If you are blind or visually impaired and between the ages of 16-22, or the parent of a blind or visually impaired 16-22 year old, look at these resources first.
The first thing you will want to do when you are close to transitioning out of high school is to contact your local office of the California Department of Rehabilitation and consider applying for their services. The Department of Rehabilitation can help you determine vocational objectives, pay for many college costs and/or work training and buy the equipment needed to succeed. Rehabilitation Counselors will expect their clients to stay in good contact, report college grades and review plans periodically. For more information, go to www.dor.ca.gov.
Blind Field Services - Transition Information Flyer
Transition Services - Consumers Q&A
www.ssa.gov
SSI, or Supplemental Security Income, is a federal program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides monthly cash payments to people in need. SSI is for people who are 65 or older, as well as for blind or disabled people of any age, including children.
To qualify you also must have little or no income and few resources. This means that the value of the things you own must be less than $2,000 if you are single or less than $3,000 if you are married. The value of your home does not count. Usually, the value of your car does not count. And the value of certain other resources, such as a burial plot, may not count either.
To get SSI, you also must apply for any other cash benefits you may be able to get.
You must live in the United States or the Northern Mariana Islands to get SSI. If you are not a U.S. citizen, but you are a resident, you still may be able to get SSI. For more information, ask for a copy of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) For Noncitizens (11051.html) (Publication No. 05-11051).
The state of California adds money to the federal payment. The single payment you get in the beginning of each month includes both the federal SSI payment and your supplement from California.
The State of California has four residential rehabilitation programs for persons who are blind and visually impaired. These programs provide living skills instruction, orientation and mobility, access technology and much more in a variety of dormitory or apartment settings. These agencies provide instruction in the pre-requisite skills needed to survive in college and/or the work force. To find out more, click on these links:
The STEP program is a cooperative venture between the State Department of Rehabilitation (DOR) and the California School for the Blind (CSB). Participants in this 3-week program are public high school students or graduates from public school, ages 16-21. Focus is on Career Awareness/Exploration, Computer Technology, Daily Living Skills, and Orientation and Mobility. Students must be clients of DOR. For more information, call Lavernya Carr at 510-794-3800.
The following is a link to a publication of the Cal STAT Technical
Assistance and Training Network, entitled Transition to Adult Living: An Information and Resource Guide.
This comprehensive handbook, revised in 2007 and including changes as related to the regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004), is written for students, parents, and teachers. It offers practical guidance and resources in support of transition efforts for students with disabilities as they move from their junior high and high school years into the world of adulthood and/or
independent living.
http://calstat.org/transitionGuide.html
Access to Resources for Students with Visual Impairments is a publication of the California Transcribers and Educators of the Visually Handicapped, Inc. (CTEVH). Available online and in Braille, it was originally provided in hard copy as a gift to high school juniors and seniors who live in California. Updated recently, it is designed to provide high school students with information about how to obtain specialized products and services they may need after graduation. Go to www.ctevh.org/access.htm.