Noticing Differences between Secondary and Postsecondary Education: Extending Agran, Snow, and Swaner's Discussion

Cognitive Development of Mild Intellectual Disability for Vocational Training

“…The key to skills training is an adaptive process, namely the observation of the participants through the performance to identify and improve skills is needed to expand reach independence in work. The results of Fisher & Sax in [27] study that useful skills in society can be better taught after school hours or on weekends in the natural setting of society, this is applied at the senior high school level which is more focused on the child's chosen skills program and collaboration with children to have direct experience in the community, the transition to post-school program aims to prepare the child with mild intellectual disability in special school towards post-school independence.…”

Adaptive Behavior and Skills Important to Community Use

“…In recent years, leaders in special education have debated the appropriateness of removing students with disabilities from school settings to provide instruction in the community. Those who oppose instruction outside the school setting believe that the community is not an age-appropriate setting for instruction because peers without disabilities do not access that setting during school hours (Tashie et al, 1996;Schuh et al, 1998;Fisher & Sax, 1999). They feel that instruction in community settings should occur after school or on weekends when peers are likely to access those same settings.…”

Post-Secondary Education and Transition Services for Students Ages 18-21 With Significant Disabilities

“…Another framework that some school systems have used to provide students with SD services outside of the high school after age 18 is based on the provision of individual supports (Bishop, Amate, & Villalobos, 1995;Fisher & Sax, 1999;Tashie et al, 1998;Hart et al, 2001;Weir, 2001). Using individual supports (IS), students receive educational and community supports outside of high school without attending a site-based program.…”

“…The rationale for providing different services for these students after age 18 is based on the need for age-appropriate experiences in post-secondary courses (e.g., adult and continuing education and community colleges) and in employment sites in the community (Billingsley & Albertson, 1999;Falvey, Gage, & Eshlilian, 1995;Fisher & Sax, 1999;Quirk & Bartlinski, 2001;Smith & Puccini, 1995;Patton et al, 1996;Tashie et al, 1998). These experiences would be based on a person-centered planning process that takes into account the wishes, needs, interests of the student, his or her family, and significant friends or professionals who support the student (Baird & Everson, 1999;Pearpoint, Forest, & O'Brien, 1996).…”

“…For example, Fisher and Sax (1999) advocate that students with SD be given the same access to academic classes as their peers without disabilities during their high school years, and that the IDEA Amendments of 1997 provide the legal mandate to do so. They maintain that "before students with disabilities had access to the core curriculum in middle school and high school, CBI was a reasonable educational alternative" (p. 303).…”