Official State of Rhode Island website

  • Change the visual color theme between light or dark modes
  • Adjust the font size from the system default to a larger size
  • Adjust the space between lines of text from the system default to a larger size
  • Adjust the space between words from the system default to a larger size
Department of , Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities & Hospitals , State of Rhode Island

Transitioning To Adult Services

The Division offers support to young people during their transition to adulthood. We call this support Youth in Transition (YIT).   

Before getting into what YIT is, let’s first focus on what it means to transition to adulthood. To transition means to change from one thing to another thing over time. When someone transitions to adulthood, they are changing from childhood to adulthood. There are many factors that are part of this transition, such as:  

  • Finishing high school. 

  • Applying to college.  

  • Getting hired at a job. 

  • Moving into a new apartment alone or with a partner or roommate(s). 

  • Deciding what to do with free time, including who to spend time with. 

  • Finding a new adult primary care doctor.  

  • Making choices about services and supports to get. 

The transition to adulthood is a major life change. Up to this time, the young person's parent(s) or caregiver(s) made most, or all, the decisions for the young person. During the transition, the young person becomes the decision-maker. This means they must make choices for themselves. While they can ask for help and advice from people in their life, the young person makes the final decision.  

Transitioning to adulthood can be exciting and overwhelming for any young person. This is especially true for young people with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (I/DD). Young people with I/DD have extra things to do during their transition. They must move out of child and school I/DD services into adult I/DD services. This is where YIT can help.  

YIT Overview 

YIT is available to youth with I/DD aged 14 to 22 that are still in school. YIT supports young people with I/DD through their transition from child to adult I/DD services. YIT does this by:  

  • Sharing information with the young person and their family about adult I/DD services. 

  • Going to the young person's Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting(s).  

  • Encouraging the young person to explore their interests and set goals for the future.  

  • Giving resources to teacher(s) to use when they work with the young person on their IEP. 

  • Sharing resources with the young person and their team to help them plan for life after high school.  

  • Checking in with the young person, their family, and their teacher(s) about the transition.  

  • Helping the young person apply for adult I/DD services with the Division. 

The Division partnered with two other state agencies to do this work. One of the agencies is the RI Department of Education (RIDE). The second agency is the Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS)

Much of our team's success is also due to the partnerships we have with the community. Our partners include adults with I/DD and their families. It also includes community agencies like Rhode Island Parent Information Network (RIPIN). Together, we are enhancing the vision we all share of an integrated life in the community.  

Inviting BHDDH to School Meetings

Schools can ask the Division to send someone to school meetings for students with disabilities. The school meeting must be an Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting. To make this request, submit the online IEP invite form

The Division will assign someone to attend the IEP meeting. If no one can attend the meeting, someone in the Transition Unit can talk with you separate from the IEP meeting.  You can let us know if you’d like to do this by emailing the Transition Administrator at susan.hayward@bhddh.ri.gov or calling 401-462-3421. 

Application Process 

Youth with I/DD can apply for adult I/DD services as early as 16 years 10 months. Applying early gives youth more planning time and support. Starting early helps make the transition from school to adult services smoother. To apply for adult services, visit our Eligibility and Application webpage. 

Transition Guides and Resources

There are many resources to help people as they transition. This section shares a list of guides and resources on transitioning to adult I/DD services.

  1. Transition Age Guide (English and Spanish)
  2. Guide to Accessing Transition Services or Employment Supports While Still in School (English and Spanish)
  3. Transition Timeline (English and Spanish)
  4. YIT Brochure (English and Spanish)

Packet for Ages 14-16:

Packet for Ages 17-22:

Common Information for all students, ages 14 – 22:

  • RIPIN Brochure English Spanish
  • Navigation Checklist for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (RIPIN) English / Spanish
  • Documents to Keep for Youth Transitioning to Adult Life (PACER) English
  • How Healthcare Transition Works (brochure from RI Dept of Health) English
  • RI Department of Health Special Needs Registry English / Spanish
  • RIPIN Myths of Guardianship English /  Spanish
  • Cedar Family Centers Fact Sheet English / Spanish
  • Home-Based Therapeutic Services (HBTS) Fact Sheet English / Spanish
  • Personal Assistance Services and Supports (PASS) Fact Sheet English / Spanish

