Improving Transition Outcomes

An Innovative State Alignment Grant for Improving Transition Outcomes 
for Youth with Disabilities Through the Use of Intermediaries

Promising Transition Practices from the 

Improving Transition Outcomes Prototypes

CASE (Career And Self Exploration) transition planning tool:

? Teacher assisted / student directed curriculum

? Based on the Intensive Psychiatric Rehabilitation model

? Vocational exploration activities and guest speakers from the local business community

? In-school entrepreneurship component provides real world work experience

? Employers gave high ratings to participants? entry-level work skills 

? Participants took increased responsibility for their education and career plans

? Participants became more confident in their potential as workers and community members

? Participants left school with career plans, jobs, and pursuing post-secondary education

Transition Partners Infrastructure Building:

? Started with focus groups to explore what was/wasn?t working with transition

? Transition Resource Team meetings

? Transition ?cookbook? for transition planning, beginning with 8th grade

? Multi-county resource directory

? Stakeholder meetings

? Parent support group

? Participants were connected early to VR services

? Participants saw high school graduation as desirable and possible

? Participants left school with clear career plans and ready support

? Adult and community agencies, youth and their families, and schools built consensus on how 
to improve transition

Youth Connections E-mentoring and vocational exploration:

? E-mentoring connects youth with community members and local businesses

? Vocational exploration activities

? Information on local services

? Participants became engaged in work and career advancement

? Participants saw the value in school subjects

? Community participants viewed participants as assets to the community

? Community agencies, businesses, and schools improved their transition partnerships

Governance Group

Iowa Department 
for the Blind

Iowa Department 
of Education

Iowa Department 
of Human Services

Iowa Division 
of Persons with 
Disabilities

Iowa Vocational 
Rehabilitation 
Services

Iowa Governor's 
Developmental 
Disabilities Council

Iowa Workforce 
Development



Resource Mapping (MyTransitionIowa.org is one example):

? Resource mapping has to assertively push information and resources to youth and their families in 
formats they can access.

? The target audiences of transitioning youth and their families do not expect to find resources so 
marketing has to be designed to reach them.

? These resources are useful to school and agency personnel working with transitioning youth.

? Resource mapping has to address local variations.

? Team membership changes according to stage of development and what members want from the 
resource mapping process.

? Core team members keep the vision alive.

? Sustainability depends on several factors; consider the time and staff needed to maintain and update 
the resulting Resource Map product.

? Be sure to invite all stakeholders to join your team and keep membership open as resources change 
over time.

? Gaps and barriers to access and seamless service don?t have to exist. The resources typically exist 
somewhere?somebody has to find them.

? Resource maps get substantial word-of-mouth advertising among targeted audiences if they are seen 
as useful.




Continued...


This document was developed by Improving Transition Outcomes with Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation 
Services, funded by a grant/contract/cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office 
of Disability Employment Policy #E-9-4-3-0093. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily 
reflect the position or policy of the U.S. Department of Labor. Nor does mention of trade names, 

commercial products, or organizations imply the endorsement by the U.S. Department of Labor.

ITO-IVRS

510 E. 12th St.

Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-0275
www.iowaemploymentpartners.com