Every student deserves a plan for success in school and after high school. That effort and planning extends to students in the Leander ISD Special Education program who qualify for services after they turn 18.
Superintendent Dan Troxell, Ph.D., Senior Executive Director of State and Federal Programs Kendra Winans and Senior Transition Coordinator Denise Geiger presented on the special education services LISD provides for students extending beyond graduation at the TASA/TASB Convention on Sept. 28, 2018.
“If all means all, then we are responsible to find solutions for every child,” Troxell said. “Our caring teachers bless this community with their whole-hearted investments in our students, putting them on a path for an independent life and, if possible, a higher quality of life.”
Students graduating under the state’s defined “Option 2” graduation conditions can continue their education in one of Leander ISD’s 18+ Transition Services continuum that fits their needs: SELF 2 Independence, SELF Project SEARCH, SELF 2 Community or SELF Cottage.
The SELF Cottage and SELF 2 Community services build independence skills for students to care for themselves and find purpose in their daily lives. Students in the SELF Project SEARCH and SELF 2 Independence services develop the highest level of independence for work, living and community integration. These services partner with 41 employers and eight volunteer sites to build career skills for students.
“We have amazing partners in our community to connect our students to jobs that add value to their lives,” Geiger said. “Seeing the students who have success in these programs makes all the difference. From a student working towards a career as a personal care assistant at a local assisted living facility to the dozens of students working 15 or more hours per week, we have students who can live with a high level of independence.”
For 2017–18, 100 percent of the SELF Project SEARCH students and 93 percent of SELF 2 Independence students earned paid employment. To learn more about the Leander ISD 18+ Transition Services, view the presentation on the TASA/TASB website.
