Transition Planning for a Deafblind Student with Usher Syndrome
Lena is a 17-year-old 11th grader with Usher syndrome type 1. She has been deaf since birth and uses American Sign Language with interpreters. She has retinitis pigmentosa with 20/80 acuity, night blindness, and visual fields of about 20 degrees. She wants to attend a community college culinary program and live in a dorm. Her IEP transition plan lists 'college' but has no measurable goals. The VR counselor has not observed her in school. Her parents want her to live at home and attend a local program. Lena says she is 'fine' but recently stopped attending after-school activities because she cannot see in the parking lot. The annual transition IEP meeting is in three weeks.
1. What transition assessment data are missing, and how should the team gather them?
Read the worked answer
The plan currently has a broad aspiration but no evidence of skills, support needs, or environments. Missing data include: independent living skills (cooking, cleaning, money, medication, laundry), O&M in dusk and night conditions, cafeteria and kitchen safety with restricted vision, social communication with hearing peers, self-advocacy, disclosure decisions, and assistive technology such as tactile interpreting, a braille display, screen reader, and vibrating alerts.
Gather data through person-centered interviews with Lena, family, teachers, and interpreter; situational assessments in a real or simulated kitchen; O&M assessments on campus and in a dorm-like setting; and a trial of accommodations. The VR counselor should observe Lena in school and at a work or volunteer setting. Do not rely on Lena saying she is 'fine,' especially when she has withdrawn from activities. The team should look for the gap between her stated goal and her current functioning, then build goals from that gap.
2. How should the team coordinate services and address the disagreement between Lena and her parents?
Read the worked answer
Convene a transition meeting that includes Lena, her parents, the TVI, O&M specialist, interpreter, deafblind specialist, VR counselor, and a representative from the culinary program if possible. Use a person-centered format: begin with Lena's goals, then present assessment data, then identify supports. The parents' fear is understandable, but the team should not decide for Lena. Explore a middle path: visit the college and dorm, try a short summer program, arrange a mentor who is deafblind, and identify safety supports such as a vibrating alarm, emergency contact system, and orientation to night routes.
VR can fund or coordinate some services, but the IEP team must still write measurable transition goals. If disagreement persists, document it and use mediation or other dispute-resolution options. The team should keep the focus on Lena's right to make informed choices with support, while acknowledging the family's cultural and safety concerns.
3. Write three measurable postsecondary goals and the supports that would make them achievable.
Read the worked answer
Education/training: After high school, Lena will enroll in a community college culinary program and complete the first semester with accommodations. Employment: After completing the program, Lena will obtain part-time employment in a food-service setting. Independent living: After high school, Lena will live in a dormitory with a documented safety and support plan.
Supports should be concrete: O&M instruction for night and dusk routes; orientation to the college kitchen and dorm; tactile interpreting or interpreter with deafblind training; a braille display and screen reader; vibrating and visual alerting systems; kitchen safety instruction with low vision; and self-advocacy training for requesting accommodations and disclosing disability. VR should be invited to fund or provide some services, and the IEP should include annual goals that build toward these outcomes. Each goal should be reviewed with data, not just listed.