Domain 5: Community-Referenced Curriculum & Programs
5.1 Use or share instructional resources addressing independent living
5.2 Use or share instructional resources addressing community participation (e.g., transportation, recreation, services)
5.3 Use or share instructional resources addressing healthy social relationships
5.4 Use or share instructional resources addressing self-advocacy and self-determination
5.5 Provide or facilitate instruction in self-advocacy and self-determination skills
5.6 Support student self-advocacy within the transition planning process
5.7 Collaborate with school and community programs to foster self-advocacy
5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.6
As discussed in previous domains, students who are actively engaged in their IEP and transition planning process have more success following graduation. According to the article, "An Analysis of Motivation in Three Self-Determination Curricula", self-determination is not only a civil right, but is a necessary tool for improving educational outcomes (Sinclair, Bromley, Shogren, Murray,
Unruh, Harn, 2017). Including self-determination instruction as a daily activity is a great way to help students develop these skills.
Because teachers are frequently the sole person responsible for providing transition skills instruction, it is important that they select a curriculum that addresses the necessary skills, while remaining cost and time efficient (Lingo, Williams-Diehm, Martin, McConnell, 2018). The ME! Lessons are a free resource available through the University of Oklahoma's Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment. The ME! Lessons include the following topics:
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Self-awareness & advocacy
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Disability awareness
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Rights & Responsibilities
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Communication Skills
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Post-secondary goals
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IEP involvement
Skills to Pay the Bills
5.3, 5.4, 5.5
Individuals with disabilities have historically had a low rate of employment, despite the fact that many of these individuals do have skills that could be valuable in the workplace. According to Ju, Zhang, and Pacha (2012), employers are not actively recruiting individuals with disabilities because they are concerned that they may not have the necessary soft skills to maintain a job. Because this is a common concern all across the country, the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor created this soft skills curriculum, The Skills to Pay the Bills.
This curriculum is a free resource for teachers and transition agencies. At my school, lessons from this curriculum are included in our Study Skills classes. Topics that are covered by this curriculum include:
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Communication
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Enthusiasm & Attitude
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Teamwork
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Networking
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Problem Solving & Critical Thinking
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Professionalism.
Teaching Independent Living Skills with Structured Work System
5.1, 5.2
When students graduate high school, they need to have more than academic or vocational skills. They need to have the ability to live as independently as possible. For some students, this may mean that they will be ready to get their own apartment or home, they will provide their own transportation, and they will budget their ow money. For others, it means that they will live with family or in supported living, they may follow their own schedule, ride the bus, prepare their own food, bathe and dress themselves, or participate in their daily routines to the best of their ability. In the article,"Functional Life Skills Curricular Interventions for Youth With Disabilities", the authors reviewed 50 studies on life skills curricula to identify the evidence-based practices for teaching life skills. Overall they found that the interventions described in literature were very effective in teaching life skills, but the success of each strategy depends largely on the level and needs of the student (Alwell, Cobb, 2009).
In this video, I am showing one of the ways that I teach and reinforce life skills in my classroom. I work with students with moderate to severe IDD/ASD, so I need a system that fosters independence and repeated exposure to skills for mastery. Using structured work systems is a very effective way to help students learn to work independently and to practice skills that they have been taught without direct support from teachers or staff.
Travel Training
5.1, 5.2, 5.7
The video above shows the Travel Training program available through Via Mobility Services in Colorado. The instructors in this program have received their certification through the Easter Seals Project Action Travel Training program. I first learned about the certification program that Easter Seals offers when I attended a travel training workshop provided by a neighboring city's school district. Two teachers from the junior high and high school completed the certification program and began teaching their students with IDD how to travel independently using the city bus.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 determined that access to public transportation is a civil right, leading to the development of paratransit services along-side fixed route services. However, with the right instruction and support, many individuals with disabilities are able to travel independently with fixed-route public transportation. According to the National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (NADTC), Project Action provides trainers with the tools to create individualized and comprehensive instruction to teach individuals with disabilities how to access public transportation, how to handle disruptions in service, how to make appropriate judgments about safety, and how to use appropriate communication and social skills while traveling.
References
Alwell, M., Cobb, B. (2009) Functional Life Skills Curricular Interventions for Youth With Disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 32(2), 82-93
Cantley, P., Little, K., Martin, J. (n.d.) ME! Lessons for Teaching Self-Awareness & Self-Advocacy. Retrieved from: http://www.ou.edu/education/centers-and-partnerships/zarrow/transition-education-materials/me-lessons-for-teaching-self-awareness-and-self-advocacy
Field, S.L., Hoffman, A.S. (2012) Fostering Self-Determination Through Building Productive Relationships in the Classroom. Intervention in School and Clinic, 1-9
Ju, S., Zhang, D., Pacha, J. (2012) Employability Skills Valued by Employers as Important for Entry Level Employees With and Without Disabilities. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals. 35(1), 29-38.
Lingo, M.E., Williams-Diehm, K.L., Martin, J. E., McConnell, A.E. (2018) Teaching Transition Self-Determination Knowledge and Skills Using the ME! Bell Ringers. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 41(3), 185-189
Martin, J.D., Martin, J.E., Osmani, K.J. (2014) Teaching Students to Attain Annual Transition Goals Using the Take Action Goal Attainment Lessons. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 37(2), 72-83
National Aging and Disability Transportation Center (n.d.) Competencies for the Practice of Travel Training Instruction. Retrieved from: http://www.nadtc.org/wp-content/uploads/634712454477172250_Competencies_for_the_Pra.pdf
Sinclair, J., Bromley, K.W., Shogren, K.A., Murray, C., Unruh, D.K., Harn, B.A. (2017) An Analysis of Motivation in Three Self-Determination Curricula. Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals, 40(3). 175-185.
U.S. Department of Labor (n.d.) Soft Skills to Pay the Bills. Retrieved from: https://youth.gov/feature-article/soft-skills-pay-bills
U.S. Department of Labor (n.d.) Youth in Transition. Retrieved from: https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/youth/softskills/
ViaColorado (2016) Via Travel Training Easter Seals Project Action. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQvqBm4soYU