SKIP TO: ADRC Services | Additional Transition Resources
Graduating high school is a very important milestone for all students. This is especially true for students with disabilities as they move from high school to adult life.
- What options and supports are available for students after high school?
- How do students plan for going to work, independent living, and post-secondary education and training?
These questions are part of the transition planning process.
ADRC Youth Transition Services
The Aging and Disability Resource Center of Northwest Wisconsin assists with the transition process of disabled youth to adulthood starting at 17.5 years of age and offers a single-entry point for information and assistance on issues affecting students and adults with disabilities regardless of income.
Services Provided at the ADRC include but are not limited to:
- Help applying for benefits or dealing with a denial of benefits
- Disability benefits counseling
- Information and access to publicly funded long term care programs and options counseling if eligible
ADRC services can be provided in person, via telephone, or through a home visit. Professionals involved in transition planning may use the Student Transition to the ADRC form. If you have any questions related to helping a student transition into adult services, please call the ADRC of Northwest WI at 877-485-2372
Transition Night: Looking Beyond High School
Polk/Burnett County Specific Tools for Parents and Students
- Transition Decision Tree
- This tool was created for transition professionals to use as a quick reference for themselves, as well as a tool to use when working with parents and students providing a good visual of the transition process.
- Parents Key Contacts List
- Now that I’m 18: Key Contact List for Young Adults Living with a Disability
- Online Transition Resource for Parents and Students
Additional Transition Planning Resources
Supported Decision-Making Toolkit
- http://www.witig.org/
- http://www.witig.org/county-communities-on-transition/
- http://www.witig.org/ccot-resources.html
Opening Doors Planning Guides (provided by Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction)
- Opening Doors: Self Determination
- Opening Doors: Postsecondary Education and Training
- Community-Based Transition Options
- Opening Door: Employment
- My Health Pocket Guide
Special Needs Trusts for People Living with a Disability
Living My Dream: Living My Dream is a guide developed by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services that provides information to the student, family, and teacher on transition planning, publicly funded long-term care, integrated employment, and helping the student achieve personal goals after high school.
Click here for the Living My Dream Manual. Read it cover to cover or simply use it as a resource for information on specific topics such as Social Security or Integrated Employment.
