Epilogue

What Do We Know, What Have We Learned, and Where Do We Go from Here to Help CLD Families and Youth with Disabilities in the Transition Process?

Taisha Mubano, an African American woman in her late 40s, ran into Jemilla Franklin, an old friend, after not having seen her for years. Jemilla asked, "How’s your son Jonas doing these days? He’s probably graduated high school by now."

"Yes indeed," said Taisha, "and he’s doing alright. Thanks for asking."

"That’s great to hear," said Jemilla, "I know how many years you struggled trying to get services for him. His autism was a real challenge for you and your family."

Taisha replied, "You know, we finally got some good help for Jonas when he started high school. For the first time, I felt the special education teachers listened to what we had to say and truly tried to help us. And it made a big difference!"

"Really," said Jemilla. "What did they do?"

"Well, when Jonas turned 16, they met with us in our home one night with Jonas there, too; put a big piece of paper up on the wall; and asked us a lot of questions about our hopes, fears, dreams, and goals for Jonas’s future. Everybody had a chance to talk, including Jonas, and it just felt good. We really thought they cared about him and wanted to help him be successful in school and in the future."

Jemilla replied, skeptically, "Talk is talk. They always make promises, give you hope—but my experience is that they don’t deliver."

"Well, nobody is perfect, but the school really made an effort to follow through on what they said they were going to do. Jonas was given a one-to-one aide to work with him in his general education classes, they had a Best Buddies program to help him make friends, and he got a lot of tutoring and assistance with his classes in high school. They helped him get a job at our neighborhood Target store, and the manager there liked him so much that he hired him full time after Jonas graduated high school. He works there about 30 hours a week. And they helped us connect with services that would help Jonas as an adult."

"That’s fantastic!" said Jemilla. "Where’s he living now?"

"He lives with us," replied Taisha, "but his Regional Center counselor is helping him look for a supported living situation in the neighborhood."

"What’s that?" asked Jemilla.

"It’s semi-independent living, like a group home. Other adults with disabilities live there and staff help care for their needs. We think it’s great that Jonas can live nearby but be a bit more independent," said Taisha.

"How does he get to work?" asked Jemilla.

"He takes the bus. They taught him how to use the bus when he was in high school," replied Taisha.

"Wow, that’s terrific! Sounds like things actually got taken care of. Well, you give Jonas a big hug from me. It was great to see you," said Jemilla.

The story of Taisha Mubano, a happy and satisfied mother of a young adult with autism, illustrates numerous recommended practices in culturally responsive transition planning presented throughout this book. The purpose of this chapter is to synthesize and review this information and to offer some additional transition resources for CLD families and youth with disabilities. The chapter focuses on answering the following questions:

1. What do we know about the transition experiences of CLD families and youth with disabilities?
2. What have we learned about how to support CLD families of youth with disabilities during the transition years?
3. Where do we go from here? How do we infuse research-validated transition practices and recommendations for working with CLD families and youth with disabilities into public schools and transition service agencies?

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE TRANSITION EXPERIENCES OF CLD FAMILIES AND YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES?

1. Do not possess critical knowledge and skills related to the multiple dimensions of cultural and linguistic diversity.
2. Do not respect CLD parents and youth with disabilities involved in the transition.
3. Do not acknowledge the hopes and dreams for the future held by CLD families and youth with disabilities.
4. Do not engage in culturally responsive collaboration with CLD families and youth with disabilities in a way that makes them feel valued, listened to, and accepted during the transition planning process.

Making the transition from school to adult life is challenging for all youth with disabilities, but even more so for those from CLD backgrounds. CLD youth with disabilities and their families experience problems with the transition to adult life beyond disability alone. The research has found that many school and transition personnel:

1. Lack knowledge of the legal requirements for transition and a clear understanding of their role and function in IEP/ITP meetings.
2. Experience racial and cultural stereotypes as well as biases from school professionals, which leads them to not actively participate in IEP/ITP meetings.
3. Lack proficiency in English and face immigration issues and fears that affect their active participation in IEP/ITP meetings.
4. Possess a different set of norms and cultural expectations for their child’s adult future, which leads them to view transition differently than school and transition personnel.

In summary, as presented in the first two chapters of this book, CLD youth with disabilities experience serious problems in the transition process beyond those experienced by youth with disabilities in the general population. Fortunately, an emerging body of literature focusing on this unique population has provided recommendations for how to address this problem.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED ABOUT HOW TO SUPPORT CLD FAMILIES OF YOUTH WITH DISABILITIES DURING THE TRANSITION YEARS?

