"Success is achieved by developing our strengths, not by eliminating our weaknesses." - Marilyn vos Savant

Self-determination is an important part of transition for students with disabilities because it provides the skills and tools necessary to allow students with disabilities to make their own choices and decisions about their lives. 

Self-Advocacy, choice-making, exploration of real-world experiences, problem-solving, and assisting students in understanding their disabilities are ways of assisting students to develop self-determination.

Self-determination begins in the elementary grades, as early as the initial admission to special education when students first begin to hear and understand they have a disability and how that disability impacts their instruction in the classroom. One way to ensure students are learning about their disabilities and are able to understand how their disabilities impact them in the classroom is student-led ARD meetings.