Transcript Level the Playing Field, Don’t Lower the Bar

Level the Playing Field,
Don’t Lower the Bar
Gracia Larson, MS, CRC, PVE
Kathleen Deery, Ph.D., CRC
75%
# of adults with visual impairments
are not in the labor force
Employment Rates
3-5yrs Post High School
29%
69%
With Visual
Impairment
Without Visual
Impairment
Why So Low?
• The usual yadda yadda (attitude,
discrimination, lack of opportunity….)
• They aren’t ready
• We are starting too late
How early is too early to start
getting ready for work?
Early Investment In Work Readiness
• Transition begins at age 14 (legally)
 Awareness (self and work)
 Experiential learning
 Opportunities to learn from mistakes
• Proactive rather than reactive
How?
Three-pronged approach
Vocational
Evaluation
Soft Skills
Training
Work
Experience
Vocational Evaluation (VE)
• SSB Evaluation Model
• Stout/SVRI Intensive Model
What is Vocational Evaluation?
• Assessment of functional skills
– Assets, work aptitudes, considerations
• Uses real and simulated work environments
• Formulate viable vocational goals
• Multi-day assessments allow better
understanding of work behaviors
What Can Be Determined Through
Vocational Evaluation?
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Learning Style
Attention To Detail
Self-management Skills
Flexibility/Adaptability
Problem Solving
Environmental Response
Factors (noise, movement,
objects, space)
Motivation
Appearance/Hygiene
Communication Skills
Accommodations
Ability To Accept
Constructive Feedback
• Work Values
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Tests Don’t Have To Be Standardized
To Provide Meaningful Information
What Is This??
Context makes all the difference
A Quick ‘Q & A’
Q: Do I really need to pay an evaluator for this?
A: The short answer is ‘yes’
Q: Why?
A: Because an evaluator…
…has specialized training and experience
…provides an outside perspective grounded in
principals of measurement
…can relate both testing and observation to
functional ‘real world’ skills
Research shows that:
VE leads to higher rates of success
AND
NOT having a VE leads to higher rates of failure
(Homa, 2005; Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, 2003; Adelman, Spitznagel, & Saxon, 1997)
SSB Evaluation Model
• Collaborative Model
– Emphasis on pre-planning
– Referral questions guide process
• Process:
– Individualized & Flexible
• Outcomes:
– Observational/Behavioral/Vocational
– Customer portfolio
Personalized Portfolio
Achievement scores
Interest testing results
Data (i.e., typing speed)
Job ideas
College/training information
Career exploration materials
Sample completed job application
Basic resume
Preliminary Project Data
(08/2009 – 12/2011)
100% took action based on Evaluator
recommendations
22.6% closed ‘successfully employed’
or are in ‘ready for employment’ status
Stout Vocational Model
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Flexible model of assessment
Emphasizes soft skills in work context
Uses ‘teaching hospital’ approach
Prioritizes next steps – holistic view of work
Stout’s “Intensive Evaluation”
• Integration of vocational evaluation &
assistive technology
• Process approach
• Changing accommodations is part of eval
• If something doesn’t work, try something else
• Doesn’t have to be expensive
• Maximize person’s potential
SOFT SKILLS
Soft Skills Are….
…a cluster of personal qualities, habits, attitudes
and social graces that are necessary for career
success.
In other words, Can you pass ‘lunch break’?
Essential Soft Skills
Critical Thinking
Problem Solving
Teamwork
Adaptability/Flexibility
Ability To Take Constructive Criticism
Decision Making
Social Awareness
(Respect, Deference, Sharing, Tact, Confidentiality)
Employer Priorities
Soft Skills
“Life is not divided into semesters.
You don't get summers off and
very few employers are interested
in helping you find yourself.”
– Bill Gates
Millennials & Gen Y
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Feel special
Highly social – need to connect
Seek partnership & consensus
Product of ‘power-parenting’
Generational Work Challenges
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High expectations - can feel like entitlement
Multi-tasking is a way of life
Zero tolerance for delays
Crave feedback, reinforcement & structure
Not used to speaking for themselves
Fear of failure
“Tell me what you want and I’ll do that.”
“What I want you to do is figure it out.”
“OMG. You’re setting me up for failure.
Why do you hate me? I quit”
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Work Experience as Evaluation
• Multi-tasking
• Organization
• Punctuality
• Knowledge Transfer
• Stamina
• Social Skills
Real Life
Feedback
Ready, Set, Connect
• Job seeking skills for transition students
• Traditional skills in an interactive format
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Self advocacy
Disclosure
Accommodations
Teamwork
Success Strategies
• I2M2: Interesting, Interactive, Motivating, &
Meaningful
• Delivery needs to relate to the person’s world
view (Stories, Raps, Language)
• Evaluator remains flexible; Less concerned
about being “professional”
Collaboration is VITAL
Student
IEP team
Parents
VR
Teachers
Why Flipping Burgers Is A Good Thing
• Practice soft skills
• Work out the “kinks” in the system
– Accommodations
– Disclosure
• Gain confidence
• Learn from choices (good & bad)
• Experience consequences
Other Benefits of
“Food, Filth & Flowers”
• Reality-testing
• Gives parents time to adjust and discover
capabilities of students
• Opportunity for a ‘do-over’ when someone
screws up
Wash, Rinse and REPEAT AS NEEDED
So where do we go from here?
Continue to gather data
Build collaboration
Create tools
(Replicate while still allowing individualization)
Increase ‘buy in’
Recognition
Thank You:
• Minnesota State Services for the Blind (SSB)
• University of Wisconsin-Stout Department of
Rehabilitation & Counseling and SVRI
• National Science Foundation Grant # 1129682
Contact Information:
Gracia Larson, MS, CRC, PVE
Vocational Evaluator/Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor
DEED State Services for the Blind
2200 University Ave W, Suite #240
St. Paul, MN 55114 USA
651.642.0443 office
1-651-649-5927 FAX
[email protected]
Kathleen Deery, Ph.D., CRC, Professor
Department of Rehabilitation and Counseling
University of Wisconsin-Stout
231 Vocational Rehabilitation Bldg.
Menomonie, WI 54751
715.232.2233 office
715.232.2356 FAX
[email protected]