A number of highly effective practices have been recommended to promote more positive transition experiences for CLD families and youth with disabilities. These recommendations apply to two specific groups: 1) school transition professionals and 2) CLD parents and youth with disabilities. Suggestions for transition professionals include the following:

1. Transition professionals should use culturally responsive techniques such as PCP and family-centered approaches to collaborate with CLD families and youth with disabilities.
2. Transition professionals need to be competent in culturally responsive collaboration and communication practices that facilitate their ability to effectively engage in skilled dialogue with CLD families and youth with disabilities.
3. School districts and transition service agencies need to assess the quality of knowledge and skills related to culturally and linguistically diverse youth and families among their personnel.

Here’s what we’ve learned about helping CLD families and youth with disabilities in the transition process:

1. CLD parents who know their rights and responsibilities in formulating transition goals for their child and other aspects of special education law and practice are more active in IEP and ITP meetings in the public schools and are better able to advocate for their children with disabilities. Therefore, CLD parents and youth with disabilities need to increase their knowledge and skills in these areas.
2. Training is available throughout the United States to promote the knowledge and skills of CLD families and youth with disabilities with respect to not only the transition planning process but all aspects of special education and special education law. Chapter 2 presented resources for such training, and experts should encourage CLD families of youth with disabilities to access these resources and receive this training.
3. Parent support groups, mentors, and community liaisons benefit CLD parents of youth with disabilities by helping them understand special education law, the special education system in the public schools, and their role in the transition planning process. CLD families and youth with disabilities need to seek out existing resources such as these or create similar ones in their school districts or communities.
4. The use of bilingual and bicultural interpreters who are well trained and knowledgeable in special education law and practice benefits families who do not speak English. CLD parents should request that schools provide these types of interpreters to them throughout the transition planning process.

Interview with Irene Martinez, M.S.W., Director of Fiesta Educativa

I conducted an interview with Irene Martinez, M.S.W., who is the Director of Fiesta Educativa, a parent support organization for CLD parents of youth with disabilities in Los Angeles, California. Many of the questions I asked her were related to the recommended practices just discussed.

What cultures are represented in the CLD population for your service region?

We work with families from East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley. These are primarily Latino and Chinese families.

What challenges have you seen CLD families of youth with disabilities face in the transition planning process?

What things have you tried and implemented to improve the quality of collaboration with CLD families of youth with disabilities in the transition planning process? What has been successful and what has not?

We have tried to provide more training to parents to get them to start transition planning earlier. We’ve tried to raise consciousness in them. We have conducted one-to-one workshops.

We are using a home-based family education model. A small group of parents get together in a host parent’s home. It’s a family driven and family centered environment that is interactive. We provide speakers and trainers who answer specific questions the families ask. This is one of the most effective models for helping CLD families and youth with disabilities during transition.

What do the CLD families and youth with disabilities with whom you have worked want and need when it comes to planning the future for their child?

Help the parents work with the school so there is not a broken relationship. Help parents be more interactive and facilitate a positive relationship with the school. Parents need to work with the resources they are entitled to for their child who is transition age.

What advice and support do you offer to transition professionals who interact with the CLD families and youth with disabilities with whom you work?

Latino families may not be proactive. They need to be informed and encouraged to seek out education opportunities. When they are given this opportunity, they do respond.

What do you think are key strategies to promote leadership and improved services for CLD families of youth with disabilities in your community?

Work with schools and local parent council representatives. The family-based home host parent program promotes leadership in these parents. You need to develop parent leadership. Raise consciousness, attend councils and advisory panels, and increase CLD parent involvement in leadership.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

1. Use the leadership strategies presented to develop leaders in school special education and transition service agency personnel working with CLD families and youth with disabilities.
2. Select and implement the organizational change strategies that would work best with the stakeholders and constituents in the local schools or region.
3. Implement and evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies for promoting organizational change and improved outcomes for CLD families and youth with disabilities in the transition process.
4. Provide training where training is needed to transition professionals as well as CLD families and youth with disabilities.
5. Develop resources such as CLD parent support groups, mentors, and community liaisons to help CLD families in the transition process.
6. Pursue continuing knowledge, education, and professional growth on this topic to maintain currency in the field.
7. Seek external funding from nonprofit organizations, grants, and foundations to promote program development and improved practice in this area.
8. Keep your eye on the ball; remain passionate and committed to the process and recognize that change occurs slowly.

SUMMARY

Everyone deserves an equal opportunity to experience a quality adult life, including individuals with disabilities. CLD families and youth with disabilities involved in the transition process face additional challenges, but professionals can support them effectively through culturally responsive collaboration. Improvement in support for CLD families of youth with disabilities requires changes at an organizational level. This book has included guidance on this collaboration, as well as considerations for making legal and effective transition documents for CLD youth with disabilities.

The case studies, interviews, resources, and references presented here are not an exhaustive compilation of the research on this subject. However, they represent a solid review of the literature and a balanced presentation of practical and theoretical information about the transition process for CLD youth with disabilities.