So, what happens after high school? The default answer is to just stay in school. Federal law allows for a student who is receiving special needs services to "stay in school" until the year of their 21st birthday. Called "Transition Services". A pretty good deal actually. So, like all parents we have been asking for 3-4 years, "so, what kind of transition services will Ryan receive?"
Launch the learning curve. It seems that every state/school district has a different answer. And every system has a built-in apology; just like Vandy Football fans --"Wait until next year, it will be better!" The range of quality went from the amazing to the sad. We found districts with a well-funded magnet campus; complete with customized class work, transportation to area community colleges, job training, job sampling, job coaching, and even job placement. But, not our district. We found districts that offered little more than free day-care. But, not our district. Our school district (opinion alert) offered a semi-happy medium. Not great, but not awful.
We discovered that in our district each area high school coordinates their own program. Once again, some better than others. Ryan would fill his schedule for five days a week. That's nice. Ryan would get transportation. That's nice. He would get class room instruction. That's nice. He would go to area workplaces (McDonalds, Wal-mart, thrift stores, etc) and "practice" working. That's weird. And at some point he could connect with Vocational Rehab Services and even Vanderbilt's job placement service called Project Opportunity. Very nice.
We liked the song well enough, but we discovered one huge scratch in the vinyl. Ryan would go back to the same high school, the same campus, and the same resource room --- as if he had never graduated. Free? Yes, but at a huge cost. This would just devastate Ryan. He tells us every day that he is a Senior! He has no intentions of going back to that campus. We need help.
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