Contact Us Today: 406-442-2576

 

Education

4- year College
Trade Schools

At this time in your life, you are looking forward to getting out of school, but the fact of the matter is that what happens to you in school impacts the rest of your life.  Take advantage of the opportunities and resources that are offered during your school years to plan what you want for the future.  You can do this by recognizing that one of your most important tasks is to determine what you want your future to be and to think about what questions you have about how to get to your goal.  Then you should take these questions to your IEP Team to help you create your plan.

4-Year Colleges

Montana University System and campus Disability Support Services can by accessed by:

MSU Great Falls:  http://msugf.edu/students/disabilityservices

MSU Northern: http://www.msun.edu/stuaffairs/disabilityserv.htm

University of Montana:  http://life.umt.edu/diversity/disability.php

MSU Bozeman:  http://www.montana.edu/wwwres/disability/index.shtml

MSU Billings:  http://www.msubillings.edu/dss/

So I Am Thinking About Going To College, Now What?

One option to think about when finishing high school is going to a two-year or four-year college. However, it is important to know that services, supports, and academic demands are different in college from special education services in high school.

What Are The Differences Between High School Special Education And College?

  • Colleges only need to make sure that you can access the information or the learning environment. Colleges do not have to change academic requirements or course content to allow all students with disabilities to take part.
  • Grades and class assignments are not negotiable.

Access to course information and materials may be provided through the following ways.

  • ‘Academic adjustments’ – which might include having extra time on exams, or having fewer required classes within a semester.
  •  ‘Auxiliary aids’ – strategies that ensure everyone has access to the information. These may be having a note taker, having an interpreter for someone who is deaf, or providing e-text and other services for blind/low vision students.

For more information on the difference between high school and college see the following website.
Students with disabilities and higher education: A disconnect in expectations and realities by Laura Rothstein

What Can I Do In High School To Prepare Me For College?

Your Individualized Education Program (IEP) team can help you prepare to successfully transition from high school to college by doing the following.

  • Help you build the skills you will need at college.
  • Help you find out what accommodations and technology are typically used in college and help you become familiar with them.
  • Help you and your family learn what your civil rights are by going through the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
  • Teach you learning skills related to self-determination. Self-determination is knowing and doing what is right for you. Skills that you and your teachers can focus on to help develop self-determination are:
    • Self awareness and advocacy.
      What are my strengths, challenges, and preferences, and how do I get my needs met?
    • Choice making and decision making.
      What are my options, which match my need, and who do I tell?
    • Goal setting and attainment.
      What do I want to accomplish and how do I do it?
    • Problem-solving and evaluation.
      What should I do about this, how do I do it, how do I know it worked?

For more information about self-determination go to this website.
Self-determination and students with significant disabilities  on a college campus by Meg Grigal.

Montana Trade Schools

Is Trade School An Option For Me? (Also Known As Technical Centers, Vocational Schools And Colleges Of Technology)

Trade schools are a great option to consider when thinking about what you want to do when you graduate from high school. A trade school is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job. There are many different training programs available in many areas. A few examples include mechanics, carpentry, cosmetology, health care, and office work.

Another option is the Job Corps. Job Corps is a no-cost education and vocational training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16 through 24 get a better job, make more money, and take control of their lives.

At Job Corps, students enroll to learn a trade, earn a high school diploma or GED and get help finding a good job. When you join the program, you will be paid a monthly allowance; the longer you stay with the program, the more your allowance will be. Job Corps provides career counseling and transition support to its students for up to 12 months after they graduate from the program.

What Can I Do In High School To Prepare Me For A Trade School?

Your Individualized Education Program (IEP) team can help you prepare to successfully transition from high school to a trade school by doing the following.

  • Help you build the skills you will need at trade school.
  • Help you find out what accommodations and technology may help you to attend a trade school.
  • Help you and your family learn what your civil rights are by going through the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

Teaching you learning skills related to self-determination. Self-determination is knowing and doing what is right for you. Skills that you and your teachers can focus on to help develop self-determination are:

  • Choice making and decision making. What are my options, which match my need, and who do I tell?
  • What do I want to accomplish and how do I do it? What should I do about this, how do I do it, how do I know it worked?

As a trade school-bound student with a disability, you need to contact the schools you are thinking about attending to ask about available services. You should also ask if you need documentation to verify that you have a disability. Vocational Rehabilitation can help IEP teams in planning the transition between high school and trade school and in finding any disability documentation needed.

  • If the school has a Disability Services for Students ( DSS) office, register with the DSS office and find out about accommodations. Register with the DSS as early as possible, preferably before the start of the first semester to find out about accommodations. Regularly checking in with DSS is a good idea to make sure that accommodations are being used for all classes.
  • Explaining your disability. At the trade school, it is your responsibility to explain your disability and its impact on your functioning. It is also your responsibility to ask for specific accommodations that will help you access the learning material. You will need to do this when you apply with the admissions office and with each of your instructors.

A partial list of Trade Schools and Vocational School in Montana can be found at: http://www.rwm.org/rwm/tf_mon.html

Information about the different Colleges of Technology in Montana can be found at:
http://mus.edu/

Apprenticeships

Is An Apprenticeship An Option For Me?

Apprenticeship is a proven strategy that ensures quality training by combining on-the-job learning with related technical and practical instruction. There are many apprenticeship opportunities available in different work areas. A few examples include construction, manufacturing, telecommunications, information technology/networking, service and retail industries, public utilities, public sector, and health care.

Montana has a registered apprenticeship program with information on businesses that offer apprenticeships. There is also information on how to apply for an apprenticeship and what the expectations are for an apprentice in this program.

What Can I Do In High School To Prepare Me For An Apprenticeship?

Your Individualized Education Program (IEP) team can help you prepare to successfully transition from high school to an apprenticeship by doing the following.

  • Help you build the skills you will need as an apprentice.
  • Help you and your family learn what your civil rights are by going through the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
  • Teaching you learning skills related to self-determination. Self-determination is knowing and doing what is right for you. Skills that you and your teachers can focus on to help develop self-determination are:
    • Self awareness and advocacy. What are my strengths, challenges, and preferences, and how do I get my needs met?
    • Choice making and decision making. What are my options, which match my need, and who do I tell?
    • Goal setting and attainment. What do I want to accomplish and how do I do it?
    • Problem-solving and evaluation. What should I do about this, how do I do it, how do I know it worked?

A partial list of apprenticeships in Montana can be found at: http://www.exploreapprenticeship.mt.gov//index.htm

Information about registered apprenticeship in the The Montana Apprenticeship & Training Program can be found at:http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/apprenticeship/default.asp

High School

The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is crucial to the transition process and there are specific Transition Plan forms that should be completed with the IEP Team.  The School Counselors, Special Education Teachers, and Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors are important to this planning process.

Each High School has a contact related to helping with transition planning and each school also has a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor assigned to it.