Situated Learning Within a Transition Program for Youth With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Through a lens of situated learning through legitimate peripheral participation (Lave et al., 1991), findings from this study suggested design elements of a transition program supported language participation among youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Program stakeholders described ways in which a program afforded access to two distinct communities of practice, situated in authentic contexts in a workplace setting. Communities in a training room and in genuine internship experiences offered unique opportunities for youth to participate in socially situated practices to varying degrees. Using tools, including language, stakeholders described how youth engaged in contextualized language practices alongside community members. Perspectives suggested that youth co-created meaning out of shared practices, negotiating identities out of legitimate peripheral language participation.