There are many providers in the community that offer transition services. For a list of providers, review the following table. The list is also available to print (Transition Provider Contact List (PDF)). You can also review our DD Service Provider webpage

Agency Name Address Phone Number Contact Person(s) Contact Email(s)
AccessPoint RI  111 Comstock Parkway, Cranston, RI 02921 401-941-1112 Rory Carmody and Tammy Fonseca/Cornerstone rcarmody@accesspointri.org and TFonseca@accesspointri.org 
Action Based Enterprises Inc. 141 Main St, Woonsocket, RI 02895 401-767-5959 Mike Purcell  mikepurc76@gmail.com 
Avatar Residential Inc. 33 College Hill Rd, Building 33, Warwick, RI 02886 401-826- 7500 Erica Middleton  emiddleton@avatarresidential.com 
Beckett Academy 2374 Post Rd, Suite 204, Warwick, RI 02886 401-921-6855 Melinda Quinn State Director RI melinda.quinn@lifeconnectionsusa.org 
Community Living of Rhode Island, Inc. 349 Centreville Rd, Building 6, Warwick, RI 02886 401-739-9006 Robert Sasseville robert@communitylivingri.com 
Community Residences Inc. 10 Dorrance St, Suite 706 Providence, RI 02903 01-519-3727 Paul M. Rosin, Executive Director n/a
Corliss Institute Inc. 292 Main St, Warren, RI 02885 401-245-3609 Julio Tavares and Philippe Leplat jtavares@corliss.org and pleplat@corliss.org 
Easterseals Rhode Island, Inc. 662 Hartford, Ave, Providence, RI 02909 401-353- 0220 Joanne DelAngelo and Jack Haughey JDelAngelo@fedcap.org and jhaughey@eastersealsri.org 
Frank Olean Center Inc. 93 Airport Rd, Westerly, RI 02891 401-596-2091 Brenda Burroughs and Karen Babik bburroughs@oleancenter.org and kbabik@oleancenter.org 
Gateways to Change Inc.  1060 Park Ave, Cranston, RI 02910 401-463-0000 Monica Chadwick  mchadwick@gtcinc.org 
Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island  100 Houghton St, Providence, RI 02904 401- 861-2080 Christine Yankee, Vice President of Program Services cyankee@goodwillri.org 
J. Arthur Trudeau Memorial Center 3445 Post Rd, Warwick RI 02886 401-739- 2700 Charlotte Higham CHigham@trudeaucenter.org 
James L. Maher Center 906 Aquidneck Ave, Middletown, RI 02842  401-846-4600 Lynne Maher, Executive Director and Tristan Pennell, Director of Career Services lmaher@mahercenter.org and tpennell.mahercenter@gmail.com 
Justice Resource Institute  818 Dyer Ave, Cranston, RI 02920 401-944-5694  Paige DiBiasio, Program Director  n/a
Kaleidoscope Family Solutions Rhode Island, Inc.  26 Hartford Pike, Suite 1, Scituate, RI 02857 267-295-2222 Kevin Bondarek, Program Director kbondarek@kfamilysolutions.org 
Living in Fulfilling Environments, Inc. (LIFE) 490 Metacom Ave, Bristol, RI 02809 401-254-2910 Liz Weidenhoffer  LizW@lifeincri.org 
Living Innovations 535 Centreville Rd, Penthouse, Warwick, RI 02886 401-732- 0304 Cliff Alston  CAlston@livinginnovations.com 
Looking Upwards, Inc. 438 Eat Main Rd, Irongate 11, Middletown, RI 02842 401-847- 0960 Val McHugh (children’s services) and Jodi Merryman (adult services)  vmchugh@lookingupwards.org and JMerryman@lookingupwards.org 
Opportunities Unlimited for People with Differing Abilities  1 Worthington Rd, Cranston, RI 02920  401-942-9044 Linda Ward, Executive Director lward@oppunlim.com 
