WELCOME TO THE

DuPAGE COUNTY

TRANSITION PLANNING COMMITTEE

RESOURCE GUIDE

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this handbook is to help students and their families with the process of transition to adult services by providing information about some of the resources available after high school. It was written by the DuPage County Transition Planning Committee, a group composed of representatives from the local special education co-ops, school districts, Department of Human Services-Division of Rehabilitation Services office, parents and adult service providers.

The process of finding and accessing adult services can be a confusing and frustrating one. As a glance at this resource guide will reveal, there are many different agencies and groups, both public and private, providing many different types of services. At the same time, some of the most critical services (residential and vocational programs, accessible housing, and affordable transportation) are in very short supply in DuPage County. The best advice we can give you is to be persistent. If you aren’t able to get what you need from one service provider, keep looking and making your needs known, especially to your elected representatives.

As services change and new services become available, this resource guide should be considered a starting point rather than a complete listing of services available. In the Appendix of this guide, you will find listings of parent organizations and various other resources that we hope you will find helpful.

This resource guide has been made possible by funding from the Department of Human Services-Division of Rehabilitation Services in support of the activities of the DuPage County Transition Planning Committee.

2006 EDITION

DuPAGE COUNTY TRANSITION PLANNING COMMITTEE

RESOURCE GUIDE