Office for Exceptional Children (OEC)

Secondary Transition Programs

Adult Transition Unit (ATU) Goodwill:

ATU is workforce development vocational training program for students with disabilities in grades 9-12 and 23. Goodwill industries houses ATU Goodwill at 660 South Main Street. Students in this program have met all of their graduation requirements and are adult workers who volunteer three days a week at Sinclair Community College, the University of Dayton and Gospel Mission. Students who are “23s,” or adult workers, learn work skills and soft skills for future employment. 

Students learn to ride the RTA and travel to job sites on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Wednesdays and Fridays are spent at Goodwill where students spend class time learning “soft skills.” The students wear a uniform consisting of a green shirt with Dayton Public Schools and Goodwill embroidery on it, black pants and black shoes. Students are expected to work and learn positive work traits. Twice per month students participate in community outings where they learn how to travel safely, ride RTA and practice appropriate behavior in the actual environment.

ATU Goodwill partners with the University of Dayton in a Best Buddies program to promote friendship between young adults with disabilities and UD students. Paired buddies agree to communicate weekly and get together at various times during the year. UD students and ATU Goodwill students attend outings together so that both students can enjoy friendship and social activities with same-aged peers. Participation in this part of the program is optional.

ATU Goodwill students work with Job Developers who are on-site to work with students, assess their skills, and help students find a job once they finish the program. It is expected that students spend one year in the program before entering the workforce. The program follows the DPS yearly calendar.

ATU SUCCESS STORY

Goals:

  1. Learn skills necessary for communicating effectively, building relationships as a member of a team, getting around the workplace, practicing workplace safety, developing computer literacy skills, developing social skills, honing presentation skills, improving interviewing skills, managing money, and planning for health and wellness activities.

  2. Learn skills in the areas of searching for a job, keeping a job, working as an intern.

  3. Learn competitive, marketable, transferable skills that enable them to apply for a similar position.

Job Developers also assist families with:

  • Applying for SSDI claims and communicating with the appropriate personnel to determine how much a student can earn and still receive benefits, and

  • a benefit analysis where s/he can make as much money as possible for trial and error once every five years.


Project Search

Project Search is a unique, business-led, one-year, school-to-work program that takes place entirely at the workplace Kettering Health Dayton, formerly Grandview Medical Center.

The program provides real-life work experience combined with training in employability and independent living skills to help young adults with disabilities in their last year of high school successfully transition from school to a productive adult life. The interns participate in unpaid, job skill work rotations throughout the year with guided support from job skill trainers. Adult support fades as the student becomes more independent. These rotations allow the intern to participate in a variety of training experiences on-site at departments located within Kettering Health Dayton. The ultimate goal, upon program completion, is to gain competitive employment utilizing the skills learned during the internships.