Tips

All Tuesday Tips

Students returning to school from the juvenile justice system possess unique strengths, experiences, and needs. Your classroom can play a crucial role in their successful re-entry.

Establishing a sense of belonging and prioritizing inclusion should be a priority. It is important to intentionally rebuild trust and reestablish their identity as a valued member of the school community. Before talking about academics, schedules, or credits, focus on connection, consistency, and collaboration.

Use the following tips to enhance your support for formerly incarcerated students.

1. Provide a Warm, Private Welcome 
A personalized greeting communicates safety and respect before the student ever faces the larger group. Offer a one-on-one conversation to say, “We are glad you are here in this classroom with us.”

2. Use Strength-Focused Language
Students returning from juvenile justice often anticipate judgment or low expectations. Counter that by emphasizing their strengths and skills, such as persistence, leadership, vocational competencies, and success in structured routines.

3. Create a Mini Transition Plan
Empower the student by involving them in the roadmap for their own success. Draft an outline addressing the following questions:

  • What helps the student feel successful?
  • What supports does the student need (e.g., quiet workspaces, frequent check-ins, daily routines)?
  • What does the student want you to know about their learning style?

4. Coordinate With the Return to Community Team
Work with probation officers, family members, counselors, homebound or re-entry educators, to gather accurate information. Align on:

  • Individualized Education Program (IEP) updates and course completion credits
  • Behavioral support and safety considerations
  • Coordinated communication between the home and school

5. Establish Predictability and Opportunities for Second Chances
Returning students may experience anxiety, hypervigilance, or difficulty re-learning in unstructured environments.

  • Provide clear expectations and visible routines.
  • Offer opportunities to restart the day or revise tasks without penalty, mirroring the structure that helped the student succeed in Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC) schools.

6. Foster Peer Inclusion
Encourage group work without making the student feel like they are the center of attention. For each group task, assign meaningful roles where the student can contribute without being spotlighted or isolated.

7. Celebrate Small Wins
Momentum is built through recognizing small, consistent milestones. Acknowledge the student’s consistent attendance and task completion throughout the school year.

A welcoming classroom strengthens school climate, reduces recidivism, and models true inclusion. Your efforts can change the trajectory of a student’s entire transition journey.

Resources

Bonus Tips

Elevate your impact with CCLC Learning Academy! Our Formerly Incarcerated Individuals and Employment course gives you the tools to support individuals with disabilities who have been involved with the criminal justice system while addressing the challenges inherent for most, if not all, people released from prison. Register today!

Ensuring student safety during the transition from school to adulthood is essential for supporting independence, confidence, and long-term success. Educators can embed safety skills within transition planning from the start, especially for students with disabilities who may require explicit instruction, reinforcement, and coordinated support from families and interagency teams.

When students transition into unfamiliar settings such as internships, job shadowing, or college visits, they encounter new expectations and potential safety risks that differ from their daily routines. Students can build a solid foundation by practicing safety protocols at home and in the classroom. The goal is for students to generalize these skills, ensuring they can confidently and safely apply what they have learned when navigating the unique challenges of the world.

Review the information below to better understand how safety requirements and risks differ across environments.

At Work

  • Students may need specific instructions to help them recognize unsafe conditions or equipment at work. Additionally, they should know who to approach as their “go-to” supervisors if they have questions about job expectations or the work site.

On Public Transport

  • Students may require explicit instruction on how to read bus numbers and understand schedules, as well as what to do if they miss their bus. 

In the Community

  • Students must receive comprehensive safety coaching. This should cover essential skills such as navigating crosswalks, recognizing “stranger danger,” and managing payment options. Additional considerations include: 
    • Does the student ask for help when they are lost or feeling unsafe?
    • Can the student state their home address, phone number, and caregiver’s contact details?
    • Is the student consistently following traffic and pedestrian safety protocols?

On the Internet

  • Students must understand which links to avoid clicking, what to refrain from sharing, and how to block or report issues on social media.

At School

  • Students should be aware of emergency procedures and be able to navigate the classroom building safely.

