A Curated Knowledge Hub for the Transition Years.

PACER National Parent Center

What Is Transition Planning, Really?

A short, calm explainer for families hearing 'transition plan' for the first time.

CPIR Center

Inside a Student-Led PPT Meeting

Watch a real student lead her own planning meeting. The shift is quiet and total.

IRIS Center, Vanderbilt

Writing Postsecondary Goals That Actually Mean Something

What separates a measurable postsecondary goal from a wish.

Mike Rowe Works

Careers in the Trades: a Visual Tour

Plumbing, electrical, HVAC, welding — what the day actually looks like.

Project SEARCH

Workplace Soft Skills: a Visual Guide

Showing up, communicating, asking questions, and bouncing back.

AHEAD

How College Disability Services Actually Work

The difference between IDEA and ADA, and what to do in the first month on campus.

Tasty

Cooking 10 Meals with a Microwave

Real recipes for dorms, apartments, and group homes — no oven required.

National Technical Assistance Center on Transition

The Transition Timeline: Age 14 to 22

A grade-by-grade map of what should happen, when, and who is responsible.

Understood.org

Plain-Language Special Education Glossary

100+ acronyms and terms decoded — FAPE, LRE, PLAAFP, BRS, and more.

Office of Disability Employment Policy

Disability Disclosure: Your Choice, Your Words

When and how to talk about your disability at school, work, or college.

Advance CTE

The 16 Career Clusters Explained

A friendly overview of every major career family, from agriculture to IT.

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

Workplace Accommodations Toolkit

How to request accommodations on the job — examples, sample letters, your rights.

Federal Student Aid

FAFSA Walkthrough for Families

Plain-language steps for completing the FAFSA, with screenshots.

Easterseals

Public Transportation Practice Plan

How to learn a bus route safely — solo trip in five sessions.

Center for Public Representation

Supported Decision-Making Vs. Guardianship

A side-by-side comparison and a values worksheet to use as a family.

Harvard Family Research Project

Family-School Partnership Toolkit

Ways to build a relationship with the team that lasts longer than one school year.

Center for Parent Information & Resources

How Transition Connects to the IEP

Where transition lives inside the IEP, and how postsecondary goals drive everything else.

Think College

How to Ask for Help (without Feeling Weird About It)

Scripts and sentence starters for class, work, and life.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Healthcare Career Pathways

From medical assistant to nursing aide — entry points that don't require four years.

Griffin-Hammis Associates

Entrepreneurship for Young People with Disabilities

Real stories of self-employment as a postsecondary outcome.

Apprenticeship.gov

Apprenticeships: Earn While You Learn

Registered apprenticeships in trades, tech, and healthcare — what they pay and how to start.

Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities

Executive Functioning Strategies That Stick

Calendars, timers, body-doubling, and the case against motivation.

NTACT

Writing IEP Goals Linked to Transition Outcomes

A model and rubric for goals that genuinely move postsecondary outcomes.

TransitionForward Studio

Family Participation in Transition: a Conversation Guide

Printable prompts to help families share hopes, worries, and routines before the next meeting.

TransitionForward Studio

Knowing Yourself: Strengths, Needs, and What You Want

A self-reflection worksheet students can fill out alone or with a trusted adult.

TransitionForward Studio

Job Shadow Planning Worksheet

Plan a job shadow, capture what you saw, and decide what to try next.

TransitionForward Studio

Interview Practice: 20 Common Questions

Practice answers, sample responses, and tips for what to do with your hands.

TransitionForward Studio

Work-Based Learning Planning Form

For teachers and case managers planning internships and community work.

TransitionForward Studio

Monthly Budget Worksheet for First-Time Earners

Simple, visual budget for students starting a first job.

TransitionForward Studio

Student Interview Protocol

A structured conversation guide for getting beyond yes-and-no answers.

TransitionForward Studio

Progress Monitoring Tracker

Weekly check-in template that doubles as documentation for re-evals.

TransitionForward Studio

Questions Every Family Should Ask at the Transition PPT

Twelve questions that turn a status update into a planning meeting.

TransitionForward Studio

Meeting Prep Checklist for Students

Six steps to help a student walk into the room ready, not nervous.

TransitionForward Studio

Campus Readiness Checklist

A summer-before-college packing list that goes beyond bed sheets.

