Students with Disabilities Face Several Longstanding Challenges Accessing Federal Transition Services

Students with disabilities face several challenges accessing federally  funded programs that can provide transition services as they leave high  school for postsecondary education or the workforce. These include  difficulty navigating multiple programs that are not always coordinated;  possible delays in service as they wait to be served by adult programs;  limited access to transition services; a lack of adequate information or  awareness on the part of parents, students, and service providers of  available programs that may provide transition services after high school;  and a lack of preparedness for postsecondary education or employment. Some officials  said that the shift from being automatically entitled to services under IDEA  if identified as disabled while in high school to having to apply as adults  and be found eligible for multiple programs after exiting high school is  difficult for students and their parents to understand. Many stakeholders  said that students with disabilities and their parents do not always receive  enough information about the full range of service options after high  school. In addition, in all  five states we heard that schools’ emphasis on academic achievement  has left little time for vocational and life skills training, even though these  skills may be key to gaining and retaining employment—especially for  students with disabilities. Federal Agency Coordination of Transition Activities Has Limitations

		Federal Agencies Coordinate on Specific Transition Activities but Face Some Barriers

Education, HHS, Labor, and SSA coordinate transition activities to some  degree, but their coordination has limitations and they do not assess the  effectiveness of their efforts. However, this workgroup is informal and primarily involves information sharing among staff-level  representatives, according to agency officials. Indeed, officials  identified a lack of compatible outcome goals for transitioning students  with disabilities as one of the key barriers that hinder their coordination  efforts. Agencies Lack a Government-wide Strategy or Framework for Coordinating Transition Services

Although federal agencies are engaged in some coordination efforts,  these efforts represent a patchwork approach and officials at all four  agencies indicated there is no single, formal, government-wide strategy  for coordinating transition services. Recommendation for Executive Action

To improve the provision of transition services to students with disabilities  through enhanced coordination among the multiple federal programs that  support this population, we recommend that the Secretaries of Education,  HHS, and Labor, and the Commissioner of SSA direct the appropriate  program offices to work collaboratively to develop a federal interagency  transition strategy. This strategy should address:  1.  compatible policies, procedures, and other means to operate across  agency boundaries towards common outcomes for transitioning youth  and their families;  2.  methods to increase awareness among students, families, high school  teachers, and other service providers on the range of available  transition services; and  3.  ways to assess the effectiveness of federal coordination efforts in  providing transition services. Moreover, this group would assess the impact of its  coordination efforts by developing common outcome goals. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

Our review examined the (1) challenges students with disabilities may  face accessing federally funded transition services; and (2) extent to  which federal agencies coordinate their transition activities. To determine  the challenges students with disabilities may face accessing transition  services as they leave high school for postsecondary education or the  workforce, we selected a nongeneralizable sample of five states and  interviewed state and local officials responsible for administering the key  federal programs that provide transition services. To assess the extent to which the four key federal agencies that  administer programs providing transition services—the Departments of  Education (Education), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Labor  (Labor), and the Social Security Administration (SSA)—coordinate their  transition activities, we interviewed agency officials, obtained their written  responses to questions about their coordination efforts, and reviewed  agency documents. In addition, with the  exception of Nevada, staff from parent training and information centers in  each state assisted us by organizing discussion groups with parents and  students with disabilities that were in the process of planning their  transition from high school to postsecondary education or employment or  had recently made the transition out of high school.
Why GAO Did This Study

The transition out of high school to postsecondary education or the workforce can be a challenging time, especially for students with disabilities. Multiple federal agencies fund programs to support these students during their transition. In 2003, GAO reported that limited coordination among these programs can hinder a successful transition. GAO was asked to provide information on the (1) challenges students with disabilities may face accessing federally funded transition services; and (2) extent to which federal agencies coordinate their transition activities. GAO reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations, and agency documents from Education, HHS, Labor, and SSA, which administer the key programs that provide transition services. GAO also administered a data collection instrument to gather program information from these agencies. Finally, GAO interviewed various stakeholders, including state and local officials, service providers, parents, and students with disabilities, in five states selected based on the number of federal grants they received to fund transition services.

What GAO Found

Students with disabilities face several longstanding challenges accessing services that may assist them as they transition from high school into postsecondary education or the workforce--services such as tutoring, vocational training, and assistive technology. Eligible students with disabilities are entitled to transition planning services during high school, but after leaving high school, to receive services that facilitate their transition they must apply as adults and establish eligibility for programs administered by multiple federal agencies. Students with disabilities may face delays in service and end up on waitlists if these programs are full. In addition, while all five states GAO contacted have taken steps to coordinate their transition services and assist families with the transition process, officials said that it is still difficult for students and their parents to navigate and for providers to coordinate services across different programs. Officials and parents GAO spoke with also noted a lack of sufficient information or awareness of the full range of service options available after high school on the part of students with disabilities, parents, and service providers. In addition, state and local officials said students with disabilities may not be adequately prepared to successfully transition to life after high school. This may be due, in part, to limited opportunities to engage in vocational and life skills training or obtain work experience while in school.
The Departments of Education (Education), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Labor (Labor), and the Social Security Administration (SSA) coordinate transition activities to some degree, but their coordination has limitations and they do not assess the effectiveness of their efforts. One coordinating body involves all four agencies and focuses on transition services. However, that group's primary coordination activity is information sharing among staff-level representatives rather than developing common outcome goals and establishing compatible policies for operating across agencies. Agency officials told GAO that a lack of compatible outcome goals for transitioning students and differences in statutory eligibility criteria are among the barriers that hinder interagency coordination for this population. While agencies collaborate to some extent, their efforts represent a patchwork approach and there is no single, formal, government-wide strategy for coordinating transition services for students with disabilities. Moreover, it is unclear what impact coordination has on service provision because agencies do not assess the effectiveness of their coordination activities.

What GAO Recommends

To improve the provision of transition services for students with disabilities, GAO recommends that Education, HHS, Labor, and SSA develop an interagency transition strategy that addresses (1) operating toward common outcome goals for transitioning youth; (2) increasing awareness of available transition services; and (3) assessing the effectiveness of their coordination efforts. All four agencies agreed with the recommendation.