Can a student with a 504 plan get a transition plan?
Q. Can a student with a 504 plan get a transition plan?
A. If your high-schooler has a 504 plan, you may be wondering if they can get transition planning services through the plan.
The answer is usually no. However, there may be other types of transition planning available for kids with 504 plans.
Students with get transition planning automatically by the age of 16 (or earlier in some states). But students with 504 plans don’t have the same right to school-based transition plans that students with IEPs have.
However, some school districts provide transition planning to students with 504 plans, even though they’re not required to do so. But this doesn’t happen in all districts. You’ll need to check with your child’s school to see what’s available.
If your child has a 504 plan and your district doesn’t offer transition planning, there’s another possibility: vocational rehabilitation (VR).
VR services help people with disabilities with work, education related to career goals, and independent living. Kids with learning and thinking differences may qualify.
A high school student with a 504 plan or documentation of a disability may be able to get a transition service plan from VR. Instead of a school-based plan, students meet with staff at the local VR agency. (Students with IEPs can also qualify for services through VR.)
There are VR agencies in every state. And VR transition service plans vary, depending on the agency. Just like an IEP transition plan, these plans are based on the individual student’s career interests and goals for the future.
Services are wide-ranging. The plan can help with college or work plans, as well as with living in the community. Students may set goals for everything from housing and transportation to health care. Sometimes, VR managers and counselors work directly in schools.
Since your child is in high school, it’s great that you want to help your teen start thinking about the future. Transition planning can play a big part in helping your child prepare. Take a look at sample transition plans to see what’s possible, then reach out to your child’s school or the local VR agency.
