Story and photo by Joyce Coronel
The transition from life as a high school student to adulthood is fraught with challenges. For kids with special needs, the path can be even steeper.
In an effort to help special needs students and their parents through the transition, the Tempe Union High School District and Mesa public schools partnered to present a 2016 Transition Expo at Compadre Academy.
More than 35 organizations that serve individuals with disabilities were on hand at the event, including representatives of local colleges and universities, government agencies and various non-profits.
Rebecca Hatch was there with her son Geoffrey, 15. “We came to start learning what our options are for transition, Rebecca said. “He’s on the autism spectrum.”
“High-functioning,” Geoffrey interjected.
“He’s done some different therapies and vocational rehab,” Rebecca added.
“They put us on track to come here and start learning what other options we have as he gets older and moves out of high school.”
Brittany Coons was there with the parent of another teenage boy with autism, 17-year-old Kai. Coons has worked with Kai for five years and said she found the expo offered interesting information.
Joan, Kai’s mother, said she was there to check out “the different opportunities that are out there, what resources and support systems are available. There are a lot of things out there I wasn’t aware of.”
Her dream is for Kai to pursue a higher education and gain more independence.
That’s where a woman named Angel Guy can make a difference. Guy, a disability-access consultant at Arizona State University, was at the expo to represent the university’s disability resource center. She said that more than 2,500 special-needs students attend ASU.
“K through 12 is typically driven by parents and teachers, and while they’re planning to have the student engaged at this point, once they get to college they’re really in the driver’s seat,” Guy said. “We work together with the student to come up with the accommodations that they need for that semester based on their classes.”
Guy demonstrated a smart-pen students can use to help with note-taking. “The pen literally interacts with the paper,” Guy said. “Let’s say you’re typing a list in class, and maybe you get distracted. In addition to notetaking, you layer this in so you’re still engaged in the process, but if you miss some information, you can literally touch your pen on the notebook—it’s recording the lecture—and it will go back to that spot.”
Rene Speltz, an instructor and job coach at The Centers for Habilitation in Tempe, was at the expo to promote the work that TCH does to empower the disabled.
“They learn life skills and work skills,” Speltz said.
Some of what she teaches include communication, how to have a strong interview, money management, budgeting, career building and resume building. Then there’s the potential for internships at Medtronic, a medical device company.
“Medtronic is very supportive of kids with disabilities and they’re a wonderful company to work for,” Speltz said. “They make the kids feel like they belong; that they don’t have a disability and that they’re special to them.”
TUHSD special education director William Santiago was enthused about the expo and its potential for assisting students and their families.
“The transition is critical to the success of these young adults and their post-high school plans,” Santiago said.
“We want to empower our students with the knowledge of what services are available to them.”
