A new transition service is starting in Weyburn and Estevan, which will help students who have disabilities make the transition from high school to either post-secondary education or to the workplace.

Marge Young has been hired as a transition coordinator by the Southeast Advocates for Employment, which in Weyburn is known as WASES (Weyburn and Area Supportive Employment Services Inc.).

"I've been hired to coordinate the building of a model which will be the transition model, in which I will help students with disabilities when they're leaving high school," said Young, who is a retired teacher who has an adult son who has learning disabilities. She will divide her week between the two cities, working Tuesday through Thursday in Weyburn, and Mondays and Fridays in the Estevan office.

She wants the service to be able to help students of any type of disability, whether it is a physical, mental or learning disability, and are currently in Grades 9-12.

To gain a perspective on what services are or are not available currently for such students, Young sent out a survey to the parents of all students who were identified as having a disability of some sort, and has the survey available to any parents of students who did not receive the survey through school.

Her new position is initially a 10-month contract provided for by the Supported Employment Transition Initiative, a government program. She will be working in partnership with all high schools in the southeast through the Southeast Cornerstone School Division, as well as with the Holy Family Catholic School Division, Southeast Regional College, Service Canada offices in Weyburn and Estevan, and Community Living in Weyburn and Estevan.

"We're starting at Grade 9, because by Grade 12 it may be getting too late. It takes time to plan a transition, and to try and build in the skills that they need," said Young.

With the surveys, she encourages all parents who have received them to contact her or return them to her, as well as any parents who feel their child may benefit from transition services but did not receive a survey can contact her and she will forward a copy of it to them.

"Due to privacy issues, I have to wait for the parents to contact me; I can't contact them," she said. Out of the surveys, Young hopes to develop a picture of what is available within the community to help those who need assistance in making the transition into adult life, and wants to hold meetings with interested stakeholders, including parents, employers and educators.

"We're letting people decide whether they'd like to have discussions by phone or in a round-table discussion, to find out what's in place or needs to be in place," she said.

Initially she had had a deadline of July 16 for the surveys, but this was just for a draw to be made today, July 18; Young said they will still accept completed surveys anytime this summer if parents can fill them out and return them.

"We'll look at what people feel the needs are, then basically will be sitting down with parents and students and finding out what they need, and compile that information so it's not too overwhelming for parents and teachers. We feel this is just a first survey; there may be some additional surveys in the fall, but we're not sure yet what format that survey may take," said Young.

By the end of her contract, by the end of March of 2008, Young said they hope to make a DVD and/or CD-ROM which will fully lay out the services and assistance available to parents and students who are making the transition into post-secondary education or their first job, or to community living.

Young said they may also be contacting the resource teachers in the junior and senior high schools, "to give us an idea of what's missing in the schools."

The hope is also to have a committee or group set up in all communities with a high school in the southeast, not just in Weyburn and Estevan, comprised of parents, employers, educators and anyone in the community who has an interest in this issue, said Young. This includes people like herself who have already raised a child or children with a disability, and have helped them make the transition into adult life, and may be able to share what did or did not work for them.