Issue #14: Vocational Training in the Transitino Process – Part VI

This section will provide you with the first stage information in dealing with your student’s preparation for work. You will find the different types of evaluations, and what to expect and ask for in this process.

Introduction

Crossing the threshold from the world of school to the world of work brings a significant change in everyone’s life. School is an entitlement, meaning that it is an environment that our system of government supplies for all of our citizens. The workplace is the opposite; no one is entitled to a job.

One of the most important aspects of transition planning is the preparation of students for the world of work. Up to now, the focus has been on helping students fulfill the educational requirements for graduation from a secondary school. Now comes a very real and practical issue that can create many concerns. With the proper information and resources, this next phase of the transition process can also be very rewarding. Parents and educators must fully understand vocational options in order to help children make the best decisions for his or their future.

The purpose of this section is to give you a strong working knowledge of vocational assessments. After reading this section, you should understand the following:

Purpose of Vocational Assessments

One of the techniques used to determine a student’s interests, aptitudes, and skills is a vocational assessment. A vocational assessment has been called the critical beginning point for transition planning and services (Leconte and Neubert, 1997). Vocational assessment can be defined as a comprehensive process conducted over a period of time, usually involving a multidisciplinary team, with the purpose of identifying individual characteristics, education, training, and placement needs, serving as a basis for planning an individual’s educational program and which provides the individual with insight into vocational potential (Dowd, 1993, p.14, cited in deFur and Patton, 1999). A vocational assessment is the responsibility of a school district’s special education program. The planning of transitional services includes the development of transitional employment goals and objectives based on a child’s needs, preferences, and interests. These will be identified through the child-centered vocational assessment process.

According to Hann and Levison (1998), “although vocational assessment and transition may be focused upon more closely in the latter school years, it is beneficial if the process can begin as soon as students enter school and ideally the process should incorporate a K-12 career development plan. This does not mean that early elementary students should be subjected to in depth assessment batteries. It is more plausible that vocational assessment and transition in the early school years should encompass career exposure and educational activities geared to a level which is developmentally appropriate to younger students. For younger children it is important to emphasize the development of self-awareness, occupational awareness and good decision making skills. Early transition planning is also an excellent opportunity for educators and parents to introduce non-traditional employment opportunities and thereby dispel gender bias as it relates to children’s understanding of traditional and non-traditional employment roles. As students approach the middle and secondary school level the need for a more formalized vocational assessment occurs (p.1).

A good vocational assessment should include the collection and analysis of information about a child’s vocational aptitudes, skills, expressed interests, and occupational exploration history (volunteer experiences, part-time or summer employment, club activities). The collection of this information should also take into account the child’s language, culture, and family.

Through the assessment process, parents and professionals learn about the student, and the student learns about himself or herself. Students generally emerge from the vocational assessment process with increased self-awareness and a better understanding of their skills. When students are being assessed, a number of interesting changes can be observed in what they say and do. For example, students often:

• want to discuss their vocational or career futures or specific vocational education plans;
• are able to say things they can do;
• may show excitement about the vocational activities on which they are working;
• may enthusiastically talk with their families and friends about what they are doing in school
• may develop new, realistic career interests;
• may show more self-confidence and/or self-esteem; and
• may show more interest in school and in their academic performances.

Thus, the active participation of students in the assessment process can be an important factor in showing them how school connects to the outside world of work and in motivating them in their school work. Moreover, through the assessment process, students and families have the opportunity to gather information about various careers. Learning about various jobs, trying out work roles, exploring interests, and getting feedback on many different aspects of individual abilities and performance broaden students’ knowledge base of the work-world and themselves. This allows them to explore what careers might be appropriate for them and to identify those that are not.

