Kern County Consortium SELPA

Transition Information

Students with disabilities may encounter unique challenges as they enter adulthood. Choosing a college or vocational program, developing the skills to live independently, accessing transportation, finding employment, and adult services may be areas of particular concern. The resources listed in this section are intended to provide information and assistance to students as they begin the important transition to adult life.

Transition Tools for Teachers

  • National Technical Assistance Center on Transition, in partnership with Southwest SELPA, has developed a tremendous number of teacher-friendly and student-friendly transition tools that can be downloaded and utilized to facilitate transition planning. Visit their site and you will find transition checklists, assessments, transition-based lesson plans, and suggested scope and sequence of transition activities from grade to grade and month to month.

Case Management/Ongoing Care

  • Chateau d’Bakersfield – Chateau d’Bakersfield is an Adult Day Health Care and Community Integration Program (18 & over) providing Independent Living Skills Training, Mental Wellness Groups, Medical Monitoring, Physical Therapy maintenance, Occupational Therapy Maintenance, psychological assessments and treatment, medical social services, speech therapy and nutritional screening planning to Individuals with special needs. We strive to provide these individuals with knowledge and care for the purpose of restoring or maintaining optimal capacity for self-care. (661) 322-4085
  • Kern Regional Center – Kern Regional Center’s purpose is to provide supports and services to individuals with developmental disabilities to help them achieve an independent, productive, and satisfying life. (661) 852-3301

Continuing Education

  • Bakersfield College Disabled Student Programs and Services – The purpose of Disabled Student Programs & Services is to ensure access to the college and its programs and to provide accommodations and support services for students with disabilities. The program provides services for students with physical disabilities (including temporary disabilities), psychological disabilities, learning disabilities, speech and language disorders, students who are deaf or hard of hearing, and students with health limitations. These special services include counseling, registration assistance, learning disabilities assessment, tutoring, mobility assistance, sign language interpreter and reader services, special classes, alternative testing arrangements and note taking assistance. Special equipment includes tape recorders, materials in alternative formats (Braille, large print tape) and assistive computer technology. All facilities are accessible and services are tailored to meet individual needs. (661) 395-4334
  • CSUB Disability Services – The Mission of Services for Students with Disabilities is to provide support services which will enable every student, regardless of disability, to have access to the university education. (661) 654-3360
  • Taft College Disabled Students Programs & Services – Taft College offers a variety of support services to students with disabilities. The accommodations and services requested are individually determined by the student and the disability specialist. Accommodations and services are intended, as much as possible, to mitigate the effects of the student’s disability on his or her educational experience at Taft College. There is no charge for any of these services. (661) 468-2065

Employment

  • All Aboard Transitional Employment/On Track (California Department of Rehabilitation) – All Aboard Transitional Employment provides person served by the Mental Health System of Care with community integration services designed to enhance overall community functioning in a variety of work & volunteer environments. Participants have an opportunity to acquire problem-solving skills, develop a peer support network, learn and demonstrate individual responsibility, develop an ethic of teamwork, engage in peer support, and learn basic work skills. (661) 868-5102
  • California Department of Rehabilitation – DOR’s vocational rehabilitation services program assists Californians with disabilities obtain and retain employment and maximize their ability to live independently in their communities. The Department develops, purchases, provides, and advocates for programs and services in vocational rehabilitation, habilitation and independent living with a priority on service for persons with the most significant disabilities. (661) 395-2525
  • Career Services Center – Career Services Center offers resources to individuals with disabilities, including job training and placement programs. Specialized assistive devices are also available to help job seekers with disabilities access the employment tools and data bases at the center. (661) 325-4473
  • Goodwill Workforce Development – Goodwill offers an assortment of programs and services to assist persons with disabilities overcome barriers to employment through community-based training and job placement. (661) 837-0595
  • PathPoint – Pathpoint offers a variety of employment services to assist individuals with disabilities or disadvantages to overcome barriers employment by strategically placing them in work environments that are compatible with their interests, talents and abilities. PathPoint’s day programs for adults with developmental disabilities offer community-based skill acquisition that fits the needs and interests of the individual. Program participants access community services and develop independent living skills (such as banking, budgeting, public transportation, safety and recreational planning) that will benefit them for a lifetime. (661) 617-6170 x107
  • Social Security Ticket To Work – The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program is an employment program for people with disabilities who are interested in going to work. The Ticket Program is part of the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 – legislation designed to remove many of the barriers that previously influenced people’s decisions about going to work because of the concerns over losing health care coverage. The goal of the Ticket Program is to increase opportunities and choices for Social Security disability beneficiaries to obtain employment, vocational rehabilitation (VR), and other support services from public and private providers, employers, and other organizations.

Independent Living

  • Bakersfield Association for Retarded Citizens (BARC) – BARC is an organization that provides educational and employment services for persons with development disabilities. Programs and services include an activity center, adult developmental center, work activity job training, supported employment, transition and support to self sufficiency, independent and community living, protection and advocacy, social development, and recreation. (661) 834-2272
  • Department of Human Services Independent Living Program for Foster Youth – The Independent Living Program (ILP) is a federally funded program that provides services to assist eligible youth and young adults in making a successful transition from foster care to independently living. The goal of the program is to enable youth to achieve self-sufficiency prior to exiting the foster care system by providing independent living skills assessment, training and services, as well as a written transition independent living plan for every participant. Youth 16 and older who are in foster care, or youth who have been in foster care after their 16th birthday are eligible for services up to the age of 21. (661) 868-8958
  • Taft College Transition – The Taft College TIL Program provides an educational experience that focuses on acquisition of skills necessary for independent living. In addition, students are taught strategies for problem solving, conflict resolution, and informed decision making. The curriculum is comprehensive and involves the following components: academic classes, vocational training, independent living skills, social and leisure skills, and transition services. The program occupies 28 dorm rooms in the residence hall and an apartment that houses two students on campus. (661) 763-7773
  • Valley Achievement Center Adult Services – Valley Adult Services specializes in Support Employment, Supported Living and Community Integration for adults with developmental disabilities. Services include community integration training, supported employment, and supported living services. (661) 834-8670

Recreation

  • Special Olympics of Kern County – The mission of Special Olympics of Kern County is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. (661) 322-7598

Support Groups/Advocacy

  • Kern Autism Network (KAN) – Kern Autism Network provides support, awareness, information and education families, professionals and the public throughout Kern County. “Adults on the Spectrum – Monthly Support Group” convenes throughout the years to provide social networking opportunities for adults with Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. (661) 588-4235
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – NAMI Kern County is a grassroots, family and consumer self-help support and advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with severe mental illnesses, i.e., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (manic depression), clinical depression, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and PTSD. (661) 303-1416
  • People First (KRC) – People First is designed to serve citizens with developmental challenges throughout California by creating local chapters that give people with developmental disabilities a voice and a mechanism to be heard. (661) 852-3242