TRANSITION PLANNING RESOURCES

This interactive map allows you to discover disability services agencies in NY state and download a PDF of your list.

Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) assists individuals with disabilities to achieve and maintain employment and to support independent living through training, education, rehabilitation, and career development. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors guide individuals through service programs they need to reach their employment goal. They pay for services such as job coaching, vocational assessments, college coaching, and more. Disability or mental health diagnosis documentation and application is required.

The New York State Commission for the Blind (NYSCB) provides vocational rehabilitation and other direct services to legally blind New York State residents, including children, adults, and elderly persons. One of NYSCB's primary objectives is to assist consumers in achieving economic self-sufficiency and full integration into society.

The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) is responsible for coordinating services for New Yorker's with developmental disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome and other neurological impairments. It provides services directly and through a network of approximately 500 nonprofit service providing agencies, with about 80 percent of services provided by the private nonprofits and 20 percent provided by state-run services. Disability diagnosis and application is required.

You can search diagnostic assessment providers by county through OPWDD's website. It does not list every provider but it is maintained. An additional document listing assessment providers is provided below.

Parent Network of WNY is a not-for-profit agency that provides education and resources for families of individuals with special needs (birth through adulthood) and for professionals.They provide 1-on-1 Support and education through resources, workshops and support groups to assist families of individuals with disabilities to understand their disability and navigate the support service system.

The Office of Special Education (OSE) Educational Partnership is a coordinated and cohesive network of support focused on enhancing services and supports for students with disabilities from early childhood and school-age education to engagement in post-school opportunities. Has a comprehensive list of transition planning resources, including a Family Guide to Transition Planning document that is provided below.

The consortium, known as the "WNY CCDA" is comprised of a group of post secondary and secondary education professionals, along with community and government agency representatives who are directly involved in working with college students with disabilities. The group was originally formed to address the needs of students with disabilities on WNY college campuses, and has expanded its focus to include the preparation of students with disabilities for transition from high school to college.

The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network wrote “A Self-Advocate’s Guide to the Americans with Disabilities Act.” There is a plain language and easy read version with graphics. This a useful tool to learn about disability rights and reasonable accommodations for work and higher education.

The Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy has a list of resources and curriculum for employment, soft skills, services, government benefits, and more.