The primary purpose of vocational assessment, then, is to gather employability-related information about an individual. This will assist and empower that individual (and his or her advocates) in making decisions regarding work and the training or services needed by the student in order to gain employment. The benefits of gathering — and using — this information are many. Among these are career awareness and exploration, improved self-awareness and motivation, the development of a vocational profile, and the identification of short- and long-term career goals that are realistic. These goals are more realistic because they are based upon who the student is as an individual and what he or she is capable of doing and is interested in doing.

Trends in Vocational Assessment

Vocational assessment began in industry over a century ago. As employers were trying to match people with technology in new industrially-oriented occupations (moving away from an agricultural labor market), they created “trials” of actual jobs for potential employees to try or they developed samples of work and simulated the tasks of the jobs. Similarly, the first assessment processes in rehabilitation relied heavily on work sampling and job-try-outs.

This community-reality-based beginning for vocational assessment has progressed almost full circle. For several decades, assessment for training and employment centered on standardized tests (psychometrics). In an effort to make work sampling, simulated work, and job try-outs more credible, professionals began to collect “norms” in efforts to “standardize” these methods of appraisal. The increasing need to appraise the potentials and attributes of individuals with disabilities has led the field back to community-reality-based assessment. This is due, primarily, to two facts: 1) the use of most standardized instruments frequently is discriminatory to persons with different attributes; and 2) “normed” work samples and simulated work assessment tools, as they became refined, were often not representative of actual work requirements on jobs.

The emergence of community-based assessment for individuals with severe disabilities, ecological and environmental assessments, and curriculum-based vocational assessments are each indicative of the movement toward reality-based and equitable appraisals. Standardized assessments remain effective methods in vocational appraisal processes, but usually are used in combination with the above.

The Vocational Assessment Process

Vocational assessment is a process that can take place at different times during the student’s education and career development. It is an ongoing process that should begin during the middle or junior high school years and may continue throughout high school and, if needed, perhaps re-occur during transitional periods in adult life.

Throughout the education process, starting in kindergarten or earlier, students are involved in career awareness and vocational exploration activities. In the early years of school, children study community workers such as firefighters, police, and transportation providers. A student’s performance with school work can provide sources of important information about potential careers. Extracurricular activities, such as sports, music, art, scouts, and other social organizations add to this information base and offer opportunities for the student to try out a variety of activities and roles.

These experiences can be used in informal vocational assessment, in the sense that students are developing career awareness and motivation, as well as ideas of what they like and do not like. They may also develop a fair idea of what types of jobs they would be good at and what would be difficult for them, ideas they can generally articulate, if asked.

Informal and Formal Assessment

The student may have the opportunity for informal and formal vocational assessment. Vocational assessment can be described as occurring on a continuum of appraisal procedures, which have different purposes and outcomes depending upon the individual’s needs and career development stage. Informal assessment is more available in schools than formal appraisal approaches.

Informal assessment differs from formal assessment in terms of the objectives, setting, personnel conducting the assessment and the materials used in the process. Informal assessment includes the gathering of information from any number of sources other than through formal testing procedures and is conducted in classrooms or unstructured settings. Methods, such as interviewing a student or family member, making observations, conducting record reviews, and using professional-made tests results, are examples of informal methods along the assessment continuum.

Criterion-referenced tests are another type of informal assessment. These tests measure how well a student is able to do specific tasks within a course of study. The student’s performance is compared to an established level of achievement for each task or unit of the curriculum. Criterion-referenced tests are commonly used in vocational classes to determine a student’s mastery of the content.

Typically, informal assessment is conducted by professionals and other professionals for the purpose of assisting a student in classroom work and for identifying possible learning difficulties. Informal assessment is an important complement to formal assessment and is essential in determining whether a referral for formal assessment is appropriate.

