Resource Center · Independent and community living
Building a life with choice, participation and the right support.
Independence does not mean doing everything alone. It means having a say in your own life, taking part in your community, and choosing the supports and the people who help you. Personal assistance, technology, AAC, assistive technology, family, friends and community are all part of an independent life.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Seven parts of everyday life
At home
Routines, cooking, household tasks and the supports that make a home work, whether that home is with family, in supported living or somewhere else. See DDD housing options.
Money and shopping
Making purchases, budgeting, using a card, understanding benefits. NJ ABLE accounts and benefits counseling help with the bigger picture.
Health
A new doctor after pediatrics, medications, appointments and being part of your own health decisions. Got Transition is the national guide.
Communication
Your voice goes everywhere you go: the store, the clinic, the workplace. CommunicationFIRST explains why that is a right.
Community
Sports, arts, libraries, classes, volunteering, friends. Special Olympics NJ and hip are two places to begin.
Choice and self-determination
Choosing your goals, your staff and your day. Self-direction and person-centered planning put the person at the center.
Support
Interdependence is how communities work. A Support Coordinator, a Center for Independent Living and natural supports such as family and friends all count.
What does that word mean?
Interdependence, self-determination, dignity of risk and more, explained simply.
Housing
Where and how might I live?
Living with family, supported living, a provider-managed home, an apartment with rental assistance when eligible, or another arrangement. Leaving school does not automatically mean a group home, and it does not automatically mean living alone.
Where and how might I live?
DDD’s housing page. Options for eligible adults can include living with family, supported living, provider-managed residential settings, rental assistance when eligible, and other arrangements.
Leaving school does not automatically mean a group home, living alone, or staying home. This page shows the range.
Best for: Transition-Age Students, Families
Topics: Housing, residential supports
DDD: Self-Directed Services
Self-direction gives an eligible person greater control over certain services, over who provides some supports and over how approved supports are arranged.
For a person who wants to choose their own staff and schedule.
Best for: Transition-Age Students, Families
Topics: Self-direction, choice and control
Health is part of transition
Health is part of transition.
Moving from a pediatrician to adult health care, understanding medications and allergies, communicating pain, keeping appointments, and, at 18, giving consent. A young adult who uses AAC has the right to be part of every health conversation.
Got Transition
The national resource center on moving from pediatric to adult health care, with tools for young people, families and health professionals.
Health is part of transition too: a new doctor, new consent rules at 18, and a young adult who should be part of every health decision.
Best for: Transition-Age Students, Families
Topics: Health care transition, consent
Questions to plan for
Who will be my adult doctor, and when do we meet them?
How do I communicate pain, discomfort or a symptom, in my own way?
Where is my health information, and who can see it?
At 18, who signs consent, and what supports do I want for those decisions?
Is my communication device or board with me at every appointment?
Body autonomy, consent and safety
My body. My choices. My safety.
Everyone has the right to say who touches them, to privacy, to say no, and to be believed. These are skills to teach and practice, including for students who use AAC.
Body autonomy
My body belongs to me. I decide who helps me with personal care, and how.
Consent and boundaries
Yes means yes. No means no. A pause, a look away or a push away means no too.
Privacy
Doors closed, information shared only with the people who need it, and my own passwords.
Saying no and telling someone
If something feels wrong, I can say no in any way I communicate and tell a trusted person. Every AAC system should include the words to do that.
Online safety
Who I talk to, what I share, and what I do when a message feels wrong.
Money and exploitation
Recognizing when someone is using my money, my card or my benefits, and who to tell.
Reporting mistreatment
Mistreatment is never the fault of the person it happens to. Disability Rights New Jersey explains rights and how to get help.
Emergency preparedness
Be ready.
A little planning makes a hard day easier. Emergencies are also when communication and access needs are most easily overlooked.
NJ Register Ready
New Jersey’s voluntary registry for people with disabilities and access or functional needs, so emergency responders can plan for them in a disaster or other emergency. Materials are available in ten languages.
In an emergency, responders know in advance who may need help evacuating or communicating.
Best for: Families, Transition-Age Students
Topics: Emergency preparedness, safety
An AHM-style readiness list
A backup for your AAC: a paper board or a printed core-word page in the go-bag.
Chargers and a power bank for communication devices.
A current medication list and any allergies, written plainly.
Mobility and access needs written down for someone who does not know you.
Emergency contacts, including the people who understand your communication.
Sensory needs and what helps when things get loud or crowded.
An evacuation plan practiced at home, not only at school.
Getting around
Getting around the community.
NJ TRANSIT Access Link
NJ TRANSIT’s ADA paratransit service for people who cannot use regular buses because of a disability. It has its own application and interview process, and eligibility is individualized.
Transportation is often the first practical question after school. Access Link is the regional answer for many adults.
Best for: Transition-Age Students, Families
Topics: Transportation, paratransit
AHM note: having an IEP, DDD eligibility or attending AHM does not automatically qualify a person. Apply early.
NJTIP @ Rutgers: travel training
Travel instruction that teaches people with disabilities to use buses, trains and light rail safely and independently: route planning, reading schedules, paying fares, recognizing stops, asking for assistance and transit safety.
It connects directly to what students practice in community-based instruction and L.I.F.T.
Best for: Transition-Age Students, Students, Families
Topics: Travel training, transit, independence
Life beyond services
Community, friendship, recreation and belonging.
Special Olympics New Jersey
Sports and health programs for athletes with intellectual disabilities across the state, from local training to state games.
AHM students already compete. Special Olympics continues for adults, which is where many friendships live.
Best for: Students, Transition-Age Students, Families
Topics: Sports, recreation, community
Heightened Independence and Progress (hip)
Hudson County’s Center for Independent Living, in Journal Square. Centers for Independent Living are run by and for people with disabilities: information and referral, independent-living skills, peer support, advocacy, employment-related support and help taking part in community life.
It is the closest disability-led organization to AHM, it serves adults of any age, and it does not require DDD eligibility.
Best for: Transition-Age Students, Students, Families
Topics: Independent living, peer support, advocacy
Everyday places
Public libraries, county recreation, adaptive sports leagues, community arts programs, volunteering and faith communities. Most welcome adults with disabilities; the question to ask is simply how to take part.
Outside resources are provided for informational purposes and do not constitute an endorsement by A. Harry Moore Laboratory School or Kean University. Programs, services, eligibility requirements, funding and availability may change. Families should contact each organization directly and work with their school team or appropriate service coordinator when applicable.
Last reviewed: September 2026