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“academic adjustments” or “auxiliary aids,” and they must be requested from the
Disability Services office at the college.

Auxiliary aids should support the student to ensure that communication is as effective
as it would be for students without disabilities. The college must provide an
appropriate, but not necessarily the most sophisticated, aid or service that will provide
equal opportunity and access for the student with a disability. Although the college
should give primary consideration to the student’s preference, an effective alternative
is permissible.
Colleges are not required to provide more general personal services—such as personal
care attendants or assistive technology devices for personal home use—to students
with disabilities. SPAN’s transition webinars have more information:
spanadvocacy.org/content/reach-transition-webinars-0
* Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are interested in
exploring college options can get more information at thinkcollege.net.

Employment: After leaving high school, some students may choose to begin
working right away. Hopefully, they have been provided with career exploration
activities during high school to help them match their interests and skills with an
appropriate job. A comprehensive vocational assessment may be necessary to assess
the student’s current vocational skills and need for accommodations such as assistive
technology.
If individuals have a physical, mental, emotional, or learning disability that interferes
with their ability to work, they may be eligible for vocational rehabilitation (VR)
services from the New Jersey Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS). If
eligible for VR services, the student may receive vocational counseling, evaluation, job
placement, and/or job coaching to help them become competitively employed.
Another area to explore is how working will impact benefits from the Social Security
Administration such as SSI or SSDI and health insurance from Medicaid and Medicare.
It may be helpful to contact a benefits planning counselor at the Social Security
Administration to obtain individualized help with these questions.

Independent Living: A part of the transition planning process for students is
thinking about where they want to live after they leave school and what residential
supports, if any, they will need in order to live in their own apartment or in a
supported living situation.
The student needs to learn the skills necessary to live as independently as possible.
Independent living skills include money management and paying bills, preparing
meals, doing laundry, managing medications and health care, using public
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