Transition Fair to highlight opportunities for special needs students

PARKERSBURG -- The Transition Committee of the Mid-Ohio Valley will hold its fourth-annual spring Transition Fair March 23 at Parkersburg South High School.

The fair will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Roy McCase Gymnasium at PSHS.

The fair is free to attend and targets students with special needs ages 16-21 and their caregivers. It is open to eligible families in Wood, Ritchie, Wirt, Pleasants and Calhoun counties in West Virginia, as well as Belpre and Marietta in Ohio.

The goal of the event is to make available all resources in the area that will help an individual with their transition into adulthood. Available vendors will highlight employment opportunities, support services, health resources, advocacy and area higher education.

This year's presenters include Marshall University's H.E.L.P Program, Workforce WV, Washington County Career Center, W.Va. Division of Rehabilitation Services, WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities, Mid-Ohio Valley Transit Authority and WVU-Parkersburg.

"For any student, but particularly those facing additional barriers, navigating life after high school can be an overwhelming and scary thought," said Transition Committee member Ashley Way-Fankhauser. "We hope that since this event provides so many different resources under one roof that it helps alleviate even at least a little bit of that fear or anxiety for the youth."

Those attending will have an opportunity to meet with a case manager from the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program. The goal of WIPA is to provide information to SSI/SSDI recipients that helps them better understand their benefits and enables them to maximize their work activity.

For more information about the fair or the Transition Committee of the Mid-Ohio Valley, contact Marsha Spiker, rehabilitation specialist and committee facilitator, at 1-304-382-4849.