Welcome to our site!
This site will give you information about agencies (mostly in Idaho) that can help your young adult make plans, achieve dreams, work, and live independently. It provides students, parents, and professionals with secondary transition resources related to post-secondary goals, planning timelines, community participation, life skills, recreation/leisure, self-advocacy, self-determination, and financial supports/services.
Site Navigation: Click on the word links at the left side of the page or to the in-text links to navigate to the topic you're interested in.
Click on this link to visit our Genesee School district website.
Genesee School District
Genesee School District
"A true friend knows your weaknesses but shows you your strengths; feels your fears but fortifies your faith; sees your anxieties but frees your spirit; recognizes your disabilities but emphasizes your possibilities." - William Arthur Ward
Agencies/Domains (short overview)
As you plan for transition this guide can help you make plans and get questions answered. Some organizations might be in more than one section.
Advocacy & Support Services: Advocacy and support services help families find a way to connect to agencies that can provide information to help a student have a successful transition from high school. Some of the organizations and agencies help students learn how to advocate for themselves. Others help protect rights of people with disabilities. The resources in this section can help educate and train families and students to speak up for themselves.
Education/Training: Education and Training might be finding a job that you like and having them train you. It might mean an apprenticeship. It might mean a junior/community college or university. College Disability Support Services for students with disabilities are available in Idaho’s post-secondary institutions. Accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis. Some of the Idaho choices are listed in this section. These listings can be a starting point for after-high-school plans.
Employment Services: High school is a time to explore and prepare. Explore different occupations and find out what people do at work. Investigate military options. Find out if self-employment is a good fit for you. Learn how to apply and interview for jobs. Find ways to succeed on your job. You don't have to do it alone. This section is designed to give you employment resources. There are agencies and services to help you gain skills and find a job.
Financial Supports & Services: Finances are a critical part of being able to live independently. There are agencies that can help people with money problems or who need counseling about buying a home or how to save money. The agencies listed in this section are all non-profit agencies that can help people with or without disabilities to better manage their financial life.
Fun Things to Do (Community Participation): This section, sometimes called “Community Living” or “Community Participation” has examples of some the activities that anybody can take part in such as swimming, golf, Special Olympics, theater, movies, bowling, museums, and libraries in Genesee, Lewiston, and Moscow. It’s important to find a job and do well at that job, but it is also important to find time to get out to meet other people and spend time with friends. This section has some of those resources.
Health Care: This section has medical facilities, free clinics, Medicaid services, mental health counseling, and spinal cord injury information. What do you do if you get sick? Do you know where the emergency room is in case you have an accident? Young adults may need professional assistance in addition to help their families can give them; these resources can help them take care of physical health and get help working through problems they face in their lives.
Internet Safety: Internet safety is important because most people use computers, smart phones, and other devices to connect to the internet, receive communications, and to use social networking such as Facebook. Parents and students can read about safe internet use, netiquette, and how to keep personal information private when on the internet.
Living Options/Life Skills: Choosing where to live or a residential option is a tough choice for families to make. Will your child live at home or will you look at an apartment, residence home, or intermediate care facility for your young adult? Maybe your son/daughter dreams of owning a home. This section will point you to information resources and is helpful for people with disabilities or without disabilities.
Students learn to do math, read, and write while they’re in high school, but some of the life skills that all students also need are: taking care of health needs; being able to handle emergencies; technology skills; financial management skills; communication skills; time management; and how to take care of laundry, cleaning, and other housekeeping tasks. This section has a list of agencies that can help support the young adult with independent living, employment, or life skills.
Self-Determination/Self-Advocacy: Although self-determination might be slightly different from culture to culture, students need to be involved and engaged in the transition planning process. Educators (and sometimes parents) have often made decisions for youth; we are trying to change that so youth are making their own decisions about what their post-secondary goals should be. During the teenage transition years we need to gradually turn the decision-making authority over to youth so they become better at making their own decisions. This section has resources about self-determination and self-advocacy.
Transition Planning - What is it? Transition planning makes a bridge between life while you're in high school and life after school. Transition plans are part of the IEP. They help the student and family work toward the student’s dreams, wishes, choices, strengths, and needs for life after high school. The IEP/transition team wants to help the student and family learn to plan for the future. The team finds people or agencies to help students reach their dreams. This includes the areas of education, training, work, daily living, spare-time activities, being part of the Genesee community, help for people older than 18 years, and having friends.
