Through detailed guidance and hands-on experience, Special Education students learn the skills they need for a smooth transition into adulthood.
The Keller ISD Adult Transition Program was developed to aid students with special needs in their transition to adulthood. By setting postsecondary goals and teaching essential life skills, students with learning disabilities or physical handicaps are prepared for their transition into the workforce. The program has been been ongoing since 2010 and includes students from high schools across the district, though classes take place on campus.
Depending on individualized plans and recommendations from the campus, Special Education students are enrolled in the program and can continue to participate anywhere from nine weeks to four years. After graduation from high school, some students return at the start of the following school year to begin their transition into adulthood. Although they have earned their credits and technically graduated, their diplomas are held and students do not receive them until they exit the Transition Program.
“[A student’s] postsecondary goal is to eventually be employed and making money after exiting the program,” Transition teacher Letitia Smiley commented. “[This program is for] Special Education students looking to do something after high school but need extra guidance.”
The transition program prepares students for adulthood by teaching them prevocational skills and allowing them to practice what they have learned in both classroom and workplace settings. In the classroom, students are able to participate in workplace simulations, where they are asked to carry out a specific task and utilize their problem solving skills.
“The ketch work box system uses blue and red boxes. All of them are prevocational, so they have directions in them. The student has to be able to follow directions and get their assigned job done that’s posted on the wall,” Smiley explained. “When we check it, we actually check off how they did on the job, if they completed it and made all the connections. [Then,] we pay them based on what the job task descriptions say that we owe them. [The fake money] can range anywhere from a nickel to 25 cents.”
Additionally, students learn workplace regulations and have opportunities to practice their skills on campus. Some students in the program work with the custodial staff to help with jobs around the school. They help clean tables, stack the chairs, replace the trash bags, and assist with other day to day functions.
“The group of prevocational students goes down to … the chairs against the wall [near the cafeteria],” Smiley said. “They actually clean those, wipe down the tables, stack the chairs, and set up cafeteria for the next day.”
Likewise, the class regularly offers to shred papers for people in the school and community. Using the industrial shredders located in the classroom, students are able to learn safety precautions while completing an assigned task.
“They know they have to safety clip their badges in their shirt, put their hair in ponytails, and only do four to five sheets [of paper] at a time,” Smiley elaborated.
While on campus jobs let them practice their skills, students are able to travel to various off campus sites to apply what they have learned to real world situations. Some of the sites that students go to include: the Super Goodwill, Winco, the Community Storehouse, Shipley’s Donuts, Cheddar’s, and more. At these sites, they learn fundamental skills in food handling and gain work experience that will help them smoothly transition into the workforce.
“At Winco, they learn how to stock and work the trash compactor. At Cheddar’s, they learn food portions and how to bundle silverware. At Kroger, they work in the bakery with cookies and tortillas,” Smiley recalled. “At the Community Storehouse, they hang clothes, they unload things from the truck, they pair shoes, and sort hangers.”
At every off-campus site, students are supervised by school staff and job coaches for the entire session. Students are monitored and evaluated based upon their daily performance throughout the entire year.
“Every day, we tell something that they did at the job, and [review] the goals and objectives that they come here with,” Smiley explained about the daily evaluations. “We monitor those goals to see if they accomplished [them] for the day. We use the information to state how they’re progressing throughout the program.”
Students also learn other important skills that are important in employment, such as how to build a resume and do a job interview. During the year, students in the program create a job portfolio with all of their credentials in a way that helps them recall information and give a good presentation.
“Each student must be able to tell where they went to school, what job sites they worked on, what their strengths and weaknesses are, … and their personal references,” Smiley stated. “At the end of the year, we do a mock interview. [Students] have to dress up and interview with a staff person.”
In addition to valuable job experience, the program also teaches daily living skills needed as an adult, such cleaning and basic cooking. Even if students are not employed after they graduate from the program, they are still able to apply the knowledge and experiences that they have gained. Students often visit model apartments to learn information on healthy and safe living in a home setting.
“They learn different parts of the house, what to do for safety, how to handwash dishes, how to do laundry, and how to cook small recipes,” Smiley commented. “They learn about home safety. We point out things like fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and electrical sockets in a [real home environment].”
“Community access” periods every week teach students about the different ways they are able to interact with their community aside from their work sites. They are taken to different spots in the area to familiarize themselves with all of the services available. In these outings, students learn to interact with others and discover new activities to participate in.
“We take our students out to restaurants so they know how to order food. We take them Christmas shopping with a budget, so they have to know who they are going to buy for and how to budget their money,” Smiley elaborated. “We try to show them that there are things to do out there.”
After students graduate from the program, they are given information on colleges, transportation, housing and other resources that may help them in the future. Whether the graduate decides to continue working, volunteer, or stay at home, the Keller ISD Transition Program has equipped them with the skills needed to make the full shift into adulthood.
“People kind of look at these students differently and think that they can’t do it,” Smiley said. “But once they’re shown step by step what to do, … they can do the bigger picture.”