Transition Services

What Will We Do After Graduation?

The Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities has worked hard to develop a stronger plan for transition from high school age to adulthood.

Much planning and support is needed when thinking about life after leaving high school.  This process should begin early on in the student’s  high school life. Here at FairfieldDD, we assist families and individuals in finding out what is available, and bringing to our county the services needed to support that individual.

The goal of transition planning is to know who is coming out of school, when they are graduating, and what do they want to do with their lives. This includes planning for the supports they need to live fulfilling and independent lives in our community. 

We are planning for these services in a variety of ways.

•              First, we have an Interagency Transition Partner Taskforce that meets every other month that consists of families, school personnel, community and social agencies to exchange information and discuss a variety of topics concerning transition services within our community. This taskforce is an innovative model that the State Support Teams in Ohio want to replicate throughout the state. This provides a venue for cross-training, sharing resources and working on common goals for our county. The taskforce has completed an interagency agreement for all school districts and many social agencies in Fairfield County in order to have a commitment for us to work together on a variety of initiatives to further transition services.

•              Second, we are gathering information from our Individual Support Coordinators, the schools and the families in order to begin the planning process as early as age 14. We also want to identify kids that are not currently referred to our agency and coordinate with intake to determine if they are eligible.

•              Third, consultation is available to ISC’s, schools and families regarding how to plan for transition services and map out their options based on their interests, abilities and needs.

•              Fourth, there are many programs now being offered to our youth to expand their knowledge and experience in the world of work, such as Project SEARCH, a partnership with Eastland-Fairfield Career Center, FairfieldDD and Fairfield Medical Center, and LIFEWorks. 

Contact

For information about Transition Services, contact:

Susan Barnett

Transition Coordinator

Fairfield County Board of Developmental Disabilities

740.652.7230