School
Post-High School Rehabilitation Planning
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Preparing to finish high school requires a lot of planning. This planning should start in middle school but may be delayed until high school. The purpose of planning is for a smooth transition to post high school training, work or volunteer activity. The need for smooth transition is most important for students who have had a brain injury.
Students with a brain injury are eligible for many programs while at school to aid in their planning for post school activity. They should have psychological and neuropsychological testing while in school to help them select subjects that will aid in their pre-vocational planning.
Psychological/neuropsychological testing not only aids the student and his or her family in planning appropriate school, work but also allows them to think ahead to a time when school is finished. Also, many of the services students with brain injury will need are offered free of charge while they are in the public school system. After high school, families must depend on a more complex process of private and insurance sources to pay for evaluations and testing.
Students with brain injury should be tested at least every three years. Physical evaluations by registered occupational and physical therapists may also need to be a portion of the student’s school program. Courses of study and job goals should match the physical abilities of the student. If physical abilities are not a good match, additional rehabilitation may be necessary. Identifying the needs of the student and documenting how those needs will be met is a portion of the Individualized Educational Program (IEP) developed for the student for each year of school participation. Part of the IEP should also be a transitional program that identifies how to prepare the student for post graduation.
Transitional programs may include the following:
- Pre-vocational testing starting as early as age fourteen
- Community behavioral programs
- In-school behavioral programs
- Socialization programs
- Activities of daily living training
- Vocational exploration programs
- After school work programs
- Mentoring or job coaching programs
- Transportation assessment
- Community resource development
While Individualized Educational Plans (IEP’s) are usually written for the upcoming year, long-term goals should also be identified. If competitive employment is anticipated for the student, the student should be able to compete with other workers to obtain and maintain that employment in the open labor market. Identification of those skills that prepare the student for competitive employment and insuring that the interest of the student is compatible with those goals will aid in a smooth transition to work. If the student’s interests are not well developed, he or she may require an opportunity to explore work through part-time or after school employment. School personnel and employers in a work-study program can evaluate behavior, physical abilities, social skills, and work ethics. Students may also be eligible for simulated work activity in a workshop or work development program.
Vocational rehabilitation counselors, through the State Agency for Vocational Rehabilitation, should be assigned to the student with a brain injury early in the high school years. Contacting the school guidance counselor to determine the identity of a vocational rehabilitation counselor may be the responsibility of the student or his/her parents. Early enrollment with the State Agency for Vocational Rehabilitation may allow the student and his/her parents to determine all local support programs for transition post high school.
Where the student is going to live after graduation may determine what services are available and the student’s eligibility for those services. Evaluating the services of the home community may require a great deal of research.
Research should start with the school guidance counselor and the state vocational rehabilitation counselor. Identifying all training programs within the state may be the first area of exploration for the student and his/her parents. Transportation to the training program or to a work or work-like setting may be a problem. This should be discussed with the school guidance counselor as well as the vocational rehabilitation counselor. Problem solving may be individualized to the student and should be included in their IEP.
A student’s probability of vocational success will be linked to skills that he/she can develop and offer a potential employer. Pre-vocational and vocational testing may analyze the student’s abilities for work. Many students, however, have not had an opportunity to develop unique skills for work. On-the-job training, sheltered workshops, work-study programs, job coaching, vocational-technical school programs and colleges may all need to be considered as potential training areas for the student.
Assessment of a student’s ability to attend and achieve in post-secondary education should be a portion of the Individualized Educational Plan. Students who attend college may want to seek the help of the special needs department within the college. Special considerations for students with brain injury may provide extra time on tests, readers, note takers, or environmental considerations. The probability of success in college level work should be determined early in the student’s high school career so that appropriate college level courses can be taken.
An exciting area for most students is the thought of independent living after completion of high school. Many students, however, are not ready for independent living at the completion of high school. If independent living, however, is a goal for the individual student, steps to prepare the student for such living should be identified while he/she is still in school. Modifications to independent living may be accomplished through living in a dormitory, in an apartment with other peers, or in a supported living environment. Many supported living environments are developed specifically for students with brain injury. The availability of the supported living environment in the home community should be discussed in the IEP meeting. Additionally, assessment on the level of care and supervision the student will require should be a transition area that is fully evaluated over several school years.
The excitement of finishing school and starting a new chapter in one’s life is also a fearful time for both students and parents. Having a plan, being willing to modify it, and having a philosophy to go slow may aid the student in a smooth transition.
Ms. Willard is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), Certified Vocational Expert (VE), Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS), Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and Certified Case Manager (CCM). She serves as a vocational expert for the Office of Hearings and Appeals, Social Security Administration. Her company, Willard Rehabilitation, Inc. provides rehabilitation evaluations to assist individuals in developing life goals, rehabilitation plans and vocational options compatible with physical, cognitive, and or psychological abilities.