1Secondary Special Education and Transition Services: Identification and Recommendations for Future Research and Demonstration

years later transition has emerged as a federally-mandated &dquo;set of activities&dquo; that schools must provide when preparing students for the demands of adult life. The groundwork for the transition initiative has been laid over the past 50 years in the areas of work-study, career education, employment training, and follow-up. However, much of this prior work did not address the postsecondary needs of individuals with disabilities. In this paper we review and summarize the primary issues that have been addressed by diverse research groups over the past 10 years. PERSPECTIVES ON TRANSITION Will (1983) suggested that transition should be &dquo;... a bridge between the security and structure offered by the school and the opportunities and risks of adult life (p. 2).&dquo; This very broad view of transition focused primarily on the movement from &dquo;school to work&dquo; with three &dquo;bridges&dquo; identified to represent the diverse paths students may take to attai