Kat’s Corner: My Transition Program In this Kat’s Corner, Kat shares her experience participating in a transition program that allowed her to take college classes while continuing to receive school-based supports. She reflects on preparing for college, continuing services such as orientation and mobility (O&M) and assistive technology, building relationships with people who supported her, and becoming more independent. You can read Kat’s story from beginning to end or use the section headings to explore the parts that are most relevant to you.
Kat’s experience is just one example of what transition to college can look like. Not every student will have access to a program like Kat’s, and transition services vary by school district and state. If your school does not offer a similar program, there may be other ways to build these skills and prepare for your next step. At the end of Kat’s story, you will find questions you can ask your school, family, or support team to help you explore the options available.
Why Transition Programs Matter When I was in middle school, I remember a specific day so vividly. On this particular day, I was playing badminton with my aide in the hallway. She was supporting me because I was struggling. While we were playing, we started talking about another student whom I knew and talked to, who had already graduated from the middle school and had been in high school for a little while. Let’s call this student Maya.
We were discussing how Maya would eventually be in a transition program, more specifically, the district transition center. I remember wondering what that meant and asking how long Maya could stay in the program and continue receiving services after high school. My aide explained that Maya could stay until she was 22. At the time, I didn’t really understand what that meant. I was only 13, but I remember thinking, ‘I wonder if there’s a program where students can go to college, take classes on an actual college campus, and still receive support and services from their school district.’
I didn’t think something like that existed, or at least I didn’t know of anything like it at the time.
Fast forward to high school. I was pretty fortunate to have a wonderful high school life with so much support, but I still had this lingering anxiety about what my college life would actually look like. I knew I was capable, and I knew I valued education. But I just didn’t know how it would all happen.
I knew I wasn’t ready to move away and live on my own, and transportation was a big barrier. My mom couldn’t drive at the time, my dad was always working, and obviously, me driving was probably not the best idea. I didn’t live close enough to a train or bus stop, and even when I looked into affordable or discounted Uber options, they didn’t really work unless I could first get close to a bus or train stop.
I knew I wanted to continue my education, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it work.
Then I learned about the transition program at my high school and found out that I could take classes at my local community college while continuing to receive the supports I needed. Suddenly, everything started to make sense.
My services, including orientation and mobility (O&M), vision, and assistive technology support, didn’t end. They continued. I also had stable transportation and staff from my school district who were on campus to support me throughout the day. They could help with anything and everything under the sun.
By my second or third week of starting my college journey and being in the program, I realized this was exactly what I had been imagining when I was 13.
Getting Ahead of the Game Something that made my transition program stand out from the very beginning was that before my first official semester started, I was able to enroll in a college class for credit on campus, connect with the district staff, meet a professor from the college, and have district staff come onto the campus to support and help me while a college professor taught. I truly felt like I was getting ahead of the game.
Most importantly, I was able to get comfortable and get the lay of the land of the college campus. District transportation took me to campus every day, and with the support of the staff, I was able to tour the campus, become familiar with the main campus building where most of my classes would be, and get my college ID.
I was also able to meet with the college’s disability accommodations office and schedule an appointment to get my accommodations in place before the semester started.
Then, in August, before classes officially started, the transition program gave me four days of orientation to help me prepare for the semester. During those four days, I was able to get my textbooks, find my classes, send out my accommodation letters, and make sure everything was ready for the first day of school.
The transition staff also gave me a checklist of everything that had to be done, including ordering textbooks, sending out accommodation letters, finding my classes, and taking care of anything else that I needed.
The consistent support throughout this process made everything much less overwhelming. Instead of having to figure everything out on my own when the semester began, I had already experienced the environment, understood what was expected of me, and prepared for what was ahead.
This was exactly what I needed to get a jump-start on my college life before my first official semester even started.
The Supports That Did Not End Throughout all my school years, I’ve always had a group of people who supported me by providing different services, including O&M, vision support, assistive technology, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
Specifically in high school, there was an office in my county that included O&M specialists and vision teachers who supported students with visual impairments. Along with that, the special education department at my high school had an occupational therapist and a physical therapist who worked with me.
Over the years, I got to know many of these people very well. I became especially familiar with the staff in the O&M and vision office because I worked with different teachers and specialists from that office throughout my school years.
When I learned that I would be part of my district’s transition program while attending college, I found out that I would still have access to many of these same supports. Not only could I continue receiving occupational and physical therapy support from the high school if I needed it, but, most importantly, I would still have access to my O&M and vision teachers.
