Life Skills Transition Program

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Life Skills Transition
Brochure (PDF - 721KB)

Life Skills Transition Program Overview

The ultimate goal for each student at Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center (WWRC) is the successful application of independent living skills and work skills in his or her home community. Beginning with initial student and sponsor consults, assessments, and the subsequent service plan development, WWRC services are designed to support a viable vocational goal. In order to maximize the potential for lasting positive vocational outcomes, services at WWRC incorporate a holistic approach to assist students in reaching their employment and independent living goals.

The Life Skills Transition Program has been created to provide a comprehensive approach to teaching individuals the job of daily life and living with others within WWRC’s living and learning residential environment. The program takes advantage of the social aspects of campus life and activities provided on and off campus to assess and provide instruction across five domains:

interpersonal skills (disability awareness; self-advocacy; interpersonal communication; initiative/dependability; anger management; conflict resolution; self-esteem and self-confidence)
independent living skills (money management; clothing care; time management; route finding and information seeking; personal health care; healthy relationships)
pre-employment skills (basic work behaviors, attitudes, and habits; job seeking skills; basic customer service and effective communication with others; vocational exploration)
leisure skills (exploration of interests and community resources)
basic workplace literacy (reading; math; GED assessment and skill development)

Click Here for Life Skills Transition Program flyer.

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Admissions Requirements and Procedures

The Life Skills Transition Program is open to individuals with disabilities who may benefit from its services, regardless of age. However, the program was originally conceptualized as a component of WWRC’s “continuum of services” to meet the school-to-work transition needs of youth and young adults with disabilities who:

may be still enrolled in the public school system;
are enrolled in a local “post-high program” operated by the public school system; or
may have “dropped out” of the public school system prior to graduation.

Applicants may be referred by a local school division, family member, or community-based organization or Agency. Applicants may also self-refer. WWRC utilizes an open entry / open exit system for new student enrollments. Applicants for the Life Skills Transition Program will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, contingent on meeting general WWRC Admissions Criteria. Enrollment dates are coordinated between the WWRC Admissions Office and the Life Skills Transition Program Administrative Office.

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Grading System and Program Completion Requirements

Progress reports are formally prepared and issued every six weeks. However, students participating in the Life Skills Transition Program are provided more frequent feedback on a daily basis regarding progress towards targeted areas of skill development, in addition to self-evaluations which are shared and discussed. This information is summarized through a weekly feedback process. Summaries of student progress are aggregated to determine effectiveness of the pre-employment, work development, and interpersonal skill interventions.

Participants in the Life Skills Transition Program are eligible to graduate when they master personal learning goals mutually identified during pre-admission, orientation, and assessment phases of their program. Each person’s program is individualized in scope, content, and length of stay, based on assessed needs. Upon successful mastery of personal learning goals, graduates are awarded a “Certificate of Attainment” and are eligible to participate in quarterly commencement ceremonies.

Transcripts are available, upon request, by contacting the WWRC Records Management Department. A transcript will contain the courses or units completed with corresponding grades, clock hours attempted and completed, and dates of attendance.

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Program Accreditation

WWRC’s Life Skills Transition Program is supported by the Virginia Department of Education as part of the Commonwealth’s continuum of school-to-work transition services for youth and young adults with disabilities.

WWRC serves as a state-operated program serving secondary education students with disabilities who meet WWRC admissions criteria. Secondary education students with disabilities served at WWRC are provided services in accordance with applicable federal and state special education laws and regulations.