Our Mission
1. To promote the career development of all exceptional children, youth and adults.
2. To encourage, nurture, and advance efficient and effective programs of career awareness, exploration, preparation, and transition for all exceptionalities from early childhood through adulthood.
3. To collaborate with other organizations on issues relating to career development and transition, and to disseminate such information to its members.
4. To support the goals of the Council for Exceptional Children and its members.
The Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) was organized in 1976 as the twelfth division of the Council for Exceptional Children. DCDT focuses on the career development of children, youth, and adults of all ages and exceptionalities. DCDT also focuses on transition from school to adult life as a major component of the career development process.
Officers:
President - Kenneth Deitmen
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President-Elect -
Vice President -
Secretary -
Treasurer -
What's News
Is your school district using the required forms for students with disabilities?
As of July 1, 2005 the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special Education (BSE), has developed new required forms. These forms are to be used for all students as of the effective date. These forms have transition implications. Recently, a new annotated Individualized Education Program (IEP) was placed on the PaTTAN website. New requirements were included on this annotated IEP. To view the correct forms, visit the PDE, BSE website at: www.pattan.net, then scroll down in the left column to Partners and click on BSE.
Transition Training & Guidelines
Workshop: National Perspectives in Transition², June 26-30, 2006 at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. This workshop is designed to share current and emergent effective practices regarding planning for movement from school to adult life for persons with disabilities. Unlike standard university workshops conducted by university faculty, the content will be delivered entirely by national authorities and experts in the area of transition, as well as state and local experts. Speakers will include Dr.
Carol Kochhar, Dr. Jane Williams, Dr. Jim Martin, Dr. Kris Webb, Dr. Ed O'Leary, and Dr. Paula Kohler. The content is vital for special education teachers, and highly appropriate for school counselors, vocational educators, parents, related agency providers, administrators, etc., who serve as vital partners in transition planning and implementation. The course will be facilitated by Dr. Donna Wandry, a faculty member in the Department of Early Childhood and Special Education at West Chester University. Dr. Wandry currently serves as national vice-president of the Council for Exceptional Children Division on Career Development and Transition, and has been involved in transition programming as a teacher, an adult agency service provider, a systems change federal grant director, a researcher, and an author. Students can register for this class for either graduate credit or ACT 48 credit. For more information call 610-436-3431 or e-mail at
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“5th Annual Pennsylvania TRANSITION Communities of Practice Conference will be held July 19-21, 2006 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, Pennsylvania. This conference is designed and presented by the Pennsylvania Transition Communities of Practice to expand the capacity of partners to promote the successful transition of youth/young adults with disabilities to employment, post-secondary education and training, and independent living outcomes. The primary purpose of this Fifth Annual Pennsylvania Transition Communities of Practice Conference is to provide opportunities for community partners to learn new information about successful practices to assist youth/young adults with disabilities in achieving successful post-school outcomes. In addition, participants will obtain new ideas from other local practices, and have the opportunity to listen, share information, network, and develop a local plan of action. For more information, check the PaTTAN website at www.pattan.net or call Pam Ranieri at 800-446-5607.
“2005-06 Proposed Pennsylvania Transition Communities of Practice Capacity Building Meetings”. These meetings are for members of Local Transition Coordinating Councils as well as others who are interested in building a seamless system of transition services from high school to adult life. The proposed meeting sites are listed as follows:
Transition Training & Guidelines
Transition training for local school districts, intermediate units, area vocational technical schools, service providers and parents is currently being scheduled by Intermediate Unit Transition Specialists. Learn about legislative issues, assessment, career awareness activities, functional life skills, community-based vocational training, work experience, and much, much more. For more information please contact your local Intermediate Unit Transition Specialist.
