Access to Post—High School Services

Abstract

IDEA 2004 has included a new requirement for youth transition— a Summary of Functional Performance (SOP)—documentation to assist in seeking eligibility for disability-related services after high school. However, minimal implementation guidance has been provided to states. The articles in this special series explain how the SOP can reduce longstanding barriers to transition and explore its implementation from perspectives of secondary, postsecondary, rehabilitation, employment, students, and families. In this article, the authors describe the work of the National Transition Documentation Summit in prompting a national dialog, responding to thorny questions from the field, and developing guidelines for field consideration. Finally, it presents a charge to the field to collaborate and continue conversation about bridging the documentation gap to strengthen the likelihood of successful transition for youth.