Transition & Postsecondary Skills IEP goals for Deaf or Hard of Hearing
17 transition & postsecondary skills templates across 6 skills: community access & travel, postsecondary education readiness, career exploration, job seeking & applications, independent living, transition-related skills. Each opens in the builder with a matching data sheet.
17 templates · 6 skills · 6–8, 9–12 · How we write and review goals
Goals by skill
Numbers are illustrative; set targets from the student's own baseline.
Community Access & Travel Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Pick up a cafe order when called
Ordering at restaurants
By the annual IEP review date, after ordering at a cafe or quick-service counter on a community trip, while waiting in the pickup area, the student will go to the pickup counter when their name or number is called and check the order independently in at least 4 of 5 opportunities, across 3 consecutive trips, as measured by direct observation collected on each community trip with a counter order.
Place a mobile order and pick it up
Ordering at restaurants
By the annual IEP review date, before a community trip or work break, using a restaurant's app on the student's phone with a family-approved payment method, the student will place the order in the app, go to the restaurant, and pick it up from the pickup area, performing at least 6 of 7 steps independently, on 3 consecutive orders, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected every two weeks.
Postsecondary Education Readiness Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Compare colleges or programs on a checklist
Researching colleges and training programs
By the annual IEP review date, given two or three colleges or training programs the student is considering and a program comparison checklist, the student will complete the comparison checklist for each program and state which one fits own plans and why independently, earning a score of at least 10 out of 12 on a 6-row program comparison rubric (0 to 2 per row), on 2 consecutive comparisons, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly.
Research a college's accessibility services office
Researching campus accessibility services
By the annual IEP review date, given the accessibility services web page of a college the student is considering and a fact sheet, the student will record where the office is, how to contact it, what documents it asks for and how to request accommodations independently with at least 85% accuracy on fact sheet items, on 3 consecutive probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected every two weeks.
Career Exploration Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Answer viewing guide questions after a career video
Virtual career exploration
By the annual IEP review date, after watching a short career video or virtual job tour, given a viewing guide with questions about tasks, tools, setting and training, the student will answer the viewing guide questions about the job shown independently with at least 85% accuracy on viewing guide questions, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly.
Summarize a career guest speaker's talk
Guest speakers
By the annual IEP review date, after a career guest speaker in class, given a speaker summary sheet, the student will complete a summary of the speaker's job, tasks, training and one thing the student found interesting independently, earning a score of at least 7 out of 8 on a 4-row speaker summary rubric (0 to 2 per row), on 3 consecutive speaker summaries, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected after each speaker, about monthly.
Job Seeking & Applications Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Decide whether to disclose a disability at work
Disclosure decisions
By the annual IEP review date, given a disclosure planning sheet and a job the student is applying for or has been offered, the student will complete the disclosure plan with own decision, the reasons, the timing and what the student would say independently, earning a score of at least 8 out of 10 on a 5-row disclosure plan rubric (0 to 2 per row), on 2 consecutive disclosure plans, as measured by a defined scoring rubric collected monthly.
Request a workplace accommodation from a supervisor
Workplace accommodation requests
By the annual IEP review date, during a role-play with a staff member acting as a new supervisor, given a job task that is hard without an accommodation, the student will request the accommodation by naming the task, the change that would help and how it helps, then confirm it in writing, performing at least 5 of 6 steps independently, on 3 consecutive requests, including role-plays, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected every two weeks.
Independent Living Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Test a smoke alarm and report problems
Home safety checks
By the annual IEP review date, on the monthly safety check day in the training apartment, with a step stool and the alarm's test button, the student will test the smoke alarm and report or replace a weak battery, performing all 6 steps independently, on 3 consecutive monthly checks, as measured by a task-analysis checklist collected monthly, with a practice check every two weeks.
Get out of bed when the alarm sounds
Morning routine with a schedule app
By the annual IEP review date, when the student's own alarm sounds on school days, at home, the student will turn off the alarm and get out of bed independently within 5 minutes, on 4 of 5 consecutive school days, as measured by latency recording collected daily, by family report.
Transition-Related Skills Transition & Postsecondary Skills
Answer questions about rights at work
Rights at work
By the annual IEP review date, given short workplace scenarios and a plain-language rights guide, the student will answer each scenario question by naming the right that applies and who to tell independently with at least 85% accuracy on workplace scenario questions, in 3 of 4 consecutive weekly probes, as measured by work-sample analysis collected weekly during the unit.
Self-determination, career exploration, employment, postsecondary education, independent living, and community access for students 14 to 21. Goals for students who are deaf or hard of hearing cover listening and spoken language, sign language, self-advocacy about access (checking equipment, asking for repetition), and language skills that hearing loss can affect. The communication mode in each goal should match the student's IEP communication plan.
Matching data sheets
Each goal above links to the blank sheet built for its measure. These are the sheets this set of goals uses:
- Accuracy trackerNumber correct out of number attempted, with percent accuracy and support level.Used by 4 goals here
- Rubric trackerScores each rubric criterion and totals the score for each sample.Used by 6 goals here
- Task-analysis checklistMarks each step of a routine as independent, with support, or not completed across sessions.Used by 4 goals here
- Opportunity trackerRecords each opportunity as independent, prompted, or not demonstrated.Used by 2 goals here
- Latency trackerTimes the gap between a cue and the start of the response.Used by 1 goal here
Frequently asked questions
What areas do goals for deaf or hard of hearing students usually address?
Listening and auditory skills, receptive and expressive language in the student's communication mode, vocabulary, self-advocacy about access and equipment, and sometimes reading and writing when language delays affect them.
Should self-advocacy be an IEP goal?
Often, yes. Reporting a dead battery, asking for a repeat, or choosing a seat with a clear view of the speaker are observable, countable skills, and they matter more as the student moves toward independence.
What transition goals fit students with Deaf or hard of hearing?
Career exploration, job seeking, postsecondary education, independent living, personal finance, community access, and self-determination goals, chosen from age-appropriate transition assessments and the student's own goals. Each annual goal should build toward a measurable postsecondary goal.
How are transition goals measured?
With task-analysis steps for routines like applications and bus routes, rubrics for products like resumes and career profiles, and opportunities for skills practiced in the community. The disability informs supports, not the measure.
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