Life after high school for students with disabilities can bring excitement, uncertainty, and a long list of decisions. For years, the school day may have provided a familiar schedule, transportation, instruction, therapies, activities, and regular contact with a team. After graduation or another exit from school services, that structure may change quickly.
Families do not need to create an entire adult life at once. A strong transition begins by listening to the young adult, identifying what matters now, and building connections before the last day of school. Employment, continued education, adult day support, community engagement, transportation, relationships, and daily living skills can all be part of the plan.
This Virginia transition guide explains what families can explore, which questions to bring to the school team, and how to turn a broad vision for adulthood into practical next steps.
What Changes After High School?
High school special education and adult disability services are different systems. School services are developed through the educational process. Adult programs, employment services, Medicaid waivers, transportation, and community supports may each have separate eligibility rules, applications, funding sources, assessments, and waiting periods.
That means services do not necessarily transfer automatically when school ends. A student who received extensive support in high school may still need to apply, qualify, select providers, and coordinate services for adult life.
The Virginia Department of Education describes transition as the process of identifying desired outcomes after high school and planning school and community experiences that help the student reach them. The process can address:
- Postsecondary education and training
- Employment
- Independent living
- Community participation
These areas are connected. A job may require transportation and communication support. Living more independently may depend on meal preparation, money skills, safety awareness, and access to the community. A meaningful weekly routine may combine work, a day program, volunteering, recreation, and time with friends.
Begin With the Young Adult’s Vision
Transition planning should not begin with an available program and ask the person to fit into it. Begin with the young adult’s strengths, preferences, interests, communication, culture, relationships, and support needs.
Ask questions such as:
- What would you like to do during the week?
- What are you interested in learning or practicing?
- Would you like to work, volunteer, continue your education, or explore several options?
- Which people and places are important to you?
- Do you enjoy active group settings, smaller groups, or more individual activities?
- What kind of living arrangement would you like in the future?
- What helps you make decisions and communicate your choices?
- What support makes a new place or routine feel comfortable?
Answers may be expressed through speech, writing, pictures, gestures, a communication device, observation, or supported conversation. Uncertainty is also a valid answer. Many young adults need real experiences before they can decide what they prefer.
Avoid measuring success by how independently someone completes every task. A person may perform a task alone, use assistive technology, complete selected steps, or direct another person to provide support. Each can be a meaningful form of self-direction.
1. Use the IEP to Plan for Adult Life
In Virginia, transition planning must be included no later than the first IEP in effect when a student turns 14, or earlier when appropriate. The plan should be updated annually and based on age-appropriate transition assessments, the student’s strengths, preferences, and interests.
Families and students can bring specific questions to an IEP meeting:
- What are the student’s measurable goals for education or training, employment, and independent living when appropriate?
- Which assessments were used to understand interests, skills, and support needs?
- Which classes and experiences connect directly to those goals?
- Can the student participate in work-based learning, travel training, or community experiences?
- Which adult agencies should be invited to help coordinate the transition?
- Who is responsible for each next step, and by what date?
- What records, evaluations, and assistive technology information should the student keep?
The student should participate meaningfully in these conversations. They may help set the agenda, introduce themselves, share a presentation, select goals, ask questions, or lead part of the meeting with support.
The Virginia Department of Education’s transition resources can help families explore career assessment, college planning, rehabilitation services, employment, and school-to-work options. Families can also use the PEATC Guide to Transition as a Virginia-focused resource for preparing for adulthood.
2. Explore Employment and Education Before School Ends
A young adult does not need to choose one permanent career immediately. Job sampling, internships, volunteering, workplace tours, informational interviews, and short training experiences can reveal what environments and tasks are a good fit.
Look beyond a job title. Consider:
- Preferred tasks and interests
- Schedule and stamina
- Communication and sensory needs
- Transportation to and from the site
- Accessibility and accommodations
- The amount and type of coaching needed
- Whether the workplace supports real inclusion and interaction
Virginia’s Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services offers Pre-Employment Transition Services for students with disabilities ages 14 through 22 who are enrolled in a recognized education program and have documentation of a disability. DARS says a student does not need to be a vocational rehabilitation client or complete a formal VR application to receive Pre-ETS.
Pre-ETS may include job exploration, work-based learning, counseling about education and training after high school, workplace readiness, and self-advocacy instruction. Because these are student services, families should ask about them while the young person is still enrolled in school.
For someone interested in college, a certificate program, technical training, or continuing education, compare the admission process, disability support office, available accommodations, campus transportation, academic expectations, and daily living demands. Supports available in high school may not appear automatically in a postsecondary setting, so planning and self-advocacy are important.
3. Build a Meaningful Weekly Routine
Employment or college may be one part of adult life, but neither has to fill every weekday. A person-centered schedule can combine different experiences according to the individual’s goals and energy.
