The Haverhill Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) will host a Transition Planning 101 event (ages 18-22), which will feature speakers from The Arc of Greater Haverhill-Newburyport, the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, and the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services at SEPAC's April 9, 2019, meeting at the Haverhill High School library at 6 PM.
Andrea Morris is the education and outreach manager at The Arc with a focus on transition planning into adulthood. She has been working in the complex world of transition planning for more than four years and learns something new every day.
Andrea meets and collaborates with students, caregivers, educators, and state agencies among others to provide transition planning support in a meaningful way, especially around timelines, benefits, and the adult service system.
Aisha Nakazibwe is a senior vocational rehabilitation counselor at the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC). She has been working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for seven years. MRC helps people with disabilities to live and work independently and serves people with all types of disabilities except those who are blind. Individuals with visual disabilities are served through the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind.
Before working as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, she worked at Northeast Independent Living as an independent living skills specialist. Aisha has been a client of both New Hampshire Vocational Rehabilitation and the MRC, so she credits her professional success to the vocational rehabilitation system.
John Cruz from the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS) also will speak. The mission of DDS is to create, in partnership with others, innovative and genuine opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to participate fully and meaningfully in, and contribute to, their communities as valued members.
Parents, guardians, and caregivers of children age 14 or older are encouraged to attend.
Haverhill High School is located at 137 Monument Street, Haverhill, MA 01832. The most convenient place to park is behind the school in the parking lot past the tennis courts. The library is just to the right of the entrance.
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