The purpose of this proposal is to develop a videotape and notebook organizer as educational interventions for students with disabilities and their families to aid in transition planning process from school to community life starting at age 14 and. Both interventions will be qualitatively and quantitatively tested with diverse research groups composed of students with disabilities, parents of students with disabilities, and professionals. The primary research goal of Phase II is to determine if the educational interventions (videotape and Roadmaps notebook/organizer) affect attitudes towards transition planing, adoption of the innovation, family stress, and planning for a students's transition from school to adult life. Many students with disabilities and parents are unaware of what services may be included in the plan and what the school system must provide by law. The proposed interventions will help to fulfill this critical social need by developing the quantitatively researched skill training and education program products that supplement the functional, social, and adaptive abilities of individuals who are disabled.
The proposed videotape and notebook interventions will be marketed to an audience of over 42 million families with students with disabilities, schools systems, community service organizations, Universities, and education professionals. The successful distribution of State of the Art's videotapes, Regular Lives and Educating Peter, proves that there is a market for programs on disability and inclusion and leads us to believe that there is a market for a program on transition planning. Because schools districts are required by law to plan for transition, we are confident that schools will see these materials as an excellent way to introduce the topic to families and to encourage their involvement in the process.
