This article describes the need for parents to be equal partners in the transition programming of their disabled child. Even after a student has transitioned from high school, their parents often remain a very strong and important part of their life. The article explores reasons that some parents may be less inclined to participate in the transition planning for their child. The authors then go on to suggest ways include parents more in the process. Professional Practice: It is very easy for us educators to get frustrated when parents aren't as involved in important processes for their children such as IEP planning and Transition planning. This article does a good job a explaining the different reasons that parents might not be as involved. This article will remind me of the unique perspective that parents have, and will help me in my effort to get parents more involved.

Summary: This PDF document is in the form of a book which serves as a guide for professionals working on generating transition plans. The guide progresses through tips for planning for employment, education, independent living, etc. , and also features informal assessments for each. The guide closes with examples of letters to parents or guardians about transition planning, as well as questionaires to assess learning styles. Professional Practice: This guide is a "one stop shop" for those who are looking for resources for writing a transition plan for a student. It features a variety of different questions to guide the creation of this important document. As I work with students of transition age, I could see myself using this booklet regularly to guide my process.

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.

The laws affecting college students with disabilities and the process of obtaining assistive technology in college are completely different from the K-12 world. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is not in effect in higher education. Summary: This article is located on the webiste for the University of New Jersey. The article describes how IEPs are not in effect in college and that it is the student's repsonsibility to request the assistance that they need. The article also describes that although college's are required to provide assistive technology for students, they are not required to provide the most sophisticated technology available. Professional Practice: In order to prepare our students for college, we need to understand what services college provides. This article helps us to see how asstitive technology is addressed at the college level. We can use this knowledge to teach students how to ask for the assitance that they need. We can also work with the students to identify what services their particular college may provide and help them to get in contact with the neccessary people.

FCTD is a national center that offers free information resources on the subject of assistive technology to support organizations and programs that work with families of children with disabilities. Summary: These family guides provide a very detailed explaination for technology and transition planning that is jargon free and easily accessible for parents. The guide features descriptions of transitions as well as the ways assistive technology can be used throughout this process. The guide is also offered in spanish. Professional Practice: This guide can be printed out and given to parents to help them understand the transition process. If the guide does not meet the needs of the particular school it can be used a model for creating a guide to keep parents informed. The more educated the parents are on assistive technology and transition, the more we can all work together to create the most beneficial plan for the student.

Summary: Learning Disabilities Online features this excellent article describing the ways that assistive technology is used for students with learning disabilities going directly to work. The article cites that around 85% of students with learning disabilities will transition directly to work after high school. The article describes common assisstive technology options available, ways to identify needs, and descriptions of who is responsible for providing assistive technology in the workplace. Professional Practice: This resource is very thorough and helpful for the special educator who needs to brush up on their understanding of assistive technology and transition. This article reminds us that it is important to realize that most students will be transitioning to the workforce after school, rather than to college. This article reminds us to focus on this transition just as much as the transition the college. Because this article is concise yet thorough, it is a good resource to refer back to regularly to keep things in perspective and remind teachers of the technology available to students.

Summary:
This article tells the story of a young girl with Cerebral Palsy and how assistive technology became part of her transition plan. It starts by explaining her high school experience, describing what the transition planning was like, and then closes with a description of how she is using the technology in high school.

Professional Practice:
This article is great for those who like examples. This article clearly depicts how a school successfully planned for this girl's transtition with assistive technology. This article helps us to focus on the big picture and how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. This resource can be a source of inspiration for how assistive technology can be used with different students.

Summary:
This web-article is from United Cerebral Palsy and is centered around transitioning from school to work and using assistive technology throughout. The article highlights some of the barriers associated with this transition. They talk about how often-times students transition from school to work and their assistive technology equipment does not follow them, or they are not taught how to utilize the technology for their jobs.The article also has a very useful list of suggestions for how to make this transition more successfull.

Professional Practice:
I think it is really easy for us to narrow our scope and only focus on students in school, or only at the age level that we are planning on working with. This article reminds us of some of the issues associated with transition that we may have not even begun to think about. Whenever anyone is working with students at the high school level they need to be thinking about how to make the transition to college or work as smooth as possible. This includes making plans for how to allow the student to keep using their assistive technology.