Incorporating Adult Community Services in Students' Transition Planning

Despite the 15-year focus on transition planning, students with learning disabilities (LD) continue to experience less positive postschool outcomes than their peers without disabilities. Outcome data indicate that experiencing successful transitions from public schooling into the adult world seems to be a complex and elusive process. The 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Act promote the development of interagency linkages between school personnel and community agencies in an effort to mobilize all available resources. In many cases, however, these linkages are not being made. This article provides information on available community agencies, the resources they offer, and ways school personnel might work with these agencies in an effort to enhance successful transitions for individuals with LD.