This paper summaries a study on the participation of 10 students (ages 18-21) with developmental disabilities in the transition from school to work using the Whole Life Planning model. Data included observations of organizational and planning meetings and structured interviews with the students, parents, and facilitators. Analysis resulted in the following findings: students demonstrated four distinct types of participation (active, controlling, limited, and absent); and student participation was influenced by the student's personal style, the size of the meeting, and the level of abstraction in the conversation. Implications and recommendations are made for ways in which the facilitator can prepare in advance (such as identifying the student's personal conversational style); for what the facilitator can do during the first few meetings (such as concentrating on individualizing the planning approach); for things the facilitator can do during more abstract planning sessions (such as making clear connections between the student's relevant starting points and the more conceptual planning). (Contains 11 references.) (DB)