According to research, when students and families speak up for what they think in IEP meetings, students will do better in high school. When students plan for transition and learn self-advocacy and self-determination skills, they do better after they graduate. It’s never too early to start planning. Activities and plans should begin as early as grade school at Genesee. They will continue until graduation. See more info on this under Transition Timeline. Students will hopefully use what they learn to become self-determined, get ready to work, and plan for the future.
As a parent, you are an important part of the transition team; nobody knows your young adult as well as you do. We will ask you to complete a Parent Transition Survey. Students will complete a Student Transition Survey. This way we'll get a more complete picture of your young adult's strengths, needs, dreams, and abilities.
Transition Timeline: Transition timelines are flexible, but this section will give you an idea of the transition activities and deadlines we’ve developed for Genesee students. It is important to have a timeline so school, family, and student all know the expectations. There are often activities that the family can encourage or support at home, especially helping the student practice self-advocacy, communication, and decision-making skills.
Transportation: Transportation includes walking, riding bicycle, riding bus, taxi service, and driving your own car. This section gives information about the public transportation systems, dial-a-rides, and taxi companies serving Lewiston, Clarkston, Asotin, and Moscow.
National Laws: This section gives you information on IDEA and the laws protecting your young adult's rights. One of IDEA’s main rules is the right of parents to participate in educational decision making regarding their child with a disability. In other words, parents are a critical part of the IEP and Transition Team. The law is very specific about what schools have to do to make sure parents have the opportunity to participate. Parents should receive a copy of the Procedural Safeguards Notice each year before the IEP meeting.
State and District Policies: The Federal Government makes sure Idaho is following the IDEA rules and the state makes sure districts follow those rules. They look at Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and transition plans to make sure students are invited to meetings and that IEPs contain goals that can be measured; they should help the student be successful after high school with more education, job training, independent living skills, and community living. Some of those requirements are in this section.
Additional Resources: Services that didn’t fit under the other categories are in the Additional Resources section. Some of these include: Assistive Technology, Meal Service/Food Banks, Day Care Services, Sign Language Interpreters, and Volunteer Opportunities.
Advocacy & Support Services: Advocacy and support services help families find a way to connect to agencies that can provide information to help a student have a successful transition from high school. Some of the organizations and agencies help students learn how to advocate for themselves. Others help protect rights of people with disabilities. The resources in this section can help educate and train families and students to speak up for themselves.
Education/Training: Education and Training might be finding a job that you like and having them train you. It might mean an apprenticeship. It might mean a junior/community college or university. College Disability Support Services for students with disabilities are available in Idaho’s post-secondary institutions. Accommodations are provided on a case-by-case basis. Some of the Idaho choices are listed in this section. These listings can be a starting point for after-high-school plans.
Employment Services: High school is a time to explore and prepare. Explore different occupations and find out what people do at work. Investigate military options. Find out if self-employment is a good fit for you. Learn how to apply and interview for jobs. Find ways to succeed on your job. You don't have to do it alone. This section is designed to give you employment resources. There are agencies and services to help you gain skills and find a job.
Financial Supports & Services: Finances are a critical part of being able to live independently. There are agencies that can help people with money problems or who need counseling about buying a home or how to save money. The agencies listed in this section are all non-profit agencies that can help people with or without disabilities to better manage their financial life.
- Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income may also be a resource for your young adult as he/she begins to live independently. There are incentive programs that allow a person with disabilities to work without being penalized financially. You may need to help your son/daughter apply for services even if you think he/she might not be eligible. You can also appeal if benefits are denied.
Fun Things to Do (Community Participation): This section, sometimes called “Community Living” or “Community Participation” has examples of some the activities that anybody can take part in such as swimming, golf, Special Olympics, theater, movies, bowling, museums, and libraries in Genesee, Lewiston, and Moscow. It’s important to find a job and do well at that job, but it is also important to find time to get out to meet other people and spend time with friends. This section has some of those resources.
