Summary Report of the May 6 – 7, 2012 Focus Group in Charlotte, North Carolina
Abstract
Stakeholders from across the United States, with expertise regarding transition of students with disabilities to college and careers, were invited to participate in a one and one-half day focus group to identify key challenges and solutions to transition issues. Prior to the face-to-face meeting, participants identified their perceptions of both the “perfect state” and “current state” of transition services and outcomes of young people with disabilities. In Charlotte, NC, May 6 and 7, 2012, facilitated by staff of the National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center (NSTTAC), participants worked in three groups, with support from a facilitator and a note taker, to identify gaps and challenges between their desired and current states and develop strategies to address them. The recommended strategies included a range of policy actions through which agencies at the federal, state, and local levels could change educational practices and support services to better prepare youth with disabilities for transition to college and careers. This summary report briefly describes both the focus group process and results, with a primary focus on the recommended strategies for closing the gaps.