Resources

Bonus Tip

The Family Employment Awareness Training (FEAT) kicks off in Crown Point, Indiana, this October. Help us spread the word! Share this free learning opportunity with families, students, and colleagues. To register for this and other events, visit the CCLC FEAT webpage.

Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs) are organizations that can deliver employment, independent living, and other services to individuals with disabilities. Some CRPs partner with schools, families, and state agencies to support transition planning and help students and young adults build the skills they need for successful community participation.

What Services CRPs Offer

For students preparing to leave high school, CRPs can offer job exploration services, work-based learning experiences, workplace readiness training, and self-advocacy instruction. These supports help young adults understand their strengths, explore career interests, and gain real-world experience that leads to competitive employment. Many CRPs collaborate with Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) counselors to ensure students receive services.

CRPs may also provide job development, job coaching, skills training, supported employment, and ongoing support. Some providers also offer behavioral health services, independent living training, and access to community resources. These services help young adults secure and maintain meaningful employment while increasing independence.

Why Early Connection Matters

Educators play a key role in connecting students and families with CRPs early in the transition process. By understanding what CRPs offer, teachers and transition coordinators can help students build a strong bridge from school to adult life. Partnering with CRPs ensures students receive hands-on experiences, individualized planning, and long-term support that schools alone cannot provide.

Find a Provider Near You

Use the Indiana VR ES Provider Directory to find providers in various counties. You can also consult your state's VR office for a list of providers in your area.

Bonus Tips

Join UMass Boston’s Transition Leadership Program (TLP) to earn a National Transition Specialist Certification specifically designed for special educators, guidance counselors, and vocational staff. It is:

  • Fully Online: Accessible to educators across the country
  • Duration: 18 months
  • Credentials: Leads to national certification (and the MA state endorsement)

Learn more about the program.

Navigating the right support for your classroom can feel like a full-time job. Whether you are working with early learners or preparing students for life after graduation, the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) at Indiana University is your go-to partner.

Review the list below to learn how IIDC’s seven centers can support your specific needs this school year.

For Early Childhood and Foundational Years

  • Early Childhood Center (ECC): If you are working in early childhood education, this center is your partner for professional development. ECC focuses on sustainable improvements to ensure young learners get the best start possible.
  • HANDS in Autism® (HANDS): Need help with specific behavioral or educational practices? HANDS provides hands-on coaching and implementation assistance to schools, specializing in effective strategies for autistic students and those with other disabilities.

For K-12 Strategy and Instruction

  • Center on Education and Lifelong Learning (CELL): CELL works directly with school leadership and teachers to conduct needs assessments. If your school is developing a strategic improvement plan, CELL provides the technical assistance needed to make research-based instruction work in practice.
  • Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA): When you need specialized training to improve outcomes for autistic students, IRCA offers technical assistance and professional development to help you stay ahead of the curve. Their neuroaffirming approach celebrates the diversity and strengths of the autistic community.

For Transition and Future Planning

  • Center on Community Living and Careers (CCLC): As students with disabilities prepare for life after high school, CCLC provides resources to support a smooth transition. From microcredentials for educators to guidance on employment and community living, we help you prepare students for adult life.

For Community and the Environment

While this list provides an overview, these centers’ work extends far beyond these brief descriptions. For more information, visit their respective websites or contact each team directly.

Bonus Tips

  • Explore the new and improved Transition Miniseries. This 7-course miniseries is a free online training from INSTRC. Each course is designed to help you become more familiar with the components of the cyclical planning process and support you as you create quality Transition IEPs and Portfolios with your students. Register today.
  • Enroll in the Transition Educators Facilitating Employment course. A 10-week, comprehensive online training that gives educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and other professionals the foundation, techniques, and effective strategies necessary for successful adult vocational transition. Ready to get started? Register today.

Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) can be a transformative tool to support students with disabilities as they prepare for life after high school. This continuum of interventions and supports can be especially beneficial for promoting soft skill development in adult environments, like Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS), work trials, and employment settings, where independence, emotional regulation, and social success are essential.

