Transition Planning for Students with Down Syndrome

National Down Syndrome Societytransition planningemploymentIn general, there are three types of employment options available toindividuals with Down syndrome: competitive, supported andsheltered.7• In competitive employment, the individual securesemployment in the community — for example, by respondingto ads or job postings or proactively approaching businesses —and works independently without any support services.• More common is supported employment, in which theindividual works in an integrated setting and receives supportservices from a job coach. The job coach accompanies theindividual to the workplace to enable him or her to learn thenecessary job skills and to prepare to work independently.Usually, the job coach works with the individual full-time atfirst, and moves toward the goal of providing only periodicsupport such as visiting the job site to assist in training theindividual for new assignments.