Self-advocacy is a lifelong endeavor that can never be learned too early or too late in life. Practicing self-advocacy is a critical element of the self-advocacy developmental process, and individuals who do it are better prepared to self-advocate in the future.

Deciding how, when, and why to disclose a disability to an employer is an important part of the job-seeking process. The decision can significantly affect one's ability to obtain and maintain employment. The different stages of the employment process and the potential impacts of disclosure at each stage deserve thoughtful reflection.
 

Approximately 20% of the adult population has a disability. Most deaf individuals do not seek vocational rehabilitation services, but those who do most often want employment-related services or education and/or training to prepare for employment.

At the nucleus of every successful vocational rehabilitation employment goal is a well-delineated individual plan for employment, often referred to as a roadmap of services that lead to employment. By better understanding the myriad services offered by vocational rehabilitation, a deaf individual is better positioned to make informed and self-determined choices about their employment future. Vocational rehabilitation offers a wide range of services. Some services are tangible, such as an alarm clock, uniform for work, hearing aid, etc. Other services are more intangible in nature, such as counseling, soft skills training, or career guidance.

This collection of handbook templates is designed for a disability support service provider to download and personalize for his or her institution's needs. These handbooks contain information for orientation to and standardization of procedures as well as general information about how these service providers can work effectively within a postsecondary education setting and with deaf students. Templates are included for faculty, interpreters, note takers, speech-to-text providers, and students. (Revised: 2017)

This two-part video explains the Americans With Disabilities Act and how it applies to postsecondary education for students who are deaf.

Interventions, programs, and practices are evaluated for their effectiveness.

This study explored the role of self-beliefs in predicting postsecondary outcomes for deaf young adults in transition from secondary settings, through a secondary analysis of the second National Longitudinal Transition Study.

This study assessed the influence of social skills on postsecondary outcomes for deaf individuals through a secondary analysis of data from the second National Longitudinal Transition Study.

This study reviewed education and disability literature to find that students with disabilities who employ self-advocacy skills achieve greater academic and lifetime outcomes, suggesting that deaf students would benefit from self-advocacy skill development.

This study synthesized the literature on role models for deaf individuals and identified key themes across the research literature.

Having high expectations for deaf individuals' postsecondary success means believing in their capability to succeed and not believing their opportunities are limited due to being deaf. These high expectations are important as deaf youth navigate the transition from high school to postsecondary education or training.
 

This study explored professionals' perspectives on what contributes to successful transition for deaf individuals, as well as their perceived professional preparedness to support that transition.

This study used data from a national needs assessment survey to explore the role of parental involvement and parental expectations as important factors in successful academic and career outcomes for deaf students.

This video is an ASL translation of our research article about the role of autonomy in the transition to employment and how parents can facilitate autonomy development for their deaf children.

This study assessed the influence of extracurricular involvement on postsecondary outcomes for deaf individuals through a secondary analysis of data from the second National Longitudinal Transition Study.

This study assessed whether parent involvement and expectations predicted postsecondary outcomes for deaf individuals, through a secondary analysis of data from the second National Longitudinal Transition Study.

This study explored how vocational rehabilitation counselors promote the self-advocacy knowledge and skills of their deaf consumers within postsecondary employment and educational contexts.

This brief summarizes the research related to deaf culture as a potential resource to be drawn upon in support of postsecondary education and employment outcomes for deaf individuals.