Paving rough roads: transition to life beyond the classroom as experienced by students with disabilities and their families

This grounded theory study employed in-depth interviews with nine studenrlparent dyads from eastern Canada. Youth with disabilities, aged 16 to 21, contributed narratives describing high school transitions. Shared experience that transcends disability categories produced powerful results. Three categories emerged: (1) transition fac ilitators; (2) transition constraints; (3) strategies for meaningful transitions. Higher level analysis revealed further relationships: the connection between perceived lack a/support and bum out; the importance of self-advocacy; and the sense of ''paving rough roads" for the next generation. The core variable, contextual influences, resonates with the five systems presented in the bioecological model of human development. A model demonstrating the interactions among categories, contexts and ecological systems is presented. This framework provides encouragement and cautionary notes for those working toward a meaningful transition and a place to belong for youth with disabilities.