To ensure PBIS is implemented effectively during this critical transition period, educators can use the following strategies:

  1. Align Behavioral Expectations with Adult Outcomes
    Frame school-wide expectations (e.g., respect, responsibility, safety) in the context of adult environments like workplaces, college campuses, and community settings. Teach behaviors that directly support independence, self-determination, and employability.
  2. Individualize Supports Based on Transition Goals
    Use students’ IEP transition plans to guide behavioral instruction and reinforcement. For example, a student aiming for competitive employment may benefit from targeted support in punctuality, communication, and task persistence.
  3. Embed PBIS into Real-World Experiences
    Reinforce positive behaviors during community-based instruction, internships, and job shadowing. This helps students generalize skills across settings and see the relevance of school-based expectations.
  4. Use Meaningful Reinforcers
    Choose reinforcers that reflect adult life, such as increased autonomy, mentorship, or leadership opportunities, rather than traditional school-based rewards.
  5. Collaborate Across Systems
    Partner with families, adult service providers, and community organizations to ensure consistency in behavioral expectations and supports across environments.
  6. Monitor Progress and Adjust Supports
    Use data to track behavioral growth and make timely adjustments. Celebrate progress toward adult readiness, not just compliance.

By integrating these strategies, PBIS becomes a bridge to adulthood that empowers students with disabilities to thrive beyond high school.

Bonus Tips:

Ready to sharpen your skills in preparing students for a transition to the workplace? Enroll in Transition Educators Facilitating Employment, a comprehensive, 10-week online training beginning January 5, 2026.

This essential course is designed for educators, specialists, Pre-ETS providers, transition coordinators, and all related professionals ready to elevate their practice.

You will gain:

    • A strong foundation in adult vocational transition.
    • Proven techniques for effective job placement.
    • A strong foundation in adult vocational transition.
    • Proven techniques for effective job placement.

Cost: $250

Transform your approach to transition education, enroll today!

As an educator or support professional, one of your goals is to ensure that every student is equipped for a meaningful life beyond the classroom. To support this goal, HANDS in Autism® is hosting a 3-Day Intensive Training specifically designed for those supporting individuals with autism and related disabilities.

This training provides transition teams, families, and clinicians with evidence-based, person-centered tools to bridge the gap between high school and adulthood. Participants will learn to move beyond compliance-based planning toward purposeful, individualized outcomes.

Learning Objectives

  • Assessment and Planning: Master transition assessments to drive actionable goals.
  • Strengths-Based Guidance: Utilize student interests and preferences to shape postsecondary pathways.
  • Postsecondary Mapping: Navigate the landscape of higher education, vocational opportunities, and community engagement.
  • Fostering Independence: Implement practical tools to increase student autonomy and meaningful participation.

This intensive session blends theoretical frameworks with real-world application, ensuring that attendees leave with a clear roadmap for student success. Whether you are an educator, administrator, or support partner, this training will help your team replace uncertainty with a structured, confident approach to transition services.

For more information, visit the HANDS in Autism® Trainings webpage. Register by Tuesday, April 7, to receive a $250 discount.

HANDS in Autism® Resources

Self-advocacy is a crucial skill that every special educator should strive to instill in their students. Effective self-advocacy starts with students understanding their own needs and rights. Once they have this understanding, self-advocacy enables them to communicate their needs, preferences, and goals to others. These skills are vital throughout life and often begin while students are still in school. Learning and practicing self-advocacy helps students become more independent and confident, and it increases the likelihood that they will receive support in achieving their personal goals. Teaching and facilitating self-advocacy skills is like giving students a superpower!

The Skills Needed

The following information is designed to assist educators and professionals in developing focused lesson plans for self-advocacy. Effective advocacy entails articulating one's needs, rights, and goals with respect, clarity, and confidence. We propose the following essential steps for developing these skills:

  1. Developing Self-Awareness
    Students should learn to identify their strengths, challenges, and necessary supports. This process includes understanding personal values and long-term goals.

