Charles R. Drew Transition Center

The Charles R. Drew Transition Center is a unique post-secondary vocational center for moderate and severely cognitively impaired, visually impaired, hearing impaired, physically impaired, otherwise, health impaired, and students with autism. The Transition Center, which serves post-secondary special education students ages 18-26, is a one-of-a-kind Center-Based educational facility that has created a continuum of services for students with disabilities to ensure students have access to an age-appropriate learning environment.  We believe that the transition process is best experienced through authentic life training and real-world connections. Students are prepared for the world of work and to become productive citizens with the necessary skills that will increase their quality of life.

All students are individually assessed at the Transition Center, and instruction is delivered through a unique simulated work and living environment. On-site counseling and related-agency support services are made available to students and parents daily. “A Person Centered Plan” emerges into a transition plan that is aligned with the student’s career pathway, daily schedule, and educational development plan. Many of the transition students are able to display acquired skills successfully daily into the real-world of work environments. Transition students are currently placed within community businesses in Metro Detroit in various departments at Karmanos, Veterans Hospital, TJ Maxx, various auto repair shops, and Harold’s Place Hair Shop. We have a student-operated kitchen that is aggressively growing with untapped student skills.