TETN 32966 Creating a TAG (Transition Action Group) This video is posted online with the following chapter markers: Chapter 1. Introduction - Introduction of Rosemary Alexander, PhD; parent of a child with disabilities & consultant with TX Parent to Parent Chapter 2. Pathways to Adulthood - Pathways to Adulthood - transition planning for families and students with disabilities. Chapter 3. Questions about P2A - Questions about Pathways to Adulthood Chapter 4. Transition Action Group - Elements necessary to create a Transition Action Group Chapter 5. Texas Parent to Parent Website - Brief exploration of Parent to Parent website and online resources TETN 32966 Creating a TAG (Transition Action Group) Transcript [ Start slide: ] [ Background music ] Narrator: Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired Outreach Programs Present TETN# 32966, creating a transition action group, December 9th, 2014. Presented by Rosemary Alexander, PhD. Chapter 1. Introduction [ End slide: ] Kendra: Hello everybody. Thank you for joining us for today's TETN. I am Kendra Dorty. I am usually our AV person here, in the background, but Kate Hurst was not able to join us physically, here today, so I said I would takeover the role of hosting for her. So we'll get started. We have got a lot of information that Rosemary has for us. And we'll kind of get things started with Rosemary and you'll tell us the lineup and how things are going to go for us today. Rosemary: Hello. I am Rosemary Alexander and I am going to talk today, first through the video, about our program here in Texas called Texas Parent to Parent and in particular Pathways to Adulthood. So it is our statewide program that assists families to plan for life after graduation from public school for their children. So we'll start with a video and then when that is over, we had talk more in depth about Transition Action Groups and I would be delighted -- especially it is a small number -- we would be very interactive and have questions and discussion about starting a TAG in your area. Thank you. Chapter 2. Pathways to Adulthood Kendra: Okay. We w'll go ahead and pull up the video and it is about 20 minutes. It will give you a good overview of the pathways to adulthood and then we will go into detail like she said. [ Start video: ] Rosemary: Hello. My name is Rosemary Alexander and I am here today to tell you about a program that is offered statewide to assist families called Pathways to Adulthood. I wear two hats. I am a parent of a young man who is now 32 years old and has significant disabilities. So when I talk about the Pathways to Adulthood, I am using my experience as a parent but I work at Texas Parent to Parent and have worked in Austin school district and other nonprofits so I have picked up a lot of knowledge, experience from workshops and gaining access to a lot of experts over the years. [ Start slide: ] So Texas Parent to Parent is a statewide program. It was created ‑‑ it is a nonprofit that was created by parents about 12 years ago. We provide support, information and education for families of children with disabilities, chronic illness and other special needs. [ End slide: ] This particular program Pathways to Adulthood is a program of Texas Parent to Parent. In 2012, Texas Children's Health Plan in Houston in collaboration our agency Texas parent to parent was awarded a federal grant to fund two projects. One is a medical home learning collaborative out of Houston and the other is our statewide transition program Pathways to Adulthood. Or we call it PTA. [ Start slide: ] And its purpose is to help children and youth with special healthcare needs and their families to build high quality of life after graduation from public school. [ End slide: ] So as we consider the subject of transition, we outlined a set of objectives, or projects that we followed through on over the last two and a half years. The first was to collect information from local, state and across the country on the basics of transition, information every family needs to have and also models for building a good life. [ Start slide: ] We also are offering one to one support and information to families and we are promoting a concept called transition action groups or TAGs. We are also providing one day workshops around the state and working on a project to train facilitators for planning and building networks. And finally, we are providing tons of transition information at our annual conference each year that Texas parent to parent puts on. [ End slide: ] So I would like to tell you a little bit more detail about each of these projects. The first one is collecting information on the basics of transition. And this is what we define as the facts, the basics that really every family should have at their fingertips when their child reaches age 18. Some of the information that we provide on the basics of transition. [ Start slide: ] All the services and supports that are available to adults, that is people with disabilities after age 18 such as SSI, Medicaid, SSDI, Medicaid waivers and other long‑term supports from the state, DADS, and DARS. Employment assistance. [ End slide: ] So we have looked at each of the ways that families can help their child have funding and services for the long haul. Then we also have studied and have information on transition in public schools. So we encouraging families to learn how the use the public school years to the maximum benefit for their child's life after graduation. We also talk about legal issues and that means at age 18, families need to consider the fact their child has become legally an adult and does this child need guardianship or, an alternative, or nothing? How does each family handle legal assistance for their child. And also financial planning and that involves estate planning so that a child, an adult ,remains able to be eligible for public funding. And finally, we focus healthcare transition and