Formal assessment is a structured procedure conducted for a specific purpose and involves the use of norm-referenced, commercially-developed, and standardized instruments. The purpose of formal assessment in vocational appraisal is to determine a student’s interests, aptitudes, learning preferences, work skills, and other vocationally relevant information. Many vocational assessment instruments have been commercially developed and administered to a representative group of individuals in order to establish normative standards of performance. Normative standards allow evaluators to compare the results of one individual’s performance on a test or instrument to the performances of other individuals who have taken the same test. Vocationally-oriented assessment tools include interest inventories, aptitude and dexterity tests, work sample systems, and other appraisal instruments. Informal assessment information is frequently incorporated with formal assessment results in preparing comprehensive reports or vocational profiles.

Comprehensive vocational assessment or vocational evaluation is the collection of information via observations, interest inventories, aptitude tests, etc. that should occur along a continuum, with different kinds of information being collected about the student at different points in time. The use of results will vary, depending upon the student’s year in school. In middle, intermediate, or junior high school, for example, vocational assessment may be used to identify levels of career development and to determine career exploration and prevocational activities. During these years, vocational assessment can also help parents and professionals identify transition needs in preparing a student for high school. This type of vocational assessment is extremely helpful in guiding the student early in his education and should begin as early as age 12 or 13. Parents should take advantage of interdisciplinary planning sessions (i.e., IEP and three year triennial evaluation meetings) to learn more about the different resources available and to work with the school system to utilize all of the vocational assessment information collected on their child. This includes professional impressions of work habits, socialization skills, and other anecdotal information about student behavior and performance. Such information can be useful during special education planning and placement decisions.

It is important to remember that when vocational assessment is begun early in a student’s education, re-evaluation of the student should be scheduled yearly to update recommendations. Students improve skills across time and mature in their understanding of and interaction with the world. Assessment information, when used to make decisions, should be as current as possible.

If it is available, comprehensive, formal vocational assessment should begin approximately one year prior to placement in vocational education. This is usually around the ninth or tenth grade. At this point, assessment is conducted for the specific purpose of vocational and transitional planning. In many school systems, planning for transition is being incorporated into the established IEP process as students reach about the age of 14. Because students are nearing the time when specific vocational placement choices will need to be made, the assessment process should begin to examine the match between specific aspects of occupations and the individual. Information about the student should be compiled from a variety of sources, and should include:

• all assessment information collected to date that is vocationally relevant
• current professional impressions of such areas as the student’s: communication skills, punctuality, ability to follow directions and to work with others, concentration, and ability to work unsupervised;
  medical background
• survey results about interests and aptitudes;
  observations of the student at work or in simulated work experiences
• an analysis of strengths and needs.

Results of all assessment activities should be shared with both parents and students. The vocational profile, mentioned earlier, should be developed for the student. This profile not only details assessment results, but also should include recommendations for vocational education placement, postsecondary training, or employment. A vital part of vocational and transitional planning, placement, and programming, the vocational profile also serves as a record and vehicle of communication between the student, family, school, and community personnel.

The next step in the planning process, based upon the assessment results and the nature of the student’s disability, is to identify the support services (e.g., transportation, assistive technology) the student will need to implement the vocational plan. An analysis of the employment or training site identified for the student should also be made. What skills are necessary for the student to perform the training or be successfully placed in the program? Does the student have these entry-level skills? This analysis will indicate any additional training the student needs before or during placement. Vocational support (supplementary) services are also mandated in the Perkins Act (P.L. 101-392).

As a teenager prepares to exit from school, parents should be aware that vocational assessment will continue to be important for a young adult’s successful transition to independence in either employment or postsecondary training. In addition to identifying specific transition needs and career plans/goals, vocational assessment can assist both parents and professionals in making referrals for adult services. For many young adults with disabilities, state-sponsored Vocational Rehabilitation Services or other community-based services may be realistic options. Vocational assessment will be necessary to determine eligibility for vocational rehabilitation and to determine appropriate vocational training programs and employment placement. The information gathered through the assessment process can help the individual with a disability, his or her family, adult service provider, and employer identify the accommodations or assistance needed for obtaining and maintaining employment

