My Thoughts: Graceful Transition Presentation

I had the opportunity to hear Deanna Heuring, Ed.S., of Graceful Transitions at the 2026 APSE Conference, where she presented Accessible Worksites Made Easy. Her presentation was truly one of those sessions that makes you look at workplace accessibility differently. Rather than focusing on complicated or expensive accommodations, Deanna demonstrated how some of the most effective supports can also be incredibly simple, practical, and easy to implement.

One of the things I appreciated most was seeing real examples of how small adaptations can create meaningful independence. Something as simple as learning the routine for filling a utensil dispenser, knowing the proper fill level,  or having the proper amount of types of drinks in the cooler, becomes an employable skill. For a student who needs to navigate a complicated workplace with underground tunnels, using pictures of landmarks and destinations on a phone to create a visual map showing exactly where the student needs to go. Even a phone alarm can become more accessible by using emojis or pictures to represent the task that should be happening when the alarm sounds. These are not elaborate accommodations—they are thoughtful tools that allow an individual to rely less on another person and more on a system they can independently use.

That same philosophy is seen throughout the many articles Deanna has contributed to The Color-Coded Chef. Her Employability Skills series reminds families and educators that successful employment involves much more than simply learning how to perform a job task. She addresses independent navigation, building stamina for a work shift, tolerating workplace environments, reliable transportation, appropriately communicating an absence, personal grooming and hygiene, and even learning to manage medications. Most importantly, she provides practical ideas for teaching these skills at home and at school long before an individual enters the workforce.

Her approach to navigation especially stood out to me. Deanna encourages teams to think about how supports can gradually be faded instead of automatically assuming that an individual will always need someone beside them. She discusses teaching individuals to recognize signs, find locations, identify appropriate people to ask for help, and ultimately navigate independently. That philosophy—assume competence, teach the skill, provide the right support, and then create opportunities for independence—is powerful.

Graceful Transitions was built around that same belief. Deanna has spent more than 15 years in education with a focus on individuals with disabilities and has worked extensively in transition education and community-based job-skills training. Her website explains that although transition services are traditionally associated with the years leading up to graduation, she believes preparation for adulthood and employment can—and should—begin much earlier. Graceful Transitions provides support for individuals and families planning for life after K–12 education, as well as family advocacy and college-transition services.

What makes Deanna's work so valuable is that she does not simply talk about independence as the final goal. She teaches the steps needed to get there. A photograph, an alarm, a checklist, a visual map, a lanyard, a practiced routine, or learning how quickly a job should be completed may seem like very small things. Put together, however, those small skills can mean the difference between an employee who constantly needs someone standing beside them and an employee who has tools that allow them to do the job themselves – competitive employment successfully.

A Personal Testimonial

I can personally say that what Deanna teaches works because I have watched my son carry these strategies directly into his workplace. She taught him how to use alarms on his phone to keep himself on task, rather than relying on another person to remind him what he should be doing continually. He has a lanyard with reference pictures available when he needs to remember the steps of a task, giving him a way to independently find the answer instead of immediately needing someone else to help him.

Deanna also taught him something that can easily be overlooked when preparing someone for employment: work pace. Knowing how to perform a task is only one part of employment. He also needed to learn how to remain focused, continue working, and complete his responsibilities at a pace comparable to the peers working around him. Those lessons have helped him understand the expectations of a real workplace and become a more independent and successful employee.

The goal was never to create a system where someone would always stand beside him and tell him what to do next. The goal was to give him the tools to answer those questions for himself. The phone alarm replaces a verbal reminder. The picture on the lanyard replaces someone walking him through the steps. Understanding work pace helps him recognize what is expected without constant prompting.

Those may sound like simple strategies, but for our family they represent something much bigger: independence, confidence, competence, and meaningful inclusion in the workplace. Deanna doesn't just teach employment skills—she helps individuals build the tools they need to belong in the workforce.

Visit Graceful Transitions https://tinyurl.com/GracefulTransistions