that means at age 18, that families need to figure out how to get adult service providers in the medical field, how to finance medical issues, and have a voice in their child's medical issues after age 18. We have collected information on building models for a good life. [ Start slide: ] We have found tools to help families create work opportunities, a positive home and networks and social supports. [ End slide: ] Truly we have searched for the best models here and are basing our concepts and models on a creative, collaborative approach to work, home and support ‑‑ networks of support. So how do we share this information? All this information that we have been finding and putting together? So first, we have a website. [ Start slide: ] txp2p.org and you click on pathways to adulthood and we have tried to put most of the information that we have acquired, accumulated, directly on that website plus links to outstanding other websites across the world. The country. [ End slide: ] We have created how tos and put them on the website. How-tos concerning work, home, and networks of support. We have also created workshops across the state, from far east and far west, the tip of Texas, from Corpus to the Dallas area, doing statewide workshops where we present on all of these topics. We have talked to other conferences and have now started a series of webinars. You can always do to our website and check on what our current list of topics and dates is. [ Start slide: ] We can also help families one to one. We are always welcoming phone calls and e‑mails directly to our office to talk about issues, either with a family or professional. And we have a list serve. [ End slide: ] We offer one to one support and information from our office. So any professional or parent from around Texas is welcome to call us or e‑mail us with specific transition questions and issues. [ Start slide: ] And we try the help parents through decisions that they have to make. We provide them information and advice, referrals. We often get calls about SSI and SSDI and try to work with parents on applying for those supports. We try to reassure parents that they are not alone. [ End slide: ] That even though transition is hard, it is something that we have gotten through and that we can give them that emotional support to get through. [ Start slide: ] So you are welcome to call this number or this e‑mail address and also you can register at txp2p.org. [ End slide: ] So we also have created local groups called TAGs, transition action groups. A transition action group is a small group of parents and we are thinking maybe three to ten parents who agree to get together on a regular basis. So that might be once a month or once every two months. Even more often. And the group provides one another with emotional support about transition. So this would be a group of parents who are very concerned about their transition issues. [ Start slide: ] And then we encourage the group to go through a transition inventory and identify specific goals that they would like the work on, say within one year's time. They share these goals with one another and then each gets encouragement from the whole group to work on and accomplish those goals. [ End slide: ] So one big part of TAGs is to help identify a goal and then help the individual carry out that goal. So it might be something like a parent who has put off doing the legal work to get a will in place and so the group might help them locate a lawyer. They also, as a group, are looking for shared goals. So the parents involved may decide they need a way to provide social opportunities for their children. So maybe they start a group for their kids that meets once a week or once a month. It might end up that some of the parents build a collaborative home for their children or work situation for their children together. And even learn how to do networks of support together. They can gain information so the group can invite a speaker to come and talk about something that is of common interest. [ Start slide: ] The group can collaborate with schools and professionals to work on transition issues. And share their ideas about building networks and long‑term supports and plans. And celebrate victories. [ End slide: ] It would be a group of parents who help through the process of transition. If you are interested in this concept, we can support you through our Austin office to build a little local group. [ Start slide: ] First, we have a curriculum for monthly meetings and so we can share with you topics that the group might delve into and ways approach different topics. The group can always call us. Someone can call for questions that might have come up within the group. We will assist out of our office and also eager to help with webinars and conference calls. We also will give each PTA or each TAG a free registration to our annual conference. [ End slide: ] And we are glad for professionals to be involved in this. So for instance, we are supporting a TAG that is for a transition coordinator for a particular district. We are glad to have individual professionals help that group get started, provide a work space, meeting space and continuity. So we welcome TAGs in any form. We are also providing one day workshops around the state so if you are interested in hosting us to do a one day workshop where you are, I can tell you that these workshops are about five hours long. [ Start slide: ] We are doing them usually on a week day often on a Friday. We bring in the presenters, the lunch. We also have an excellent website and collection of all kinds of resources that we handout. Extensive resource notebook. We ask at your end you provide a site and also help with local publicity. [ End slide: ] So getting the word out to your own constituency and any help you can provide with food or transportation costs. So we are eager to do more of these workshops all across Texas. And here is what