Parents Navigate Georgia’s K–12 Education Supports: Planning for the Future by Clay Voytek
Joshua Williams with his mom Mitzi
When Joshua Williams walked the graduation stage with his peers in 2014, he received a standing ovation. He didn’t know what the big deal was, his mother Mitzi Proffitt recalls. After returning for another year to complete a math credit and fighting to receive a diploma over a certificate, Joshua officially graduated from high school in 2015. Williams, who turned 25 in April, celebrated at home when he graduated from Georgia Southern University in Statesboro this May. The moment was powerful for his family regardless. Amid the disruptions of the global COVID-19 pandemic, he has set up an internship with Georgia Southern’s inclusive post-secondary education (IPSE) program, EAGLE Academy, in the fall. “One day, he said, ‘I’m fnally proud of myself,’” said Profftt,
FOR STUDENTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, THERE IS RARELY A SMOOTH TRANSITION FROM HIGH SCHOOL TO ADULTHOOD. IN GEORGIA, SERVICES VARY BY DISTRICT AND SCHOOL.
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who is also the former chair of the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD). “That is huge. He fnally realized that he has worth.” Williams underwent multiple rounds of interviews, and he didn’t want to tell anyone until it was a sure thing. His internship is set to begin the second week of August, and there are no current plans to postpone it due to COVID-19. The job is a frst step towards competitive, integrated employment. For students with developmental disabilities, there is rarely a smooth transition from high school to adulthood. In Georgia, services vary by district and school; individual administrators and teachers are given wide latitude to implement policy. The result is a jumble of stories and experiences that refect a complicated process. Every day, families have tough conversations about aspirations and limitations. Invariably, the best results require hard, thoughtful work.
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Transition Plans and IEPs The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates that schools must incorporate transition planning into a student’s individualized education plan (IEP) by the time they turn 16. A transition plan is not a separate document; it is one component of a student’s overall IEP. Elise James is a program specialist for transition outcomes at the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) with over 40 years of experience in special education. She explains that, according to IDEA, students’ post-secondary goals must be guided by their own interests, preferences and gifts. “It’s really not our place to necessarily say, ‘You can’t do that,’” said James. “Our place is to provide [students] with the opportunities to see what is available and to experience it, so that they can make decisions based on their strengths.” Districts can encourage families to begin planning earlier, but they are not required to do so. The Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency
Meet the graduates from Georgia’s IPSE programs on pages 4-6.
