Transition Services for Students Aged 18-21 with Intellectual Disabilities in College and Community Settings: Model and Implications of Success

Recently in the field of special education there has been a call for the development and expansion of services for older students with intellectual disabilities outside of the high school setting (Agran, Snow, & Swaner, 1999; Smith & Puccini, 1995; Stodden & Whelley, 2004). In response, local school systems across the country have begun to provide transition services to students ages 18 and older with intellectual disabilities in postsecondary settings such as two- and four-year colleges or other community settings (Grigal, Neubert, & Moon, 2001; Hall, Kleinert, & Kearns, 2000; Neubert, Moon, & Grigal, 2004). This brief provides an overview of some successful models of transition services being implemented in postsecondary settings, describes one such model implemented by the Baltimore City Public School System in three local colleges, and presents some of the implications and strategies for success of this model