Perspectives Corporation 1130 Ten Rod Rd, Building B, Suite 101, North Kingstown, RI 02852 401-294-3990  Adrienne Tipple  ATipple@perspectivescorporation.com 
Refocus Inc. 45 Greeley ST, Providence, RI 02904-2214 401-272-1600 Melissa Hawes  mhawes@ReFocusinc.org 
Rhode Island Community Living and Supports (RICLAS)  Pastore Complex, Building #61, 14 West Rd, Cranston, RI 02920  Phone: 401-462-2180  Erin Perron, Program Administrator n/a
Seven Hills Rhode Island  68 Cumberland St, Woonsocket, RI 02895 401-597-6700 Melissa Charpentier mcharpentier@sevenhills.org 
Spurwink RI   One Spurwink Place, Cranston, RI 02910 401-781-4380 Marianne Maciel  mamaciel@spurwinkri.org 
The Arc of Blackstone Valley 500 Prospect St, Pawtucket, RI 02861 401-727-0150 Scott Brousseau  sbrousseau@bvcriarc.org 
The Arc of Bristol County Inc D/B/A Proability 25 Thurber Boulevard, Smithfield, RI 02917 401-233-1634 Melissa Melvin and Alisha Tillinghast  mmelvin@proability.org and atillinghast@proability.org 
The C.O.V.E. Center Inc. 610 Manton Ave, Providence, RI 02909 401-274-6310 Brian Holt and George Wright bholt@covecenter.org and gwright@covecenter.org 
The Fogarty Center  310 Maple Ave, Suite 102, Barrington, RI 02806 401-353-7000 Kie O’Donnell and Jackie Miller kodonnell@fogartycenter.org and jmiller@fogartycenter.org 
Town of Coventry Project Friends  1372 Main St, Coventry, RI 02816 401-822- 9127 Bob Robillard rrobillard@coventryri.org 
United Cerebral Palsy of Rhode Island  200 Main St, Suite 210, Pawtucket, RI 02862 401-728-1800 Bob Winters  rwinters@ucpri.org 
West Bay RI Inc.  158 Knight St, Warwick, RI 02886 401-738-9300 Sue Raposo (adult services) and Timothy Lucason (youth services) sraposo@westbayri.org and tlucason@westbayri.org 
Whitmarsh House  1055 North Main St, Providence, RI 02904 401-351-7230  Claudette Gillheeney (Programs), Lauren Johnson (Administration) and Katherine Brinkman (Administration) cgillheeney@whitmarshcorp.org, ljohnson@whitmarshcorp.org, kbrinkman@whitmarshcorp.org 
Work Inc. 121 Bacon St, Pawtucket, RI 02860 401-475-4232 Lasbat Waheed, Director of Employment service lwaheed@workinc.org 
Work Opportunities Unlimited Contracts Inc. Two Regency Plaza, Suite 15, Providence, RI 02903 401-521-4600  Trish Wagner  TWagner@WorkOpportunities.net 

The Division held an information session in 2022. This session focused on two things: 

  1. How to apply for services and supports.
  2. What services and supports people can join after high school. 

Session resources are: 

The Division also held Parent/Student-Provider Chat Meetings in 2022. Resources from these meetings are: 

  • 3/24/22 Meeting. Agencies were West Bay RI, J. Arthur Trudeau Memorial Center, Work Opportunities Unlimited. The video passcode is: YdVJt8^u
  • 4/7/22 meeting with ProAbility, Seven Hills of RI, and Action Based Enterprises (ABE).
  • 4/28/22 meeting. Agencies were The Fogarty Center, Perspectives Corporation, and Goodwill of Southern New England.
  • 5/11/22 meeting with the Maher Center, Frank Olean Center, and Looking Upwards.

BHDDH's Mental Health Team made a guide to behavioral health. This guide focuses on youth moving into adult behavioral health services. Learn more on the Healthy Transitions and Behavioral Health Guide for Young Adults website.

To learn more, visit these websites:

This webpage was updated 8/19/25.