A week might include:
- Paid work or job training
- Volunteering
- Adult day support
- Community engagement
- Fitness, arts, or recreation
- Life skills practice
- Appointments and personal responsibilities
- Time with friends, family, or faith communities
- Rest and unstructured personal time
When comparing programs for adults with disabilities after high school, ask how activities are chosen and how they connect to individual goals. A busy calendar alone does not demonstrate quality. Look for real choice, respectful support, community access, meaningful relationships, and opportunities to contribute.
The Smiles Like Yours guide to day programs for adults with disabilities offers questions families can use during a program tour.
4. Compare Adult Day Support and Community Engagement
Adult day support and community engagement can both contribute to a meaningful routine, but families should ask what each service looks like in practice.
Adult day support may combine structured activities, social opportunities, practical skill development, and time in the community. Community engagement generally places greater emphasis on participating in everyday community settings, developing relationships, and pursuing individual interests outside a program center.
Questions to ask include:
- How much of the day takes place in the community?
- How are activities connected to the person’s goals and interests?
- Can participants choose among options or decline an activity?
- How are communication, mobility, sensory, health, and behavioral needs supported?
- What transportation is available?
- How are friendships and relationships beyond paid staff encouraged?
- How does the provider coordinate with employment or other services?
Do not assume that every young adult needs the same five-day schedule. Some people benefit from a blend of services. Others may prefer a smaller number of activities, more employment hours, or a gradual transition into a new routine.
5. Practice Life Skills in Real Settings
Life skills become more meaningful when they connect to something the person wants to do. Instead of practicing money skills only on a worksheet, the young adult might plan a purchase at a familiar store. Instead of discussing transportation in the classroom, they might practice the actual route to work or a favorite community location.
Useful areas to explore include:
- Preparing meals and making food choices
- Shopping and managing personal spending
- Following a schedule and preparing for appointments
- Using a phone or communication device to ask for help
- Caring for clothing, belongings, and living spaces
- Recognizing health and safety needs
- Traveling in the community
- Making plans with friends
- Understanding privacy, boundaries, and relationships
Choose skills based on the person’s priorities rather than a standard checklist. The Smiles Like Yours article on life skills for adults with disabilities includes practical activities that can be adapted to different abilities and support needs.
6. Make Transportation Part of Every Decision
A program, job, or class is not truly accessible if the person cannot get there reliably. Transportation planning should happen at the same time as program planning, not after a schedule has already been chosen.
For every regular destination, identify:
- The primary transportation option
- The support needed before, during, and after the ride
- A backup when the usual ride is unavailable
- Who schedules, confirms, and pays for the trip
- What the person should do after a delay, missed connection, or unexpected change
Options may include fixed-route public transit, ADA paratransit, family transportation, provider-operated rides, waiver-related transportation when authorized, or another local service. Eligibility, trip purpose, service area, scheduling rules, and assistance levels vary.
Families can review the Smiles Like Yours guide to transportation services for disabled adults for a fuller comparison of Virginia and Central Virginia options.
7. Connect With Adult Services Early
Do not wait until the final weeks of school to contact adult agencies and providers. Assessments, referrals, funding, provider selection, and waiting lists can take time.
For adults with developmental disabilities in Virginia, useful starting points may include:
- The student’s IEP and transition team
- A school transition coordinator
- Virginia DARS for employment-related services
- The local Community Services Board or Behavioral Health Authority
- The person’s Support Coordinator, if they have one
- Medicaid and DD waiver resources
- Prospective adult service providers
- Disability support offices at colleges or training programs
Virginia has three Developmental Disability waivers: Building Independence, Family and Individual Supports, and Community Living. According to DBHDS waiver information for individuals and families, the waivers can fund different community-based supports for eligible people, and Virginia has a waiting list. The local Community Services Board or Behavioral Health Authority is the entry point for learning about DD waivers and requesting screening and assessment.
A waiver, Medicaid coverage, an IEP, or a disability diagnosis does not automatically guarantee a particular adult program, provider, schedule, or opening. Confirm eligibility, service authorization, funding, provider capacity, and individual fit directly with the appropriate agency and provider.
8. Plan for Health, Decision-Making, and Important Records
Turning 18, leaving school, and entering adult services may affect how healthcare, educational records, benefits, consent, and decision-making are handled. Families should learn about these changes before a deadline or emergency.
Create an organized record that the young adult can access in the way that works for them. It may include:
- Identification and emergency contacts
- Current evaluations and school records
- Medication and health information
- Communication and accessibility information
- Benefits and insurance documents
- Transportation approvals
- Agency and provider contacts
- Applications, referral dates, and follow-up notes
- The person’s preferences, routines, goals, and support strategies
Decision-making support should preserve the adult’s rights and voice to the greatest extent possible. Families with legal, benefits, or financial questions should seek qualified, individualized guidance rather than assuming that one arrangement is appropriate for every person.
