The annual Montana Youth in Transition conference will be held in Helena November 14-16. The conference will feature exciting keynote presenters, as well as workshops covering topics important to a successful transition from high school into adulthood. 

The 55^th annual Montana Association for Rehabilitation Conference will be held October 24-26, 2012 at the Holiday Inn in West Yellowstone. Sponsorship applications, exhibitor sheets, presenter forms, scholarship applications, registration forms and other materials are available on the MAR website. You may also register by email to torcutt@mt.gov. Call 1-888-279-7531 for more information.

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded a $1.1 million grant to the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, D.C., to manage and operate the new National Technical Assistance and Demonstration Center on Preparing Youth with Disabilities for Employment. According to the official announcement, the center "will build capacity within and across youth service delivery systems to improve employment and postsecondary education outcomes for youths with disabilities. The center will have three areas of focus: career exploration, management and planning; youth development and leadership; and professional development. It will provide technical assistance, training and information to organizations operating youth programs funded by the Workforce Investment Act, as well as current and former Labor Department grantees, to aid them in integrating evidence-based, effective practices for improving transitional results for young people with disabilities who are enrolled in their programs. The center will work in collaboration with federal, state and local agencies across multiple systems, including education, workforce, juvenile justice, foster care, transportation, mental health, vocational rehabilitation and others, on effective practices and issues related to the transition of youths."

Case Study: An American Indian Student with a Learning Disability [PDF] is the latest Bridge Briefs publication from the Institute for Human Development at Northern Arizona University. This brief discusses some of the cultural and personal variables to consider in the successful transition of an American Indian student with a learning disability to college.

The Got Transition Brief #2 and archived webinar Heading for College with Special Health Care Needs: Student Preparation for a Successful Transition  are now available online. Dr. Kitty O'Hare, a physician and Coordinator of Transition at Boston Children's Hospital's Martha Eliot Health Center, provides practical considerations for a student's health care transition in preparation for a successful adjustment to college life. Young adult panelists respond to Dr. O'Hare's "health care advice", sharing their own experiences with college transitions.

Post-School Outcomes for Transitioning Youth with Developmental Disabilities - Can we Predict Integrated Employment? [PDF] by Monica Simomsen provides a summary of a research study designed to "more clearly define post-school employment outcomes, document the post-school outcomes for youth with developmental disabilities, and examine the predictors of successful integrated employment for youth with developmental disabilities." The study found five variables that best predicted integrated employment outcomes for youth with developmental disabilities:

1. Family member expressed preference for paid community employment

2. Paid work experience during school

3. Community mobility skills

4. Self-management skills

5. Race/ethnicity

"Youth whose families expressed the preference for paid community employment were 6.48 times more likely to achieve integrated competitive employment and 2.71 times as likely to achieve integrated other employment. Youth with previous paid work experiences were 4.53 times more likely to be engaged in integrated competitive employment and 2.15 times more likely to be engaged in integrated other employment."

Life Beyond the Classroom: Transition Strategies for Young Adults with Disabilities (5th Ed) by Paul Wehman is now available for purchase. For more than two decades, Life Beyond the Classroom has shaped the practices of professionals helping students make a smooth transition from school to adulthood. The textbook has been updated with the information professionals need in today's world, as young people with disabilities face financial, family, employment, and educational challenges. New chapter topics include: working with families, multicultural transition planning, teaching social skills, and secondary curriculum options.

Tips on Core Competencies for Transition Service Providers [PDF] describes competencies that transition service providers working with young people with mental health challenges should develop in order to be effective.