the PTA workshops look like for a day. We start with a discussion of the emotional hurdles that families face as they approach their child's transition to adulthood. Half of our day is on the basics of transition that I have already talked about, the issues that face every family. [ Start slide: ] And then the second half of the day is on quality of life issues, where is my child going to live, work and find friends and supports? And we are the speakers, try to involve parents in discussion and thinking, in talking together. We promote planning and collaboration through these workshops. [ End slide: ] But what we found is the biggest benefit really is from the feedback we get from families is that they leave with a nuisance of hope about to put for their child. Another project is that we are looking for ways to promote planning sessions for families and networks of support. [ Start slide: ] We are planning to provide training for network and planning facilitators and set up a program whereby families, on a fee based model, hire an individual to come into their lives, their home, their place and start a network for their child. And then also to lead person centered planning sessions. [ End slide: ] Just to tell you a little bit about networks, personal networks come out of Vancouver [ Start slide: ] In an organization called PLAN. Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network. This organization started in 1989 in Vancouver and really does it right in so many different arenas of life for adults with disabilities. Here is a quote from their website, which is plan.ca. "It is a membership based nonprofit organization established by and for families committed to ensuring the safety, security and well‑being of our relatives with disabilities." [ End slide: ] So I encourage you to go to this website. They are looking at ways to sustain a good life for adults with disabilities even when their parents are no longer able to help. The key and foundation to this work is building personal networks. From their website. [ Start slide: ] Personal networks are groups "of like minded, caring and committed people who join together in a relationship with your relative, other family members and each other. Once up and running, the network bridges the gap between living on the edge of a community and being a full and active participant in that community." [ End slide: ] So we believe very strongly in this concept of building networks of support for individuals with disabilities and are looking for ways to distribute that concept, that model across Texas. Another thing that our organization is doing, the PTA program within Texas Parent to Parent is providing transition information at our annual conference. So this coming conference will be in San Marcos. [ Start slide: ] On June 12th and 13th of 2015. And I call it the premier parent conference in Texas. But many professionals attend also. It is two days of topics across the board for all ages and all disabilities but our program PTA does two full days on transition. At the conference there is also child care and then two full days of teen advocacy training. Registration will open in March at our website txp2p.org. [ End slide: ] We have also started providing one day workshops around the state and will be doing several in the spring. One in the Dallas area and one in the valley. And again, these are workshops for all ages and all disabilities, all topics. But our sessions will be on transition. So if I have caught your interest with a description of our pathways to adulthood program, I have here a list of some of the things or ways that you might become involved if you are interest is transition. So one would be to help your families that you work with or fellow families to start a TAG, a transition action group. And so we will be so pleased to hear from you and we would love to help you start a small group of parents in your area who are focused on transition. You can also check in with our txp2p.org website periodically and there you will find all of our webinars, transitions, workshops and also you can join the transition list serve. So if you register at txp2p.org then you can join various list serves and one is focused on transition. [ Start slide: ] You can also host a one day PTA workshop in your area so get in touch with us if you have that interest and we can work with you on finding a date, a place and an agenda for a day. And then come to our annual conference. Or help your families come to our annual conference. [ End slide: ] We often get funding from the ESCs around the state to help us pay for family scholarships to the conference. We would love to hear from you if you are interested in paying for registration for families. I would like to end with a concept of hope. This is our vision for the future for adults with disabilities in Texas. Many adults do not live a good life but we are holding on to this vision and then working toward it through our program. And this is our vision. [ Start slide: ] That every adult with a disability in Texas will have access to appropriate services and supports. Will have transition to work, to social and recreational opportunities. Will have appropriate medical care. And will have work, work in a supportive and fulfilling community setting. [ End slide: ] [ Start slide: ] And that every adult with a disability in Texas will live in a home that maximizes their personal preferences and provides supports as needed. That each person will be surrounded by people who understand and honor that person's communication. And be surrounded by people who appreciate that person's talents, strengths and shares with them laughter and delight. [ End slide: ] So those are high ideals and all we can do is keep working, family by family and area by area cross Texas through pathways to adulthood and also collaborate with other groups, education service centers, the same thing like