In Michigan, adults with disabilities can receive access to free, appropriate, public education until the age of 26. It is at this crucial age of 26 when adults with disabilities in Michigan are expected to transition out of the education system. The question that adults with disabilities, their families, and their communities often ask is “What does life look like beyond 26?”
This can be a daunting question for many families. While in the education system, there was predictability, routine, and a built-in support system; now, outside of the education system, uncertainty, a lack of routine, and barriers to actively engaging in society can become more likely. When friends and peers are entering the workforce and becoming financially independent, many adults with disabilities desire the same thing and want to know their options.
The Michigan Interagency Transition Team (MITT) created a comprehensive document in 2024 titled “A Guide to Transition from Special Education into Adulthood,” which provides general information on preparing for this critical transition, including transition timelines, skill checklists for adulthood, and lists of Michigan agencies and resources available to help. The key takeaway from this guide is to start your planning early to provide the most options. For example, an Education Development Plan (EDP) can be created as early as 12 years of age to begin “exploring interests and career goals.” This prepares youths for high school, when transition planning becomes included in their Individualized Education Program (IEP) as early as age 16. When youths with disabilities turn 18, they become legal adults and may be eligible to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid to help with their financial and medical needs. From ages 18 to 25, adults with disabilities, their families, and their support systems explore postsecondary pathways, including community college, university, workforce, apprenticeship, trade school, intermediate school district (ISD), and military options.
At the age of 26, this is where the rubber meets the road for adults with disabilities, as their special education services, including their IEP, end. They are then expected to either continue the path they started or find their own path. For many families, especially if the transition planning did not result in a job placement, adults with disabilities find themselves staying at home, participating in limited day programs, or, even if a job placement was found, working in an unsuitable or unsustainable placement. This often means that adults with disabilities face greater risk for mental health challenges, including depression, as their structure and routine are disrupted, access to friends and social interactions is lessened, and their long-held identity as a student is removed. This also tends to require a significant change for caregivers as they take on many of the supporting roles that were previously held within the special education system. Caregivers’ schedules are often adjusted to provide care at home or to provide transportation when public transportation may be limited. This can certainly be a distressing and uncertain time; however, there is hope!
There are many resources available to families in this situation, including organizations such as Beyond26. At Beyond26, we are a local nonprofit organization that helps adults with disabilities find employment and volunteer opportunities. We do this by scheduling a meet-and-greet with an adult with disabilities to learn more about their goals, their dreams, and their strengths, because we know they have many. We also learn more about their barriers, what support could benefit them in the workplace, and how we can best support them throughout the hiring process. We know that everyone is unique and that each person often requires a customized approach when it comes to their job search. For example, for adults with disabilities collecting SSI, there are likely limitations on how much they can work while remaining eligible for SSI. We get to know their specific circumstances, their schedules, their modes of transportation, and begin finding real jobs and volunteer opportunities that best match their unique needs. We create individualized employment profiles along with resumes to help communicate clearly to prospective employers the strengths and needs of our jobseekers. Leveraging our growing network of compassionate and patient employers, we work to find suitable work placements that benefit both the jobseeker and the employer. Best of all, Beyond26 is community-funded so that our services remain free for both the jobseeker and the employer.
If you are an adult with a disability (over or at the age of 18) and are interested in finding a job or volunteer opportunity that matches your unique needs or know someone else who is, please fill out our intake form and you will be contacted about scheduling your own meet-and-greet.
“You’re shoulder to shoulder with them all the way, your surplus matching their deficit, their surplus matching your deficit. In the end, you come out even,” II Corinthians 8:12-14 (MSG)