Levels of Vocational Assessment

There are three types of vocational assessments that you need to understand as special educators (Pierangelo and Crane, 1997). They are referred to as Level I, Level II and Level III vocational assessments. A Level I vocational assessment is administered at the beginning of a student’s transitional process, and is based on the child’s abilities, expressed interests, and needs. This Level I assessment may include a review of existing school information and the conduct of informal interviews. A Level II vocational assessment usually includes the administration of one or more formal vocational evaluations. A Level III vocational assessment usually involves the analysis of a child’s success in a real or simulated work setting. This is usually reported by a job coach, employer or vocational evaluator. The transitional process should not be used to limit a student’s educational or career aspirations. Instead, it should allow districts to provide opportunities at an earlier age. A more detailed discussion of all three types of vocational assessments will now be addressed.

Level I Vocational Assessment

A Level I vocational assessment examines the child from a vocational perspective. A trained vocational evaluator or knowledgeable special education professional should be designated to collect the Level I assessment data. Typically, Level One consists of a screening to determine functional skills and “where the student is” regarding vocational planning. Information is collected via such methods as interviewing, reviewing records, or interest inventories for screening. The information gathered for analysis should include existing information from:

• cumulative records
• student interviews
• parent/guardian and professional interviews
• special education eligibility data
• a review of the child’s aptitudes
• achievements
• interests
• behaviors
• occupational exploration activities

The informal student interview involved in a Level I assessment should consider the child’s vocational interest, interpersonal relationship skills, and adaptive behavior.

Level II Vocational Assessment

A Level II vocational assessment is based upon the analysis obtained from the Level I assessment. This may be recommended by the Committee on Special Education at any time, to determine the level of a student’s vocational skills, aptitudes, and interests, but not before the age of 12. Level Two occurs if the student needs more information to develop his or her vocational profile and to clarify vocational planning. Often this Level is called “clinical” or “exploratory” as standardized instruments or career exploration activities may be used. Collected data should include:

writing
learning styles
interest inventory
motor (dexterity, speed, tool use, strength, coordination)
spatial discrimination
verbal reading
perception (visual/auditory/tactile)
speaking numerical (measurement, money skills)
comprehension (task learning, problem solving)
attention (staying on task)

Level III Vocational Assessment

A Level III vocational assessment is a comprehensive vocational evaluation that focuses on real or simulated work experiences (deFur and Patton, 1999). This assessment is the basis for vocational counseling. Level III is a more comprehensive assessment during which data are usually collected during a specified period of time. Data collection is often coordinated or conducted by a professional vocational evaluator/assessment specialist. Informal assessment (interviews, samples of classwork, situational assessments, and on-the-job try-outs) and formal assessment (work samples, standardized instruments and tests) are used in each of the three levels of service. The use of formal methods is more prevalent in Level Three, which is often called a comprehensive assessment or vocational evaluation. This does not mean that only formal methods are used at this level; observations, shop or job try-outs, interviewing, etc. also play a key role in the appraisal process. Unlike the Level I and Level II assessments, a trained vocational evaluator should administer or supervise this level of assessment. Level III assessment options consist of:

• Vocational evaluations including aptitudes and interests that are compared to job performance to predict vocational success in specific areas. Work samples must be valid and reliable.
• Situational vocational assessments, which occur in real work settings. These on-the-job assessments consider what has been learned and how.
• Work-study assessments are progress reports from supervisors or mentors that provide information on the child’s job performance. A standard observational checklist may be utilized.

If a student plans a postsecondary educational program, he or she may benefit from two types of assessments:

• General assessments of postsecondary education skills are necessary to determine academic skills, critical thinking skills, requirements for reasonable accommodations, social behaviors, interpersonal skills, self-advocacy and self-determination skills, learning strategies, and time management or organizational skills. This information is usually obtained through consultation with peers or professionals, or a self-evaluation.
• Assessments specific to field of study or setting are necessary to assess needs, in relation to daily living skills, that may be experienced in a classroom setting or on a college campus. The identification of additional skills that a child must plan for to be an effective member of a postsecondary educational setting includes some of the following:
• dormitory living vs. commuting
• lab work
• large lecture vs. seminar courses

Parents may wish to visit campuses that provide supportive services for students with disabilities. Information regarding colleges that provide these services can be obtained in local libraries, bookstores, or high school guidance offices.