TSBVI, anywhere we can find willing collaborators, we are so happy the share what we know and gain from what you know and work together to bring about this vision for Texas. So if I have jogged your interest in some way with any of these ideas or ways the help families, we would love to hear about it. Get in touch with us, come to our website, give us a call, e‑mail and let us know how you would like to be involved in our Pathways to Adulthood program. [ End video: ] Chapter 3. Questions about Pathways to Adulthood Kendra: We got a lot of information in that video. That kind of led us to how things work in that organization. Are there any questions specific to Rosemary on this part? Dan, Muleshoe ISD. My question would be, how do you network parents together whenever confidentiality is involved? You can't give a parent's name to another parent. Kendra: Confidentiality. Rosemary: Confidentiality. So I would always recommend in a school district that the teacher send out a notice of some sort to each parent of their students in their classroom. As a starting point. Perhaps invite each parent, each family to attend an event of some sort, an informational meeting, a party, somewhere where their children will perform or do something to show off. And so you can start the ball rolling and avoid the confidentiality issue by sending an invitation to each of the families in your classroom. Or in your school or your district. And get them together and then have them sign something at that point like an interest list, or their e-mail addresses, phone numbers, or contact information some way and then they can talk to each other and to you and work together to start a group. Does that help? Greg: Yes. It takes me awhile to find the mute button but, yes, thank you. Rosemary: Okay. Thank you. Kendra: That was a great question. Rosemary: It is a starting point. Any other questions ‑‑ David: This is David Wiley from TSBVI. I was just thinking about family organizations that I am aware of where the group is really multigenerational. With families of little kids, teens, young adults and even older adults. I always field like having people in different stages of life, networking together is an excellent thing. So I was wondering if you would see a role in the transition action groups in trying to capture people who may not just be in a window of transition? Rosemary: Absolutely. I think all of tools we are trying to describe and share with you are especially important in general for those important transition years. So that is where people are struggling. I talked to so many parents whose child is approaching age 18 and they are so overwhelmed and freaked out and anxious and afraid so our first focus is really getting people ready for age 18 and the decisions to be made at that point and get ready for the big drop off when school services go away and there is nothing for a child to do, no supports or opportunities unless we build them. But it is just a model. It is just a concept and so truly, it could be any age from zero to 100. Getting parents together to collaborate or getting parents and professionals together to collaborate and work for whatever issue is of concern to that group. So, certainly, 40 year olds have issues with employment, housing, friendship, activities. So there is no reason that you couldn't start a group that is multi‑aged or focused on other issues. So I am all for it. Is there something else? David: Well, to follow‑up on that. Harkening back to the last question when were you talking about sending out information to the families. Would you -- would you send that out sort of across the board and maybe invite families of younger kids when you invite the transition age kids along to join in as well? Rosemary: Well, I am not promoting segregation here. I don't -- Of course you can always do whatever works. But I do see that the issues on transition are unique to parents whose children are about 12, 13, 14 and up. That that really focuses their anxiety and their interest level and I think you can talk about transition and have transition groups in elementary school or even earlier but the issues look slightly different to families, you know, in that range. And the one problem I see sometimes is that we who are more experienced parents scare the folks whose children are really young. And so yes and no. I really like the idea of say a younger group having a panel come visit them with parents of older children so you have a controlled way of presenting the information. You could give topics like, how have you successfully used your school years, so your child is graduating with a job, or a life. So having ways to bring in the experience of older parents is very useful. I love parent panels for any group that wants to learn more about the parent perspective and the issues. So I guess I am giving you an in between answer here that I would never say don't do something or don't try something. So you are always try it, see if it works. But I really do see that parents have different emotional hurdles when their children are in elementary and early middle school years, and that changes dramatically in latter middle school and through high school. There comes a different feel to the pace and the urgency and the anxiety that may need to be addressed in different ways. Does that work? David: Yeah, yeah. I totally agree with you. Thanks a lot. Rosemary: Sure. Thank you. Are there any other questions in general? What I would like to do ‑‑ is there another question? Yes, what were the dates of that San Marcos annual conference again? June? Rosemary: June 12th and 13th. It is always on a Friday and a Saturday in San Marcos. So that is our annual statewide conference and we have been having about 500 of ten these days so it is a pretty big conference. The majority is parents but we always have quite a few professionals present also. And we also love to have you out there to present