Adulting Shorts: The “TEA” on IEPS Part 1

This info-comic is for high school students to help them understand what an Individualized Educational Plan or IEP is, what transition planning is, and the importance of the student being involved in them. This info-comic is based on work by the Translating Evidence to Support Transitions (TEST) team (NIDILRR Grant number 90DP0080).

Seven Tips Mental Health Care Providers Can Use to Address Patient Tobacco Use

Approximately fifty million people living in the United States (U.S.) use tobacco. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of disease and/or death in the U.S. People living with mental illness account for a disproportionate amount of tobacco use. Individuals living with mental health or substance use conditions consume almost half of all cigarettes sold in the U.S. People with schizophrenia are three to four times as likely to smoke as the general population. People living with mental illness also die prematurely compared to the general population and they and have a disproportionate number of tobacco-attributable deaths. Less than two-thirds of psychiatrists ask about tobacco use and screening for tobacco use is not standard practice in many community-based services for mental health. Despite this, approximately 70% of people living with mental illness who smoke say they would like to quit smoking. This tip sheet offers 7 tips to help your clients quit using tobacco.

5 Simple Ways to Create More Accessible Social Media Content

Principles of accessibility are not limited to physical spaces (such as stairs or curbs) – the same principles apply to online content, including social media sites. If you are using social media as a channel to distribute your research and content, the following are reasons why your social media content should be made accessible: It is easy to do and the right thing to do; This will increase access of your research to people with disabilities; You will be abiding by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In this tip sheet we share with you five simple ways to make your social media posts as widely accessible as possible.

Accessibility 101: A Researcher’s Guide to Making Content Accessible

Accessibility refers to whether a product or service is usable by all regardless of disability status. Principles of accessibility are not limited to physical spaces (such as stairs or curbs) – the same principles apply to websites and public facing documents. There are guidelines to follow to make documents, web pages, presentations, products, and research findings more accessible to people with disabilities. This tip sheet offers an introduction to accessibility and will be followed by tip sheets that focus on specifics.

Ways to Mind Your Mental Health in Challenging Times: Tips for Youth

The isolation that youth and young adults have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted their mental health. This tip sheet offers some ideas and supports that youth and young adults can use to connect with others and help them feel better.

Top Tips for Running a Virtual Advisory Board

In this tip sheet, the iSPARC Stakeholder Engagement Program offers advice on how to run an advisory council virtually. It also talks about some of the benefits of having your council meet virtually.

‘Adulting’ Is Hard: Understanding the College-to-Career Transition and Supporting Young Adults’ Emotional Wellbeing

The transition from college to career includes many challenges, such as adjusting to a professional environment, the high costs of student loan repayment and independent living, and changes in social support networks. Many of these challenges affect a young person’s emotional wellbeing; however, limited attention has been paid in the literature or at the practice level to the emotional wellbeing of college graduates as they transition from college to career. To address this underrecognized issue, investigators from The Jed Foundation (JED), a leading nonprofit organization with a mission to protect the emotional health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults, and the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research (Transitions ACR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical School collaborated on a study to better understand the experiences of young adults during the college-to-career transition and how these experiences effect emotional wellbeing.

Supporting Student-Led Transition Planning for Students with Emotional Disturbance

Young adults with mental health difficulties are capable of successfully engaging in school, training, and employment. The support these individuals receive as they progress through secondary education can help them realize their potential in life after high school. Many times, teachers see different results for these students such as high school drop-out, lower rates of post-secondary education and employment, and even higher rates of involvement with law enforcement, poverty, and homelessness upon their exit from high school; however, with the right information, resources, and determination teachers can make a lasting impact on these students. To help students with emotional disturbance experience post-secondary success, teachers need resources to assist them with planning and preparing for students’ transition from high school into education and training programs and employment in young adulthood. This practice guide will offer practical ways to plan for these students’ successful transition from high school to post-secondary life, which can lead to positive outcomes for students with emotional disturbance.

Incorporating Career and Technical Education in Transition Planning for Students with Emotional Disturbance

Young adults with mental health difficulties are capable of successfully engaging in school, training, and employment. The support these individuals receive as they progress through secondary education can help them realize their potential in life after high school. Many times teachers see different results for these students such as high school drop-out, lower rates of post-secondary education and employment, and even higher rates of involvement with law enforcement, poverty, and homelessness upon their exit from high school (Wagner, Newman, Cameto, & Levine); however, with the right information, resources, and determination teachers can make a lasting impact on these students. To help students with Emotional Disturbance (ED) experience post-secondary success, teachers need resources to assist them with planning and preparing for student transition from high school into education and training programs and employment in young adulthood. This guide will offer practical ways to plan for these students’ successful transition from high school to post-secondary life, which can lead to positive outcomes for students with ED.

Partnering with Community Agencies in Transition Planning for Students with Emotional Disturbance

Young adults with mental health difficulties are capable of successfully engaging in school, training, and employment. The support these individuals receive as they progress through secondary education can help them realize their potential in life after high school. Many times teachers see different results for these students such as high school drop-out, lower rates of post-secondary education and employment, and even higher rates of involvement with law enforcement, poverty, and homelessness upon their exit from high school; however, with the right information, resources, and determination teachers can make a lasting impact on these students. To help students with emotional disturbance (ED) to obtain post-secondary success, teachers need resources to assist them with planning and preparing for students’ transition from high school into education and training programs and employment in young adulthood. This practice guide will offer practical ways to plan for these students’ successful transition from high school to post-secondary life, which can lead to positive outcomes for students with ED.