Resources

Search our Transition Database, find resources by topic, read our newsletters and more.

Transition Database

RAISE partners with the Center for Parent Center Information and Resources (CPIR) to provide information on a variety of Transition-related topics. Parent Centers, families, and youth can search the Resource Database, courtesy of the CPIR.

Resources for Partners, Parent Centers & Families

Quick Links for Youth & Families


Your Parent Center

The network of Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) support families and youth throughout the US.

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

JAN offers free, confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues.

Searchable Online Accommodation Resources (SOAR)

JAN’s SOAR system lets users explore accommodation options for people with disabilities in work and educational settings.

Social Security Administration: Ticket to Work

The SSA’s Ticket to Work program supports career development for Social Security disability beneficiaries who want to work.

Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS)

With a PASS Plan, an individual with a disability can set aside money to pay for items/services to achieve a specific work goal.

ESSA: Quick Guides on Top Issues

This Quick Guides on Top Issues report from Education Commission of the States (ECS) addresses questions about ESSA.

Family Resource Guide from Transition TN

This guide includes transition topics including finances, family support, community supports, post-secondary education, health, independent living, and employment.

OSEP English to Spanish Glossary of Terms

 

Parent Centers and Transition

 
Susan Barlow of the Parent Center of Western NY created this presentation to define collaboratives, their benefits, and how to create one.  This video is specific to parent centers and how they can develop a collaborative around transition issues.
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New from RAISE


Transition Alphabet Soup!  Find out what these acronyms mean?

Plain Language Made Easy

RAISE and PEATC collaborated to develop this resource guide and video in English and Spanish to assist people in making their documents accessible to everyone.

Readable Print

These resource provide information on how to make printed text the most visually accessible.

  • Creating Readable Print Materials  explains the rules that will make text readable for everyone, including people with reading, language, or visual disabilities and their families.*

youth-engagement-toolkit

RAISE’s Youth Development Toolkit for Parent Centers

Welcome to RAISE’s Youth Development Toolkit for Parent Centers. Developed in 2020 by RAISE in collaboration with other stakeholders, this toolkit is a resource for Parent Center professionals who are engaging youth on a regular basis and looking to take the next step in supporting youth development. This toolkit is meant to guide professionals and organizations in finding the many opportunities to incorporate programming centered in youth development. Providing meaningful participation to the youth that you serve will propel them forward in their journey of becoming empowered young adults.


RAISE’s Youth Leadership Toolkit for Parent Centers

Welcome to RAISE’s Youth Leadership Toolkit for Parent Centers. Developed in 2020 by RAISE in collaboration with other stakeholders, this toolkit is a resource for Parent Center professionals who are engaging youth on a regular basis, have begun to develop and recognize more skills in their youth, and are looking to take the next step in supporting youth leadership. This toolkit is meant to guide professionals and organizations in finding the many opportunities to incorporate programming centered in youth development. Providing meaningful participation to the youth that you serve will propel them forward in their journey of becoming empowered, self-directed, young adults.

Transition Alphabet Soup!  What do these acronyms mean?

ABLE Account
Savings accounts for people with disabilities which allow them to keep benefits.

ACL Administration on Community Living
Maximizes independence for people with disabilities and older adults.

ADA Americans with Disabilities Act 
The civil rights law that prevents discrimination against people with disabilities.

ADL Activities of Daily Living 
Everyday tasks people do to live and home and remain independent.

Career / Vocational Assessment 
Tests that measure work-related skills and interests.

CBI: Community Based Instruction 
Teaching skills, such as employment skills, in natural environments.

CIL Centers for Independent Living 
Support community living and independent for people with disabilities.

Competitive Employment 
A job which is paid at the same rate as wages paid to people without disabilities doing similar work.

Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Identify the needs of people with developmental disabilities in their state and work towards systems change to enhance independence.

Disability Rights 
Called Protection and Advocacy in some states, they promote the rights of people with disabilities.

DDS-Division/Department of Disability Services 
Provides information/referral to services for individuals with disabilities.

DHS-Department of Human Services
Protects health and wellbeing by providing essential human services, especially for vulnerable populations.

Dual Diagnosis 
Refers to someone with co-occurring conditions such and developmental disability and mental illness, or mental illness and substance use.

DVR-Division of Vocational and Rehabilitative Services
Helps people with disabilities prepare for or maintain employment.

Group Home 
Where people who are unrelated and need care live together, however this is not truly community based as people are grouped based on their condition.