and we are really doing the call for proposals right now. They are due in about a week and a half. So the conference is all day Friday and Saturday with child care for children under 12 and then a teen summit or teen workshop going on for everybody over 12 for two solid days led by someone from ESC 13 that really teaches advocacy skills to young adults -- and teens. And it is just a wonderful event. On Friday night we have a family evening where we have all the families, members are there, the adults, the parents, the children and we have entertainment for kids and a big meal together. So it -- so it is really an experience for parents maybe for the first time where they can be with a large group of parents to find other that's they bond with, that they are totally comfortable with. No matter what behavior your child might have. We are all in it together. Then there are two days of topics across the board, like autism, behavioral issues, school issues, funding issues and our piece, the transition for two solid days of speakers. So it does cost but, we are finding lots of ways to help families with the registration costs. Does that do it for ‑‑ all right. Good. Any other general questions? Chapter 4. Transition Action Group So we would like the use the rest of the time to talk more specifically about Transition Action Groups. It is a concept that we came up with a couple of years ago and we have had three or four groups to follow through with it as examples. So I can speak from I guess you say limited experience in helping ‑‑ in leading transition action groups and helping others get started. The first one I did was with the staff members at Texas Parent to Parent. And began with the first meeting on the emotions related to transition. I always ask the question, when I say the word transition, what emotions come up for a parent? We ended up spending the first four or five meetings on the emotions related to transition. It was kind of a surprise. But we continued by using first an inventory. So this is located at our website, txp2p.org. Go to Pathways to Adulthood. There is a transition inventory there and we had each member of the TAG do their own transition inventory and it is actually lengthy about five or six pages long. It brings up every issue related to transition, and it gives you a chance to say I have done it, I don't need to do back there or I am not process or I need to get this started. And then we asked each member of the group to identify one to three goals for what they really wanted to accomplish this year. And that is public information within the group. So the next time you meet, you say, so Joan, how did you do on getting started with your application for SSI? So the point is that we all know each other's goals for that year regarding transition and everybody in the group helps the individual members of the group. So if everybody felt like I don't know what to do about guardianship, the group could decide to have a guardianship lawyer come and speak for instance or somebody on one of services or whatever issue. It's also a great way for schools to be involved with parents and maybe the special ed director would be welcome to a meeting like that to talk about what options are available in your school district. And then another thing we have done in those groups is actually give an individual person maybe half of a meeting and go around the group so that everybody has their time in the light and really brainstorm where their child is headed. It is kind of like person centered planning. We don't have the child there but we really help that parent brainstorm, what is the main issue, what is your current most pressing issue and how can we help you get ideas to get started tackling that issue? Some other things that a group like this could do, there is this book out of PLAN. I talked about PLAN in Vancouver, the parent organization out of Vancouver and there is a book out of that organization called A Good Life by Al Etmanski. E-T-M-A-N-S-K-I. And what if the whole group gets that book and everybody reads it or in some way shares the process of absorbing the information of that book. So that would be sort of like a study group or a book group that would be another way to handle say a year of meetings for this group. So -- one, the purpose of these TAGs is to have a way to help each member of the group accomplish their goals. A lot of families really get stuck in the process of moving forward and learning how to get going with transition and how to face the issues ahead of them. But then I think I mentioned in the video that the other purpose of a TAG might be for the group to look for shared goals. So it is really a group of parents saying, how can we help each other as a group? So it might be how can we all set up as I talked about a social opportunity? I think TAGs are based on our best model of parent to parent support. I know in my own life, I -- I've really benefited the most from my friends and colleagues that are parents and I think always that sense that I am not alone. I am not crazy actually. I thought I was but I am not crazy, it is really a hard road to go down and that is what makes me feel like I am crazy but I am not. That is what parent to parent support can really do. It brings parents to the sense of I am being supported, being heard and being guided by more experienced parents and I am sharing the emotions that maybe I am afraid to show in other circumstances. So some of the ways ‑‑ so most of you, I believe, are ESC ‑‑ or TSBVI people or school people, at local schools. So just some suggestions on how to get started with something like this, first would I get in touch with us at Texas Parent to Parent. E‑mail, call, however you want to do it. And we would start by sending you our how to for a TAG. It is just about six pages but it really outlines a wide variety of topics that a group could plow through during a year's time. We