We talk a lot about building self-determination in our students, but what exactly is it? We focus our transition plans on students achieving a specific employment or education outcome, which is important, but an even more important outcome is us building self-determination in our students. Our students need to be able to know themselves well enough to discuss what they are good at, what they are interested in, what they struggle with, and so much more. This skill will help students be successful no matter which pathway they pursue after school. So how do we do it? We must expose our students to many jobs, interests, educational opportunities, and more. Once they are exposed, we need to teach them how to reflect on their experience so they can understand themselves. If we focus on self-determination then our employment, education, and independent living goals will take care of themselves.  

The Debruce Foundation created the Agilities. There are 10 different abilities ranging from developing others, inspecting, working with information, and more. Each of the 10 Agilities is separated into three grade levels; elementary, middle, and high school. Each grade level has a welcome kit and the ability to download a resource kit. In the welcome kit each Agility is covered in more depth. Some topics are how students can use and grow their Agility, specific occupations that align to that Agility, and some examples of what Agility looks like in action. The occupations can help us define our transition goals while growing the Agility, and examples can be really great transition activities in our plans. 

If you are looking for more details on the Agilities, check out their YouTube channel. The videos are short and are targeted at students. They explore the Agility and give examples of what skill the Agility encompasses and what occupations align to that Agility. There is also an overview video of all the Agilities. These videos can be a great way to build background knowledge of each Agility before exploring them more with your students.