A 90-Day Plan for the Transition From High School
The first months after school can feel less overwhelming when responsibilities and dates are visible. Adapt this plan to the person’s graduation date and circumstances.
60 to 90 Days Before the School Exit
- Confirm the expected exit date and remaining school responsibilities.
- Review postsecondary goals and unfinished transition activities with the IEP team.
- Ask for copies of current evaluations, records, and a clear summary of strengths and support needs.
- Follow up on DARS, CSB, waiver, transportation, benefit, college, employment, and provider applications.
- Visit potential adult programs with the young adult.
- Practice the routes and routines the person is likely to use.
During the Final Month
- Confirm start dates, schedules, transportation, funding, and contact people in writing.
- Create a visual or written weekly schedule.
- Plan how medications, meals, communication tools, personal care, and emergency information will travel with the person when needed.
- Introduce new environments gradually when possible.
- Identify a backup plan if a service or ride is delayed.
During the First 30 Days After School
- Observe whether the routine matches the person’s goals and energy.
- Ask the young adult what they enjoy, dislike, or want to change.
- Check whether transportation and support are working across the entire day.
- Document questions and contact the appropriate coordinator or provider early.
- Protect time for relationships, rest, recreation, and personal choice.
By 60 to 90 Days
- Review the complete week rather than evaluating each service in isolation.
- Adjust the schedule when it is too full, too limited, or not personally meaningful.
- Revisit employment, education, community participation, and living goals.
- Celebrate progress without treating adulthood as a race toward independence.
How Smiles Like Yours Can Support Life After High School
Smiles Like Yours supports adults with developmental disabilities in Richmond and surrounding Central Virginia communities through Adult Day Support, Community Engagement, Group Home Services, and Supported Living.
The Adult Social Club combines center-based activities, community experiences, social connection, and skill-building. Community Engagement offers opportunities to participate in community life and develop relationships through real-world experiences. Residential options include Group Home Services for adults who need a structured home with round-the-clock support and Supported Living for adults seeking greater autonomy in their own apartment or shared setting.
The right option depends on the adult’s goals, assessed needs, preferences, eligibility, funding, location, and current availability. Families can review the Smiles Like Yours locations and use the organization’s Get Started process to schedule a tour, discuss a referral, and explore whether a service is a good match.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should transition planning begin in Virginia?
For a student with an IEP in Virginia, transition planning must be included no later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 14, or earlier when appropriate. Families do not need to wait until the final year of high school to explore employment, education, independent living, transportation, and adult services.
Do high school services automatically continue after graduation?
No. Adult services operate under different rules and may require separate applications, eligibility determinations, funding, assessments, and provider selection. The transition team should help the student prepare and connect with relevant agencies, but families should confirm every adult service directly.
What programs are available for adults with disabilities after high school?
Options may include college or technical education, vocational rehabilitation, paid or supported employment, volunteering, adult day support, community engagement, recreation, in-home services, supported living, and group home services. The right combination should reflect the adult’s preferences, goals, abilities, and support needs.
Does every young adult need a five-day adult day program?
No. A meaningful schedule may combine employment, volunteering, education, community activities, adult day support, appointments, relationships, and personal time. The schedule should be individualized and can change as the person’s interests and needs develop.
Is a Virginia DD waiver required for every adult disability service?
No. Funding and eligibility depend on the service. Some developmental disability services are waiver-funded, while employment, education, transportation, private-pay, and community resources may use different programs or requirements. Contact the relevant agency or provider for current information.
What if the young adult does not know what they want to do?
Use exploration rather than pressure. Visits, job sampling, volunteering, short community experiences, visual choices, and trial schedules can help the person learn what feels meaningful. A transition plan should be reviewed as the young adult gains experience and expresses new preferences.
Build the Next Chapter One Step at a Time
Life after high school for students with disabilities is not one destination. It is a developing combination of work, learning, relationships, community participation, home life, and personal choice.
Begin before the school exit, connect each service to the young adult’s own goals, and confirm the practical details that make participation possible. A thoughtful transition will not remove every uncertainty, but it can replace a sudden loss of structure with a clearer path forward.
If your family is exploring adult day support, Community Engagement, Group Home Services, or Supported Living in Central Virginia, contact Smiles Like Yours to ask about current services, eligibility, referrals, tours, and availability.
This article provides general educational information and is not legal, educational, medical, financial, or eligibility advice. Requirements, programs, funding, and availability may change. Confirm current information with the student’s school division, relevant Virginia agencies, the individual’s Support Coordinator, and each provider.