Maximum benefit can be realized if an array or continuum of vocational assessment approaches and opportunities are available to students. Because the needs of individuals with disabilities are so diverse, a variety of approaches is necessary depending upon the student’s specific needs, his or her age, and stage of personal and career development. It is essential that information about certain attributes of each individual be gathered. Regardless of the approach used to gather information about your youth, the following components should be included in the vocational assessment. These components represent the essential attributes of the individual that make up his or her vocational profile or identity. It is also important to remember that a student’s self-concept is critical to his or her educational and vocational functioning. Vocational assessment should help clarify a student’s self-concept and be included within any component of a vocational assessment.

Components of a Vocational Assessment

Parents and professionals involved in facilitating the student’s transition should consider the developmental maturity of the student as well as the skills that the student will need to adjust to community living and employment. The skills that should be considered include such things as daily living skills (e.g., managing money, preparing food), personal/social skills (e.g., hygiene, social skills), and occupational/vocational skills (e.g., job-seeking skills and appropriate work habits). The degree to which the student already possesses these skills and the extent to which these skills need to be developed can be determined in part by the vocational assessment. Vocational assessment should be more formalized as the student moves through grade levels and the assessment information gathered in later years should be multi-level and include assessment at both the junior and senior high levels (Hann and Levison, 1998).

A variety of approaches is necessary depending upon the student’s specific needs, his or her age, and stage of personal and career development. It is essential that information about certain attributes of each individual be gathered. Regardless of the approach used to gather information about your youth, the following components should be included in the vocational assessment. These components represent the essential attributes of the individual that make up his or her vocational profile or identity. It is also important to remember that a student’s self-concept is critical to his or her educational and vocational functioning. Vocational assessment should help clarify a student’s self-concept and be included within any component of a vocational assessment.

1. Interests: What are the student’s occupational or vocational preferences? Remember that these may be preferences that the student expresses, or those he/she demonstrates, or those that are identified with an interest survey or inventory. When receiving interpretations of interest inventories, make sure that the tests are truly representative of a wide range of occupations rather than being limited to one category or a few occupations. It is also important that the people who administer and interpret interest inventories represent them as occupational likes and dislikes, rather than as a measure of skills (or aptitudes) to actually do any specific occupation. Results of tests should always be verified by identifying an individual’s expressed or demonstrated interests.
2. Aptitudes (abilities and capabilities): Aptitude can refer both to the ability to do and to learn certain types of skills, such as mechanical, spatial, numerical, and clerical. Many tests exist to measure a student’s aptitude for performing in any one of these skill areas. Often, the best measure is to have the individual try different tasks which require specific aptitudes or occupational duties.
3. Temperaments (Worker Style Preferences: Worker style is reflected in how people behave and in the emotional responses and choices they make. Preferring to work with people, things, or data, and the ways your son or daughter organizes and makes decisions are aspects of his or her worker style preference. Information about preferences can be gathered through observation by professionals and parents, as well as through discussion with the student or through temperament inventories.
4. Learning preferences and styles: This reflects how a person prefers to receive and process information and experiences. How does your child best retain and use input — auditory, visual, or through hands-on exposure? Does he or she have any preferences for interaction or times for learning? This type of information can be gathered through inventories of learning style, as well as through observation and discussion.
5. Developmental background (background information): This information does not represent a comprehensive case history; rather, it should include only the information that impacts on your child’s performances and prognoses specifically related to vocational development. What special needs does your youth have, given his or her disability?
6. Worker characteristics: These include a student’s traits, attitudes, values, employability skills, and work related behaviors such as work habits and social skills. Positive worker characteristics are vital to successful employment and are most frequently cited as reasons for either promotions or dismissals by employers. Information about the student’s statistics can be collected via inventories, observations of him or her at real or simulated work (often called situational assessments), professional impressions, and the use of checklists that detail important worker skills (e.g., punctuality, safety awareness, etc.).
7. Vocational/occupational skills: These skills refer to specific technical, industrial, or other types of skills that are required in actual jobs. In order to know if your youth has the technical skills necessary to do a specific job, a training or job analysis must be done and compared to his or her skills. The best indicators of skills are through observations of the individual actually trying parts of the job or occupational area. For many vocational jobs, checklists of the necessary skills already exist.
8. Functional/Life skills: This category refers to those skills that an individual needs in order to address personal and independent living problems that people with disabilities often encounter after leaving school. Some of these skills are: use of transportation, ability to handle financial and housing management, decision-making, and social skills. If your son or daughter is not at a point in the educational process where exiting school and living and working in the community are concerns, this type of assessment may not be needed. However, for those students who are nearing this transition, functional assessment should be a part of the assessment process.

