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"Sponsored by NTACT, Michael Wehmeyer will identify how the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction can be implemented in classrooms, schools and throughout a district. Also learn about a new self-determination assessment, the Self-Determination Inventory."

A project of the VA Department of Education, the I'm Determined website offers resources for youth, families, and educators around self-determination. Self-determination is about youth with disabilities taking control of their lives. Resources include videos, modules, a transition guide, downloadable brochures, and more.

"In honor of the 2016 Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) in Myrtle Beach, SC we are making a draft version of our Early Steps to Self-Determination curriculum available for preview for a limited time. We hope you are all enjoying the beach, the sunsets and each other. We also hope you enjoy trying out the curriculum. We welcome any feedback that you have for us.  Click below to download."

A great video on self determination by youth for youth

Thank you for posting this here. It will make it easier for me to find it in the future. This video does such a good job at capturing the idea of self determination and what it is all about. Any viewer of this video can instantly become more in tune to student needs and how to help students to be more self determined.

This video hits home with so many individuals. Everyone can find a connection and learn from this video.

"We are making a draft version of It's All About Us! Encouraging Self-Determination in Early Childhood Education and Services available as a free download.  We want to know what you think.  Please let us know what works, what doesn't and any comments or suggestions you may have."

Whose Future Is It Anyway? is a transition planning process emphasizing student preferences, needs and interests. The curriculum provides opportunities for students with disabilities to explore issues of self-awareness and acquire problem-solving, decision-making, goal-setting, and small-group communication skills. The outcome of this process is that students learn how to be meaningfully involved in their transition planning process. The Whose Future Is It Anyway? curriculum is based on the conviction that: 1) students who are involved in planning for their future will more likely be full participants in the planned educational activities resulting from that plan; 2) students of all abilities can learn the skills to be involved; and 3) students who believe that their voice will be heard will be more likely participate in the planning process and ongoing educational decisions."

"Welcome to the Hub page that focuses on the priority topic of "best practices in self-advocacy skills building."  Here, you'll find quick connections to materials and resources you can use with youth with disabilities and their families to build their abilities to advocate for themselves. Items marked with ** are designed to be parent-friendly."

Summary: This article outlines 5 steps that special educators can take to complete successful transition planning. These five steps are centered on the student and include including the student, self advocacy, self-determination, etc. Professional Practice: These 5 keys to success are essential. The keep the focus on the student and how to make the process work for them. By keeping these keys to success in mind we are really making the process student-centered.

I like how this is such an easy article to follow and read. The 5 steps act as a good checklist for any special educator.

Great article. It hits home on a lot of fronts. I think it is important to note that the very first step is student involvement. Students really need to come to the table and feel respected and contribute to their transition planning.

This website provides information about transitioning out of school. It talks about who can provide helpful services, where to find a job, and how to live independently. The home page of the website is divided into three sections; students, families, and transition professionals. Each of these three sections is then divided again on their own. The student section provides information on living within communities, managing health, and managing money. This information is given in a very friendly manner that is simple to understand. It is provided in both written form and verbal form with pictorials included. The family section is divided into 9 categories. These categories range from self-determination to employment to organizations that can help with the transition process. Each of these nine categories provides a brief description and alternate resources for further information. The section for transition professionals provides online courses and links to informational websites. As a special education teacher working on transition and career development, I would share this website with both students and families because the information is presented in a very clear way. I would work with students to help them read about and learn the information being provided and then create an activity as a follow up. For example, I would help the student navigate their way through the managing money portion of the website and then have the student complete a series of activities having to do with money and budgeting.

The ATTO: Assistive Technology Resources website offers resources about assistive technology. There are six categories that the information is broken down into: Government, Education, Organizations, AT Products, Web Design, and AT Guides. It is a very user-friendly website and offers families, students, and educators a wealth of information about the latest news and uses of assistive technology. As a special educator I am particularly interested in assistive technology in the schools. Clicking on the Education link it takes you to a page that offers curriculum design for teachers and parents on using assistive technology in the classroom, as well as how to provide educational activities at home to encourage self-determination with children and adults with special learning needs. I could definitely use this when designing unit plans in the classroom for my students.

This 4-page eFlyer from the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC) is designed to quickly connect you (and the youth and families you serve) with resources to teach student participation in the IEP meeting, academic skills, functional life skills, self-determination, and so much more. Nicely done, NSTTAC!

"The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) developed the Transition Gradebook as a school-level tool for recording individual students' transition-related activities, including the required pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS), and various risk and protective factors associated with dropout, graduation and positive postschool outcomes. The Transition Gradebook is a locally served database application that records transition-related activities from five major areas from NTACT's Predictors of Postschool Success-specifically, Career Awareness, Work Experience, Inclusion, Student Supports, and Collaboration. It also tracks whether a student has received instruction in self-determination, social skills, life skills, and/or transportation skills. Finally, the tool also records some of the risk and protective factors associated with school completion: specifically in the areas of attendance, behavior and course performance, as well as other factors that impact school engagement and postschool outcomes."

"Since 1990, the Check & Connect student engagement intervention has been used in K-12 schools with students showing early warning signs of disengagement from school and learning or at risk of dropping out. The 2012 edition of the manual builds on the experience and continuing research of the past two decades and incorporates new findings about the model."

"It is important for students to have a voice in decisions about their transportation use, and the decisions that students and their families make about transportation mode must be aligned with students' preferences. Parents and educators may want to talk to students about their preferences, related to both social and sensory factors, to identify transportation options that best align with these personal interests."