Like other proud parents that will fill the Moniteau High School Auditorium today, Carol Holochuk of Clay Township has long hoped her son would find success after high school.

Yet, unlike the other graduates who will be moving into the workforce or onto higher education, her son Kenton will attend two additional years of high school after graduation.

Born with Down syndrome, Kenton, 19, is involved in a special education program that permits him to stay in high school until age 21.

Whether their children graduate at age 18 or 21, parents of students with physical and mental disabilities begin planning for the future long before taking home the cap and gown.

A new parent program in Butler County is making sure parents of students with disabilities are aware of all the options available to them.

Since February, monthly Parent Transition Workshops have been held at the Butler County CareerLink office.

Each session features speakers from agencies that assist students or adults with disabilities.

The idea for the Butler-based workshops came in spring 2005 after Pat Sassone, director of the Irene Stacy Mental Health Center's Intermediate Service Organization and Betsy Rideout, a support coordinator with the Center for Community Resources, heard about a similar program in Indiana County.

Both parents of students with disabilities, the women volunteered to organize the program in Butler County.

"We're able to help the people we work with and our children,"said Sassone.

The first workshop was held in February and the featured speaker was Jon Weatherby, transition coordinator for the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV, the education service agency for schools in Butler, Lawrence and Mercer counties.

Transition coordinators meet with parents to discuss options for students after high school, but Weatherby and transition coordinators for local school districts are limited in the time they spend with each student.

The mother of a 14-year-old daughter with a developmental disorder, Lynn Pukylu of Cranberry Township attends the monthly workshops to continue learning about her daughter's options between meeting with the school district to develop a yearly individualized education program, or IEP.

"They can't be every kid's parent," Pukylu said of school staff.

Although it will be several years before her daughter is ready to secure a job, Pukylu hopes advance preparation will make the transition easier.

"It's a long-term process to prepare for life,"she said.

In addition to presentations by district and intermediate unit transition coordinators, parents in attendance have had the opportunity to hear from parent advocates.

The most recent session featured speakers from the ARC of Butler County, the local Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Goodwill Industries.

The speakers presented information on what their agencies had to offer and took questions from those in attendance.

By talking directly with the agencies, attendees were able to clarify misconceptions about agency services and to get recommendations on when and where to start job shadowing, a key component for many families in trying to find not only what a student is capable of, but what he or she enjoys doing.

Holochuk said her son is involved in a community-based instruction program through the Midwestern Intermediate Unit IV that allows him to try several jobs during school time.

After trying cleaning at a hotel and assisting at a veterinarian's office, one of his early preferences seems to be working in a greenhouse.

Although she doesn't expect Kenton to find a job earning enough money to be self-sufficient, she hopes through continued exposure he will find something he enjoys.

"The best you can hope for is a part-time job that makes him feel like his life is fulfilled,"she said.

Following the formal presentations and question-and-answer session during the May program, several attendees stayed behind to compare experiences and share advice.

The interaction is important to Audrey Zelanko of Cranberry Township, who said confidentiality rules imposed on schools can be a hindrance to exchanging information.

Although the next Parent Transition Workshop will not be held until fall, Sassone and Rideout are already collecting ideas for fall programs such as securing health benefits and life in group homes and supported living facilities.

To expand their outreach, the organizers also hope to vary the location of the meetings to reach other areas of the county.

An information packet containing contact numbers and details from previous speakers is also being assembled for those who have missed previous sessions.

For information about the Butler County Parent Transition Workshop, contact Sassone at 724-287-0791, Ext. 150 or Rideout at 724-431-0095.