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Question 34
I am the parent of a 15 year old daughter who is Mildly Mentally Disabled
(MiMD). She is in an eighth grade self-contained class, and the curriculum
has been excellent to this point. The students are all reading, developing
their functional writing skills more fully, and using calculators to approach
functional math issues. Looking at our high school, there is a very strong
vocational program with many pathways for students with mild disabilities
and an array of supports under the Vocational Planner. The weakness is in
the 9th/10th grade where the academics do not seemed to relate to "real
world" outcomes. Furthermore, at this point in time there are no school-based
jobs nor community-based experiences for this group of students. I have
proposed a review of the MiMD curriculum and would appreciate specific information
on two questions:
1- What are some examples of school-based jobs that students with
disabilities could do in a school that does not have a "factory set-up"?
Students with more moderate disabilities already do recycling and work
with the kitchen staff. Do you have any other ideas that are "legal"
under the work rules?
2- What kinds of community experiences do you regularly have your
9th/10th graders going out on? Are these visits tied to the curriculum?
I appreciate any input. Our school division is in the second year of
a two-year grant to develop advocacy skills in students with developmental
disabilities and will be posting results, materials and curriculum on the
Internet. If anyone wants further information you can e-mail me. I am a
parent who is very curriculum focused, and I may have some other sites to
share with you.
STW Wizard Strategies
Strategy 1
Although the person is looking for information for 9th/10th grade we
have a model that was developed last year for 7th/8th grade that could be
duplicated. It is called YES! (Youth Employment Skills). Although it was
piloted with students with disabilities, the hope is that all students will
participate in YES by the time they finish 8th grade. There are 2 components
to YES - a class component emphasizes many of the concepts and skills that
students need to function effectively in the work place and community (the
soft skills businesses want students to have) and the work experience which
is on site at school. The curriculum is designed around the Vermont Framework
and the District Performance Targets.
There is an application process for students, supervisors within the
school for each student, supervisor guidelines have been created, and assessment.
This program was created the first year that students moved into a new
school. The staff thought about jobs that would help keep the school looking
good and students proud to be a part of it. Although there are some jobs
like recycling, kitchen there also is furniture refinishing, bulletin board
designer, teacher copy service, plant/landscaping, snack cart, book cataloguer,
video, guidance assistant, special projects for teachers (putting together
conference materials, refinished tables). Each job has a job description.
This program was designed by Kim Pandiani, Middlebury Union Middle School,
Middlebury, VT 05753 kim_pandiani@acsu.k12.vt.us.
At our Career Center, students with disabilities run an in-school restaurant.
The organization of the meal, shopping, planning is tied to the curriculum
and part of classes from Mon. - Thurs. On Friday the students open the restaurant
to teachers and the community. This program will also have students do special
projects for business. For example, if I needed to have an administrative
task completed. I could arrange with the program director to drop off the
materials. This program also has students out on work-based learning opportunities
in businesses including local drug stores, grocery stores, elderly services,
greenhouses, Middlebury College, apiaries, hardware stores, auto, farmers
market, restaurants, fish hatchery, churches, forest service to name a few.
For community experiences, we have a local business, Geiger of Austria,
that has a partnership with a local high school. Geiger teaches a class
around the soft skills on-site for a full semester. Students are bussed
to the business. The class is offered in the course selection guide to students.
The class is open to all students 9-12. This is the second year the class
has been taught. Last year 25% of the students had disabilities. This course
is linked to the VT standards. Contact Jim Bruce, Geiger of Austria, at
(ph) 802-388-3156, (fax) 802-388-9745, e-mail: jmbruce@together.net
In general community activities linked to curriculum include a career
class, job shadowing, senior graduation projects (capstone projects), portfolios,
internships. The placements vary depending upon student interests. We have
in-school STW coordinators in each of our high schools, paid for by the
school, and they work individually placing kids in work-based learning opportunities
whether they are one day job shadowing or a lengthy internship.
Strategy 2
I suggest that she take an interest survey to find areas of skills that
she is interested. I believe that she should be greatly involved in learning
more about herself and setting goals. If for example, she likes growing
thinks, working with her hands, working in warm places, and working in small
groups, your daughter might want to take vocational horticulture in the
agriculture area. There are many opportunities with indoor landscaping,
greenhouse production, and florist operations.
Strategy 3
On of the more critical factors in the development of jobs anywhere is
that the job be linked to the curriculum or IEP. This will set the foundation
for legality. While employment or jobs are important during this time so
too is exploration. I would want my students to be exploring all areas of
jobs in the school and community. An important factor would be to determine
before hand what skills the students have. This can be accomplished by looking
at what they do for fun. In many cases employment could be developed around
a students past time. If it is hard for one to determine interests, then
one needs to explore and take very specific data on the students reactions.
