If you have ever walked into a CSE meeting and thought, I don’t even know what to ask for, this episode is for you.

Heather and Steve are joined by Sara DeFazio, a Transition Specialist with New York State’s Central Region Partnership Center, and she keeps it real.

This is a fast, practical conversation about what happens when transition plans look fine on paper but miss the mark in real life. Sara names the patterns families recognize immediately. People get underestimated. Teams default to familiar vocational paths. Parents sense something is off, but are unsure how to stop the momentum.

We break down what transition planning is actually supposed to do, why it starts at age 12, and how to use the process as a tool instead of letting it become paperwork. We also talk about why so-called unrealistic goals are often clues, not problems, and how asking better questions can open real paths forward.

This episode also includes a real-world scenario families and districts may be grappling with: What happens when a nonspeaking student who has begun spelling wants to use transition time to practice typing, so she can communicate in real time? What happens when the goal is to build age‑level academic skills and reach for something bigger, like earning a GED?

Our conversation digs into what happens when teams feel unsure how to support goals like these, worry about what is allowed, or default to safer, more familiar vocational options instead. Sara helps unpack how schools can honor ambitious goals without breaking rules, and why uncertainty should never automatically lead to underestimation.

This episode will help you walk into your next meeting clearer, more confident, and better prepared to advocate.

Find your New York State Partnership Center and resource map: https://map.osepartnership.org

Learn more about NYS Regional Partnership Centers and Family and Community Engagement Centers: https://osepartnership.org/about

Learn more about the Finding Common Ground (FCG) platform at https://www.fcgadvocacy.org.

FCG is more than a podcast. We are changing the way advocacy is done by showing families, professionals, and policymakers how finding common ground is how we find what’s worth doing.

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Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios in Rochester, NY. Learn more at rocvox.com.