Transitioning through high school and into adulthood is a complicated and overwhelming process for typically developing students. For students with disabilities, there are added concern about the intellectual, neurological, and or physical barriers they also face. Quality of life can be greatly diminished by a disability. Employed adults with a reading disability often have low wages and live in low-rent areas. Higher rates of crime and exposure to drugs are more likely to occur in these communities. A person who has a reading disability is more apt to be subject to negative peer influences and has more of a likelihood to succumb to substance abuse [1]. Those who have a reading disability are also more likely apt to be victims of a crime, or commit more crimes themselves due to the socio-economics in which they live. Because of their living conditions, these individuals may also feel alienation and emotional complications which can lead to further disability [1]. This paper highlights the significance of reading ability to quality of life, addresses the need for further research and development of effective intervention programs, and explores transition programs focused on reading. A successful transition plan is necessary to effectively move a student with reading disability into independent adulthood.

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