Characteristics and Descriptions of Transition Content on Special Education and Rehabilitation Graduate Program Websites

Abstract

Purpose:This exploratory study advances personnel preparation research through the investigation of the transition content found on the institutional websites of U.S. universities with Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Master’s Level Personnel Preparation grants for transition planning and services (OSEP, 2015) or master’s-level Council on Rehabilitation Education (CORE)-accredited vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs (2014–2105). Individuals seeking transition training are likely to visit institutional websites given that searching online is typically the first step in exploring educational and training options.Method:A process of systematic website searches, protocol for data extraction, and an iterative content analysis were used. Data profiles were constructed, and the types of offerings were characterized and defined.Results:Twelve universities were associated with the transition offerings of eight OSEP-funded programs (8/23 or 35%) and eight CORE-accredited programs (8/97 or 8%) and their corresponding 22 websites. Four of the 12 universities appeared on both lists.Conclusions:The renewed focus on transition services within the legislation (The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act [WIOA], 2014) will no doubt increase the demand for educational preparation and professional development. These findings provide a baseline from which to improve visibility and develop further offerings. Areas for immediate improvement are the accuracy of the program descriptions and the ease of finding details.