Guardianship 
A legal process in which someone else makes decisions for an adult; although this used to be widely accepted, it takes away the rights of the individual and supported decision-making is preferred.

Home Care 
Care required in the home to maintain someone in their community, rather than institutional care.

HIPAA-Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 
Protects private health information.

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 
Federal special education law.

IEP: Individualized Education Program 
The student’s educational plan which includes supports and services.

IEP Team 
The team which includes parents and child study that develops the IEP.

Independent Living 
Living like nondisabled peers with the ability to make decisions and choose activities.

IPE Individualized Plan for Employment  
The job-related plan for employment and services need to reach employment goals.

Job Coach 
Assists individuals with disabilities to learn or keep a job.

Job Training 
Prepares people with disabilities for employment.

Medicaid 
Public health coverage for low income or people with disabilities.

Medicare 
Public health coverage for people with disabilities or those over 65.

PASS Plan for Achieving Self-Support
A savings plan for people with disabilities to reach a work goal.

Pre-Vocational 
Pre-employment skills training to help people with disabilities get a job.

Pre-ETS Pre-Employment Transition Services
Provided to prepare students with disabilities for competitive employment.

Rehabilitation Act of 1973 
Prohibits disability discrimination and provides services such as training for independent living.

Self-Advocacy 
Being able to communicate needs and access services.

Self-Determination 
Making decisions, setting goals, and self-advocacy.

Sheltered Workshop 
Employs people with disabilities separately from others and pays below minimum wage.

SGA Substantial Gainful Activity
The level of work of non-disabled peers.

SNT Special/Supplemental Needs Trust  
A savings plan that allows people with disabilities to maintain benefits.

Social Security 
Assists retirees, survivors, and people with disabilities.

SSDI Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) 
Disability benefits based on a work history.

SSI Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
Cash assistance for people with disabilities who are not gainfully employed.

Supported Employment 
Helps people with disabilities with supports to obtain inclusive/competitive employment.

Transition 
Moving from school to adult life which includes health care, work, and independent living.

Transition Services
Plans what a student with disabilities wants to do post-school.

Work Incentives
Working while receiving disability benefits.

The RAISE Standard Newsletter

RAISE Year-end Review, December 2022

RAISE and the RSA-PCs have developed new resources—webinars, newsletters, and websites—to support transition into adulthood for students with disabilities in all US states and territories. Read more in this Special Year End Review edition of RAISE the Standard Newsletter. Learn what’s happening in your area and about available resources near you. Continue Reading RAISE Year-end Review, December 2022

Webinars

RAISE hosts webinars for the RSA PTIs, individuals with disabilities and their families, and for our partners. Recordings of the webinar are available here and on our YouTube page. Each webinar is accompanied by a PowerPoint slide deck, a list of relevant resources, and other handouts for use by participants. Click on any title below to view that webinar in more detail.

9th Annual RAISE Summit- May 16th- Charlotte, NC- PAYCHECKS not PITY!

The National RAISE Center will be hosting its 9th Summit in Charlotte, NC. It will be a time for leadership development, networking and team building.

Location: Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte, NC.
Date: Tuesday, May 16th, 2023 at 9am – 1pm ET

This summit will focus on developing and strengthening relationships with key partners to improve transition outcomes. The sessions will include:

– A Young Adult Showcase
– MPACT Presentation “Walking the Walk: Recommendations for Experience-Focused Transition Programming”
– RSA Parent Centers spotlight

Travel and hotel is at your own expense. We are only covering lunch at the summit.

Continue Reading 9th Annual RAISE Summit- May 16th- Charlotte, NC- PAYCHECKS not PITY!

Supporting Families to Focus on Student Self-Determination- April 24

Self-determination is the ability for an individual to make their own decisions and guide the path of their lives. Youth and young adults with disabilities often lack opportunities to develop and practice being self-determined. This session will provide family training and advocacy professionals with strategies and tools that assist parents and caregivers in building key self-determination skills in their youth. The Essential Elements of Self Determination will be highlighted and useful goal setting and supported decision making tools shared. Family involvement and student self-determination can coexist. By helping families see the value in self-determination we can support students to build confidence and take charge of their futures.

Presenters:
Sean Roy, Sean, Chief Innovation and Training Officer for TransCen Inc.

Dr. John McNaught, Principal Investigator for I’m Determined

Date: Monday, April 24th, 2023
Time: 2pm ET

ASL interpretation & Spanish interpretation will be offered!