also would be available to meet or talk, you know, by phone or whatever method with specific issues about leading a group or our questions that come up within the group. I think that -- you need a core group of parents. So say you work in a school district and you have two or three parents that you know are both very concerned about transition and also have some leadership qualities or some initiative that you know would help get a group started and keep it going. But they are going to need an avenue provided by the professionals. So as I said earlier, maybe sending out an invitational letter and saying everybody meet at this time and this place and we will have a potluck or we will have spaghetti or door prizes, we will have child care, whatever you think would work. And we are going to talk about transition and then how the school district can help parents organize the group to follow‑up on their transition issues. That might be a way to get started. Just invite parents in and say, "are you worried about transition? Are you worried about your child's future? Have you thought about your child's life after graduation? If so, come to this organizational meeting". And see who shows up. But I think it takes at least three or four people to make a group that would work. And then there is ‑‑ I think there is a max as well. Like ten, 12 ‑‑ I know of one group in San Antonio that is has had up to 15 but you can imagine how hard it would be to give each person the individual attention they might want at some point if there is too big of a group. So I would encourage in that case to have the group break off into a sec -- another group. I know that when I speak to school folks, their issues really getting parents there, that parents are very snowed under by their role as parent of a child with special needs, as well as all the other life demands. So really just getting somebody engaged in a group is probably the biggest hurdle. And that is why I mentioned things like child care and any incentive that you could get to bring people together and get them hooked. Get them really interested and maybe settle for a group that is three, four, five people and maybe it would grow as over time. The group in San Antonio got started because we came there, Texas Parent to Parent, Pathways to Adulthood came to San Antonio and did a workshop and a bunch of the parents who attended the workshop started talking during the lunch or break time and all discovered they had these concerns and so having an event got them together to organize and start a TAG. So maybe having some either us come and do a workshop or having some other organized event that will empower parents and give them information, something that they feel like they would really benefit by coming to and that way you get them started attending. I know I used to work for the school district Austin ISD and I know that parents were pretty interested and motivated to come if they knew they had a shot at their special ed director or staff. And you could say, please come and tell us what we are doing right and how we can work together and how we can improve things. But some initial event that gets parents there and then see if you can get it started. So there are questions at this point? We just have a few more minutes. Eva: Rosemary, this is Eva. Yeah, one thing that comes to mind in organizing getting parents together is especially for our students with visual impairments is through DARS, through DBS, they do a lot of events and it maybe we could get them involved and pulling families together. That is just another thought. And another point I wanted to make -- Rosemary: Great point. Eva: One other thing I just wanted to share because I have gone to many of your workshops and to the big conference and have learned so much, you know, that we have brought to our profession, but I did want to say that ‑‑ and I am kind of losing my train of thought here but, how important these events are for the professionals as well as the parents because I think that is the part that we have to bridge and so I have appreciated all that you have shared through your TETNs, your webinars. Rosemary: Thank you. Eva: And I would encourage those in the profession to take part in these as well. Rosemary: Great. Eva: And the other thing too, is that when you are looking at doing a TAG group, I know right now you are speaking to professionals in the VI field but the TAG groups that we have tried to get started don't just have to be our VI families. So if that is part of the problem is getting enough together, just think about having a group where it is a range of disabilities. So just some observations. Appreciate you. Rosemary: Good point. And would I say who would join a group like that, the main thing I think is that they be in close enough proximity that they could get to a meeting. And it could be any whatever age range you want to establish and whatever disabilities. So sometimes there are a lot of autism groups that really like to bond. But I think it is great to have groups with a wide variety of disabilities because really the issues are basically the same, the transition issues remain the same no matter what the disability is. So, in a way it is just finding a core group of interested parents, regardless of the age of their child or of the disabilities. And I really think that professionals can play a very important role in this. Because it is very hard for a volunteer to keep a group like this going. But maybe your goal to have it for one year, but if you want it for longevity, you might need to investment with a professional to help with publicity and a place to meet and that sort of structural help. And I will throw in one more thing that if you are interested in getting the parent perspective in your organization, wherever you are, I think the very best way to do it is invite a group to speak to the professionals. So if you are in a school