Youth

The 988 Mental Health, Substance Use or Suicide Crisis Help Line is available should a person need help quickly. This is a national help line that is easy to remember and connects to qualified counselors during a crisis. People can also text to 988 for support.  

Advocacy

Leadership

Work is fundamental to our lives and an important part of American society. It's how we earn and living, pay for extra things we want and how we socialize.  Work is beneficial for all people including people with disabilities.

Everyone must work, including you. In order to be independent and self-sufficient you must work. Work builds confidence and self-esteem too.

Check out our Work page for information on finding vocational training and jobs.

 

All Students leave school some day.... WHAT do you want to do? You have CHOICES! Technical training Technical schools provide vocations (job) training in a variety of occupations. Click on the technical schools on the map to learn more about the training they have. Apprenticeship Community College - two year college - click on the college you are interested in to get to the list of colleges. Then click on the college name to get to their website and learn more about their degree programs. College or University - four year college- click on the college you are interested in to get to the list of colleges. Then click on the college name to get to their website and learn more about their degree programs. Military; Other Military Resources Work - Workforce Centers, Kansas Rehabilitation Services Job Corps; Flint Hills Job Corps Supported Employment - These are employment services provided when working with a community job search provider, e.g. Community Developmental Disability Organizations, Mental Health Centers. Go to Kansas Rehabilitation Services first to get some training and then you'll be offered one of the providers to help you find a job and the support services you may need.  HOW are you going to get there? YOU are in the driver's seat. CREATE YOUR OWN FUTURE! Make a Transition Plan. That means people in your life work together to help you move from school to the adult world. If you do an Individual Education Plan (IEP), you start working on it when you turn 14. UPDATED! Passport to Independence Explore a career Know yourself: your strengths and weaknesses Get work experience and/or volunteer experience GRADUATE!   WHO can help you? Parents or Guardians Family Resource Families Church Teachers Counselors Therapists Social Services Case Manager Mentors Tutors Transition Staff or IEP managers Disability Service Agencies (e.g. Centers for Independent Living, Community Developmental Disability Organizations, Community Mental Health Centers) Disability Support Services at the technical schools, two year or four year colleges

Living independently does not necessarily mean living alone. It means making your own decisions about where you live, who you live with and how you live.

You may have many questions and ideas about the future. These thoughts and questions are part of a natural stage in development that brings about the transition of moving from youth to adult. During this time, both young people and parents have to communicate a lot to work through the changes in their relationship.

There are a number of things you have to consider as you prepare to live independently. Gather as much information as you can from a variety of sources to assist you with questions about living on your own. Examples of areas that you might need information on include housing, transportation, finances, and personal attendants if applicable, etc. A center for independent living (CIL) has information about local services and can teach you skills to help you live and plan effectively. To find a center near you, go to the map and select city, county or zip code, then enter the information and click on Search Providers.  

Having one’s own transportation and being able to drive allows people to have more independence and more access to daily living tasks, community activities and employment. Just look around and you can see that having a car and driving is important to many people's daily lives. Some communities do not have public transportation. So one of the milestones in many people's lives may be learning to drive. With accommodations, many people with disabilities are able to drive.

Driver rehabilitation specialists teach people with disabilities to drive. To find a Driver Rehabilitation Specialists near you, to go their website. If you are a client of Vocational Rehabilitation, you can ask that it be part of your plan to learn to drive. If this is included in your plan, they can help  pay for learning how to drive.  Also K-Loan provides funding options for assistive technology.

Passing the driving test is easy if you've practiced enough. This article on how to pass your driving test has some excellent tips. 

Driving is a big responsibility. The Los Angeles Safe Driving Guide for New Drivers gives good information to remember while driving.  Keep your focus on the road and what you are doing. If the phone rings or indicates you have a text message, ignore it until you can arrive at your destination and can park. Then give it your full attention. If the weather is bad or going to be bad, avoid driving. If you need to drive or you are caught in the rain while driving, follow the advice in the guide above. Keep your headlights on, follow the car ahead of you with more distance between you, slow down and use caution at intersections.  This is a good guide to follow. Give it a look.

Also there was a study in Richmond, Virginia on teen drivers and distracted driving that caused accidents. The results are on their homepage.  

