The Brookes Transition to Adulthood Series

TRANSITION PLANNING FOR Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Youth

by
Gary Greene, Ph.D.

Contents

1. Challenges Faced by Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families and Youth with Disabilities During the Transition Years
2. Culturally Responsive Transition Planning and Recommended Practices
3. Individualized Transition Plans and Summary of Functional Performance for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Family Examples
4. The Role of Teacher Leadership in Promoting Organizational Change and Successful Transition for CLD Youth with Disabilities
5. 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

1. Challenges Faced by Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families and Youth with Disabilities During the Transition Years

The opening quote from a youth with a disability comes from an article by Leake and Boone (2007), who studied multicultural perspectives on self-determination in youth with disabilities, their parents, and their teachers. It summarizes how many people living in the United States define a quality adult life:

1. Access to affordable housing in a safe neighborhood.
2. Quality schools that provide a good education.
3. Employment opportunities that offer a decent hourly wage or salary, along with benefits and the opportunity for career advancement.
4. Access to quality healthcare.
5. Close family, friends, and social and interpersonal networks.
6. Easy access to one’s community.
7. Enjoyable recreation and leisure activities.

Unfortunately for individuals with disabilities, particularly those who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD), achieving a quality adult life can be very challenging. Evidence for this exists in early follow-up transition studies that found that large numbers of students with disabilities who exited public schools did not successfully make the transition to a quality adult life. Many of these individuals were leading segregated, nonproductive lives, were not actively engaged in daily activities, and lacked equal opportunity for employment (Edgar, 1991; Halloran, 1993; Hasazi, Gordon, & Roe, 1985). The National Longitudinal Transition Studies (NLTS-1 and NLTS-2) found that, compared with their peers without disabilities, youth with disabilities continued to lag behind in terms of indicators of a quality adult life (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996; NLTS-2, 2005). This is particularly true for CLD youth with disabilities.

2. Culturally Responsive Transition Planning and Recommended Practices

What are recommended practices in culturally responsive transition planning with CLD families of youth with disabilities, and what do these look like in public schools?

3. Individualized Transition Plans and Summary of Functional Performance for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Family Examples

What types of transition programs and services are available in high school and beyond that meet the needs of CLD families and youth with disabilities? What are examples of quality, culturally responsive ITSPs and SOPs?

4. The Role of Teacher Leadership in Promoting Organizational Change and Successful Transition for CLD Youth with Disabilities

What is the definition and characteristics of teacher leadership?

5. 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

What do we know about the transition experiences of CLD families and youth with disabilities? Where do we go from here?

About the Author

Gary Greene, Ph.D., Professor, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, California 90840.

Dr. Greene is a tenured full professor of special education at California State University, Long Beach, where he trains public school special education teachers in how to accommodate youth with special needs in general and special education classrooms. He also works as a special education consultant for the U.S. Department of State, Division of Overseas Schools. Dr. Greene has traveled extensively throughout the world conducting international school site reviews, as well as special education teacher and parent trainings. He has been teaching and supervising classroom teachers since the mid-1980s.

Transition Outcomes

Themes in the Literature Regarding Transition for Youth with Disabilities

Implications for Practice

1. Get to know a family's cultural background and beliefs when planning transition goals for their child.
2. Ask for, listen to, and respect parents' perspectives and what they have to say about their child with a disability.
3. Encourage parents to share their hopes and dreams for their child's future, even if they are different from your beliefs about the child. Support their hopes and dreams as much as possible by using them to help craft transition goals reflective of a positive future for the child and the family.
4. Provide families of youth with disabilities basic information about special education law related to transition in a form that is easy for them to understand.
5. Be sensitive to the basic survival needs of families (e.g., employment that cannot be interfered with) by scheduling meetings at a time and place that is convenient for them.
6. Be aware of your attitudes about families when interacting with them in conferences and meetings. Always act professionally, and be willing to show empathy and sensitivity for their life circumstances.
7. Take the necessary time to build trust, rapport, and credibility with immigrant families of youth with disabilities to help ease potential fears of deportation.
8. Provide transition materials and discussions in a form that is easy for minority families to understand.
9. Keep an open mind because families may have different conceptions of individualism and independence and the importance of family and home.