  2. Understanding Personal Rights
    Students must learn about legal rights in educational, vocational, and healthcare settings. This may include requesting disability accommodations, leading IEP meetings, understanding guardianship options, or accessing mental health support.

  3. Practicing Clear Communication
    Students must learn to communicate effectively. This involves using “I” statements (e.g., “I require additional time to complete assignments because...”), being direct yet respectful, asking clarifying questions, and practicing active listening.

  4. Establishing a Support Network
    Students benefit from identifying trusted peers, mentors, and family members who provide encouragement and guidance. These individuals serve as a reliable foundation for the student's advocacy efforts.

  5. Engaging in Skill Rehearsal
    Encourage students to practice self-advocacy skills in safe spaces before tackling more challenging situations.

  6. Prioritizing Self-Care
    Navigating self-advocacy can be emotionally demanding. It’s important to encourage students to take breaks, seek ongoing support, and acknowledge their progress.

Resources

As an educator, you have the power to provide learning opportunities, both formal and informal, throughout the school day. Focusing on skill development and the steps outlined above will give you an excellent start.

We have included additional resources below and encourage you to incorporate this information into your instructional approach.


Health literacy is a foundational independent living skill for transition-age students. The ability to understand, communicate, and act on health information supports safer decision-making, self-advocacy, and autonomy in adult life. Teaching health literacy early helps students prepare to manage their own health once they leave school.

What are basic health literacy skills?

  • Finding basic health information, including knowing when, where, and how to seek help.
  • Understanding instructions from doctors, pharmacists, and caregivers.
  • Asking questions to clarify information to ensure understanding.
  • Using health information to make personal health decisions, practice prevention strategies, and advocate.

For young adults with disabilities, this includes improving communication skills, identifying helpful supports for managing health needs, and knowing where to find assistance.

Put theory into practice with these hands-on activities:

1. Teach students how to speak up and actively participate during medical appointments.
Encourage students to practice describing their symptoms. Use the following sentence starters and prompts:

  • “My pain is…” (Is it sharp or dull? Is it mild or strong?)
  • “It started when…” (When did you first feel sick?)
  • “It gets better/worse when…” (What makes you feel better?)

Students can practice these prompts with a partner. Pretend one person is the doctor, nurse, or pharmacist, and the other is the patient.

2. Create a personal health profile (PHP).
Have each student create a simple, one-page health profile including:

  • Allergies
  • Medications
  • Emergency contacts
  • Preferred communication style
  • Supports or accommodations they need

This profile becomes a transition-ready resource for adult appointments.

3. Build medication literacy skills.
Use everyday classroom objects (such as candy or colored beads) to simulate medication and teach essential safety skills. This hands-on approach helps students practice:

  • Reading labels
  • Dosage instructions
  • Timing
  • Safe storage
  • Safety and expiration labels

This activity can be adapted for any cognitive level. Use visual aids, checklists, and step-by-step guides.

4. Teach students how to use everyday health technology and tools.
Practice reviewing:

  • Emergency contacts
  • Calendar reminders for appointments
  • Apps or devices to track sleep, hydration, or movement
  • Patient portals (with family support)

Technology proficiency helps students do more things for themselves. With practice, students can solve problems and feel more confident.

5. Build self-advocacy through question stems.
Teach students the “Ask Me 3” questions for any health appointment.

  • What is my main problem?
  • What do I need to do?
  • Why is it important for me to do this?

This aligns perfectly with supported decision-making skills.

Resources

March is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, making it a great time to focus transition practices on what matters most: recognizing and leveraging student strengths as you help them plan for their future. Person-centered planning (PCP) offers a practical framework to ensure seamless transition plans reflect a student’s authentic preferences, abilities, and vision for their emerging adulthood identity.