Because these teachers supported students throughout the district, they could continue working with me and come to my college campus when I needed their support.
This meant that some of the people I had worked with from elementary school through high school could continue working with me when I went to college. That was such a unique and fortunate opportunity.
I was also able to reconnect with teachers I had worked with at different points throughout my school years. They already knew how I learned and were familiar with the accommodations and services I needed. Instead of having to start over with an entirely new group of professionals, I was able to continue working with people I already knew and trusted.
Along with O&M and vision support, I also continued receiving assistive technology support from a teacher who was part of the district. She would come to campus and help me with practically anything related to technology. She helped make sure my computer was fully accessible, helped me find successful ways to access materials for my classes, and worked with me whenever an assignment or other material was not accessible.
The best part of all of this was that I didn’t have to go somewhere else to receive these supports. These teachers and specialists came directly to my college campus and scheduled times during the week to meet with me around my class schedule.
Having the same support team continue to work with me throughout my transition from high school to college made the transition feel much less overwhelming.
The Significance of O&M One of the most significant supports that continued into college was O&M. Throughout high school, my O&M teacher would come to my resource or study hall class and work with me on navigating different areas of the school building. However, most of our work focused on planning and taking trips within the community.
When I realized that I could continue receiving O&M support during my college experience, I knew it was wonderful, but I didn’t fully understand just how fortunate I was or how much more I would be able to do.
My O&M teachers helped me become familiar with my college campus, including navigating outside the buildings, crossing intersections around campus, and learning new routes. Whenever I had a new class for the semester or a class was moved to a different building that I had never been to before, they could help me learn how to get there.
One of the biggest benefits of continuing O&M support in college was the opportunity to work on skills outside of school. Being in college gave me much more flexibility with my schedule, which meant my O&M teacher could help me practice traveling in places and situations that I had not been able to work on before.
One of the things I am especially grateful for is that I was finally able to get more exposure to trains and buses. In high school, I did not have as many opportunities to use public transportation, but college gave me more chances to practice and become comfortable with it.
I was able to interview for a paratransit card, and the O&M instructor I had reconnected with took a trip with me during winter break to help me complete the interview process. She helped me understand and complete the different steps that were required.
Having access to paratransit also introduced me to other transportation options that I had not used before. Through paratransit, I was able to learn about services such as Dial-A-Ride and rideshare programs.Learning about these different options gave me more ways to travel independently.
Because I had more time and flexibility during college, we were able to take many more trips, especially trips involving trains. Taking the train was one of the things I struggled with the most and found the most stressful. However, after taking several trips and practicing how everything worked, I became much more comfortable. By the third or fourth time, I felt like I had a much better understanding of the process. Now, I can say that I am much more open to taking the train than I was before.
We were also able to take trips that I had never experienced before. For example, I had never been to an airport, so I was able to take a trip to the airport and learn how to navigate the different parts of traveling there.
Through the O&M services provided through the county office, I also had opportunities to take trips with other O&M teachers and their students. This was especially meaningful because I was able to reconnect with O&M instructors and vision teachers whom I had met and worked with at different points throughout my childhood and school years. I was also able to meet other students with visual impairments and talk with them about their experiences.
These experiences helped me become more independent in ways that went far beyond simply getting around my college campus. I became more comfortable taking Ubers by myself and even began practicing some evening travel with my O&M instructor.
Another part of my O&M experience that I am especially grateful for was being able to practice traveling within my own neighborhood.This was something I had never really done before. One of the biggest examples was learning how to safely cross a very busy and chaotic intersection on the way to my local Target. My O&M teacher worked with me to practice crossing the intersection and walking the route to Target. Something as simple as being able to walk to a store in my own neighborhood became an important step toward independence.
Looking back, I realize that O&M was about much more than learning how to navigate a college campus. It gave me opportunities to explore my community, learn how to use public transportation, travel to unfamiliar places, and become more confident doing things independently.
The continuation of this support during college allowed me to experience things I had never had the opportunity to do before and helped me realize that my independence could continue to grow far beyond what I had imagined.
So Much More Than a Support Person: Kelli As I began settling into my college experience, one person in particular became an important part of my journey.
Before my second semester of my first year of college, I learned that I would have to work with a new paraprofessional, and I ended up being paired with Kelli. Before officially working with her, I had already had a few really kind interactions with Kelli here and there, from warmly greeting me to complimenting my shoes.
