U.S. special education framework • Ages 11–21

Every learner has a path, potential, and future.

My Journey combines rigorous access to academic content with communication, relationships, health, creativity, community participation, and preparation for adult life.

See our approach
01 BELONG
02 CONNECT
03 LEARN
04 ACHIEVE
05 GROW

A flexible journey.
One meaningful step at a time.

A complete planning framework

Ages 11–21
3 fluid routes
36-week scope
6 interdisciplinary units

The My Journey approach

Start with the person.
Build toward possibility.

Flexible enough for the classroom. Personal enough for every learner.

Choose one Journey Route for each domain—not one route for the whole student—and teach the shared concept through age-respectful materials and multiple response modes.

  • 01 Explore & Connect: notice, choose, match and participate
  • 02 Build & Use: identify, sequence, describe and solve
  • 03 Apply & Lead: explain, reason, create and generalize
A diverse group of learners collaborating with a teacher using AAC, visual cards, writing, and a community map

Learning together

Every way of
communicating counts.

Shared ideas, authentic roles, and multiple response modes make participation visible—and belonging real.

The five-part learner journey

Five promises.
One learning rhythm.

Every lesson creates safety and connection, teaches a challenging idea clearly, applies it for a meaningful purpose, and builds the next step.

01

Curriculum promise

BELONG

I am safe, known, respected, and represented.

What it looks like

Predictable routines
Identity-affirming materials
Sensory and emotional access
Authentic peer membership

Core outcomes

Progress learners
can feel and show.

The framework looks beyond correct answers to stronger agency: initiating, choosing, communicating, persisting, reflecting, using less support, and transferring learning.

01

Independence

I can do more for myself and ask for the support I need.

Observable evidence

Initiation, choice, task completion, travel/home/work skills, self-advocacy, and reduced prompting.

02

Confidence

I can try, communicate, and show what I know.

Observable evidence

Participation, risk-taking, communication across modes, explaining choices, and accepting feedback.

03

Kindness

I can respect myself, other people, and my community.

Observable evidence

Consent, boundaries, empathy, collaboration, care for people, animals and the environment, and restorative repair.

04

Resilience

I can regulate, solve problems, and try a useful next step.

Observable evidence

Using a strategy, tolerating change with support, checking and correcting, returning to learning, and seeking help.

Every learner has a
path, potential, and future.

THE VISION OF MY JOURNEY CURRICULUM

New interactive pilot

Unit 2 is becoming
a learning platform.

Try a short learner experience and explore the fictional educator dashboard—designed to capture communication, support, independence, and transfer.

Try the platform demo
Learners using speech, AAC, and visual information to practice help-seeking

Questions, answered

A clear place
to begin.

01Who is My Journey Curriculum for?

It is a U.S. special education curriculum framework for middle school, high school, and transition-age learners ages 11–21. It is designed for mixed-attainment special classes, inclusive settings, resource programs, and community-based instruction.

02How does it fit into existing instruction?

It is a complete planning framework, not an IEP, placement decision, alternate-assessment determination, or legal compliance checklist. Each learner’s IEP team selects goals, instruction, services, accommodations, assessment participation, and least restrictive environment.

03What are the three Journey Routes?

Explore & Connect, Build & Use, and Apply & Lead preserve a shared concept while varying response complexity, representation, abstraction, and independence. Routes are teaching decisions—not student labels—and may differ by domain.

The journey begins here

Ready to see the whole
path come together?

Explore individual, school, and district licensing—or start a conversation about where My Journey could fit.

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