Question 7
Can you inform me of any website that can lead me to designing a program,
model, or curriculum on STW for deaf high school students?
STW Wizard Strategies
Strategy 1
You may want to try the National Center on Employment for the Deaf -
National Technical Institute for the Deaf. They may have some excellent
suggestions for you in this area. You might want to try actually contacting
their staff for assistance. Below is an overview of this resource and website
address.
National Technical Institute
for the Deaf
Website:ntidweb.rit.edu/
E-mail: place4u@rit.edu or
Phone: (716) 475-6834 - Rochester, NY
One of the seven colleges of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT),
NTID is the world's first and largest technological college for deaf students.
It represents the first concerted effort to educate large numbers of deaf
students within a college campus planned principally for hearing students.
Among RIT's 12,000 full- and part-time students are approximately 1,100
deaf students from the United States and other countries.
Cooperative Work Experience. Experience is a great teacher, and
RIT graduates find that their employment prospects are bright because of
the career related work experience that is built into their academic programs.
Work experience at RIT is gained through cooperative education, internships,
and field experience. This type of education links students, employers,
and RIT in a common effort that benefits all three.
Successful employment of RIT''s deaf and hard of hearing students is
promoted by NTID's Center on Employment (NCE). In addition, the RIT Office
of Cooperative Education and Placement assists students enrolled in other
RIT colleges in finding co-ops and in job placement after graduation.
Department of Educational and Career Research. The department
brings together professionals with expertise in teaching, cognition, Deaf
Studies, social and cultural development, language development, application
of technology to teaching and learning, college persistence and workforce
attainments of deaf persons. This diversity of skills will enable the department
to "...undertake a program of applied research designed to enhance
the social, economic and educational accommodation of deaf people."
(Strategic Plan, June 15, 1992, p. 9).
In order to insure that the research being conducted has direct application
to practice, the department will promote dissemination and implementation
of results through network building and ongoing collaboration with teachers,
employers and other professionals in education and rehabilitation for persons
who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Research on Access. One of the department goals is to ensure that
qualified deaf people have access to the benefits of post-secondary education.
This goals will focus the collaborative and individual research efforts
of our department on questions of access related to three areas: 1) the
college environment; 2) the instructional environment; and 3) the work environment.
Research on access to and within the college environment includes studies
on the recruitment/enrollment of qualified students, student use of college
and university services and resources, and participation in extracurricular
activities. Research on access within the instructional environment includes
studies on the characteristics of effective teaching, educational technology
and its application, and communication of information in the classroom.
Research on access to and within the work environment includes studies on
entry into the job market, obtaining appropriate jobs, and full participation
in the work place.
NTID Research Bulletins
(www.rit.edu/~490www/resbull.html). A variety of research bulletins
related to individuals with deafness and education and employment.
Example of a NTID Research Bulletin
Deaf Adults Who are Ethnic Minorities: How Do They Fare? (Janet MacLeod-Gallinger;
Vol. 2 No. 2, Spring 1997)
Some very interesting findings regarding students who are deaf and also
considered to belong to an ethnic minorities. Good resource listing at the
end with articles regarding transition and employment.
Strategy 2
There is a new project that is looking for those using strategies that
are being used to provide school-to-work activities and opportunities for
students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Those who nominate and are selected
will be included in a resource document that will be produced. They are
profiled on the School-to-Work Office (website no longer available). Below is a brief overview of the project. This may be an excellent resource for you as models are identified.
School-to-Work for Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
The job market of today is changing at a rapid pace, and in order to
properly prepare students to succeed in post-secondary or employment settings,
new educational initiatives are needed. Employers need to inform schools
of their needs, students need to be exposed to "real work," and
connections need to be forged between school, work, and communities. School-to-Work
programs are helping build these partnerships. Given the communication difficulties
inherent in being deaf or hard of hearing, participation in School-to-Work
programs for such students may be even more critical than for the general
population. Key components of effective programs have been identified for
the general population, but very little is known about the availability,
accessibility, or benefit of these programs for students who are deaf or
hard of hearing. Responding to this need, the University of Arkansas Research
and Training Center is currently soliciting nominations for secondary, postsecondary,
or community-based programs that are providing school-to-work experiences
for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The goal of this effort is to identify programs that are successfully
implementing elements of the three core components of the school-to-work
initiatives school-based learning, work-based learning, and connecting activities.
Descriptive profiles of the programs will be compiled into a resource document
for dissemination to programs interested in establishing and/or improving
their school-to-work programs for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Nominations can be sent to the authors via the nomination form or by
mailing the name of the program being nominated, the contact person's name,
address, phone number, and a brief statement supporting why the program
is being nominated to the address above.
This project is a collaborative effort between the University of Arkansas
Research and Training Center and the National School-to-Work office, which
is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor. For
information on the National School-to-Work Learning and Information Center
contact STW-LC@ed.gov visit their website or call 1-800-251-7236.
Strategy 3
Try the National Center for Research in Vocational Education (NCRVE).
They have many excellent resources that may be very easy to modify for your
specific area. A description is listed below along with the website address.
National Center for Research
in Vocational Education (NCRVE) (vocserve.berkeley.edu)
NCRVE is the nation's largest center for research and development in
work-related education. Headquartered at the University of California at
Berkeley since 1988, NCRVE has played a key role in developing a new concept
of vocational education as the Center works towards fulfilling its mission
to strengthen education to prepare all individuals for lasting and rewarding
employment, and lifelong learning.
NCRVE Products Catalog - Curriculum and Pedagogy. (vocserve.berkeley.edu/prodcat.html)
Some may be very helpful in general with curriculum development - not specifically
geared toward students who are deaf, but may give some ideas of curriculum
in general.