Then, in January, during orientation before the second semester, I actually got a chance to fully connect with her. I remember sitting at a table and finishing my checklist of things I had to get done when she came up to me and officially introduced herself. Almost immediately, she asked me what helped me in regard to my vision, which really caught my attention.
While we were sitting at the table, something happened that caused us to start laughing hysterically. We started making random jokes about some kind of meme character, and no matter what the other person said, we would start laughing all over again. We were supposed to be having a formal introduction, but instead, we were just having fun. From that very moment, I had a feeling that Kelli and I would get along really well. I just had no idea to what extent yet.
On one day in particular, we were walking toward the back of the library for our normal check-in. I was carrying a metal water bottle in my hand when, suddenly, I walked straight into a big pillar in the middle of the library. My water bottle hit it first, making the loudest sound. It felt like the entire library had gone quiet.
As soon as it happened, Kelli and I burst out laughing. While we were walking, she asked, “Are you okay?” right in the middle of laughing, which only made us laugh harder. That was where our inside jokes started. From that day forward, whenever Kelli and I were walking around campus and there was something in my way, we would both yell, “PILLAR!” at the same time.
As we spent more time together, Kelli became someone I knew I could go to for just about anything. She helped me with assignments, accessibility issues, navigating campus, meetings, and appointments, but she also made everything feel fun and not so serious. I could briefly mention something I was struggling with, and she would already be looking up resources and trying to help. I could tell she was always looking for ways to make my life a little easier and make things more accessible, and I noticed that. Somehow, no matter what we were doing, we usually ended up laughing about something.
I could also be completely honest with her. If a joke didn’t land well, I could respectfully ask her not to say it or tell her how I felt about something, and she would understand. We could also just sit in silence while doing our work. She could help me when I needed it, but sometimes we would simply sit in each other’s presence. It felt calm and comfortable.
I felt like Kelli always met me with the same energy I was in, so I never felt like I was going through anything alone. College could feel overwhelming at times, especially being on such a large campus and managing so many new adult responsibilities. Having someone who made me feel seen and supported meant a lot.
What stood out to me was how she could respect me as an adult while still giving me that feeling of being cared for and looked after. Whether she was helping me with an assignment, filling out paperwork with me, or walking me through the entire onboarding process for my first official job, she was always there.
Kelli also knew when to laugh with me. If something embarrassing happened because of my vision, she never made me feel bad about it. Instead, she would laugh with me and bring good energy to the situation. I appreciated that because sometimes, all I want is for people to laugh with me. It makes me feel less different.
Words could never fully express how grateful I am for her. I believe that to be loved is to be known, and Kelli has gotten to know so much of me, including the real and sometimes messy parts. She had my back even when I was wrong. She made everything feel fun, safe, real, and comfortable. She was present for the little things, the difficult things, the embarrassing things, and the moments that mattered most.
I didn’t have a grandma figure in my life, but in many ways, Kelli was the closest thing I had to one, and I never took the comfort and care she gave me for granted.
Three Years of Exactly What I Needed My transition program gave me the time and space to learn what college was like without having to figure everything out all at once.
I had a place where I could learn, make mistakes, ask questions, and slowly grow into the person I wanted to become. I was able to take college classes, learn how to navigate campus, travel to places I had never been before, complete observation and volunteer hours for my classes, and begin preparing for employment, all while having people around me who understood what I needed.
The program recognized that being successful in college was about more than simply passing classes. It was also about learning how to manage stress, communicate, travel, advocate for myself, build relationships, and become more comfortable doing things on my own.
One of the things that helped with this was a class we had every Friday called College Stress Management. It was an outside class where all of the students and staff could come together. We learned different strategies for managing stress, taking care of ourselves, and developing better habits as college students.
But it became more than just another class. It was a place where we could check in with one another, talk about what was going on, laugh together, and simply have a space where we did not have to pretend that everything was always easy.
The program also connected me with mental health support that I might not have found on my own. My case manager recognized that I was struggling and noticed that I could benefit from having someone outside of the program to talk to. Through a partnership between the transition program and an outside organization, I was able to receive therapy at no cost. Getting connected with a therapist became a game changer for me. Having someone I could talk to regularly and work through things with gave me another layer of support while I was navigating college, independence, and so many other changes in my life.
When I look back, I also realize that the program was never about one person or one service. Every paraprofessional, teacher, O&M instructor, vision teacher, case manager, bus driver, and staff member played a role in my experience. Sometimes that role was something big, like helping me navigate campus, learn public transportation, or make sure my classes and materials were accessible. Other times, it was something much smaller, like having a conversation with me, making me laugh, remembering something I had mentioned weeks earlier, or simply being someone I knew I could count on.