If you are ready to purchase a vehicle to accommodate your driving needs, there is a report by Hoveround that helps you decide what you need. United Access is a company that modifies vehicles to make them wheelchair accessible. Also Jay Hatfield Mobility can help with installing adaptive driving controls. From time to time used lift equipped vans are available for sale at the centers for independent living.

To find out how to get a disabled license plate or tag in Kansas, you must complete an application form, have it signed by your doctor certifying that you require the permit and then take it to your county clerk for the permit. To get a form you go to your county treasurer's office where people pay for their car tags and taxes.

Transportation

Local Transportation

Local transportation is critical for people with disabilities to have the freedom to travel where, when, and how they choose. If you do not own your own transportation and there is no bus or taxi service in your town or city, the Kansas United We Ride website has an interactive map that helps you find public transportation near you. Also, check with your local center for independent living (CIL) for help with finding transportation.

If you are interested in finding an wheelchair accessible vehicle for your use, contact United Access. They modify vehicles to make them wheelchair accessible.

Financial Assistance Options for Adaptive Driving - a blog with resources listed from Disability.gov

Overview

Healthy Lifestyle

Eating Right The body needs the proper balance of fruits, vegetables, bread, protein, milk and oils to be healthy. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) has a program, Choose My Plate, to share ways to eat healthy on a budget, dietary guidelines, and a fruit and veggie video contest. Go to ChooseMyPlate.gov to learn more about a balanced diet and about fun forms of exercise, planning menus and how much of each food group to eat each day to be healthy. If you cannot exercise, it is even more important to limit calories and to eat a balanced diet.

Exercise

Even if you have only some mobility, it is important to move and keep your muscles lean and strong. This helps your blood circulate through your body bringing oxygen and nutrition to your brain, organs, muscles and skin and moving dead cells and toxins out of your body. It also builds strength and flexibility while lowering your blood pressure.

Steps to starting an exercise program

1. Always talk to your doctor before you start an exercise program. Tell your doctor you want to start an exercise program and ask if you are healthy enough to do so. Ask for recommendations of exercises you can do or programs you could join and how much to do when starting your program. If your doctor does not have any recommendations ask for a referral. A physical therapist or workout coach might be an option. If there are exercises he or she recommends you NOT do or a condition that will be made worse by certain exercises, note those on a pad of paper so you’ll remember.
2. Warm up before exercising. This helps your muscles and joints get ready for your workout.
3. Start slowly. If you are not used to exercising, your muscles and joints will ache for a few days while they get used to having more oxygen and blood circulation. Increase repetitions (reps) as the exercise get easier. Push yourself a little. If you’ve been doing 10 reps push for 15. If that isn’t hard go ahead and try for 20. But if it hurts, stop immediately and wait until the muscle or joint heals before you start again.
4. Use good form. Do the exercises properly. If you don’t use the proper form, you could cause damage to joints or feet. Healthline has a page that shows some exercises being done properly. Search on the Internet for other sites that show proper exercise techniques.
5. Drink eight glasses of water each day. This will hydrate your body and flush out toxins and waste.
6. Keep track of how much exercise you do every day. Choosemyplate.gov recommends getting 30 minutes of exercise every day.

Renting

Renting is when you pay a monthly amount to live in an apartment or house without the responsibility of maintenance or benefit of owning the home. If something breaks, you call your landlord about it and he or she fixes it. There is no control over the amount of your rent, and it can go up at a random amount each year or whatever your lease agreement says.

There are many things to consider when renting including:

• Deciding how much you can afford to spend on rent and possibly utilities (electricity, gas, water, trash pickup, etc) Utilities may or may not be included in your rent.
• How close the apartment or house is to your work, grocery store, public transportation if you need it, shopping, entertainment, church, etc.
• Accessibility if that is important to your independence.

There are other things to consider and you can go to a couple of different websites to find out more on how to rent wisely. There are also several websites that have tips for finding an apartment and they are located in Quick Links to the right of the screen. Of particular interest will be a website called SocialServe.com that provides updated rental property availability (including accessibility information).

