Transitioning from High School to Integrated Employment:

My Story of SuccessBy

Patrick Young

2012 APSE Conference

Who I am

• I am 23 years old• I live in Germantown,

WI with my dad, I want to get my own apartment

• I graduated from Germantown HS in 2008

• I finished my IEP transition goals in 2010

• I have a younger brother and a younger sister

Things I like to do

• I enjoy going to church and mission service trips

• I enjoy sharing my story and life experiences

• I enjoy traveling to places like California to visit family, Europe, and see monuments at Washington DC

Things I am proud

of• I have had a job for 7

years as a finishing assistant at TLP

• I am an advocate for people with disabilities

• I have a 2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo

Things I enjoy in the community

• I enjoy ushering at St. Anthony’s church

• I do sports like swimming, basketball, bowling, running, and Taekwondo

• I like to go to the movies on Friday’s with my friends

My Advocacy Activities

• I am involved with the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities (BPDD)

• I have experiences with a Youth Leadership Forum

• I done in activities like “Bring your legislator to work”

How community connections led to my job• It started with a

church mission trip for a week

• I went with my dad and my brother to Wheaton, Illinois

• The mission trip was to do community service by repairing houses for people who could not do it themselves

My first day

• The first day we formed teams of 1 adult and 5 kids

• Each of us had a special role on the team, I was the break maker

• I met another person on my crew, his name was Cameron we become friends

In the middle

• Cameron saw how I work and told his father

• The middle of the week we needed more help to finish the work on our house, we needed a second crew

• Cameron’s father was on the second crew that came to help us

Our last day of the mission

trip• Cameron’s father saw

me in action and he was impressed

• He told me he had a small company and if I wanted a job I should call him

• From this I got connected with my company, Tailored Label Products, or TLP

And from this I got my job!

• I filled out a job application

• I had a job interview with Cameron’s father and the CEO of the company

• They offered me a job• I was in high school

and worked this into my transition plan

The Importance of aGood Transition Plan

A Transition Plan is about

Reaching Your Goals

• My goals were to be a self-advocate, to have a job, and to live independently

• I liked taking regular classes with my friends

• I led my own IEP meetings

• Start early – my transition plan started when I was 14

My Transition plan after senior year• Senior year I walked

with my friends in the graduation ceremony

• The next 2 years I focused on my key transition goals :• self advocacy• community integration• job skills• math and reading

Your Transition Plan – the key

to Your Success

• You should speak up with your IEP team

• Make sure the goals are about what YOU want

• This is the plan that will prepare you for life after high school

Why students

should lead their own IEP • No one knows what

you want more than yourself

• Every person should be the one who sets their own goals

• Be responsible for the plan to reach your goals

I want to : ____________________

Tips that helped me

be successful

• My IEP meetings were about ME, not the school

• I learned to speak up and let others help me

• Think out of the box and use resources that will help you reach your goals

• Team work is the best way to get good results

Other good things about leading your IEP meetings• It will give you good

leadership experience • It taught me to be a

good self-advocate • I learned how to

make good goals and put together a good plan for achieving them

• TLP has a plan for my success at work and it is a lot like an IEP

How I led my IEP

meetings• Invite your parents and

a couple of friends plus the staff from your school

• Invite others – for me it was resources like people from the department of vocational rehab (DVR)

• Introduce each person and their title

More about my IEP

meetings• When we talked about

my strengths and weaknesses, my parents and friends also spoke up too

• We all did brainstorms to think of how to reach my goals

• We all tried to be creative when thinking about how to get things done

Be prepared !

• The school staff on my IEP team filled out the forms

• I always came prepared - I used written notes that I gave to my team at the start of the meeting to make sure I communicated my ideas well

How my transition

plan turned into actions• I took reading & math

classes at an education center in the community

• I was responsible for scheduling and paying for my transportation

• I had different job shadows and internships based on my interests

People who can help

you• Parents can help their

children understand and express their wants and needs

• Friends who know you can be a big help too

• Your therapist or teachers can also help you with your IEP and to plan the meetings

Tools I use to be a good

advocate• Do a lot, then use

your experiences• Tell stories to help

others see what works or doesn’t work for you

• Work on good communication skills for both writing and speaking

• Have someone you trust to help you

Preparing for the

meeting• Practice, practice, and

practice• Practice on people like

family, friends, and teachers

• My speech therapist was a good coach for me

• Be yourself and use your strengths

Transition does not end when you

graduate

Graduating from high

school• Graduation does not

mean that you are done with goals and plans

• It does mean your IEP is done, but the transition to life after high school is just starting

• Continue to have goals and to make good plans to reach them

My goals for the future

• I want to be a better advocate

• I want to go to college• I want to live on my

own• I continue to think

about my goals and make plans to achieve them

Be the change

you wish to see in the world

Ghandi

Thank you !Questions ???