Should Access to the Community be Included in the IEP as Independent Living Skills?

For some students with disabilities, the IEP team may determine appropropriate measurable postsecondary goals designed to improve independent living skills are necessary. If so, the team must also determine the type of transition services required to help the student achieve those goals. Transition services are "a coordinated set of activities for a child with a disability" that are intended "...to facilitate movement from school to post-school activities" and can include "independent living, or community participation" (34 CFR Section 300.43). If the results of an assessment of a student's independent living skills leads an IEP team to determine that access to the community is necessary for the student to receive a free and appropriate education, the team must design transition services to be included in the IEP that will help the student achieve those goals.