My perspective on education was shaped at home, where I saw firsthand how targeted interventions gave my brother — who has autism and an intellectual disability — the tools to live an independent and dignified life.

Because his district invested in life readiness skills and job training, including structured work experiences in environments such as administrative offices and food banks, those early opportunities helped him understand workplace expectations, schedules, functional communication and self-advocacy.

As my brother approached the closure of his eligibility for special education services at age 21, now extended to age 22 in Pennsylvania, the intentional and well-funded supports he received throughout his education made all the difference. He left with skills, confidence and a clear goal to actively participate in his community through assisting others, volunteering and building relationships.

Across Pennsylvania, the transition from school to adulthood for students with disabilities is vastly different. Families in under-resourced districts still encounter gaps in vocational training, limited access to work experiences and inconsistent collaboration with adult service providers such as the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the state agency tasked with helping people with disabilities prepare for, obtain and maintain employment. The consequences of these gaps are significant.

Nationwide, youth and young adults with disabilities are less likely to be employed and achieve positive post-school outcomes than their peers without disabilities. According to an Institute for Educational Leadership report, roughly 31.6% of youth with disabilities ages 14 to 24 were employed in 2023, compared with much higher employment for peers without disabilities, leaving a gap of about 11.6 percentage points. Yet, students who get paid workplace experience as teens with disabilities are four times as likely to become employed than their peers who do not have such experiences, Ryan Hyde, executive director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, told the independent nonprofit newsroom PublicSource.

As someone who views this issue from the double lens of a special educator and a sibling, I believe Pennsylvania must do better.

Preparing students for adulthood who are differently wired should not depend on geography or a family’s ability to advocate. Transition services are not optional add-ons. They are essential educational services that shape a student’s future long after they leave the classroom.

If Pennsylvania is serious about setting up all students for success in life, three policy changes are necessary:

— First, Pennsylvania must establish dedicated, protected funding for these services, so they’re not treated as an afterthought in state and school district budgeting.

Too often, transition supports are absorbed into already strained special education budgets, forcing districts to limit work-based learning, job coaching, transportation and assistive technology. Dedicated funding would allow districts to build consistent, high-quality programs rather than relying on short-term grants or uneven local resources.

In my brother’s experience, transition services were a separate area of the special education department, ensuring that services continued to be an intentional part of programming rather than an add-on.

— Second, Pennsylvania must require and fund early collaboration with adult agencies, including the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation.

Transition planning is most effective when adult service providers are involved well before a student reaches the age of eligibility. The state should require participation beginning no later than age 14 and provide the staff and funding necessary to make that collaboration meaningful. Since outside agencies played a large part in transition planning and decision-making, my family had the guidance necessary to ensure no crucial support options were overlooked.

— Third, Pennsylvania must set clear, measurable standards and accountability for transition outcomes.

The quality of transition services should not depend on a student’s ZIP code. This means defining minimum expectations for work experiences, vocational training and post-school planning. It also means requiring districts to publicly report outcomes, such as employment and connection to adult services after an individual’s exit at age 22. My brother is a positive example of how receiving intentional, individualized job training ensures that graduation is an entryway into a career and independence.

Seeing doors open early and often for my brother to learn and grow throughout his school years greatly impacted my ability as a sibling to help him plan for his adulthood. With sustained funding, cross-agency collaboration and clear accountability, Pennsylvania can ensure students with disabilities leave the school system at the end of eligibility not just with paperwork, but with a future.

Taylor Hough is a life skills support teacher at Solanco High School and a 2025-2026 Teach Plus Pennsylvania policy fellow. Teach Plus is a nonprofit aiming to empower teachers to lead on policy and practice issues that advance equity, opportunity and student success.

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