Health Care: This section has medical facilities, free clinics, Medicaid services, mental health counseling, and spinal cord injury information. What do you do if you get sick? Do you know where the emergency room is in case you have an accident? Young adults may need professional assistance in addition to help their families can give them; these resources can help them take care of physical health and get help working through problems they face in their lives.
Internet Safety: Internet safety is important because most people use computers, smart phones, and other devices to connect to the internet, receive communications, and to use social networking such as Facebook. Parents and students can read about safe internet use, netiquette, and how to keep personal information private when on the internet.
Living Options/Life Skills: Choosing where to live or a residential option is a tough choice for families to make. Will your child live at home or will you look at an apartment, residence home, or intermediate care facility for your young adult? Maybe your son/daughter dreams of owning a home. This section will point you to information resources and is helpful for people with disabilities or without disabilities.
Students learn to do math, read, and write while they’re in high school, but some of the life skills that all students also need are: taking care of health needs; being able to handle emergencies; technology skills; financial management skills; communication skills; time management; and how to take care of laundry, cleaning, and other housekeeping tasks. This section has a list of agencies that can help support the young adult with independent living, employment, or life skills.
Self-Determination/Self-Advocacy: Although self-determination might be slightly different from culture to culture, students need to be involved and engaged in the transition planning process. Educators (and sometimes parents) have often made decisions for youth; we are trying to change that so youth are making their own decisions about what their post-secondary goals should be. During the teenage transition years we need to gradually turn the decision-making authority over to youth so they become better at making their own decisions. This section has resources about self-determination and self-advocacy.
Transition Planning - What is it? Transition planning makes a bridge between life while you're in high school and life after school. Transition plans are part of the IEP. They help the student and family work toward the student’s dreams, wishes, choices, strengths, and needs for life after high school. The IEP/transition team wants to help the student and family learn to plan for the future. The team finds people or agencies to help students reach their dreams. This includes the areas of education, training, work, daily living, spare-time activities, being part of the Genesee community, help for people older than 18 years, and having friends.
According to research, when students and families speak up for what they think in IEP meetings, students will do better in high school. When students plan for transition and learn self-advocacy and self-determination skills, they do better after they graduate. It’s never too early to start planning. Activities and plans should begin as early as grade school at Genesee. They will continue until graduation. See more info on this under Transition Timeline. Students will hopefully use what they learn to become self-determined, get ready to work, and plan for the future.
As a parent, you are an important part of the transition team; nobody knows your young adult as well as you do. We will ask you to complete a Parent Transition Survey. Students will complete a Student Transition Survey. This way we'll get a more complete picture of your young adult's strengths, needs, dreams, and abilities.
Transition Timeline: Transition timelines are flexible, but this section will give you an idea of the transition activities and deadlines we’ve developed for Genesee students. It is important to have a timeline so school, family, and student all know the expectations. There are often activities that the family can encourage or support at home, especially helping the student practice self-advocacy, communication, and decision-making skills.
Transportation: Transportation includes walking, riding bicycle, riding bus, taxi service, and driving your own car. This section gives information about the public transportation systems, dial-a-rides, and taxi companies serving Lewiston, Clarkston, Asotin, and Moscow.
National Laws: This section gives you information on IDEA and the laws protecting your young adult's rights. One of IDEA’s main rules is the right of parents to participate in educational decision making regarding their child with a disability. In other words, parents are a critical part of the IEP and Transition Team. The law is very specific about what schools have to do to make sure parents have the opportunity to participate. Parents should receive a copy of the Procedural Safeguards Notice each year before the IEP meeting.
State and District Policies: The Federal Government makes sure Idaho is following the IDEA rules and the state makes sure districts follow those rules. They look at Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and transition plans to make sure students are invited to meetings and that IEPs contain goals that can be measured; they should help the student be successful after high school with more education, job training, independent living skills, and community living. Some of those requirements are in this section.
Additional Resources: Services that didn’t fit under the other categories are in the Additional Resources section. Some of these include: Assistive Technology, Meal Service/Food Banks, Day Care Services, Sign Language Interpreters, and Volunteer Opportunities.
Genesee Transition Matrix (all the transition resources)
genesee_transition_resource_matrixpdf_sheet1.pdf | |
File Size: | 133 kb |
File Type: |
Last Updated: 1/1/19