Illness & Disability

Home Illness & Disability Becoming independent Planning for the future tips: For older girls

If you older than 14, below are some helpful steps for planning your future.

If you would like to work

• Learn about vocational programs offered in your high school and community. Vocational programs teach you how to do a certain job. There are many types of vocational careers, such as working as a dental assistant, working in hotels, and working with computers.
• Get experience working by:
  • Taking on a summer job or a part-time job
  • Volunteering at your school or in the community
  • Doing chores around the house or for your neighbors
  • "Job Shadowing" or watching someone at work
  •   A Student's Guide to Jobs (PDF - 510KB), is especially for students with mental retardation and autism
• Work with your vocational rehabilitation counselor on skills you need to learn and practice. Your counselor will also help you practice interviewing, figure out how you will get to work, and talk over the tools you will need to do your job.
• It is important to know about disability issues in the workplace. The law says that employers can’t discriminate against you when you apply for a job just because you are different. Employers also have to provide helpful tools (such as a bigger computer monitor or a special chair) to meet your needs and make sure that everything is accessible.
• Learn about supported employment options near you. Supported employment means working in a community setting with ongoing support from a local disability agency.
• Ask a local disability organization to help you find a mentor who has a job that interests you.

If you would like to go on to college or vocational training

There are many different ways to keep learning. You can:

• Take classes at a community college even if you do not plan to go for a full degree
• Go to college full time close to home and live with your parents, or live at a college further away.
• Choose a two-year college or a four-year one.
• Take classes or full programs on-line.
• Take part in vocational or technical training, which are classes to teach you how to work a certain job or trade. Vocational training can teach you about many diferent things, such as computer programs or how to be a dental assistant.

• Find out which schools offer programs that interest you. Contact them for information on how to apply and get financial aid. Also contact their disability offices to make sure they can meet your needs. Examples of the things these offices can do to help you do well include helping with note-taking if you have a learning disability or chronic fatigue syndrome, giving you more time to take tests if you have ADHD, or helping you find text books in Braille if you need it.
• Find out what exams you have to take to get into college, study and take them.
• Work with your guidance counselor and vocational rehabilitation counselor to make choices about school and how to pay for it. Read about financial aid options for students with disabilities.

If you would like to live on your own

If you decide to live on your own, it is important that you are able to meet all of your health care needs. This may mean that you handle your health needs on your own, or have a nurse or family member come help you. Or you may live in a home where health staff is there for you on site.

• Talk with your parents, doctor, and other caregivers. They will help you learn about the daily tasks that go along with living on your own. Together you can decide what the best living situation will be for you.
• Take on some responsibilities from your parents. For example, if your mom gives you your medicine in the evening, try doing this yourself to see how it feels. Or offer to get the mail if someone else is doing that chore right now.
• Find a place to live. Some people live in their own apartments, some choose to live in group homes for extra support, and some choose to stay with their parents. However it works out for you, they are all great options as an independent young adult. The most important thing is making sure your home is accessible to you, whether you use a wheelchair or need other support tools. Remember, you are the expert on your health, so make sure to ask for what you need.
• Learn about federal housing regulations for the disabled. When you are ready to live on your own, you will need to know your rights. Visit the Disability Rights and Resources page to learn more.
• Learn how to manage money and budget household expenses. Ask your parents to give you an idea of what it costs to run a household each month. A vocational rehabilitation counselor can also give you tips. To learn more about money, visit The U.S. Mint.
• Understand leases and know about services (electricity, phone, water, heat). A vocational rehabilitation counselor can give you information on knowing all about your home.
• Find your place in the community. Independent Living Centers or "one-stop centers" are community-based organizations that help you with housing, activities, and work. Visit this web site to learn more about Independent Living Centers.

No matter which path you take, you will need to:

• Work with your family, school staff, and agencies in your community to make sure your Individual Transition Plan is in place. This plan will be a part of your Individualized Education Program. Read about IEP’s and other terms you will need to know.
• Work with your doctors, nurses, therapists, and parents to make a health care transition plan by the time you are 14. When you reach 18, you might have to switch to a doctor that sees adult patients, so your family will have to find a new doctor. You will also have to change from being covered by your parents’ health insurance to having your own. Your parents/guardians should start preparing for this change when you are 17 by checking with the Social Security Administration. Social Security will make sure you have health care when you need it.
• Learn more about assistive technology, tools that can make life easier for people with disabilities in the community, at work and in classrooms. Examples of tools like this are wheelchairs, large screen computers, remote radios, hearing aids, and buses with lifts. There are many more kinds of tools out there!
• Ask your guidance counselor at school to help you find an Office of Rehabilitation Services counselor. The rehabilitation counselor will help you get ready for school or work after graduation from high school. The Pediatric Network has more information on getting ready for life after high school.
• Practice the social skills you will need to go about daily life, such as asking for help when you need it, getting around town, and feeling comfortable spending time with friends.

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Content last updated June 2, 2007

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