Kansas Transition Resources: KSDE, Families Together, and Where to Get Free Help

Free Resources That Actually Help (and How to Use Them)

Kansas has more transition resources than most parents realize. The problem is not availability — it is fragmentation. The school gives you one set of brochures. The CDDO has different forms. Kansas Rehabilitation Services has its own referral process. Families Together offers support that overlaps with all three. No single agency gives you the full picture.

This guide maps the primary free resources available to Kansas families navigating the transition from special education to adult life, organized by what each one actually does and when to use it.

KSDE Special Education and Transition

The Kansas State Department of Education manages the regulatory framework for transition planning. KSDE does not provide direct services to families — it sets the rules that school districts must follow and investigates complaints when districts fail.

What KSDE offers:

• The Special Education Process Handbook — the official manual governing IEP procedures, including Chapter 4 on transition planning and Chapter 8 on exiting and graduation
• Secondary Transition Resources page with webinars, compliance guides, and transition assessment tools
• Dispute resolution services including mediation, formal complaints, and due process hearing coordination
• Indicator 13 compliance data showing how each district performs on transition planning requirements

When to use KSDE: When you need to understand the rules (read the Process Handbook), when a district is not following the rules (file a formal complaint at 800-203-9462), or when you need data on how your district compares to others on transition compliance.

Families Together, Inc.

Families Together is Kansas's federally designated Parent Training and Information Center. It is the single most useful free resource for parents navigating special education and transition — but only if you contact them early enough to benefit from their support.

What Families Together offers:

• One-on-one parent support from trained staff who understand Kansas special education law
• IEP meeting preparation assistance and meeting accompaniment
• The iTransition app (iTransitionKS.org), a free student-led tool that generates a personalized transition plan for IEP meetings
• Workshops and trainings on transition planning, age of majority, and adult services
• Connections to local and statewide advocacy resources

Contact: 800-264-6343 (toll-free), with offices in Topeka, Wichita, Garden City, and Chanute.

When to use Families Together: Before IEP meetings (they can help you prepare questions and understand your rights), when you feel overwhelmed by the transition process (they can help you prioritize), and when you need help understanding the difference between school-based and adult-based service systems.

Kansas Rehabilitation Services (KRS)

KRS operates the state's Vocational Rehabilitation and Pre-Employment Transition Services programs. This is the agency that can fund job training, assistive technology, job coaching, and employment support for students and young adults with disabilities.

What KRS offers:

• Pre-ETS for students aged 14–21 who are enrolled in a secondary or postsecondary program and have documented disabilities (job exploration, work-based learning, postsecondary counseling, workplace readiness, self-advocacy)
• Full Vocational Rehabilitation services including the Individualized Plan for Employment, funded job coaching, vocational training, and supported employment
• Coordination with school transition teams and referrals to employment services

Contact: 866-213-9079 or through the DCF Services regional office locator.

When to use KRS: At age 14–15 for Pre-ETS referral (do not wait for the school to initiate this), roughly 18 months before expected school exit for a full VR application, and before graduation to ensure the Individualized Plan for Employment is in place so services continue after school ends.

Community Developmental Disability Organizations (CDDOs)

The 27 CDDOs across Kansas serve as the single point of entry for HCBS waiver services — the I/DD waiver and the Community Support Waiver. If your student has an intellectual or developmental disability and will need residential, day, or personal care services as an adult, the CDDO is where the process starts.

What CDDOs offer:

• Functional eligibility determination for HCBS waiver services
• Placement on the statewide I/DD waiver waitlist
• Case management and service coordination once a waiver slot opens
• Connection to local service providers for day programs, supported employment, and residential options

Contact: Call the Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1-855-200-2372 to find your county's CDDO, or use the KDADS HCBS Access Guide online.

When to use the CDDO: As early as possible — eligibility may begin at age 5, so age 14 is not too early to start the eligibility determination process. The I/DD waiver waitlist runs 8 to 10 years, so every year of delay is a year longer without comprehensive adult services.

Disability Rights Center of Kansas (DRC)

The DRC is the federally designated Protection and Advocacy organization for Kansas. It provides free legal advocacy for people with disabilities, including students in special education.

What the DRC offers:

• Client Assistance Program (CAP) for VR disputes — free advocacy if KRS denies eligibility or reduces services
• Legal advocacy for special education disputes including IEP violations and transition service failures
• Information and referral services for disability rights questions
• Self-advocacy training and systemic advocacy on policy issues

Contact: 877-776-1541 (toll-free).

When to use the DRC: When you need legal help with a special education dispute, when VR services are denied or reduced, or when you need to understand your rights and the school's response is not satisfactory.

Bringing It All Together

The challenge is not finding these resources individually — it is coordinating them into a coherent plan that covers the full transition timeline. Each agency addresses one piece: KSDE sets the rules, the school district implements the IEP, Families Together helps you navigate, KRS handles employment, the CDDO manages adult waiver services, and the DRC provides legal backup.

The Kansas IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide organizes all of these resources into a single chronological planning system with contact information, referral timelines, and checklists for each agency — so you know which resource to use at which stage of the transition process.

See more Kansas guides →