Journey into Adulthood: Understanding the Changing Landscape of Transition Planning

Abstract

Transition to adulthood is an important milestone for all students. Transition planning for students with disabilities (SWD) is legally mandated to prepare them for adult life. However, researchers report that teachers do not feel adequately prepared when it comes to transition. With globalization in the 21st century, U.S schools become more culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse. As a result, it is important for teachers to be prepared to work with students from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, we discussed recommendations for embedding culturally responsive practices in transition planning as they have the potential to benefit students preparing to enter adult life. Equally important are personal cultural values that lay the foundation for implementing culturally responsive transition planning (Suk, Martin, et al. 2020). The goal of this article is to provide teachers with critical transition information and resources that could be used to prepare SWD from diverse backgrounds for post-school environments and the achievement of aspired goals.

Keywords:

• Transition skills
• cultural diversity
• students with disabilities
• instructional strategies