Continue Reading Supporting Families to Focus on Student Self-Determination- April 24

Why Financial Education Matters Webinar- March 20

Will saving jeopardize benefits? How will employment impact benefits? ABLE account or Special Needs Trust? What is Supported Decision-Making? How to protect against identity theft?

Please join us for an informative webinar presented by Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF) on March 20, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. ET.

Recognizing that financial education is the foundation for independent living, everyone needs financial skills to make informed decisions about money. In this webinar, we will address fundamental building blocks and the unique financial education needs of students with disabilities. We will explore PATF’s Cents and Sensibility: A Money Management Guide and the Educator Companion Manual and how these guides can help you make financial education engaging and fun. We will also take a tour of PATF’s online financial education resource, StudyMoney.us and its interactive content, activities, and resources.

Date: Monday, March 20, 2023
Time: 2pm ET

ASL interpretation & Spanish interpretation will be offered!

Continue Reading Why Financial Education Matters Webinar- March 20

Summit Resources

 EVENTS

Reimagining Advocacy: Promoting an Authentic Transition to Adult Life

Reimagining Advocacy: Promoting an Authentic Transition to Adult Life

Nov 15, 2021 02:00 PM Eastern Time

Aligning advocacy activities with an often-changing transition landscape can be a challenge for parent training professionals. Providing effective supports to families requires moving away from traditional compliance-based strategies and moving towards an approach that treats transition as a very human, lifespan activity. This webinar will highlight various ways parent advocacy professionals can adjust and improve their transition supports to families, including examining the pitfalls of systems-based thinking, weaving transition into a continuum of advocacy services, and using a lifespan approach to help families embrace transition sooner.

Presenters:

Sean Roy is the Chief Innovation and Training Officer for TransCen Inc.

Dr. Ann Deschamps is Vice President of TransCen Inc.

Laura A. Owens, Ph.D., CESP, has over 30 years of experience as a national leader in the transition and disability employment field. She is currently the President of TransCen, Inc. (TCI).

Continue Reading Reimagining Advocacy: Promoting an Authentic Transition to Adult Life

RAISE Transition Summit 2021

Transition in this Brave New World: Please join us on June 21st and June 28th for professional development, networking, and sharing as we work together to improve transition outcomes for young adults with disabilities.

Day 1: Monday, June 21
2:00pm- 4:00pm ET

Day 2: Monday, June 28
2:00pm- 4:00pm ET

Continue Reading RAISE Transition Summit 2021

leadership summits

The RAISE Center’s Advisory Partnership consists of 21 board members, including self-advocates, disability activists, the seven RSA-funded PTIs, and professional partners. They give feedback on RAISE work and materials and are active in the product development work groups. This partnership meets on quarterly conference calls, attends annual face-to-face summits and meetings, working together on an ongoing basis to provide TA to those who need it.

Past summits are listed below, with accompanying materials provided for reference.


♦ RAISE Summit 2020

Click above for all documents, links, and other resources pertaining to the 2020 RAISE Summit (Virtual)

♦ RAISE Summit 2019

Click above for all documents, links, and other resources pertaining to the 2018 RAISE Summit in Orlando, FL, in conjunction with APSE.

♦ RAISE Summit 2018

Click above for all documents, links, and other resources pertaining to the 2018 RAISE Summit in Orlando, FL, in conjunction with APSE.

♦ RAISE Summit 2017

Click above for all documents, links, and other resources pertaining to the September 2017 RAISE Summit in East Rutherford, NJ.

♦ RAISE Summit 2016

Click above for all documents, links, and other resources pertaining to the May 2016 RAISE Summit.

RAISE Center Blog

The RAISE Center Blog is a section of the website that is more personal and includes articles from Co-Director Josie Badger and the occasional guest blogger on Transition-related issues from an “insider’s” perspective.

The opinions expressed on these blogs are those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent SPAN or RAISE ideas.

To read the entries in full, click on the titles below or go directly to the blog at raisecenter.wordpress.com. Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed to get updates on newly published entries.

Are you interested in reading other blog topics? Would you like to be a guest blogger? Fill out our survey here.

 

Here are some suggested search keywords: Transition, Employment, Graduation, Healthcare, Health and Wellness, Education, Training, Youth Development, College, Postsecondary, Self Determination, Independent Living, Law, Policy(ies), Rights, Regulations, or other keywords. The tabs that show up in the results will filter the search even more.