Transition Planning for Bi/Multilingual Students With Disabilities

Introduction

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) mandates transition planning for students with disabilities beginning, at least, by age sixteen. The directive to provide transition planning services directly corresponds to a primary purpose of IDEA which emphasizes that students must be given a free, appropriate, public education (FAPE) that ultimately prepares them for further education, employment, and independent living (300.1). The emphasis on further education, employment, and independent living are therefore the central tenets of the transition plan in a student’s individualized education program (IEP).

Transition within the context of special education refers to a student’s move from school to the community. In 1992, Halpern aptly defined transition as “a period of floundering that occurs for at least the first several years after leaving school as adolescents attempt to assume a variety of adult roles in their communities” (p. 203). Though the definition of transition has since evolved, the concept of students with disabilities (SWD) struggling in their transition into adulthood after leaving school remains central to the field. This can clearly be seen in the evolution of the practices used in transition planning and transition services (Leconte, 2006). As such, the intent of the transition plan in the IEP is to consider the long- and short-term goals of the individual student when planning for their post-school life as well as the services and supports needed to help them reach their goals.

The transition plan in the IEP should and can be used to support the needs of SWD and prepare them for a smooth transition into their desired post-school lives. The creation of an effective transition plan and subsequent teaching of transition skills is of crucial importance not only because of its legal requirement by IDEA but also because post-school outcomes for SWD in transition areas (i.e., how do SWD fare in adult life after leaving high school?) are dismally low compared to their same-aged peers without disabilities. Overall, SWD experience poor post-school outcomes in the areas of postsecondary education, employment, and independent living (Banks, 2014; Carter et al., 2012; Flexer et al., 2011; Grigal et al., 2011; Newman et al., 2009, 2011; Prince et al., 2018; Test et al., 2009). Outcomes are known to worsen when assessing subgroups of SWD (e.g., by disability type, level of support needed, race/ethnicity, etc.). SWD who are also bi/multilingual, identified as English learners (EL), or from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds have among the worst outcomes of any SWD subgroup (Leake & Black, 2005; Oswald et al., 2002; Skiba et al., 2005; Trainor et al., 2016; Wagner et al., 2007; Zhang & Benz, 2006). Despite the pressing need to improve transition outcomes, very little is known about the transition practices for these groups of students (Trainor et al., 2016).

The purpose of this chapter is to highlight the larger issues in special education transition, address issues specific to bi/multilingual SWD, and provide solutions and recommendations to improve transition planning and post-school outcomes for bi/multilingual SWD using culturally & linguistically responsive transition practices. We also provide two case studies for bi/multilingual students, one with mild to moderate and the other with extensive support needs at different stages of their transition process from the perspective of their teacher.