MOUNT VERNON — Graduation from high school means a student is leaving childhood and moving into an independent adult life. To help special needs students make that transition, the Knox County Educational Service Center, in collaboration with the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Students with Disabilities, hosted a three-day seminar which culminated in an evening program for parents as well as students.
The coalition sponsored training for the students to prepare them to transition from the traditional roles of high school educational experiences into the expectations of adult living within the community. Carol Laufersweiler, KCESC parent mentor, and Connie Hatley, KCESC special education coordinator, said the three-day training was designed to help high school special needs students explore the different job or educational options, legal rights, job opportunities and independent living options.
The KCESC individualized the information for each student by providing card boxes separated by each section: Jobs, living options, and so on. That, Hatley said, helps the students to identify their choices and determine what their interests are.
Checking out and recording their interests, Laufersweiler said, helps define what they would be more prone to do as far as jobs.
Hatley said the students role played different activities, which also helps them get a good feel for what they might want to do.
“The kids really learned so much,” Laufersweiler said. “They will continue to use all those training materials in the classrooms, and we encourage them to even use them at home with mom and dad to help them to continue to explore their opportunities in adult living.
The seminar included information about what support agencies are available to help the students with the transition, and the evening program involved a presentation of products and services available in the community. Representatives of community partners, such as Knox County Jobs & Family Services, Moundbuilders, assisted living companies, educational institutions and others were on hand to link parents and students with providers and services within the five local school districts, as well as state and federal services.
Sharlene Perry, 18, is one of the students who participated in the workshop and stayed for the family presentation.
“I loved it,” she said. “The seminar was great. I learned a lot about different jobs and having my own apartment. ... I’m excited that my mom came tonight.”
