Question 18
I am looking for information on school-to-work issues for high school
students who have disabilities and are getting ready to graduate. Any success
stories??
- Jodi MacEachern
- School to Work Transition Coordinator
- Choice & Opportunity
- Summerside, Prince Edward Island
- Canada
STW Wizard Strategies
Strategy 1
I have been involved as a consumer of many transition related services.
I have a physical challenge called Spina Bifida as well as some learning
challenges related to learning very technical information. Most instructors
tend to teach this through reading and I need to read, talk, and then get
hands on learning. I'm very visual.
I am now employed with the Office of Lifework Development at the Minnesota
Departmennt of Children, Families, and Learning and I still maintain my
involvement with any program that is based on the advancement (both socially
and economically) of people much like myself!
Currently, I am self sufficient financially. I don't receive any governement
funding assistance for any area of my life and I have done this through
'creative financing' as well as through programs like Transition Plus, which
is entirely geared towards making their clients self sufficient in adult
life. I also live in a market rate apartment (unsubsidized) and I do not
receive any medical assistance (and my bills tend to be very LARGE). I make
due because my goal is SELF sufficiency.
Initiatives such as school-to-work are very important to me because they
promote what I feel so strongly that individuals REQUIRE: adequate employment
and advancment as anyone in society does!
The issue that keeps coming up is how to make ends meet, get services
such as with personal care, and transportation to a job site. These issues
can be dealt with by one person in an office such as a Career Resource Center
on a volunteer basis in the evenings within a high school or community education
setting. Funding is always an issue!
But, if individuals such as myself knew the value of adequate employment
and the goal that we are all trying to reach (which is self sufficiency)
I'm sure that volunteers to assist youth would come out of the woodwork!!
I feel very strongly that from one person with a physical challenge to another
that mentoring is most important. If youth are struggling with issues related
to employment certainly an idea would be to get other youth together that
are doing well in the area of employment to offer suggestions towards assisting
others.
My best suggestion for your dilema would be to contact your youth that
are doing well within an employment setting and see if they would offer
volunteer services to assist a community education course or to become involved
with a school-to work initiative in their area to be a part of how their
school-to-work agencies are doing in the area of employment opportunities
and better preparing their youth for the career that they choose! I plan
to do the same within my area's community education evening sessions.
Youth and adults that will become mentors are your best resource. I learn
a great deal from people who are successful just by networking.
Best wishes in your efforts!
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