Delaware Independent Living Skills Transition: Housing, Transportation, and Daily Life Planning

Employment gets most of the attention in transition planning, but the question that keeps parents up at night is simpler: where will my child live, and how will they get around? Independent living skills — managing a household, navigating transportation, handling money, maintaining health — are the foundation everything else sits on. Delaware's transition framework addresses these skills, but families have to fight for them to get the same IEP attention as vocational goals.

Independent Living Goals in the IEP

IDEA requires measurable postsecondary goals in three domains: education or training, employment, and (where appropriate) independent living. That "where appropriate" qualifier gives some schools an excuse to skip independent living entirely. For students with significant support needs, independent living goals are always appropriate — and families should push back if the IEP team treats them as optional.

Effective independent living IEP goals might target:

• Meal planning and preparation — selecting recipes, shopping for ingredients, following cooking instructions, managing food safety
• Personal finance — budgeting a monthly income, paying bills, understanding bank statements, avoiding exploitation
• Health management — scheduling medical appointments, managing medications, recognizing when to seek emergency care
• Household maintenance — cleaning, laundry, minor repairs, managing utilities
• Self-advocacy in community settings — requesting help at a pharmacy, communicating with a landlord, filing a complaint

These goals should be practiced through community-based instruction in real settings, not just discussed in a classroom. A student who practices budgeting only on worksheets hasn't actually learned to budget.

Housing Options in Delaware

Housing is the most constrained resource in Delaware's adult disability services landscape. The Lifespan Waiver funds several residential models, but availability — especially in Kent and Sussex counties — is limited:

Shared living — the individual lives with a host family (not their biological family) who provides daily support. DDDS pays the host family a negotiated rate. This model works well for people who need moderate daily support but not 24-hour staffing.

Group homes — staffed residential settings with multiple residents. DDDS funds the staffing and programming. Group homes offer the highest level of support but the least independence.

Supported independent living — the individual lives in their own apartment or house with periodic staff visits. DDDS funds a set number of support hours per week. This is the most independent waiver-funded option, increasingly supplemented by remote supports technology.

Family home — the individual continues living with family. DDDS can fund respite care and in-home support services to reduce caregiver burden.

Outside the waiver system, families can also explore Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers through the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA). Ask DSHA about current waitlist status and apply early.

Transportation Reality

Delaware is small, but it's not evenly served by public transit. DART First State provides fixed-route bus service, but coverage drops sharply outside Wilmington and Newark. Kent and Sussex counties have limited routes and infrequent schedules.

For individuals who cannot use fixed-route transit, DART Paratransit provides door-to-door service for eligible riders. Service-area and reservation rules are specific, so confirm current requirements with DART before relying on it. Rural families in southern Delaware may find that paratransit doesn't reach their community at all.

Families should ask DDDS whether waiver-funded transportation is available when no other option exists and which trips are authorized; coverage may be limited by the service plan.

Transition planning should include explicit transportation goals: learning to read bus schedules, planning routes with the DART mobile app, practicing paratransit scheduling, and identifying alternatives for areas without coverage. Families can ask DVR whether transportation-related services — including driver's education evaluation and vehicle modification assessment — can be included in the Individualized Plan for Employment.

What to Push For in the IEP

If the transition section of the IEP focuses exclusively on employment and says nothing about where the student will live or how they'll get around, that's incomplete planning. Families should request:

1. Independent living goals with measurable criteria and community-based practice opportunities
2. A housing plan section in the transition discussion — even if the answer is "continues living at home," the IEP should document what supports the family will need
3. Transportation assessment — can the student use public transit independently, and if not, what training or alternatives exist?
4. Referral to DDDS for residential planning if the student will need waiver-funded housing after school

The Delaware IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide covers independent living planning across each transition year, with worksheets for housing assessment, transportation skill tracking, and daily living skill development tied to IEP goals.

See more Delaware guides →