School Social Workers’ Role in Facilitating the Transition to Adulthood for Students with Disabilities

Children & Schools · 2026-02-04

Abstract Schools are charged with preparing all students to transition to their postsecondary goals for learning, working, living, and thriving in adulthood. School social workers (SSWs) play integral roles on interdisciplinary teams that support students with disabilities (SWD) in this transition as part of the Individualized Education Programs, but the literature lacks a comprehensive review of specific ways in which these professionals facilitate secondary transition services. This scoping review of 37 peer-reviewed journal articles, dissertations and theses, and one book chapter examined the ways in which SSWs have or have been recommended to contribute to transition services for SWD across the areas of transition assessment and goal development, instruction, planning, experiences, partnerships, and program development and improvement. Findings highlight the ways in which school districts can further leverage the professional contributions of SSWs for facilitating more equitable outcomes toward supporting secondary transition services that prepare SWD for their postsecondary goals. Authors include important implications for future research and practice regarding in-service and preservice school social workers.

“I Don’t Know that Any Level of Support Could Have Prepared Me”: The Postsecondary Experiences of Blind and Low Vision Young Adults

EdArXiv (OSF Preprints) · 2025-12-19

The early adulthood experiences of blind and low vision (B/LV) individuals can elucidate the extent to which their special education and transition services were adequate for equipping them for their post-school goals. Nonetheless, little is known from the past decade about these individuals’ perceptions and experiences in the years following graduation. We surveyed 33 B/LV young adults aged 18-25 and employed descriptive analyses of quantitative and qualitative data about a range of early adulthood experiences. The majority of participants had worked for pay, were enrolled in postsecondary education, and were living with their families. Although they collectively described beneficial accommodations and expressed satisfaction with their early adult lives, multiple B/LV individuals called for more support in navigating post-school settings, community involvement, and relationships. Our findings include important implications for research and practice, emphasizing more effective leveraging of special education services toward equipping B/LV students for their future goals.

“I Don’t Know that Any Level of Support Could Have Prepared Me”: The Postsecondary Experiences of Blind and Low Vision Young Adults

2025-12-20

The early adulthood experiences of blind and low vision (B/LV) individuals can elucidate the extent to which their special education and transition services were adequate for equipping them for their post-school goals. Nonetheless, little is known from the past decade about these individuals’ perceptions and experiences in the years following graduation. We surveyed 33 B/LV young adults aged 18-25 and employed descriptive analyses of quantitative and qualitative data about a range of early adulthood experiences. The majority of participants had worked for pay, were enrolled in postsecondary education, and were living with their families. Although they collectively described beneficial accommodations and expressed satisfaction with their early adult lives, multiple B/LV individuals called for more support in navigating post-school settings, community involvement, and relationships. Our findings include important implications for research and practice, emphasizing more effective leveraging of special education services toward equipping B/LV students for their future goals.

A Portrait of Paid Employment Pathways for High School Students with Extensive Support Needs

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation · 2025-11-12

Background Early paid jobs can equip students with extensive support needs (ESN) for postsecondary employment, but they rarely receive these opportunities. An in-depth examination of the experiences of students who obtain paid jobs during high school can illuminate successful pathways to obtaining and sustaining employment. Objective In this study, we describe the early work experiences of 15 high school students with ESN who obtained a paid job during their final year of high school. Method We employed descriptive analyses using multiple data sources to characterize the perspectives of special educators, families, and workplace supervisors within and across students’ pathways to paid jobs during a school-based intervention. Results Drawing upon the support of their employment planning teams, students pursued varied routes to work. Although their acquired positions and utilized supports differed, patterns emerged with respect to the factors that led to, supported, and hindered the longevity of these early employment experiences. Conclusion Our findings have implications for future research and practice that emphasize person-centered employment planning as part of transition services and leverage the full spectrum of resources available through interdisciplinary transition planning teams.