Other Assessment Options during the Vocational Transition Phase

Functional Assessments

Functional assessment provides a comprehensive framework of factors to be considered in vocational planning and transitional preparation. A functional description of an individual with a disability includes what he or she can do, learn, and achieve, rather than simply recounting his or her academic, intellectual, or physical deficits. Functional assessment focuses on a person’s skills within natural environments such as his or her home, school, and local community. The person’s ability to deal with a variety of factors in each of these areas will impact on his or her overall integration in work and community living. Because of this, ecological or environmental assessment, which assists in analyzing the demands of different environments, adds an important dimension to the assessment process (Gaylord-Ross, 1986; Moon, et al., 1986; Wehman, 1981).

Shifting from diagnosing “disabilities” to identifying barriers to work and community living enables professionals to plan strategies to assist individuals. For instance, an individual using a wheelchair may have no “disability” within his school where ramps exist, but in the office building where he is doing an internship his mobility may be impeded in some way. Through functional assessment, the barrier(s) to integration in various places can be identified and adjustments can be made. Through functional assessment, a basis for defining areas needing attention and subsequent planning and problem solving can be established (Fardig, 1986; Halpern & Fuhrer, 1984).

Several professionally developed functional assessment inventories, checklists, and interview forms have been developed to evaluate areas considered to be most significant. Competencies, such as using transportation, independent living and decision-making skills, and interpersonal relationships can be appraised through functional assessment tools (Halpern & Fuhrer, 1984).

As part of the vocational assessment process, functional assessment can serve two purposes. The information can be used to compare or verify how the student or individual functions in a work or “hands-on” training environment. Functional assessment results can also be integrated into the vocational assessment report or profile recommendations.
Functional assessment can add useful information to assist in vocational planning and decision making. The vocational implications of the individual’s strengths and needs are addressed as a part of the functional assessment.

A functional assessment considers a wide variety of individual work characteristics. These include:

ability to handle criticism
ability to handle stress
adaptability to change
aggressive actions or speech
appearance
attention to task
availability to work
benefits needed
communication
discrimination skills
endurance
family support
financial situation
functional math
functional reading
independent street crossing
independent work rate
motivation
physical mobility
reinforcement needs
social skills
strength–lifting and carrying
time awareness
transportation
travel skills
unusual behaviors
A rehabilitation counselor, job placement specialist or employment specialist can use information from a functional assessment to identify a job in the community with requirements that match the skills, interests, and support needs of the student.

