Mapping Assets for Postschool Success (MAPS): Using Digital Resource Mapping to Enhance the Transition Process

Collaboration is an essential practice linked to improved postschool outcomes of youth with disabilities and many school systems depend on special educators to broker this collaboration and engage meaningful partners throughout the transition planning process. Community asset mapping is a strategy for locating and leveraging resources and is rooted in the idea that community resources (e.g., people, programs, providers) can be activated to gain access to information, advice, and assistance that can improve personal outcomes. This article describes Mapping Assets for Postschool Success (MAPS), an innovative five-step approach that leverages Google My Maps for digital asset mapping that could support the transition to adulthood. The article focuses on the process of developing base maps, which is the prerequisite to developing personalized maps for students, and discusses strategies for practitioners to utilize the base map as part of ongoing efforts to empower youth and families with knowledge about resources and opportunities during the transition planning process.