TransitionForward Studio

Self-Advocacy Questionnaire

Twenty quick questions that show students where they are confident and where to build skill.

Casey Family Programs

Casey Life Skills Assessment

Free assessment covering money, daily living, work, education, and relationships.

U.S. Department of Labor

O*net Interest Profiler

Free 60-question inventory that suggests careers matching your interests.

Indeed Career Guide

First Resume Builder

Free guided builder designed for students with little or no work history.

Think College

Think College: Inclusive Postsecondary Programs

Searchable directory of college programs for students with intellectual disability.

Zarrow Center, University of Oklahoma

Transition Assessment Library

Free formal and informal transition assessments organized by domain.

National Center for Education Statistics

College Navigator

Federal database — search any U.S. college by major, location, size, and cost.

Practical Money Skills

Mango Money: Budgeting Game

Interactive budget simulator built for teen and young adult learners.

TransitionForward Studio

Age of Majority, in Plain English

What changes the day your student turns 18, and what you can decide together long before.

TransitionForward Studio

Letting Go on Purpose: a Parent Conversation

Two parents share what changed when they stopped doing it for them.

Teach Me, Teacher Podcast

Teach Me, Teacher: Special Ed Transitions

Conversations with educators about real classroom transition practice.

Disability Visibility Project

Disability Visibility: Stories About Work

First-person stories about employment with a disability.

MCIE / ThinkInclusive

Thinkinclusive: Transition to Adulthood

Educators and self-advocates on what inclusion looks like after high school.

CT State Department of Education

Connecticut Secondary Transition Resources

The official CSDE hub for secondary transition guidance, forms, and trainings.

CPAC

Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center (cpac)

Free, family-led support for navigating special education. Trained parents on the phone before your next meeting.

CT Aging & Disability Services

Bureau of Rehabilitation Services (brs)

Vocational rehabilitation for eligible students. Job coaching, training dollars, on-the-job supports. Door opens at 16.

BRS Level Up Program

Level Up CT

Pre-employment transition services for CT students with disabilities, ages 14–21.

State of Connecticut

Department of Aging and Disability Services

The umbrella agency for BRS, services for the blind, deaf, and older adults in Connecticut.

State of Connecticut

Department of Developmental Services (dds)

Adult services for individuals with intellectual disability and autism. Apply early — eligibility can take a year or more.

United Way of CT

211 Connecticut

One number for housing, food, transportation, mental health, and crisis support statewide.

CT State Community College

Connecticut Community Colleges (ct State)

All twelve campuses now unified — programs, disability services, and admissions in one place.

CT Technical Education

Connecticut Technical Education and Career System

CT's 17 technical high schools — apply in 8th grade for trades, healthcare, automotive, culinary.

CT Department of Labor

Connecticut Workforce Development Boards

Find your regional workforce board — youth programs, training dollars, and summer employment.

Connecticut training arm

SERC — State Education Resource Center

Workshops, family nights, and educator institutes on transition throughout the year.

Edge Enterprises · Anthony Van Reusen et al.

The Self-Advocacy Strategy for Education and Transition Planning

The original I-PLAN curriculum — teach students to drive their own meetings.

Why it helps: Step-by-step lessons educators can run as a six-week unit.

Guilford Press · Richard Guare, Peg Dawson, Colin Guare

Smart but Scattered Teens

Executive functioning skills, framed for the teen who keeps losing the planner.

Why it helps: Practical scripts and routines families can use without a clinician.

Harbor House Law Press · Pam & Pete Wright

Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy

The classic plain-language playbook for navigating special education.

Why it helps: Helps families separate the law, the records, and the relationships.

Free Spirit Publishing · Susan Yellin & Christina Cacioppo Bertsch

Life After High School: a Guide for Students with Disabilities

A teen-friendly walkthrough of what comes after a diploma or certificate.

Why it helps: Written directly to the student, not over their head.

Free Spirit Publishing · Elizabeth Verdick & Elizabeth Reeve

The Survival Guide for Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Strategies for friendships, school, and growing up — written for students themselves.

Why it helps: Validates experiences in language students relate to.

Pearson · Robert Flexer et al.

Transition Planning for Secondary Students with Disabilities

The textbook used in graduate programs — comprehensive professional reference.

Why it helps: Dense, but the definitive professional reference for case managers.