Transitioning from youth into adulthood can be very challenging, especially for students with disabilities. Members of the PaTTAN Youth Engagement Specialist (YES) team join PaTTANpod to discuss the importance of engaging students in transition planning, as well as resources and support available from the YES team.

Click here for more episodes

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCkBP2csbOssi3rUsfM-yQT1DVGUihxg2

Also available in podcast format on iTunes and Google Play Music

iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pattanpod/id1436873041?mt=2

Google Play Music

https://play.google.com/music/m/Iwyth5xyq26f67f4qrzktutbxke?t=PaTTANpod

Natasha Fletcher, Youth Engagement Specialist

Natasha Fletcher is a Youth Engagement Specialist at PaTTAN East with over a decade of experience helping individuals with behavioral challenges and mental health concerns. Specializing in Behavioral Health management with youth Natasha uses that experience to advocate for individuals with disabilities along with providing the knowledge to expand and defend their rights while supporting self-advocacy. By focusing on the youth, she understands that no significant learning can occur without first building a significant relationship. Through lived experience as a child navigating the foster care system and an adult who struggles with ADHD herself currently, are reasons why she gets up in the morning and fight for those that are unable or have difficulties fighting for themselves.

Hayley Penn, Youth Engagement Specialist

Hayley Penn is a Youth Engagement Specialist for PaTTAN Central. She has a background in Behavioral Health and Psychology and many years of experience working with young people throughout her time as an employee at Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. As a Youth Engagement Specialist, her mission is to help provide a seamless transition for students with disabilities from high school to college or the workforce. Her goal is to advocate for support services that allow students to participate in competitive employment and higher education. She provides technical assistance and training as part of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) and PATTAN.

Hunter Steintz, Youth Engagement Specialist

Hunter Steinitz, MDiv. (Master of Divinity) is a Youth Engagement Specialist with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) in the West. Hunter is a self-advocate and speaker and brings her experience of living with a rare genetic skin condition. She has spent over a decade working with children and young adults through her church and disability communities and continues to connect and engage with those communities. Hunter's current areas of focus at PaTTAN include Secondary Transition, Employment, Family Engagement, and more.

Host

Sara Frey

Producer

John Ragsdale

Animation

Media Solutions

Special thank you to Pennsylvania Training and Technical

Assistance Network (PaTTAN), Pennsylvania Department of Education,

And Bureau of Special Education

Visit our website at http://www.pattan.net