Abstract
“Transition from adolescence to adulthood is a period of time pregnant with paradoxes” (p. 1). For some, the exit from secondary schooling is synonymous with graduation and celebration. For others, this critical life stage is a confusing time of change. The diverse range of experiences is as vast as those experiencing them. Yet as Audrey Trainor notes, there is concern that employment, education, and independent living outcomes are not equitable between those with and without disabilities.
In this book, Trainor’s main intentions are three-fold. The first is to position transition as more than an intervention on/for the student, and to consider wider societal responses that contribute to a student’s success or failure. This intention aligns well with a social conception of disability, that the impairments (if any) of disability are primarily caused by the way society is structured, rather than a need to “fix” or “correct” an individual (Shakespeare, 2006). Second, Trainor sheds light on methodological and empirical gaps in the special education transition knowledge base, particularly in the US. Through concise yet articulate analyses, she calls for “paradigm proliferation,” a phrase borrowed from seminal education scholar Patty Lather (2006), to forefront culture and relationships in transition scholarship. Third, Trainor argues that transition should be considered more than best-practice steps, but rather, as a matter of social justice. For some, transition reinforces the power of privilege, while for others, in particular those at the heart of this book, disability intersects with a myriad of other factors (e.g., racial, cultural, poverty, etc.) toward exclusion, marginalization, and low expectations. I’d argue that Trainor achieves each of these aims, and in doing so, calls for strengths-based policies and practices for all who are undergoing transition from school.
In the first chapter, transition is positioned as a cultural practice examined through the lens of French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, and more specifically, focused upon features of economic, cultural, and social capital (Bourdieu, 1986). Cultural conceptions of transition are juxtaposed with historical influences, most notably by way of the largest-scale study of transition in the US, the first and second National Longitudinal Transition Studies (US Department of Education, 1980; 2000).
Chapter two details transition models over time in the US, uniquely crafted through the lens of cultural theory. A successful adulthood is challenged in light of privileged, dominant views. Chapter three uses the timely example of the school-to-prison pipeline, or exclusionary discipline procedures, to question commonly accepted transition foci such as pre-employment preparation and self-determination within these restrictive contexts. Similar questioning continues in the fourth chapter, focused on the lack of access to sufficient healthcare for young adults with disabilities. Both chapters underscore the relatedness of transition to other fields of study, such as medicine, humanities, and policy. Finally, chapter five focuses on the expansion of special education transition research and practice to build upon the strengths of all individuals in transition. Trainor valiantly calls us to “embrace diversity for the strength that it is” (p. 139) as those involved embark upon the journey of transition from a range of contexts.
With a legacy of transition research and active professional engagement, Trainor is authoritatively positioned to expand the scope of special education transition study in the US. The social, strengths-based shift suggested is devoutly mixed method—Trainor pushes forward both the quantitative and qualitative modes of inquiry. Despite the admitted challenge, this book is a catalyst for necessary developments in the wider field of special education in the US to keep pace with, for example, medical and rehabilitation fields, which have already moved in more socially conceived directions.
While thorough in her articulation of the challenges and limitations of transition, Trainor spends less time on solutions. For instance, she problematizes “the deleterious effects of [disability] labelling” (p. 133) that goes unquestioned by many US researchers, yet offers only a gentle nudge toward identity scholarship to address these concerns. In an optimistic sense, however, Trainor provides what I might have only wished for during my recent doctoral study; she delivers an overview of the current transition landscape, and in the process, notes openings for future study to fill the voids. Additionally, for audiences outside the US, the book provides a refreshingly accessible contemporary framework to view a comprehensive history of US transition.
Audrey Trainor demonstrates the authority and sensitivity to break new ground within the field of special education transition in the US. The power of this book sits within the subtle balance that while “difference is not a deficit” (p. 116), “transition education is not a panacea for inequality” (p. 124). This book reformulates disability, diversity, and equity during the transition to early adulthood in a manner accessible and inviting to the wider international community.