Other products in other areas that are related are also available.
Strategy 4
The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a great resource
- their search capabilities and on-line access to digests and other tools
is excellent. A brief preview is below along with the website address.
Educational Resources Information
Center (ERIC) (www.eric.ed.gov/)
The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is a federally funded,
nationwide information network designed to provide you with ready access
to education literature.
At the heart of ERIC is the largest education database in the world--containing
more than 850,000 records of journal articles, research reports, curriculum
and teaching guides, conference papers, and books. Each year approximately
30,000 new records are added. The ERIC database is available in many formats
at hundreds of locations.
ERIC presents education information in a format convenient to users.
More than 20 years ago, ERIC became the first commercial on-line database.
In 1986 the ERIC database became available for searching on CD-ROM (compact
disk, read-only memory).
ERIC Journal Articles. Copies of journal articles can be found
in library periodical collections; through interlibrary loan; from the journal
publisher; or from article reprint services such as the UMI/InfoStore (1-800-248-0360),
UnCover Company (1-800-787-7979), or Institute for Scientific Information
(ISI) (1-800-336-4474).
Examples from an ERIC Journal Article Search
EJ499312 The School-to-Community Transition Experiences of Hearing
Young Adults and Young Adults Who Are Deaf. (Bullis, Michael; And Others)
Abstract: Comparison of hearing (n=222) and deaf (n=217) young
adults on employment, independent living, and social experience outcomes
found that the hearing group was generally more successful than deaf persons
from mainstream or residential schools. Gender differences did not uniformly
favor men. Suggestions for improving transition programs for the deaf are
provided. (DB)
EJ465076 Listening to the Community of the Hearing-Impaired. (McCann,
Jessica)
Abstract: Notes that, to bring hearing-impaired individuals into
the work force, employers must first learn something about their well-defined
culture. Notes need to understand difference between being deaf and hearing
impaired, distinct culture and history of deaf Americans, and how to keep
channels of communication open. Discusses counseling deaf students and working
with deaf employees. (Author/NB)
EJ481386 Factors Influencing Career Mobility of Deaf Adults. (Welsh,
William A.)
Abstract: This article on career mobility of deaf adults identifies
six categories of mobility: labor force, inter-occupational, intra/interindustrial,
intraoccupational, earnings, and vertical. To promote mobility potential,
deaf adults are urged to increase their reading ability, pursue the highest
academic degree possible, and select careers in which worker demand is greatest.
(Author/JDD)
EJ481387 Factors Impacting the Job Retention and Advancement of
Workers Who Are Deaf. (Johnson, Virginia Anne)
Abstract: Presents results of surveys, taken before and after
passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of employers and workers
who are deaf, identifying two categories of factors impacting job retention
and advancement: (1) individual worker performance attributes, and (2) aspects
of the work environment. (Author/JDD)
EJ481388 Employment Transitions and Establishing Careers by Post-secondary
Alumni with Hearing Loss. (El-Khiami, Afafe)
Abstract: This study examined the vocational experiences of a
national sample of 490 deaf and hard-of-hearing alumni of post-secondary
education programs. The study reports on their employment status, job search
strategies, and five- year work histories. Three influential factors are
examined: severity of hearing loss, occupation, and stability of employment.
(Author/JDD)
EJ481389 Deaf Adults Tell Their Stories: Perspectives on Barriers
to Job Advancement and On-the-Job Accommodations. (Mowry, Randolph L.; Anderson,
Glenn B.)
Abstract: Interviews with 22 employed and 18 unemployed individuals
with deafness indicated that both environmental and personal characteristics
influenced their success or failure in advancing on the job and in getting
job accommodations. Implications for employers, employees who are deaf,
and service providers are discussed. (Author/JDD)
EJ443028 Deaf Students in Transition: Education and Employment
Issues for Deaf Adolescents. (Schildroth, Arthur; And Others)
Abstract: This paper on post-secondary employment and education
of deaf youth examines characteristics of deaf youth, their schools, and
their training, such as changes in enrollment patterns and low graduation
rates. It also discusses labor market conditions of special relevance, such
as advanced skills requirements and the decline in goods-producing industries.
(JDD)
ERIC Digests. Allows you to search the full-text ERIC Digest collection,
which includes more than 1,600 two-page syntheses of the best, most current
education research.
You can order "ED" documents -- as microfiche, print, fax,
or electronic copy--either by phone (800 443-3742; 703 440-1400) or on line,
through EDRS (http://edrs.com) or the Wizard (http://www.ericae.net/scripts/ewiz/).
Fax order and other delivery service are available. Cost: $4.08 for 25
pages (Since Jan. 1, 1997)."ED" documents are also available on
microfiche from more than 1000 locations worldwide. To find the location
nearest you, call ACCESS ERIC at 1-800-LET-ERIC, or look it up on line at
http://ericae2.educ.cua/derc.htm.
Example from an ERIC Digest Search
ED398660 The PEC (Post-secondary Education Consortium) Salutes
Success. (Woodrick, William E.; Wolfe, Vicki L., Ed.)
Abstract: This booklet offers profiles of 55 successful individuals
who are deaf or hard of hearing. The profiles identify how long the person
has had a hearing impairment and the cause, their educational background,
and the field in which they are employed. The profiles describe successful
role models and are designed to help in career exploration for students
with hearing impairments in school, rehabilitation, and community settings.
The profiles can also be incorporated into the reading curriculum and can
lead group discussions concerning college and career options for young people
who are deaf and hard of hearing. An introduction to the profiles suggests
that students who have a clearly defined career goal are more likely to
complete post-secondary education, and advises students to select a post-secondary
institution which provides support services and special accommodations.
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