ABSTRACT
Transition to community living for low-incidence disabilities involves many important components for educators to consider. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 stipulates that transition planning is required for all students with disabilities no later than the age of sixteen. Person-centered planning was developed in the 1980s and 1990s as an approach that places individuals with disabilities at the center of a personalized support network, allowing the individual to leverage resources to accomplish goals. For students preparing for the transition to postsecondary life, perhaps no set of skills is as important to achieving positive outcomes in independent living as self-determination. Students should enter adulthood with the functional life skills necessary to live as independently as possible. Important issues such as funding for housing, transportation within the community, and matters of guardianship alternatives should be incorporated early in the transition planning process.
