Stories from the Field: Footsteps to Transition Fair
Preparing for and transitioning into life after school is a challenge for everyone.
Figuring out jobs, finances, housing, transportation, and all the other aspects of adult life has become increasingly complicated. At the same time, there are more options for how to live, along with more ways to discover and access those options.
We are so proud of all the ongoing efforts to help students and their families prepare by exploring, making connections, and building knowledge. One of the more recent local endeavors we were happy to be a part of was the 2nd Annual North Hawaiʻi Footsteps to Transition Fair.
What Do We Mean by ‘Transition’
“Transition services helps to facilitate students with disabilities moving from school to post-school activities. In the state of Hawaiʻi, this process involves students with disabilities, families, educators, community service providers, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR), the Department of Health, counselors and employers, who are critical to a student’s life.” — HIDOE website
The Fair
The Footsteps to Transition Fair in Waimea served families and students with disabilities from North Hawaiʻi and Hamakua, with schools and organizations from across the islands. Dozens of community, government, education, and nonprofit partners ran tables offering attendees resources, information, connections, and fundraising goodies. From our vantage point at the lunch pickup table, we got to see families and volunteers connecting with one another and enjoying the day.
Lei, plants, mac nuts, and other fabulous products at Kohala High School’s booth.
Kohala, Honokaʻa, and Kealakehe High Schools, West Hawaiʻi Teen College Counselors, Hawaiʻi Community College, Hawaiʻi State Department of Health, multiple County offices, Council Member James Hustace, and many more were all part of the event. Nonprofits were too numerous to list here, but you can see all the volunteers and sponsors on the event website. We encourage you to volunteer or donate with any of them!
HIDOE’s Michele Ota speaks.
There were also wonderful speakers, including education professionals, a current student, and a parent.
The event was organized by the HIDOE Honokaʻa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area’s North Hawaiʻi Special Education team. They’re very active in school and community events! Team members have helped out at Cup-of-Cheer and hosted booths every year at the Celebrate ʻOhana Fest.
Further Information and Resources:
Visit the state Footsteps to Transition website: https://footstepstotransition.weebly.com/. The pages linked along the top of the website have many wonderful resources.
You can also check out the local Footsteps to Transition website:https://sites.google.com/k12.hi.us/nhfootstepstotransitionfair/home. It showcases all the partners from the most recent event, and should host information on future editions when those announcements are ready.
Screenshot from https://hawaiipublicschools.org, 11/14/25.
You can visit some of the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education website’s pages: https://hawaiipublicschools.org. From the top navigation area, click on ‘School Services’ and navigate from the list that drops down, as shown in the screenshot.
Some good pages to start:
What is Special Education, which includes how to get services.
Partners and Resources, which covers external resources.
Special Education Directory, which will help find who to contact for your area.