Situational Vocational Assessment

A situational assessment offers a person with a severe disability the opportunity to perform job tasks in real work environments in the community. Usually, a situational assessment is conducted for a four-hour period in three different types of jobs in the community where the service provider has established a working relationship with the employer. It is important that the jobs selected are representative of the types of jobs found in the local business community, i.e. dishwasher, groundskeeper, grocery clerk.
The information obtained on the student during a situational assessment can assist in identifying the following characteristics about a potential worker:

whether support is needed
the type of support needed
individual training needs and effective strategies
the anticipated level of intervention
the least restrictive environment
other information needed to develop an appropriate individual written rehabilitation program
Actual performance in a job with appropriate training and support is the best predictor of an individual’s performance in a supported employment situation. Observing an individual perform real work in multiple environments will provide an indication of his or her work characteristics, interests, skills, abilities, and training needs. For example:

Does the student seem to show a preference across job types?
Does the student work more effectively at specific times of the day?
Does the student respond positively or negatively to factors in the environment–noise, movement, objects, people, amount of space, and so on?
What types of prompts does the student respond to and what is the frequency?
Situational assessments can be requested from a supported employment vendor or a vocational evaluator. The purpose of such an assessment must be to determine the appropriateness of supported employment and the extent of supported employment services needed.

Finally, parents need to understand that it is important to obtain a written report from the vendor who completes the situational assessment. The report should include:

• a description of the jobs completed
• the behavioral data obtained during the assessment process
• a summary of the student’s characteristics
• Curriculum-Based Vocational Assessment

An alternative vocational assessment approach, known as Curriculum-Based Vocational Assessment (CBVA), is currently gaining recognition as a useful way to gather vocationally relevant data. This emerging form of vocational assessment is similar to curriculum-based assessment, which is widely used by classroom professionals to evaluate student’s mastery of concepts that are taught (Tucker, 1985). Curriculum-Based Vocational Assessment uses performance-based procedures developed and implemented by professionals from their own curriculum. It is a continuous process that professionals use to answer questions about instruction and special service needs of vocational education students (Albright & Cobb, 1988a; 1988b).

This assessment process often begins with a review of the student’s records and existing assessment data. Vocationally-related information is then collected by structuring the professional’s observations of the student within the classroom or vocational setting. Assessment may include how the student uses tools and how he or she works with other students in the class. This information-gathering approach enables professionals and others to observe and record behaviors in a natural setting — specifically, what a student is able to do and is interested in doing (Rothenbacher, 1989). Other appraisal techniques may be used as a part of the process, such as interest and aptitude measures.

Curriculum-Based Vocational Assessment is sometimes used to complement comprehensive vocational evaluation or it may actually supplant more formal types of appraisal services. Information from the CBVA can then be compiled with other assessment information and a vocational profile of the student can be developed more fully. This profile or report should specify classroom and vocational goals, as well as methods of instruction. It is also important to identify any needs that should be addressed.

Successful use of CBVA requires training for regular, special and vocational educators. It also underscores the importance of school personnel working together as a team to make sure that information about the student is collected from all relevant areas. As the concept of CBVA becomes more accepted and understood, it may begin to emerge in more than the dozen or so places in which it now exists as a fully implemented system.

Confidentiality

To bring the expertise of community-based nonschool personnel into the transitional planning process, the matter of confidentiality must be addressed. Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), aka Buckley Amendment (See Chapter 2), parents’ rights to confidentiality must be maintained. During the transition process, families must sign releases, giving written consent, in order to benefit from available community resources. This does not commit a parent or the child to a specific service if at a later date it is not wanted or needed. Parents must ask their district about the rules of confidentiality regarding the release of information, the use of information by community agencies, and the storage of information once it is released by the district.