Buying

Buying a home provides pride of ownership and also requires a commitment to maintaining the property. If something breaks or wears out, you, the owner, are responsible for getting it fixed. The benefits of owning a home are

• Tax deductions - if you itemize your taxes, you can deduct the interest on your loan from the taxes you own
• Appreciation - homes are considered a safe, steady investment, with values that rise while the debt amount you owe drops
• Equity - the difference between what the house is worth (appraised value) and how much money you owe on the loan (mortgage). If you were to sell the house for the appraised value and pay off the mortgage, the equity is the profit you would make from the sale. Generally the longer you pay/own your home, the more profit you make from the sale.
• Borrowing power - the equity above could be used to secure a loan if you needed money, but didn't want to sell your house to get it
• Stability - if you get a fixed rate of interest on your mortgage, your payment would stay the same from year to year unless your loan includes payment of property taxes and insurance, then it would only go up a little compared to rent increases. In contrast, renters cannot control how much their rent will go up every year.

When considering buying a home, it is important to look at many of the same things mentioned above in addition to the size and age of the house or condominium.

If you decide to buy, a good realtor can help locate the house or condominium, negotiate the final price, file the appropriate papers and arrange to close the sale. The realtor will receive a commission which will make the final price of the home more than the negotiated price, but if you do not know what needs to be done in order to close the sale, the realtor is essential.

Other Resources

• Housing and Mortgages for Veterans
• Homeownership - Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc holds workshops on buying a home.They also h ave information on-line in their homeownership counseling page.
• Tenant and Landlord Issues - Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc.
• Housing Discrimination issues - Disability Rights Center
• File a Housing Complaint - The Kansas Human Rights Commission has enforcement authority of the Kansas Act Against Discrimination.
• Creating Assets, Savings & Hope (CASH) - A way to save money for the purchase of a house

Managing your money is important to maintaining your ability to live independently. Understanding what a budget is and what information you need to do a budget is essential to managing your finances. Budgeting involves understanding your regular expenses each month (utilities, rent, food, transportation and other regular expenses) and projecting how much you will spend over the course of the year on other items (taxes, car repairs, medical expenses, gifts for birthdays and holidays). There are several websites that provide information on how to set up your budget and give you ideas on how to save money. Some of the websites listed below are for people already having trouble with money, but some of the steps they recommend apply to folks who have not yet started to live on their own.

• The Importance of Managing Money - from the West Virginia Center for Independent Living
• Money 101: A step by step guide to gaining control of your financial life
• The 7 Baby Steps to Financial Peace Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace process can lead to good money practices, savings and opportunities to buy a house, car and go on a vacation. Most of the information is free so don't be put off by the "tools" they offer for sale. 
• Personal Finance - Practical Money Skills for Life
• MyMoney.gov - The US government's website dedicated to teaching all Americans the basics of financial education. 

Relationships

Relationships are our links with friends, family or co-workers. It is important to have healthy relationships that you feel safe in and good about. Put downs, bullying, revenge or violence of any kind are not part of a healthy relationship. Here are several links to sites with information about how to have healthy relationships, how to be safe and what to do if you or someone you know is in a violent or dangerous relationship.

Sexuality

It’s an unfortunate reality that young people with disabilities are often excluded from mainstream sexual education provided by schools. For most young people, regardless of disability, broaching the subject of sex with their parents is an extremely uncomfortable experience.

It's important to know about sex and its potential consequences before actually having a sexual relationship. There are risks to having sex including pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). These two websites give you good information for making sexual decisions.

• For young women
• For young men

As you explore this area of your life, be sure to gather current, appropriate, and correct information from the Internet, read, and talk to your parents and friends. 

• From the 411 Disability Disclosure Guide - Disability Disclosure Guide in Social Settings

Friendships and Dating

Bullying

Bullying is when one person or a group of people intentionally scare or hurt someone else. Bullies often target others who are often weaker or less confident. It can happen anywhere, such as at school, in the park, on a sports team, or even at home. Often the person being bullied has a hard time defending him or herself. In recent years, cyberbullying has grown due to the explosion of social media especially among youth. The girlshealth.gov website has more about bullying and girls.

Bullying is always wrong. Check out the Quick Links on the right-hand side of the page to learn more about bullying and how to stop it!

President Obama speaks out on bullying.

Abuse of someone over the age of 18 can be reported to Adult Protective Services. (Be sure to scroll down if you cannot see the information on the Adult Protective Services page) You can report suspected abuse on-line.