Why it Matters

Strength-based planning fosters student and family engagement, increases self-determination, and provides a shared starting point for interagency partners. When teams understand what a student does well and what motivates them, they are better prepared to design supports that lead to meaningful postsecondary outcomes. Strength-based planning includes:

  1. Preparing for Student-Led IEPs

    Encourage students to take the lead in their IEP meetings. Students can start by sharing their strengths, interests, and goals. Even small actions, such as introducing the participants or presenting their strengths, can help build their confidence and sense of ownership. Prepare students in advance by asking questions like, “What are you most proud of this year?” or “What helps you feel successful?” This approach sets a positive, strengths-focused tone and models authentic student leadership.

  2. Using Family Interviews to Fill in the Gaps

    Families often recognize strengths in their children that may not be evident in school settings. Interviewing both the family and the student can create enthusiasm as they explore interests, routines, skills, cultural values, and community roles. This information can significantly enhance and influence the transition plan. Additionally, the findings from this activity can serve as an authentic assessment.

  3. Turning Strengths Into Actionable Goals and Activities

    If a student excels with hands-on tasks, explore Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses or work-based learning. If a student thrives with visual supports, incorporate them across employment, education, and independent living goals, as well as transition services and activities.

  4. Reinforcing Strengths Across Settings

    Share what works with related service providers, general educators, agency partners, and the student and their family to ensure that effective strategies are understood, applied consistently, and reinforced across all settings. This approach strengthens communication, builds collective confidence, and helps the student experience more predictable and meaningful success.

Ready to learn more? Explore INSTRC’s Seamless Transition Toolkit for additional strength-based planning resources.

Summer is more than just a break; it is a pivotal window for students to explore careers, sharpen skills, and build a foundation for postsecondary success. As an educator, you can help families pivot from a “stagnant” summer to one of profound growth.

The Impact of Summer Camps

Camps offer a low-stakes environment for students to try new things, build peer confidence, and develop independence outside the classroom. To help your students make the most of the season:

  • Encourage Early Action: Popular programs fill up fast. Advise families to research and register now to secure their spots.
  • Remove Barriers: Many camps provide financial aid or sliding-scale tuition to ensure affordability.
  • Prioritize Inclusion: We have compiled a list of inclusive camps with trained staff and adaptive programming for students with disabilities.

Sharing the resources listed below during upcoming parent-teacher conferences can be the catalyst a student needs to stay engaged over the break.

Bradford Woods

  • This camp provides a variety of accessible, therapeutic summer programs tailored to youth and adults with physical, sensory, chronic, or developmental disabilities.
  • Phone: 765-342-2915
  • Address: 5040 State Road 67 N., Martinsville, IN 46151

Noble Summer Day Camps

  • An inclusive day camp where youth with and without disabilities can have fun together through music, dance, and social skill-building activities.
  • Phone: 317-254-6621
  • Address: 7701 E. 21st Street, Indianapolis, IN 46219

Summer@CIP (College Internship Program)

  • A two-week residential program focused on building independence, enhancing social skills, and providing a taste of college life.
  • Phone: 812-323-0600
  • Address: 204 N. Morton Street, Bloomington, IN 47404

Camp Sharing Meadows

  • A transformative overnight camp with programming that emphasizes independence and self-esteem while fostering fellowship among participants.
  • Phone: 219-778-2585
  • Address: 6357 N. County Road 300 E., LaPorte, IN 46350

Camp Millhouse

  • An inclusive day and overnight camp fostering self-discovery for individuals aged 7 to 75+ with diverse physical and developmental needs.
  • Phone: 574-233-2202
  • Address: 25600 Kelly Road, South Bend, IN 46614

Diabetes Youth Foundation: Camp Until A Cure

  • A day and overnight camp for children aged 5 to 15 with type 1 diabetes.
  • Phone: 317-750-9310 or 317-695-6485
  • Location: 5050 E. 211th Street, Noblesville, IN 46062

Anderson Woods Summer Camp

  • A nature-based overnight camp focused on dignity, safety, and personal growth.
  • Phone: 812-639-1079
  • Address: 3966 Adyeville Road, Bristow, IN 47515

The search does not have to stop here. We recommend the Indiana Disability Resource FINDER to discover additional events or opportunities.