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Transition Toolkit

…Determine What Transition Services and Support Options to Consider?


Making decisions about services is more than choosing from a menu of options. First, it‘s important to know what the individual needs so that a plan can be created that will meet their individuated goals. Explore tools and information about services and supports and ways to identify their needs.

This webpage was created to provide tips, guidance, and information about working with agencies that provide employment services and support. It includes practices and planning strategies, as well as downloadable documents that can be used to help teams work to determine services that might meet the youth’s need.

Visit OCALI’s Navigating Agency Support to learn more

Planning for assessment is a process and involves a team of individuals and agencies helping to achieve a common goal. This guide will help walk you through this process and the best ways to approach and plan for transition assessment.

Visit OCALI’s Age-Appropriate Transition Assessment Guide to learn more

Individualized services and supports for youth are best determined based on data and information gained through individualized formal and informal transition assessment. By identifying a youth’s post-school goals first and then developing a profile of their Preferences, Interests, Needs, Strengths/Skills (PINS) increases the likelihood that services and supports will be effective and will provide the youth with skills and experiences that lead to achieving desired post-school outcomes. Ohio’s State Support Team has developed a resource to help professionals get started finding transition assessment that work.

Visit Ohio Age-Appropriate Transition Assessment (AATA) Website to view and download transition assessments

The State Employment Leadership Network (SELN) updated guidance in December 2019 to reflect how employment services are defined, implemented, and reimbursed, how to categorize work experiences, and how to strategically use volunteer opportunities and unpaid work options.

To learn more, read Unpaid Work Experiences, Volunteering, and Internships: What’s Allowed

Transition Planning with the youth is most effective when done with teachers, agency partners, and others. To learn more about Multi-Agency Planning and using Backwards Planning Tools visit the Tools for Multi-Agency Team Transition Planning to find the resources and tools to get started.

The Career Planning Service is designed to assist eligible youth find jobs in the community. The outcome of Career Planning is to gain competitive, integrated employment or career advancement in a competitive, integrated job. The person’s service and support administrator, or SSA, will assess them for a need for Career Planning. If there is a need, the SSA will include it in the person’s individual service plan.

Vist Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities Career Planning Services - A Waiver Service through the County Board of DD website to learn more