The goal of transitioning students out of high school is to prepare them for being on their own. But this process begins much earlier. Parents are responsible for helping children make choices and understand the consequences of those choices in an age appropriate manner.

Allowing students to make mistakes is a key part of the process of growing up. This is part of the maturity and growth process whether a student has a disability or not. The time frame, the parameters, and other things may change depending on the disability, but students still need to be able to make choices, make mistakes, learn from their mistakes and gradually become more independent. This is part of the transition process.

For a student with a disability, there may be more things that need to be discussed, figured out and possibly managed. That's probably why there is more discussion about transition with students with disabilities than students without disabilities.

All students, including those with disabilities, should be expected to work. Work defines us, provides self sufficiency, and is part of socialization.

To try and ignore or not address that a student has a disability is a disservice to the student and will hinder them as an adult.

• In post-secondary education, if a student needs classroom or living accommodations, a student has to identify him/her self as someone with a disability and clearly identify what his or her needs are in school in order to get help from student support services.
• In the working world, if an adult needs an accommodation in order to perform the essential parts of his/her job, then they need to be able to identify that they have a disability, what it is, how it impacts their work, and what kind of accommodation they need (if they know).

If someone with a disabilities grows up with people not being willing to talk about disability openly, then it will put him/her at a disadvantage in the school and work world. Open discussion about disability and understanding their disability is part of the transition process as well.

Here are some links for more information.

• Passport to Independence - a timeline for high school students with disabilities
• Building a Life - Transition Guide for Kansans
• Parent Transition Education
• Student Transition Education
• Teacher Transition Education
• Employment First and Transition Information

• Find Youth Information
• Kansas Youth Leadership Forum
• Kansas Accessible Sports
• Adolescent Health Transition Project
• Emerging Leaders Internship Program
• Kansas Youth Empowerment Academy
• Youthhood
• The 411 on Disability Disclosure

• National Consortium on Leadership and Disability - Youth
• National Youth Leadership Network
• Kids as Self-Advocates
• Youth Development and Leadership
• So you want to be a leader - Youthhood
• YouthLeadership

• Vocational Information Center
• Project Search - a vocational training program for students with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) or contact Shelly May, (785)296-3272 or [email protected]. 
• Career Exploration Resources
• How You Use Math at Work
• Career Guide to Industries
• Personnel Improvement Center - a program to recruit, prepare and retain diverse highly qualified special educators, early intervention and related service professionals. 
• Career Development Manual
• SkilledUp has links to free and college courses

• Going to College - A Resource for Teens with Disabilities
• Building a Life
• Kansas Career Pipeline
• The 411 on Disability Disclosure

• Driving Tips for Teens
• Adaptive Vans and Devices
• Driver Evaluation and Training
• Learning Disabilities and Driving
• Disabled Parking Permit Form
• Kansas Assistive Technology Cooperative (KATCO) - a lending institution for purchasing assistive technology
• United Access
• Driving Ambitions - Chris Courtney is a drivers education teacher for people who need a joy stick to drive.
• Insurance Statistics on Teen Drivers
• Texting and Driving Game

• KanCare
• Families USA
•  Fitness 101: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Exercise
• Choose My Plate - the replacement for my pyramid
• 7 Simple things to do for a healthy heart
• Self-Direction Toolkit for people with a personal assistant
• National Center for Physical Activity and Disability
• National Center on Accessibility
• Dental Resources in Kansas - select the county you live in and when the names come up for the primary care clinics, make a selection and look at the services to see if they provide dental services.  Check surrounding counties as well. 
• Donated Dental Services
• The Young Person's Guide to Health Insurance

• SocialServe.com
• Renting an Apartment
• Renter's Rights
• Renter's Insurance
• Security Deposits and Evictions
• Basics of Buying a House
• Fair Housing Act - US Department of Justice information on housing and lending practices and your rights as a person with a disability
• Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc.
• USDA Rural Development Housing and Community Assistance - a grant and loan program
• Kansas Rural Development Handbook - information about their grant and loan programs

• Transportation Resources in Kansas
• Kansas Transit Provider Directory

• Feelings and self-esteem for girls
•  Self Esteem and Body Image for Boys
• Building Self-Esteem