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Self Advocacy and Self Determination for Youth with Disability and Their Parents During School Transition Planning

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Abstract

This chapter provides a critical account of legal, policy and practical ways that US school systems prepare children for transition to adulthood. School transition processes are meant to support students as they move from secondary education (high school) to university-level education, vocational training, employment or community placement. Rodriguez writes from the perspective of a parent of a child with a learning disability and a pediatric occupational therapist with decades of experience in the United States school system at primary, middle and high school levels. She discusses current systemic practices which are lacking, and offers suggestions of ways to encourage self-advocacy and self-determination for students and parents.

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Correspondence to Eva L. Rodriguez .

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Editors’ Postscript

If you liked Chap. 17 by Eva Rodriguez, and are interested in reading more about the empowerment of youth who are transitioning to adulthood, we recommend Chap. 14 by Michele Friedner: “Occupying Seats, Occupying Space, Occupying Time: Deaf Young Adults in Vocational Training Centers in Bangalore, India,” and Chap. 16 by Nick Dupree: “My World, My Experiences with Occupy Wall Street and How We can go Further.” If you are interested in how occupational therapists have engaged with disability studies across the lifespan, we recommend Chap. 11: “Soul searching occupations: Critical reflections on Occupational Therapy’s Commitment to Social Justice, Disability Rights, and Participation” by Mansha Mirza, Susan Magasi and Joy Hammel and Chap. 12: “Refusing to Go Away: The Ida Benderson Seniors Action Group” by Denise M. Nepveux.

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Rodriguez, E.L. (2016). Self Advocacy and Self Determination for Youth with Disability and Their Parents During School Transition Planning. In: Block, P., Kasnitz, D., Nishida, A., Pollard, N. (eds) Occupying Disability: Critical Approaches to Community, Justice, and Decolonizing Disability. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9984-3_17

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