The perspectives of young adults on the transition services they received while attending high school

This study examined the perspectives of five young adults with learning disabilities and their experiences receiving transition services while attending high school. Purposeful sampling was used to select five former students with learning disabilities from one small rural high school after transition services were federally mandated by the IDEA in 1990. The participants had graduated from the school seven to nine years prior to the study. Data were collected and analyzed from these semi-structured interviews using the constant comparative method. Data were coded until saturation occurred. Data were analyzed separately and then across cases in which three common themes emerged: (1) Transition services that prepare students for adult challenges lead to self-advocacy, (2) Transition services in a caring environment contributed to building long-term self-confidence, and (3) Involvement of the students in planning transition services contributed to attainment of long-term goals. Findings indicated that students with learning disabilities would benefit from delivery of transition services in a caring environment. Findings further indicated that students with learning disabilities benefit from developing self-advocacy skills and understanding their learning disabilities. A need that emerged from the data was that students with learning disabilities need to become aware of legal rights for which they were entitled because of their identified learning disabilities.