Strategy 4
In Richardson Texas we have students age 14 to 16 do bonafide volunteer
work in community settings which include public libraries, hospitals, M.S.
office, public schools, fire station, Heart Association, Red Cross, Humane
Society and more places. We have the students, parents and volunteer coordinators
sign an agreement which explains what the students are expected to do and
learn at each site. The volunteer coordinators also provide an evaluation
form every 6 weeks. All of this information is used to develop a vocational
assessment folder which follows the students through all of their vocational
experiences throughout their public school education. We also complete a
video resume at each site so that there is a visual means to document the
experience.
Strategy 5
Some things to consider about your questions:
First, a lot of schools are setting up local enterprises or in-school
businesses. Most schools are using local school to work moneys to support
such activities (e.g., school stores, car washes for staff and faculty).
Vocational Rehabilitation, in some states, also supports these activities
with what they term "work adjustment moneys". A good in-school
business should help students to develop general employability skills (skills
which youths can take to most any job).
Second, as students get older community-based experiences become increasingly
relevant. Once students have some general employability skills, they can
take these skills to real world employers. Ideally, these experiences would
help students develop specific employability or skills unique to a given
occupation (e.g., customer service skills).
Third, you should obtain a copy of the Fair Labors and Standards act
to make sure you avoid employer/employee relationships when students are
not paid.
Strategy 6
I am in a school that has a variety of programs for learning disabled.
There are no jobs for 9th/10th, but after they turn 16, the school has work
release time. If a student is MMR then there is a transporter available.
The teacher who is in charge of release time, works with the Special Ed
department in finding suitable employment. The student goes to school until
noon and then goes to a job at noon, or goes to a vocational post-secondary
training program. That training program might be in a variety of areas that
they believe the student can be successful in. One of those programs is
a program to be a child care assistant in a nursery or daycare. There are
several students in our school in that program. Then there are a variety
of jobs, everything from restaurant workers to word processors or data entry
jobs.
There is every spring, a short term program which is a daycare, nursery
and preschool on campus. Students sign up to take the program which allows
them both classroom time and "hands-on " work with young children.
They are supervised by the teacher who started the program. They are taught
basic child care and emergency care. They have to plan a day program, providing
for games, rest, nutrition, and a variety of activities. They have to write
their observations down and have their material evaluated before it is presented.
They get certificates which help them get jobs in daycare. Children from
the community are placed in the program by parents. They pay a fee, and
are aware that their children go to a "lab" type setting. But
it has been successful and I believe it is in it's 15th year.
What it takes to be successful is a partnership with community partners,
both business and parents, and then some dedicated teachers. There are many
ways to solve the school to work issues.
Strategy 7
In response to Question #34 regarding school-based "jobs" for
9th and 10th grade students with mild cognitive disabilities, my school
district is currently using Donn Brolin's "Life Centered Career Education"
curriculum with this group of students, and programming includes both special
education courses based on this curriculum, as well as general education
electives based on individual student needs, preferences, and local credit
requirements.
School-based "vocational training sites" (this choice of terminology
reflecting "training" on campus as opposed to the "work"
[for pay] connotation of saying school-based "jobs") are part
of the special education services offered. Some examples of campus-based
vocational training activities which are not "factory" production-like,
have included: Office Aide (this is an elective course that both general
education and special education students can take....tasks include mail
distribution, taking messages to various departments, getting materials
distributed on campus, etc.); Attendance Assistant (students collect attendance
slips, record collection on a logsheet, etc.); athletic assistant (helping
in the weight training area with equipment set up, maintenance, etc.), Library
Aide (tasks determined by the Librarian, e.g. labeling, shelving books,
etc.); "entrepreneurial efforts" including centerpiece designs
for local conferences, personalized Valentine heart-shaped cakes, breakfasts
"to go" on Fridays, cookies shaped like the mascot of the football
team, etc.
Options are limited only by the imagination of the personnel, commitment
of the administration and community, and adherence with the Department of
Labor guidelines.
Activities in the community are varied in my district, including community
service and volunteer activities (most often vocationally-based) at local
non-profit organizations, for example, the food bank, senior citizen community
center, Heart Association, etc. Other IEP-based community activities could
include, for example, purchasing a gift from a local store for a family
member or friend (after instruction in the areas of money management/budgeting,
etc.), training in public transportation usage, if available, and community
recreation and leisure activities such as swimming at the Y, or participating
in a walk-a-thon.
Community-based activities are tied not only to the curriculum, but most
importantly, to the student's IEP. Under the IDEA Amendments of 1997, a
statement of the student's "transition service needs under the applicable
components of the IEP... related to the child's course of study" must
now be developed by the time a special education student turns fourteen.
This early planning component augments the already existing "age sixteen"
provision for transition services including "instruction, related services,
the development of employment, and community experiences" in the IEP.
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