"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself."

Youth Transition Support and Counseling

GSIL can help students with disabilities plan for life after high school and a rewarding future.  GSIL can assist in identifying and accessing the supports and services that will replace school based services, provide benefits planning, identify ways families can assist their young adult, and help students identify occupations and careers of interest.

Through this program, schools gain a  systematic way to address critical transition planning areas that are mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which takes into account the student's needs, preferences and interests.

Our student services include:

• Performing career assessments
• Facilitating job shadows, tours and informational interviews
• Teaching the skills necessary to get and keep a job
• Assisting with networking and job search
• Developing a custom program for your school

Earn and Learn

Granite State Independent Living’s Earn and Learn Program provides Extending Learning Opportunities (ELO’s) that combine soft skills training and education with on-the-job training for high school students with disabilities.  We endeavor to re-engage students with the relevance of education to their adult lives and assist them in obtaining academic credits outside of their traditional school walls.  Students are matched with professions in which they have an interest and learn more about the skills and education required to be successful in that field. Classroom skill training includes resume building, mock interviews, appropriate worksite behavior, and professionalism.

Extended Learning Opportunities allow schools to grant credits to students for participating in a wide variety of meaningful that take place outside of the classroom.  ELO's are done outside of a traditional classroom setting and use the community and its resources to provide "hands-on" experiences to accomplish learning.

For students with a disability, ELO's are an important tool and can be used for credit recovery, real world relevancy checks and building functional skills.  Functionals learning can provide a bridge to future planning and greater academic success.  In New Hampshire, research and experience has shown that when students are allowed to demonstrate what they've learned outsides of the classroom, both their skills and their knowledge increase.

The power that this experience brings to students' learning and the contribution to their real world understanding is remarkable.  Due to the relevance to each student's life, passion and interest, students are often, for the first time, able to make the connections between academic/school requirements and their hopes and dreams for the future.

GSIL's goal is to keep students engaged in their educations by preparing them for employment, post secondary learning and living independently in their community.

Sign up for your NH at Work consultation, or contact GSIL at NHatWORK@gsil.org or 603-518-4600.