Transition Services & Programs

The Able Trust High School High Tech (HSHT) program is designed to provide high school students with all types of disabilities the opportunity to explore jobs or postsecondary education leading to technology-related careers. HSHT links youth to a broad range of academic, career development, and experiential resources and experiences that will enable them to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce.

HSHT is a community-based partnership made up of students, parents and caregivers, businesses, educators, and rehabilitation professionals. It has been shown to reduce the high school dropout rate and increase the overall self-esteem of participating students. If you are interested in participating, there is a role for you. Take a look around and see where you fit into the HSHT community.

Project SEARCH was developed at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a research environment that fosters visionary thinking and innovation. It all began in 1996, when Erin Riehle was Director of Cincinnati Children’s Emergency Department. Erin felt that, because the hospital served individuals with developmental disabilities, it made sense that they should commit to hiring people in this group. She wondered if it would be possible to train people with developmental disabilities to fill some of the high-turnover, entry-level positions in her department, which involved complex and systematic tasks such as stocking supply cabinets.

As a starting point, Erin presented her ideas to Susie Rutkowski, then the special education director at Great Oaks Career Campuses. Erin and Susie formed a partnership that was instantaneous, and together they launched Project SEARCH. Since its inception, Project SEARCH has grown from a single program site at Cincinnati Children’s to a large and continuously expanding international network of sites. Project SEARCH’s primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities.

Flagler County’s Project SEARCH site is located at Grand Villa of Palm Coast. We are honored to be a part of the Grand Villa family.

Structured Education Courses and Managed Care and Supports

STREAM courses are designed and implemented to support young people with disabilities who have a desire to defer their high school diploma. IEP Teams have determined that these young people have a continued need for transition training and require the constant supports and managed care only available through specially-designed “cluster” programs located at the student’s service high school.

IEP Teams make the determination on what each individual student’s STREAM course(s) will look like based on his/her transition needs. Based on each student’s individual transition needs, deferring students may take STREAM courses that include:

• Career Experience (Community-Based Vocational Education)

• Transition Planning
• Self-Determination
• Preparation for Adult Living
• Social and Emotional Unique Skills

The goal of each series of on-campus STREAM courses is to assist young people with disabilities in becoming as independent as possible and, when appropriate, transitioning through other Flagler Schools Transition programs.

Transitioning Youth with Disabilities into Real Vocational Opportunities through Action Planning and Individualized Learning

The TRAIL Transition Program is an outcome-oriented program whose focus is to assist Flagler County’s 18–22-year-old persons with disabilities in finding meaningful, age-appropriate vocational placements in our community while keeping in mind their unique learning styles and individual needs.

The TRAIL staff works with our young adults by assisting them with identifying their dreams and goals through a variety of functional academics and transition assessments including interest inventories, vocational assessments, self-determination scales, and an individualized action plan. The TRAIL mission is to combine these functional academics with community-based instruction in order to expose our participants to a variety of career choices while enhancing the skills necessary to become successful, independent, and employed. The TRAIL vision is to prepare ALL of our young people for a seamless transition into the world of work and adult living.

TRAIL Transition Program Videos