Transition Programs for Young Adults with Disabilities in Monterey County

Growing into adulthood, with increased responsibilities and independence, is one of the most difficult passages in a person’s life. Learning how to cook, safely use a knife, and wash, dry, fold, and hang up laundry are examples of independent life skills that take time, patience, and repetition. They are challenging for neurotypical young adults and can feel overwhelming for families and individuals with disabilities. Transition programs teach critical skills and provide support and resources for the students they serve, creating avenues and opportunities to build lifelong independent skills.

Transition programs are designed to help people with moderate to significant intellectual disabilities learn critical life skills including functional academic- and community-based instruction, vocational training, daily life skills, and recreation and leisure skills.

Community-based instruction teaches students how to safely navigate the world outside of their home, including bike and bus training, driver’s license instruction, and pedestrian safety. Many skills cannot be simulated in a classroom, and there are different variables in the community, including unspoken social rules and etiquette, that many neurotypical people understand but are a foreign concept to those with disabilities. For example, it is understood that when going to a movie theater, one needs to be quiet during the movie. The goal of transition programs is for students to be able to go out in their communities and find fulfilling and enriching experiences.

Students also learn essential daily life skills, such as cooking, gardening, washing dishes, laundry, and basic financial skills (such as budgeting and how to pay for purchases).

Parents and guardians also experience adjustments during this time, as their child transitions into adulthood. It can be difficult for parents to step back and allow their now-adult child to gain greater independence away from them while also learning and developing the skills to advocate for their own needs, supports, and services.

Transition programs are part of public special education and may be offered through school districts only, while transition services can be offered by the San Andreas Regional Center (SARC) and implemented by their vendors or nonprofits.  

Transition Programs in the School Districts: 18–22-year-olds who do not receive a high school diploma and have an active IEP (Individualized Education Program) may be eligible for secondary transition services. Review options to see if your child would benefit from these services and consider getting a certificate of completion. Once someone receives a high school diploma, all special education services through the school district end, and they are not eligible for transition programs. Students do not need to complete all four years of the transition program and may obtain their GED or high school diploma from an adult school (which has fewer credits and requirements than a high school diploma).

Transition programs are for a small population of students, for those who have a high need of instruction for community-based instructional skills. Resources, programs, and services vary per school district (for example, Pacific Grove Unified School District has an Independence Pathway Program and Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has received grants that allow their students to have two work experience programs to leverage paid and unpaid work experience). Contact your district office to inquire about their transition program.

SPECIAL KIDS CONNECT (SKC) 
SKC is a nonprofit organization that provides educational support, resources, and inclusive recreational programs for families and people with disabilities. The transition period can be challenging for many families, as they are unsure of what programs are available for children who are now adults, and what services they can qualify for. SKC works with families so they can understand what to expect in this next chapter in life.. SKC’s REACH programs are recreational programs that support learning social skills and Neurodiverse Connect is a program for ages 14 and up that helps provide opportunities for them to learn life skills and leadership. The participants host events such as the Salinas Farmers Market, which gives them opportunities to socialize with their peers who are also neurodiverse, and SKC has different workshops and resources for families.

• SPECIALKIDSCONNECT.ORG 
• 334 S MAIN ST, SALINAS,  93901
• (831) 372-2730

COLLEGE LIVING EXPERIENCE (CLE) 

With centers in downtown Monterey, Costa Mesa, and San Diego, CLE is a supported living program that provides services (independent living skills, financial coaching, communication and career development, social skills, and comprehensive academic support) for young adults with cognitive and intellectual disabilities. CLE is a private organization that vendors with the regional centers to support most of their students. Local students still living at home with their families can access many funded supports through ILS contracts and self-determination.

• EXPERIENCECLE.COM
• 300 BONIFACIO PL, MONTEREY, 93940 (800) 486-5058

HOPE SERVICES 

Hope Services is a nonprofit that provides community engagement and employment programs for people with developmental disabilities, social engagement and skill-building, supported living services, and transition and employment services. Their community employment program includes classroom instruction, internship experiences, individualized job placement with on-the-job training and coaching, and group placement. Any participant of this program must be a client of the San Andreas Regional Center, have a primary diagnosis of a developmental disability, and be 18+ years old.

• HOPESERVICES.ORG
• 1144 FREMONT BLVD, SEASIDE, 93955 
• (831) 393-1575

SAN ANDREAS REGIONAL CENTER

SARC is one of 21 regional centers in the state of California that provide services for individual and developmental disabilities. Their transitional programs include case managers and service coordinators who work with individuals and families to create a program to provide independent living skills, residential placement, and community integration with the goal of their clients being active and engaged members of their communities.

SANANDREASREGIONAL.ORG

• 1370 S MAIN ST, SALINAS, CA 93901
• (831) 900-3636

Transition programs not only teach independent living skills and community-based instruction that can lead to employment but give them the skills to lead a more enriching and confident life.