Transition Network sponsors series on Building Bridge to Future

Three organizations are hosting a three-part series on subjects ranging from transition services to person-centered planning.

Sponsors for the initial training session, which runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, at the Oakland Public School System headquarters at 2111 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford, include the Regional Inclusive Community Coalition, Oakland Schools, and the Oakland County Community Mental Health Authority.

At the first session, Annie Lubliner-Lehmann, will speak about what she has learned in raising a son with autism.

Lubliner-Lehmann, who published “The Accidental Teacher: Life Lessons from My Silent Son?” will speak about her personal experiences with transition and person centered planning.

She has been a freelance writer for more than 25 years, has published articles in many newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times and Detroit Free Press.

The second session will be held Nov. 5 at the same location and is entitled: “Community Mental Health: Eligibility to Services” while the final session on Dec. 3 is on “Person Centered Planning: The Plan for Adult Life.”

The Oakland County Transition Network, a collaboration of committee members from OCCHMA, Oakland Schools, and the Oakland County Regional Interagency Consumer Committee, put together the series. To register, visit www.oakland.k12.mi.us or call (248) 209-2500 or (888) 263-3867.

If you have questions about the presentation content, call Cathy Schmidt at (248) 209-2504 or Lynda at (248) 975-9835. There is no cost to attend the training which is aimed at parents, young adults and those who support transition, said Lynn Maginity, executive director of Imaginity@newgateways.org.

The series will take a closer look at transition for students with an Individual Education Plan as they move from school to adult community agency supports. Learn planning tools, the process, and resources at the training sessions. Each session will feature a parent and/or a young adult sharing their tips and lessons learned.

Lubliner-Lehmann lives in Michigan with her husband and two of her three children. Her eldest son, 24, has severe autism. All proceeds from the book will be donated to the research arm of Autism Speaks. Lubliner-Lehmann says she lives by John Ruskin’s words: “The primary reward for human toil is not what you get for it, but what you become by it?”