district or whatever you are setting, invite two, three, or four parents. Maybe some's child is 14, 18, 20. Somebody has already left the school district in the last few years and ask -- ask a few basic questions and get that kind of feedback for your program because I think parents will be very honest and really excited to be able to share their experience. It is a great way for the professionals to learn more from the parents that they have served. Kendra: I am going to chime in just a little bit too because you mentioned also when you are working with the groups and with the families, having one of those criteria be the location and being close together and I would agree, but I also being in this little field of technology that we deal with, there are lots of great resources online or the Google hang outs or free software, where that is ideal when you are looking for a group of five to six to, you know, you kind of talked about that peak of how large and if you are staying within that TAG kind of numbers, the five or six, there are plenty of software, even people's phones, their capabilities to meet up and have those conversations or to have that into it. And I know there are a lot of things with face to face and being able to communicate but where those issues or hurdles, don't forget about that-- Rosemary: There are so many parts of Texas where rural areas, students are really spread out across the spaces and/or it is downtown Houston, you know, very hard to get from point A to point B. So I think that is a very important point. I like your idea. There are so many ways now to get together electronically. Chapter 5. Texas Parent to Parent Website Kendra: We have a few more minutes. Were there any other questions out there that you have for Rosemary? Rosemary: Do you want the talk about our website for just a minute? Kendra: Yeah, we have ‑‑ Rosemary: Do we have time for it? Kendra: Yeah, we got five -- The video is five minutes. And we have got just about five so I might cut it off just a little bit. But it will give you a sense of a little bit of the website. Rosemary: So we made a video of me talking about Texas parents to parent to adulthood video, er, website. [ Start video: ] Rosemary: So here's is a chance to familiarize yourself with our website. You start with the home page at Texas Parent to Parent, and click on Pathways to Adulthood. Here is a picture of some of our youth at our annual conference, having a lot of fun. First we describe as I have already done the ways that we can help through our pathways to adulthood program. And then at the bottom is a list of topics. And this is where we have tried the place everything that we know about transition so we start with planning for the future and the emotional hurdles of transition and this helps families to realize it is a natural process to go through anxiety and worry as your child is growing up. There are some articles and ideas there. And then we also have something on person centered planning here and a transition inventory that we have created at pathways to adulthood so this is a great start for families to look at what they are doing now and ways that they might want to create goals for the future. And services and supports. This is the lengthy area where we have put a little bit on every major topic and then links to helpful websites. So we have a chart that is an overview of Texas State wide health and human services commission agencies. We have lengthy information on SSI, on SSDI, Medicaid, Medicaid waiver programs, DADS, offices and DARS and then some on low income assistance. So we hope this is a place where you can sort out what all these programs mean and start steering families towards the funding sources they need. We have got a section here on using the school years for transition with some ideas about transition in school. Some articles and some websites. So encourage families to get the most out of their years in school. Legal issues and this is for some families whose child is just turned 18 or about the turn 18. And they face the question of guardianship, whether or not to get guardianship and other alternatives to guardianship, whether it is needed or not. So this is a very difficult area for families. And I encourage you to learn a little bit here and then go to some of these websites. And then we also include a little bit on estate planning and that would be where you look at what a child might inherit or gain from other sources and how it would impact their eligibility for public funding and ways to shelter those funds. Then healthcare transition is a section where families can get help with three major issues around transition in healthcare. And one is the age of majority and the fact that a family can't access their child's records after age 18 unless they set up another way to do it. How to find adult medical providers and how to pay for medical services in the adult system. Then finally, we have a section called life after graduation, and this is where we really look at those quality of life issues, including employment, post-secondary learning, and other ways to spend a day, or a week, in meaningful activities, building collaborative homes, and building networks of support. So this is where we've put all that we find on these topics, with links to outstanding websites. So, I hope, even though I did not answer questions on these particular topics in this talk, you will go to the website here, and get a little more information about the things you might have questions about, thank you. [ End video: ] Rosemary: I encourage you please use our website. Please invite us to your area to do a workshop and absolutely get in touch with us with questions and certainly if you are interested in starting a transition action group in your area we would love to hear from you. Thanks so much for tuning in today. Appreciate it. Kendra: Thank you. You all have a good winter break.