Multiple Perspectives on the Employment Preparation of Students With Extensive Support Needs

Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities · 2025-12-31

Although schools are charged with equipping students with disabilities for post-school employment long before graduation, little is known about the work-related preparation of secondary students with extensive support needs. This study examines parent and educator perspectives on the employment preparation, employment skills, and employment barriers of 42 students with extensive support needs who were in their final year of high school. Overall, most students lacked prior hands-on work experiences. Educators and parents varied widely in their views of how well-prepared students were for the world of work, the ways in which they described student work experiences, and their perceived barriers to employment. In particular, parents were often unaware of the career-related services their students had received. We offer implications for research and practice related to expanding school-based services to more explicitly connect these students to paid work prior to graduation and empowering parents throughout their pursuits.

Connecting Youth With Significant Disabilities to Paid Work: An Innovative School-Based Intervention

Intellectual and developmental disabilities · 2025-07-29 · 3 citations

Early work experiences are associated with subsequent employment for students with significant disabilities, but they rarely receive such opportunities. This article presents two case studies illustrating a school-based intervention that connected students with significant disabilities to paid work during high school and included training for special educators, a team approach to employment planning, job connections, and postsecondary planning. We collected and analyzed data on employment outcomes over 18 months from the perspectives of students, their parents, and teachers during and after the intervention. One student was successfully connected to a paid job; the other student was not. We describe the proposed intervention, in-depth student experiences, and lessons learned for informing a randomized control trial evaluating the intervention.

Local Collaborations Within and Across Service Systems for Delivering Pre-Employment Transition Services

Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals · 2025-06-26 · 2 citations

The successful delivery of pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) to students with disabilities depends on the effective collaborations of cross-system service providers. This case study explored perceptions of collaborations in Pre-ETS delivery in two diverse Midwest U.S. counties. We recruited 22 school staff, vocational rehabilitation personnel, and Centers for Independent Living staff who partner within these two communities to ask about their collaborations for providing Pre-ETS, the factors that supported or hindered such partnerships, and their recommendations for improving local collaborative service delivery. Using an iterative approach to qualitative analysis, our findings call for greater attention toward intensifying and systemically supporting local cross-system partnerships for delivering Pre-ETS. We provide recommendations for research, practice, and policy that address capacity challenges across systems.

Virtual Community Conversations as Catalysts for Improving Transitions for Youth With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Intellectual and developmental disabilities · 2024-07-28

Youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) aspire to participate in a variety of activities after high school, such as attaining paid employment, enrolling in postsecondary education, being involved in their communities, living independently, and building friendships. However, complex and longstanding transition barriers require comprehensive solutions that are tailored to a local community's unique needs and available resources so that local youth with IDD may achieve their desired outcomes. This article presents "virtual community conversations" as a promising approach for bringing together local communities to tackle barriers to good outcomes for residents with IDD. Attendees were able to effectively generate innovative recommendations for addressing issues in their local communities. We offer recommendations for enhancing and extending implementation of this approach.

Perceptions of Local Special Education Administrators on Facilitating Career Development Services in Rural Districts

Remedial and Special Education · 2024-01-07

Local special education administrators (LSEAs) are integral in facilitating career development services for students with disabilities alongside their peers, particularly in rural school districts. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of 12 LSEAs regarding their contributions related to career development for students with disabilities in their southeastern U.S. rural districts and the factors they perceive to shape their own ability in this area. The emergent grounded theory indicated that LSEAs viewed their own roles in career development to vary widely and compete with other priorities as well as to be contextualized by their knowledge and awareness of opportunities within their districts and communities. Furthermore, LSEAs perceived these roles to be shaped by their collaborations within their districts, their partnerships in the community, the involvement of students’ families, and training and supports available to them. Recommendations for research, practice, and policy with respect to extending the contributions of LSEAs are provided.

Rural School Staff Roles in Career Development for Students With Disabilities: A Mixed Methods Study

Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals · 2023-02-06 · 10 citations

The ways in which high schools in rural U.S. communities allocate their staffing and assign roles related to career development impact the preparation of students with disabilities for future employment pursuits. This mixed methods study explored (a) the roles of 291 school staff and administrators in supporting the career development of students with disabilities, (b) how they came to assume these roles, and (c) how they viewed their roles. Findings indicated that special educators self-decided an overwhelming majority of roles in this area and could benefit from increased contributions from school staff in other positions to support the work preparation of students with disabilities. We offer recommendations for extending and clarifying the roles of staff in these rural districts.