Transition Programs
Transition services are aimed at providing students and their families with the practical and experiential skills and knowledge that will assist in a successful transition to adult life. Transition is helping students and families think about life after high school and identifying long-range goals, by designing the high school experience to ensure that students gain the skills and connections they need to achieve these goals.
The appropriate transition services and activities will be determined by the Individualized Educational Program team and summarized on the transition plan. Areas that will be addressed on the transition plan are Education/Training and Employment. The San Mateo Union High School District offers support for students whose needs in these areas cannot be met through the general education program.
The Transition Specialists coordinate two grant-funded projects for eligible students. Workability is the District's work training program. This program primarily focuses on helping students develop skills that lead to gainful employment and providing students with opportunities for supported work training both paid and unpaid.
The other district program is the Transition Partnership Program (TPP). Transition Partnership Program is a cooperative program with the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DOR). The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation is a statewide agency that assists adults with disabilities to reach their employment goals. Students with the most significant disabilities may participate in the program in their last two years of high school. Transition Partnership Program can provide support with job placement, education/training, or other barriers toward employment. The Department of Vocational Rehabilitation will continue to provide services with students when they leave high school.
For questions, please call the Vocational Specialists and/or the Transitional Specialist on our "Contact Us" page provided for you below.
Transition Programs Recognized
SMUHSD's Transition Partnership Program and its WE Can Work (WCW) Program were recently recognized at the California Department of Rehabilitation's DiversAbility Breakfast event today (October 6, 2023) in San Francisco.
The event kicked off National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) and featured keynote speaker Kit Waffle, an Educator and Advocate, and Peter DeHaas, the Executive Director of the San Francisco Disability Business Alliance, who highlighted the NDEAM theme “Advancing Access and Equity: Celebrating 50 years of the Rehabilitation Act on 1973.”
Both SMUHSD's Transition Partnership Program and the WE Can Work program were recognized for continually increasing scope and capacity for services each year.
Theresa Woo, the Regional Director of the San Francisco District of the Department of Rehabilitation, highlighted SMUHSD's role in creating a summer youth employment program with WE Can Work, which was unique in the state. Theresa also recognized the Transition Partnership Program for piloting an interagency collaboration with the Renaissance Entrepreneurial Center to start a student-run coffee cart.
SMUHSD Transition Specialist Eli Poblitz was on hand to receive the award on behalf of the District.