>> AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you have legal staff? >> DAVID: We do not have legal staff, but we do make legal re-referrals. We have a couple members of our board of directors that are attorneys that provide some advice and counsel. But, no, we don't have legal staff. >> AUDIENCE MEMBER: Thank you. >> DAVID: Good question, though. Other questions? If I'm talking too fast -- I told the interpreters earlier if I'm talking to fast, just yell at me or something. So, youth transition, why is it important? I think this is really one of those -- the five areas of youth transition that we operate under in our state are employment, home living, recreation and leisure, post-secondary education, and community participation. And those are the five goals of our transition program is to focus individuals on those choices. We recognize that not every student in a secondary educational program is going to necessarily be looking for a post-secondary educational opportunity. They may choose not to do that. They may choose to go right from that secondary setting into an employment setting. But our point is to focus on these five areas and make sure in their IEP planning, in their IEP process, in their family planning that they're doing with their parents and siblings and so forth, that these five areas are addressed so that they have a well rounded and balanced life when they come out of that secondary setting. So essentially the purpose of youth transition is to ensure that the youth, the young adult, will gain the skills, the knowledge, and the interagency relationships that they may need to establish their long-range goals for their independence after high school. One of the things that we've noted in Minnesota, and I'm sure that many of you noticed this as well in your homes, in your communities where you provide services, is historically and even now traditionally we don't really talk a lot with youth about life after high school. We don't really promote that perception with youth with disabilities. And I think that's really unfortunate.
year we sponsor an advocacy day at the Capitol, and our youth program is a huge, huge part of that. After we have a certain activity or a rally in the rotunda of the Capitol, then we send people out to meet with their individual legislators and do courtesy calls and things like that. And our students are always a huge part of that because they are the next generation. My grandmother always used to say to me, you know, David, we're all in this alone together. And it's so true. And that's one of the reasons why we really have to involve the youth and keep getting them out on the front line because it's so critically important for them to be visible. One of our other huge parts of our transition program is working with the students to become more effective members of their IEP team and to learn how to use the IEP as an effective, long-range planning tool. It's a valuable resource for them. So we really try to get them to be active and vocal and a participatory part of that IEP team. Yes, ma'am, right up here. Would you grab the mike, please? Thank you. Or have some help you there. >> AUDIENCE MEMBER: Do you do self-led IEP? >> DAVID: Absolutely. We do. In fact, we encourage that. I've gone to so many IEP teams myself, and it's so fun because the teachers will say, you know, here at our school, we like to see Bobby take a leadership role. And we're going to make sure that he really has a lot of say in this. And we want him to be more We want him to be a stronger self-advocate. And I always look at them and say, you know what, I think that is fantastic. I think that is wonderful. Now, what are you willing to give up? And that's when they kind of look at me and go what? What? And I say, well, you want him to be a strong self-advocate. You want him to practice and demonstrate How is he going to do that unless you have got to give up some of the power? You've got to let him or her demonstrate that. It can't just be rhetorical. You have to let them do it.