Information on planning your transition from school to college, university, vocational training or work.
Think about your time at school. You'll be familiar with the staff who support you and the adjustments that are made to ensure you can access your subject materials.
You may have worksheets and textbooks provided in large print or braille or perhaps you have a support teacher or teaching assistant who takes notes for you in class. At school, both you and the staff are aware of the support that you need to ensure that your sight problems, and any additional needs that you may have, don't interfere with your learning.
But have you thought much about what happens when you leave school and go on to college, university or work? Think of your transition from school and beyond as a series of journeys from one location to another such as:
The journeys that get you from one location to another are what we call your points of transition. It's important that you and the different agencies that support you plan for these times of change well in advance of them happening. This will ensure that your move from, for example, sixth form to university is smooth and effective and that you're fully aware of what support you'll get and who will be responsible for providing it.
Careful planning is also very important for practical reasons, for example to make sure that you have access to assistive technology, such as screen readers or magnification software from the outset of your course. There is a lot of support out there but you may not be aware of it. Knowing what help is available enables you to take control of your future and allows you the freedom to make informed choices about what you want to do next.
Once you finish school, you can choose from a number of options in terms of what you want to do next. Planning for your next step starts before you finish school. Below you can find out more about planning your future:
Your Transition Plan - England
Your Transition Plan - Northern Ireland
RNIB, in partnership with key partners have produced a series of transition guidance for young people who are blind or partially sighted across the UK. Entitled “Bridging the gap”, this series of guides outline the support and services available to assist you in your journey from school, through further and higher education, and into employment.
You can download your country's guide on our Transition - Bridging the gap page.
