Transition Services will Look Different

(gentle music) - Transition planning and transition services are going to look different based on where you live, and what the opportunities and needs and resources are of your local community. So we can't expect that transition looks the same in urban settings as it might in rural settings or even in suburban settings. So I think one of the things to do is to make sure you understand your context that you're working in really well, and to know that the job opportunities in a very rural community may not be less, they may just be different than they are in an urban community. And so having a really good sense of, what are the job opportunities and the community opportunities that exist there? How do people address transportation barriers and distance barriers in that community for anyone? And beginning to think about ways that you might address transition planning so that it acknowledges those challenges. So we sometimes think that there are fewer job opportunities in rural communities and it turns out that's often not the case. One of the gifts of rural communities is that people know each other well, they often are tighter communities, and so what you have to do is think outside of the job opportunities that you see, and begin to capitalize on the social connections that you have to find jobs you might not readily see from a drive down the road. So partly, I think what becomes most important in rural communities is the establishment of relationships outside of the school, and some creative people who can come help you think about the transportation issues that likely exist.