Toward a Conception of Culturally Responsive Practices in Transition Planning

There is a growing acknowledgement that culturally responsive practices play a significant role in improving post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities. Scholars have broken ground in this area by investigating, defining, and describing the intersection of culture and transition. Despite this progress, a comprehensive framework that not only locates the problem but identifies potential solutions for dismantling inequities in transition programming is still lacking.

Dr. Bettie Ray Butler, NTACT and Assistant Professor at UNC Charlotte, and Dr. Edwin Achola, Assistant Professor California State University Long Beach:

• Discuss the importance and necessity of planning transition from a cultural lens with a focus on equity;
• Explain how asset-based frameworks improve post-school outcomes for all students; especially culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse (CLED) students; and
• Highlight key principles and best practices (grounded in culturally responsive approaches) for effectively addressing and mitigating disparities in transition planning for CLED students with disabilities.