The official Pennsylvania Department of Education Transition Guidelines will be available after Regulations are finalized. Should you need to call a PaTTAN office, please use the following numbers:
- PaTTAN King of Prussia - - - - 800-441-3215 - - (Eastern PA)
- PaTTAN Harrisburg - - - - 800-360-7282 - - (Central PA)
- PaTTAN Pittsburgh - - - - 800-446-5607 - - (Western PA)
Local Transition Coordinating Councils in Pennsylvania
Over sixty (60) Local Transition Coordinating Councils (TCCs) have formed across the Commonwealth. These Local TCCs were created through a Memorandum Of Understanding entered into by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Public Welfare, and the Department of Health. The three agencies agreed to establish working relationships at the state and local level to achieve the MOU goal of enabling students with disabilities to receive a full array of transition services leading to competitive employment in their community. These include a coordinated education, vocational and life skills training, and support services to aid in the transition from school to work.
Serving on those local are the Intermediate Unit Transition Consultant, School District Representative(s), Area Vocational/Technical School Representative(s), County Mental Health Representative, County Mental Retardation Representative, Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services Representative, Deaf and Hearing Impaired Representative, Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Parent, Family, and Student Representation, Local Advocates, Elected Officials, Local Providers, Local Businesses, Etc.
The mission of the local TCCs is to promote effective transition for students with disabilities from school to adult life through the development of:
"...a coordinated set of activities for a student, designed with an outcome-oriented process, which promotes movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational training, integrated education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. The coordinated set of activities shall be based upon the individual student's needs, taking into account the student's preferences and interests, and shall include instruction, community experience, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation" [IDEA Sec. 1401.19; Rehabilitation Act Amendments 1992 Sec. 7 (35)].
The Roles and Responsibilities of the Local TCCs include:
1. Serve an advisory function (to the local service delivery system) for the development and continued implementation of transition activities.
2. Develop a comprehensive plan of local transition programs and services for younger Pennsylvanians with disabilities from the age of 16 (or younger when appropriate).
3. Develop and maintain local transition interagency agreements.
4. Coordinate transition services with child and family services.
5. Serve as an advocate for younger Pennsylvanians with disabilities and their families.
For more information on Local TCCs, contact your local Intermediate Unit and ask for the Transition Consultant.
A Suggested Process for Transition Planning
The process of incorporating transition into the IEP requires that educators and families formulate and implement a plan that prepares each student with disabilities for the adult world. In the IEP planning process, schools must, for every student with a disability who is sixteen years of age or older (or younger if appropriate), include a statement of needed transition services. This statement can be accomplished by completing the Transition Components of the IEP that will be discussed at length later in this section.
Before the IEP meeting:
- Assist students and families to determine interests, abilities, aptitudes, and preferences related to life after high school. Teach them to actively participate in the IEP meeting. Assess student interests, preferences, aptitudes, and abilities.
- Formally invite the student to participate in the IEP process and meeting.
- Provide written notice of the IEP meeting to parent(s), educational professionals, instructional support personnel, community representatives, etc.
- If the student chooses not to attend the IEP meeting, use other means to gather information about his or her interests, preferences, aptitudes, and abilities.
- If an invited agency chooses not to attend the IEP meeting, use other means to ensure they participate in the planning of transition services. Document these efforts and include them in the IEP.
During the IEP meeting:
Conduct the IEP meeting to actively involve the student and family. Review the student's Present Levels of Educational Performance including: the summary of performance in the current educational program; strengths, needs, and how the student's disability affects involvement and progress in general education curriculum. Also, review the latest Comprehensive Evaluation Report (CER) to get the results of additional assessment data. This information will be needed in order to guide the development of the following:
- Post Secondary Outcomes;
- Statement of Needed Transition Services;
- Present Levels of Educational Performance;
- Statement of Transition Service Needs focusing on Course(s) of Study;
- Goals and Objectives/Benchmarks;
- Linkages with Agencies;
After the IEP meeting:
- Provide the instruction, experiences, and services outlined in the IEP.
- Conduct follow up activities to determine if the IEP is implemented as planned.
- Reconvene the IEP team to plan alternative strategies if the IEP is not delivered as planned.
Other Interesting and Related Web Sites
for Career Development and Transition
Contacting your officers:
Kenneth Deitmen
PaTTAN Harrisburg
6340 Flank Drive Suite 600
Harrisburg, PA 17112
e-mail:
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voice: 800-360-7282, ext. 3713
FAX: 717-541-4960
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