The Orange County Department of Education College-Based Adult Transition Programs are done in cooperation with Coast Community and South Orange County Community College Districts.
The OCDE Adult Transition Programs are located on the campuses of:
OCDE Adult Transition Program Brochure
Mission
Our mission is to utilize the college campus environment as a functional setting to prepare students with disabilities 18 to 22 years of age for entry into appropriate adult programs and supported work placements upon graduation.
Program
The program emphasizes student independence, choice making, individualized work experience, communication skills, money skills, integration with the college population, and transition to integrated work.
The program is structured around a schedule which includes daily work experience, breaks, lunch time, and a variety of activities including campus events, college classes, P.E., field trips, mobility training, shopping and eating out. Students spend the majority of time performing individualized work training tasks of their choice performed in real work settings on campus and in the surrounding community. Time is also spent in non-academic classes and integrating into a variety of campus activities.
Why is the College environment the most appropriate educational setting for these students?
The college, by its very nature, is an extremely accepting environment. Not only do students have the opportunity for interaction on an ongoing basis but there is an infinite number and variety of work situations for students to experience. The insights our students gain by meeting and working with people on campus, forming relationships, and experiencing different job areas and settings help them generalize skills to other situations and further refine postsecondary goals.
What are work experience training sites and what tasks are performed?
Community based and college work experience sites provide students with learning opportunities to acquire skills, assess strengths and determine work preferences. Work training is rewarding because experiences are highly individualized and are developed as a result of student's choices, interests and abilities. College staff are extremely accepting and willing to provide work training that is meaningful and motivating for our students. Through the experience of positive relationships and work situations our students develop a repertoire of skills that allow them to make their own choices and create solutions to everyday problems.
What are the eligibility criteria for this program?
Eligibility for college-age students who are enrolled in OCDE Special Education Programs is determined by the IEP team and specified in the Individual Transition Plan. Students enrolled are encouraged to maximize their abilities and to take on more adult roles within the college environment.
What instructional models are followed?
The program uses the entire campus as the instructional classroom. The program also has traditional classroom space that allows for pursuing some instruction, defines a meeting place, and generally is used for necessary administrative tasks. Privacy is afforded for medically fragile students and students who require support with personal care.
Students enrolled in the Adult Transition Program are treated as college students. Their programs are individualized, they attend appropriate classes and are given their own choices to make. Student schedules revolve around their work experience, breaks, lunch, and spontaneous social interactions that occur on campus. It is expected that their college years will be very rewarding and strengthen each student's development as an individual.
Advantages of a college site:
1. Maximizes opportunities for students to regularly interface with the public and age-appropriate peers.
2. Maintains natural proportions; due to the large daily college populations our students can integrate into the college setting without impacting the immediate environment.
3. Affords a stabilized natural environment without the potential hazards. Campus setting is virtually a small community.
4. Strengthens student confidence in moving about a community while providing a natural access to services, marketing transactions, social skills, and work habits.
5. Provides a variety of recreational - leisure activities, such as gym, track, pool, weight training equipment, plus regular classes, such as aerobics, ceramics, music, etc. Also, many regularly scheduled cultural events are readily available, such as noontime musical events and campus social club fund raisers.
6. Individualizes work training because of the availability of a large variety of possible work training sites. These include, but are not limited to, maintenance, grounds cleaning, food services, and clerical job areas.
The Adult Transition Program works closely with students and their families. The Adult Transition Program provides interagency planning services in collaboration with Regional Center of Orange County and adult service providers to help students accomplish their postsecondary goals.
