Lissette
Lissette is a twenty-year-old student with Down Syndrome who has a number of post-secondary
plans. As an adolescent, Lissette had several surgeries to correct scoliosis. She
now walks at an average speed, but she uses a cane for stability areas with elevation
changes, such as stairs, hills, curbs, and broken sidewalks. In areas with bumpy
terrain, she has been taught by her physical therapist to walk slowly to prevent
a fall.
She plans to attend Montgomery County College to take courses. In this program,
she will be able to continue to gain skills related to functional academics and
career preparation. One requirement of the program is the completion of an application
with several pieces of personal information. Lissette wants to complete this application
herself, without help from her parents. A few other students from her high school
Work Study Skills classes also plan to attend this program. Lissette wanted to attend
this program because she knows that courses at the college will help her gain skills
for work. Also, she wants to go to school with students her age and she is excited
about traveling to the campus by herself using public transportation. She uses her
cane each day to practice walking to the bus stop where she will catch the bus to
get to the community college next year. However, when asked by her mother and teachers
how the walk to the bus stop was, several times she has said it was “hard” (difficult)
and reported that she almost fell several times.
Lissette and her family, along with her IEP team, decided that she will live at
home for approximately four years after she graduates from high school. At that
time, she will move into a supported apartment with other young women in the local
community. Lissette has expressed a desire to someday get married and have children
but she doesn’t currently have a boyfriend. She wants to move out because she has
witnessed her older sister moving out of the family home, and she wants these experiences
for herself as well.
Lissette does not currently have a job, but she participated in several unpaid work
training experiences in the community through her high school and transition level
services. She particularly expressed an interest in jobs related to the food service
industry, cleaning, and laundry. She has never had her own bank account, but she
has had some experiences managing small amounts of money she received as a gift
or for chores around the house. At the job site, she was extremely efficient, but
her co-workers had difficulty understanding her requests when she asked for help.
In order to better communicate with unfamiliar people, she just received an assistive
technology voice output device that is about the size of a palm pilot. Lissette
is willing to use the device, but she does not have adequate skills to use it effectively
just yet.
Lissette’s parents are supportive of her plans, but they worry for her safety. They
are interested in community programs that will help Lissette protect herself around
unfamiliar people. Lissette also has a tendency to talk to strangers on the public
bus, which makes her mother nervous about her trip to the community college.
This document was produced under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special
Education Programs Grant No. H326J050004. Marlene Simon-Burroughs served as the
project officer. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions
or polices of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department
of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this
publication is intended or should be inferred. This product is public domain. Authorization
to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this
publication is not necessary, the citation should be: National Secondary Transition
Technical Assistance Center (2007) Indicator 13 Training Materials, Charlotte, NC,
NSTTAC.
