Transition Planning and Postschool Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
Summary
Transition planning is a structured, collaborative process designed to prepare students with disabilities for life beyond secondary education. It brings together students, families, educators and service providers to set personalised goals in areas such as further education, employment, independent living and community participation. Effective transition planning emphasises self-determination, agency and skill development, ensuring that each young person’s aspirations and strengths guide the process. Globally, well-implemented transition strategies have been linked to higher rates of competitive employment, post-secondary study and social integration for individuals with diverse impairments. Practical applications include supported internships, peer mentoring and systematic use of assistive technologies, all underpinned by legal frameworks that promote inclusive education and the social model of disability.
Research from Nature Portfolio
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Transition Planning and Postschool Outcomes for Students with Disabilities publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in transition planning and postschool outcomes for students with disabilities across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Transition planning: A coordinated process involving assessment, goal-setting and service coordination to prepare students with disabilities for post-secondary life.
Self-determination: The capacity of individuals to make choices, set goals and advocate for their own needs.
Causal agency: The ability of a person to take intentional action to influence outcomes in their own life.
Supported transition model: A structured framework that places the individual at the centre of planning, providing tailored supports and resources.
Medical model of disability: An approach that locates disability in the individual’s impairments, often emphasising treatment or cure.
Social model of disability: A perspective that views disability as arising from societal barriers and exclusion rather than individual deficits.
References
- Building Causal Agency in Autistic Students through Iterative Reflection in Collaborative Transition Planning. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (2023).
- Transition stories: Voices of school leavers with intellectual disabilities. British Journal of Learning Disabilities (2021).
- Legislation on Disability and Employment: To What Extent Are Employment Rights Guaranteed for Persons with Disabilities?. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022).
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