EXIT is an 18+ program that addresses the skills and concepts adult students need to prepare for post-school life. EXIT teachers seek to collaborate with each student and their stakeholders to determine specific postsecondary goals and the skills needed to reach them. These needs are addressed through a variety of experiential learning opportunities that allow students to practice skills in a hands-on manner.
General Information
Experiences in Transition (EXIT) is a special education program at TSBVI for students aged 18 to 22 who have completed required coursework leading to graduation. The EXIT program provides an individualized education program (IEP) that focuses on the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) while also addressing a student’s transition needs related to moving from school to post-school activities. EXIT provides the opportunity to practice skills in an environment that more closely emulates the post-secondary settings they may encounter after graduation.
A student’s IEP team may consider EXIT for any visually impaired student who has completed their academic course requirements toward graduation. The EXIT program serves a continuum of students ranging from those who will need significant support as adults to those who expect to attend college and live and work independently. The student’s local school district ARD Committee must make a referral to TSBVI by including a description of the reasons for the referral and how services at TSBVI can assist the local district in meeting the student’s specific adult transition goals.
In order to help EXIT students make an effective transition from school to adult life, TSBVI staff partner with the local school district’s team and the student’s family to develop a realistic, specific adult transition plan (or “adult schedule”) based on the student’s desired post-secondary goals. TSBVI emphasizes ongoing collaboration with the student’s local school district, family, adult service agencies, and local community resources. For students who will be returning to their home communities, transition plans often include a return to the local school district for the student’s final year(s) of special education eligibility.
