(AP) — Being a high school student with a disability means having an education plan designed for you, family members who can advocate for you and transition programs that stretch to age 21 if you need the extra time. Each year a program called Skills to Pay the Bills hosts a series of workshops for students with intellectual or physical disabilities and their families, whether students are considering college or the workforce, to help define their next steps. Goodwill Industries, Metropolitan Community College, the Omaha Public Schools and PTI Nebraska, a resource for parents and families of children with disabilities, co-host the free workshops, which are focused on job skills, parents' needs and transitioning to college. "College is an adjustment for any student," Ryan Stamm, disability services counselor at Metro, told the students and parents in attendance at a college-focused workshop last month. Though a student can file a waiver to share some information with parents, the parents were told, they should expect to share concerns with a disability office instead of calling a professor directly. Take a copy of your IEP before you leave high school so you can show disability services at your college what accommodations have worked for you in the past, such as extended test taking. Julie Rife has always been able to make sure her daughter's needs were being met, and she was somewhat surprised to hear that her role when her daughter enrolls in Metro's culinary program would have to be more supportive cheerleader than fierce advocate. Julie Rife still worries about a lack of specialized tutoring and whether the disability service office can be a kind of safety net for her daughter if she falls behind. Sarah Rife said her biggest concerns about college are figuring out how she can get help with tests and other classroom issues and paying for the tuition and special equipment she'll need in the culinary progra