Some of the people I met became part of my life in ways that went beyond their job descriptions. I connected with people over music, jokes, random conversations, and shared interests. I got to know my bus drivers, including one who even made me a customized water bottle based on my major. My case managers supported me through difficult processes, including financial aid, and gave me opportunities to grow. And then there was Kelli, who became so much more than a paraprofessional to me.
There are also the moments that might seem small to someone else but became meaningful parts of my experience. One time during the airport trip I mentioned earlier, I was supposed to meet my O&M instructor at the train station so we could go to the airport. My Uber was taking forever, and by the time I arrived, I had missed the train. I had no idea what I was supposed to do next. I was able to FaceTime my case manager and show her where I was at the train station. She made sure I was OK and encouraged and supported me, telling me things like “You’re doing great!” and “I’m so proud of you for navigating this.”
I also texted the group chat with my O&M instructor and my case manager, and they were able to get in contact with one of the teachers from the transition program who drove the program vehicle. He ended up picking me up and taking me toward the airport. While we waited, he let me watch an episode of a show I had missed on his phone.
It was such a simple thing, but I remember it because it showed me how much the people around me cared. They were not just there to get me from one place to another. They noticed when I was having a difficult day and worked together to make sure I was okay and could still get where I needed to go.
Of course, the program was not perfect. There were frustrating moments, difficult days, misunderstandings, and times when I had to speak up for myself. There were situations where things did not go the way I wanted them to. But I have learned that something does not have to be perfect to be meaningful. What mattered was that I had a place where I could keep learning and growing through those experiences.
Over time, I became more comfortable traveling, navigating unfamiliar places, trying things on my own, and figuring out what I was capable of. I became more willing to take a train, use an Uber by myself, explore a new area, or try something that would have made me nervous a few years earlier.
I learned that independence does not mean doing everything completely by yourself. Sometimes independence means having the right people and resources around you while you learn how to do something for yourself. That is something I wish I could go back and tell my 13-year-old self.
In high school, I hoped I would be able to continue my education without losing the people and resources that had helped me get there. When I finally started college, I realized that the answer to the question I had asked years earlier had been there all along.
The transition program did not simply help me transition from high school to college. It helped me transition into a more independent version of myself. Every person I met, every experience I had, every class I took, every conversation, every laugh, every difficult moment, and even every frustrating day became part of that journey.
I will carry those experiences and the people who were part of them with me for the rest of my life. And if I could go back to that hallway and talk to that 13-year-old girl, I think I would tell her: “Yes. The program you are imagining really does exist. And one day, you are going to be the person who gets to experience it.”
What Can You Do If Your School Doesn’t Have a Program Like Kat’s? Not every school district has a transition program that looks like Kat’s, and that’s okay. Her experience is just one example of what a transition to college can look like. There may be other programs, services, or supports available to you that can help you prepare for college and become more independent.
If you’re thinking about college, start asking questions early. You don’t have to know all the answers yet. You can start by talking with your teacher, transition coordinator, case manager, O&M instructor, vision teacher, family, or another person you trust.
Here are some questions you might want to ask:
What transition services are available to me after high school? Can I take a college class while I’m still in high school? Can someone help me visit and learn how to navigate a college campus before I start? How will I get to and from college? What transportation options might be available to me? How can I practice using buses, trains, paratransit, rideshare services, or other transportation before I need to use them on my own? What services can continue after I graduate from high school, such as O&M, vision, assistive technology, or other supports? How do I connect with the college’s disability services or accommodations office? Who can help me learn how to advocate for myself and communicate what I need? Are there opportunities to practice employment, volunteering, independent living, or other skills before I graduate? What resources are available if I need help with stress, mental health, or other challenges while I’m making this transition? You can also ask your school or local agencies whether there are programs or services you don’t know about yet. Sometimes the first step is simply asking, “What options do I have?”
And remember: your path does not have to look exactly like Kat’s! Maybe you will attend a four-year university, a community college, a vocational program, or take a different path entirely. Maybe you will live at home, live on campus, or commute. Maybe you will need a lot of support at first and less support over time. That’s okay.
For Kat, independence did not happen all at once. It happened through small experiences, lots of practice, mistakes, support, and people who believed she could do more.
You don’t have to have everything figured out before you graduate from high school. You just have to start asking questions, exploring your options, and figuring out what support will help you take your next step.
