[nabs-l] Fw: [rehab] Better Federal Coordination Could Lessen Challenges in the Transition from High School, GAO-12-594, July 12 2012

[Anmol Bhatia]

--- On Wed, 8/8/12, Nightingale, Noel <Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov> wrote:

> From: Nightingale, Noel <Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov>
> Subject: [rehab] Better Federal Coordination Could Lessen Challenges in the Transition from High School, GAO-12-594, July 12 2012
> To: "rehab at nfbnet.org" <rehab at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2012, 6:29 PM
> 
> 
> Link:
> http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-594
> 
> Text:
> Students with Disabilities
> Better Federal Coordination Could Lessen Challenges in the
> Transition from High School
> GAO-12-594, Jul 12, 2012
> *         Highlights<http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-594#summary>
> View Report (PDF, 71 pages)<http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592329.pdf>
> Additional Materials:
> *         Podcast:
> o    Assisting Students with Disabilities
> Transitioning from High School<http://www.gao.gov/multimedia/podcasts/593300>
> *         Highlights Page
> (PDF, 1 page)<http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592328.pdf>
> *         Accessible
> Text<http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/593299.txt>
> Contact:
> Revae E. Moran
> (202) 512-7215
> moranr at gao.gov<mailto:moranr at gao.gov>
> 
> Office of Public Affairs
> (202) 512-4800
> youngc1 at gao.gov<mailto:youngc1 at gao.gov>
> 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.
> 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 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.
> For more information, contact Revae E. Moran at (202)
> 512-7215 or moran at gao.gov<mailto:moran at gao.gov>.
> Recommendations for Executive Action
> GAO is currently experiencing technical difficulties and is
> temporarily not displaying recommendation status and
> comments information.
> Recommendation: To improve the provision of transition
> services to students with disabilities through enhanced
> coordination among the multiple federal programs that
> support this population, the Secretaries of Education, HHS,
> and Labor, and the Commissioner of SSA should 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. To the extent that
> legislative changes are needed to facilitate the
> implementation of this transition strategy, agencies should
> identify and communicate them to the Congress.
> Agency Affected: Department of Education
> Recommendation: To improve the provision of transition
> services to students with disabilities through enhanced
> coordination among the multiple federal programs that
> support this population, the Secretaries of Education, HHS,
> and Labor, and the Commissioner of SSA should 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. To the extent that
> legislative changes are needed to facilitate the
> implementation of this transition strategy, agencies should
> identify and communicate them to the Congress.
> Agency Affected: Department of Health and Human Services
> Recommendation: To improve the provision of transition
> services to students with disabilities through enhanced
> coordination among the multiple federal programs that
> support this population, the Secretaries of Education, HHS,
> and Labor, and the Commissioner of SSA should 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. To the extent that
> legislative changes are needed to facilitate the
> implementation of this transition strategy, agencies should
> identify and communicate them to the Congress.
> Agency Affected: Department of Labor
> Recommendation: To improve the provision of transition
> services to students with disabilities through enhanced
> coordination among the multiple federal programs that
> support this population, the Secretaries of Education, HHS,
> and Labor, and the Commissioner of SSA should 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. To the extent that
> legislative changes are needed to facilitate the
> implementation of this transition strategy, agencies should
> identify and communicate them to the Congress.
> Agency Affected: Social Security Administration
> 
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