Transition Resources
In the postsecondary transition of special education students, the school system holds the responsibility of facilitating a seamless transition by coordinating efforts with various agencies, including vocational rehabilitation services, employers, and higher education institutions. This involves providing transition planning, access to appropriate accommodations, and fostering self-advocacy skills among students.
For a seamless transition to occur, parents and/or students actively engage in the transition process with the support, guidance and resources offered to them. Students and parents share the responsibility of actively participating in the transition planning meetings, exploring postsecondary options, advocating for their needs and fostering independence and self-determination skills necessary for success beyond secondary education.
In facilitating the transition of students, the school system actively coordinates connections with external agencies and works to involve them in transition planning. While every effort is made to facilitate access to services, it's important to note that the school systerm cannot guarantee the provision of external services. Students and parents play a pivotal role in the transition process by diligently completing applications, responding to communication and maintaining scheduled appointments with relevant agencies. This collaborative effort ensures the smooth progression of transition plans and enhances the likelihood of successful outcomes beyond secondary education.
Local Resources for Employment/Education
8th Grade Career Fair
CMCSS Career Tech Department
621 Gracey Ave.
Clarksville, TN 37040
Karen Pitts and Brenda Scarborough
Each year the 8th grade students attend a career fair which is representative of all career clusters, the high school academies and schools in the area.
Adult Literacy Council
430 Greenwood Ave., Room 209
(931) 542-5046
Provides free one-on-one and small group tutoring for adults who want to learn or improve their reading or English, get their GED®, or learn basic computer skills.
Austin Peay State University
Office of Disability Services
The APSU Office of Disability Services is committed to providing leadership to promote accessible university experience where individuals with disabilities have the same access to programs, opportunities and activities as all others by improving usability for everyone. A “person with a disability” is someone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity. The following list is not limited to the common disabilities an individual may be eligible for:
Blind and/or visually impaired
Deaf and/or hard of hearing
Learning disabled/attention deficit disorder
Mobility impaired
Neurologically impaired
Chronic health conditions
Psychological
Best Buddies International
1585 Mallory Lane
Suite 208
Brentwood, TN 37027
615-891-2046
http://bestbuddies.org/TENNESSEE
A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This program is available for individuals in middle school through college.
Educational Opportunity Center
Austin Peay State University
Ellington Building, Room 333
P.O. Box 4667
Clarksville, TN 37044
(931) 221-7481
1 (800) 351-3382
The Clarksville/Ft. Campbell EOC is authorized to provide the following services to qualified participants:
Provide information about educational opportunities
Assist with educational counseling
Serve as a clearinghouse for information on colleges/vocational schools within the region
Provide computer-generated data for over 3,000 colleges and universities
Provide directories for community colleges, trade schools and four-year institutions
Offer application assistance
Provide college/vocational admissions applications programs
Assist with financial aid counseling
Provide information about scholarships for minorities, women, handicapped and other groups
Provide career counseling and career planning
Provide computer-based career-planning inventories
Serve as a resource to participants for referral to other community agencies for programs the EOC is unable to provide.
Phone: (931) 221-7481
Fax: (931) 221-7629
Goodwill Industries
2001 Needmore Road
Clarksville, TN 37042
Phone (931) 241-4730
Mission is to provide employment and training opportunities for people who have disabilities and others who have trouble finding and keeping jobs. Career counselors work one-on-one with participants to determine his or her strengths and skill sets, and they guide and support them into training programs and career paths which may be a best fit.
www.goodwillcareersolutions.org
Pre-Employment Transition Services
Five required Pre-Employment Transition Services as described under WIOA:
Job exploration counseling
Work-based learning experiences
Postsecondary counseling
Workplace readiness
Self-advocacy
Birk Ellis birk.ellis@tn.gov
St. John’s Love Center
636 Main Street
(931) 542-2718
Provides job assistance training and pastoral counseling on Wed-Fri 10:00am-2:00pm
Tennessee Career Center at Clarksville
523 Madison Street, Suite B
(931) 648-5530
Each center offers computerized labor market information, Internet access, workshops, an on-line talent bank, job placement, recruitment and training.
Workforce Essential
Montgomery Career Center
523 Madison Street, Suite B
Clarksville, TN 37040
931-551-9737
Sweet Jordan's
849 Volunteer Drive
Paris, TN 38242
(731) 642-0161
A bakery and ice cream shop that caters to the unique abilities of young adults and adults diagnosed with special needs. Owned by Jordan who himself was born with down syndrome he took a dream and made it a reality and now allows others to work and earn for themselves.
Vocational Rehabilitation
https://www.tn.gov/humanservices/ds/vocational-rehabilitation.html
Provides counseling, vocational evaluation, work adjustment and job placement services for graduating high school students and adults with disabilities.