This section of the Family2Family Toolkit introduces you to the Toolkit, along with the features you will find as you move through the product. Toolkit Components are features that you will find throughout the Toolkit. Watch for icons and directions to use these features.
Information on the Toolkit is ever-changing and dynamic. Visit the site often to see updates and new information. As new data are published from researchers and practitioners, this information will be added to the site. The Toolkit includes a number of ideas for further resources you can investigate (more on this later). For example, Think College is an invaluable site that serves postsecondary education programs across the nation, and the Toolkit frequently features or refers readers to that site.
Family2FamilyFilms are short videos that highlight family members who have students with ID who have attended, completed, or are headed to postsecondary education programs. Family members were asked specific questions in these videos, and you will see several videos of them as you navigate the Toolkit. The family members who participated in these videos add so much experience and knowledge to the Toolkit, and their guidance will help your student and family make important decisions.
Family Information Zip Zone (FIZZ) are links to additional resources on topics we have offered in the Toolkit. FIZZ links will give family members opportunities to dig deeper into an area or find related information on the topic. Look for the FIZZ logo and click on it to find these resources.
Checklists are found throughout the Toolkit, and they give students and their families ideas for further discussion, frameworks for making decisions, directions for seeking information, and additional brainstorming ideas for families. Some checklists are completed separately by the student and family members, and others are completed by the student and family together. You can decide how to use each checklist to meet your family’s needs and preferences. Reports can be printed to share with high school IEP teams, agency personnel, postsecondary education program personnel, and staff from campus disability offices. Families may also find printed reports to be useful as they discuss topics with the student and family members.
Now that you are familiar with the parts of the Family2Family Toolkit, you’re ready to move to the rest of the sections!