EDSPX505.STSSD - Secondary Transition for Students with Significant Disabilities

Course Description

Number of Credits: 1

This series will begin by discussing raising the expectations for students with disabilities to live, work, and participate in their communities. Customized Employment and discovery strategies will be introduced to provide tools for working toward a successful placement. In session two, the focus moves toward providing information and instruction to students and having high expectations for quality task performance and independence. The final session will discuss how to develop a post-high school community through outside agencies and resources.

Important Summer 2026 Dates:

• Enrollment opens April 24, 2026 and closes June 5, 2026.
• The canvas course begins May 4, 2026.
• The course quiz and final assignment are due June 30, 2026.
• Grades will be posted by July 26, 2026.

Instructor Information

Janice Carson

Phone - (208)-885-6104
Email - janicec@uidaho.edu

Jessi Rohrbacher

Phone - (208) 364-4682
Email - jrohrbacher@uidaho.edu

Course Objectives:

Participants will gain knowledge and skills to:

1. Explain how to use discovery strategies to get to know students in terms of interests, skills, tasks, and ideal conditions for success.  
2. Explain how to provide information and instruction to students with high expectations for quality task performance using systematic instructional strategies. 
3. Describe what outside agencies and resources the students will need post-high school and the interagency linkages leading to successful student outcomes. 

Session Titles and Descriptions:

Session One: Creating a Vision for Life After School

We will discuss how to raise the expectations of what is possible for students with significant disabilities to live, work, and participate in their communities. The concept of Customized Employment will be introduced as a way to envision a working life for all students and the audience will get the opportunity to try out a few discovery strategies that they can use to get to know their own students in terms of interests, skills, tasks, and ideal conditions for success.

Session Two: Supporting Students to Become Competent, Confident, and Independent

This session will stress the importance of providing information and instruction to students and having high expectations for quality task performance.  When we don’t invest in training, we perpetuate the stereotype that people with disabilities can’t perform complicated tasks or that they need a support person with them at all times. Systematic Instruction strategies developed by Dr. Marc Gold will be shared with the audience.

Session Three: Connecting Students and Families with Outside Agencies

The final session will share information on outside agencies and resources that can support students while they are in high school and after they graduate. It will also share examples of interagency linkages leading to successful student outcomes and tools to capture and share student information.

Required Materials

There are no outside readings or materials required for this course. Handouts are all provided in the Canvas course.

Course Requirements

1. Participation: Participants are required to log into the course and proceed stepwise through the material to complete course content.
2. Quizzes: All quizzes must be completed. Students must earn an 80% or better on quizzes to pass the course. Quizzes can be retaken until passed. 
3. Survey: Participants are required to complete a satisfaction survey at the end of the course.
4. Final assignment (100 points): Complete the “Discovery Process - A Case Study” assignment:  Apply the information covered in the three-webinar series to a specific child or youth by practicing the discovery process. For family members or educators, you may choose your child, a student in your class, someone on your caseload or someone you have access to.

Grading

This is a Pass/Fail course. Late work will not be accepted.

• Participants must earn an 80% or better on the final quiz to pass the course. Quizzes can be retaken until passed.
• Participants must earn an 80% or better on the final written assignment to pass the course.
• Participants must complete the online course satisfaction survey.