The Plan Your Way OK website is funded by the Oklahoma Pathways to Partnerships (OP2P) project, a five-year Disability Innovation Fund (DIF) grant administered by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). Youth with disabilities selected the site’s name.
In October 2023, the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) and its partners—the Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services (OKDRS), Oklahomans for Independent Living (a Center for Independent Living), local education agencies (LEAs), and the Oklahoma Transition Council (OTC)—were awarded the grant.
OP2P aims to:
The OTC serves as Oklahoma’s state-level transition interagency, fostering collaboration and partnerships among agencies and organizations that provide critical transition services and support to children and youth with disabilities, their families, and support networks. Strong interagency partnerships are key to improving transition services and postsecondary outcomes!
The mission of the OTC is to improve transition education, planning and services through stakeholder partnerships that lead to successful post-school outcomes for students with disabilities, including education or training, employment, independent living, mental health services and community participation.
The vision of the OTC is to make a lasting difference in improving the quality of life for all individuals with disabilities by creating and supporting person-centered innovative transition services and programming statewide.
The common agreed upon definition of transition is defined as the movement of youth with disabilities from secondary education to postsecondary adult life, including participation in higher education or training, employment with a focus on competitive integrated employment, opportunities for independent living, and community participation.
In 2002, an ad hoc group of representatives from education, vocational rehabilitation, career and technology education, higher education, and public schools convened to improve transition education and post-school outcomes for students with disabilities. Inspired by New Mexico’s transition model, Oklahoma formed the OTC in 2004 to establish the Oklahoma Transition Institute (OTI) and local transition teams. The state was divided into regional teams based on Career Technology Center locations and available rehabilitation counselors. The first OTI was held in 2006, and today, 12 regional teams continue to engage in transition planning during the annual event.
Members of the OTC represent 38 partners, including representatives of OSDE, OKDRS, Oklahoma ABLE Tech, CareerTech, Developmental Disability Services (DDS), Centers for Independent Living, State Regents for Higher Education, Mental Health & Substance Abuse, Department of Transportation, Central OK Workforce Board, 13 family and advocacy groups, seven local public schools (rural and urban), and four businesses.
An Oklahoma Transition Team (OKTT) is a local and/or regional team designed to support the transition needs of students with disabilities within their communities. These teams bring together teachers, administrators, parents, students, vocational rehabilitation counselors, and other stakeholders to set goals that align with their schools and communities.
OKTTs promote collaboration among professionals in transition education, meeting regularly to work toward their goals and provide transition education to members and community partners. They help educators, agencies, families, and individuals with disabilities coordinate secondary transition services. Additionally, OKTTs assist families and individuals in connecting to community resources as they transition from school to adult life.
The LeFlore County Transition Team, Panama Public Schools, Spiro Public Schools, McAlester Transition Team, and McAlester Public Schools are currently partnering with OP2P to implement OP2P grant goals and activities.
Oklahoma currently has 12 existing OK Transition Teams (OKTT). The teams are supported by the OKTT Coordinator, Dr. Claudia Otto. For more information, email Dr. Otto at c.otto@ou.edu and/or visit the OK Transition Teams website.