The 22 at 20 presentation has now been presented at over 15 venues in the last 2 years, and the more we do it, it seems the more we have to share.  Most of what we keep adding is further lessons learned in the 2 years since the story began.

This has always been more than just a story about Nicky.  It is a story with many takeaways, which we always start with when we begin.  This may be about one person, but every individual and every parent can relate to some or many parts of the journey, and everyone leaves armed with more inspiration and preparedness.  That’s our goal.

Here are the key takeaways that we focus on in the presentation:

• The collaboration that took place between adult and educational organizations is unprecedented, but the coordinated planning over several months before Nicky arrived in his new settings were essential to readiness and ultimately, the success of that first several weeks (and the next 2 years right up until today);
• Early planning to prepare Nicky for the adult world while still under educational entitlements proved to be the best way to prepare him, because educational resources (therapists, parapros, teachers) were accessible when we identified and prioritized the skills we needed to work on.
• The vision was very “out of the box” and therefore it served the team well in terms of planning just for Nicky, without precepts; it was truly a person-centered process.

Beginning Wednesday, October 8, we will launch a 3-part blog series. “22at20, Deconstructed,” we will address each of these areas and provide the details that we discuss during the presentation.  We hope you are able to take these ideas and share them with your team members, and create your own successful transition!