Specific Professionals Trained to Help Parents and Their Children Plan and Prepare for Employment

There are a variety of people who are specifically trained to support students in planning and preparing for employment or other postsecondary school options. These people may include:

• vocational counselors
• special and regular educators
• counselors from the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS)
  county case managers
• Prevocational Skills

If families have been properly advised through earlier stages of the transition process, their children should have learned job-related skills and behaviors, or prevocational skills, that can be fostered to help each child be successful in future employment. Examples of these skills include:

physical stamina
promptness
problem solving
hygiene
ability to follow directions
independence in completing assigned tasks
ability to establish social relationships with co-workers

Upon graduation from high school or the end of secondary school eligibility, the student will be faced with several options, depending upon the nature and severity of his or her disability. Many individuals with disabilities choose to pursue continued employment training in a postsecondary institution while others choose to begin working right away. This direction usually follows along with the student’s vocational education plan, sometimes referred to as the transitional individual educational plan that was developed while he or she was still in high school. This comprehensive plan should have assisted the student in developing the skills needed to find and keep a job after graduation. Schools may offer a vocational work experience with a job coach. In some schools, a student may have been assigned to a vocationally licensed professional who operated as the work experience coordinator within the job site. If a school does not have such an individual, then a special education professional would be responsible for developing the student’s vocational goals.

While the student is still in school, the vocational counselor or individual assigned to develop a vocational plan begins to observe and develop a general transition checklist of possible vocational skills. These general observations may change from year to year as the student matures, or they may remain the same because of the nature of the disability. Whatever the case, these observations are the beginning of what will be defined as vocational skills and needs. A sample checklist follows. This is not intended to be comprehensive but merely a beginning tool in assessing the student’s needs and skills.

Skills Checklist

Domestic Skills
The student can:
____prepare a breakfast
____prepare a lunch
____prepare a supper
____prepare a snack
____pack his or her own lunch
____clean own room
____clean own apartment
____do own laundry
____use a washer or dryer
____make own meal plans
____budget his or her own time

Vocational Skills
The student can:
____get to/from work on time
____punch/sign in appropriately
____perform work satisfactorily
____work cooperatively with co-workers
____take break/lunch appropriately
____wear suitable clothing
____use appropriate safety measures
____follow directions
____accept supervision

Recreation/Leisure Skills
The student can:
____use free time for pleasure
____choose reasonable activities
____pick a hobby
____perform required activities
____use community resources

Community Skills
The student can:
____use public transportation
____shop for groceries
____shop for clothing
____make necessary appointments
____use the phone
____use bank accounts
____be safe in traffic
____respond appropriately to strangers
____know how to seek help
____handle money

Social/Personal Skills
The student can:
____supply appropriate personal identification, if necessary
____greet people appropriately
____use contemporary style of dress, hair style, makeup
____use good grooming/hygiene
____”communicate” with friends/co-workers
____be courteous and friendly

Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS)

Many students with disabilities will seek out a counselor from the Division of Rehabilitation Services (DRS) located within their state. These services are usually well known to school counselors, who should have a brochure that is put out by this agency.

A counselor from DRS will work with the school, parents, and the student to help plan for employment needs. DRS primarily serves adults or individuals who have graduated or aged out from secondary education. However, it is important to involve the counselor during the transition process, so that when the student graduates and enters the work force, appropriate supports are in place that will allow him or her to be successfully employed.

To receive services from DRS, a student must meet two requirements:

• The student must have a documented physical or mental disability that presents difficulties or barriers to employment.
  There must be a good chance that DRS services will help him or her get and keep a job.
• If a student is still being provided public school assistance, then the school will usually make an appointment for DRS involvement somewhere in the transitional process. If the student has more severe limitations, a DRS counselor can become involved during the very early stages of the planning. Also, keep in mind that DRS services are time limited.

For example, the agency will:

• provide job-placement services
• ensure that the student with disabilities is satisfactorily employed
• provide follow-up services for at least 60 days and up to 18 months after the initial job placement

Files can be reopened if the student needs assistance to retain his or her current employment, find a new job or reestablish a vocational program. When a DRS agency is contacted, a VR (Vocational Rehabilitation) counselor will be assigned to work closely with the student and the family. The VR counselor will ask for background information that will help him or her work with the student.

Questions usually focus on the following:

goals
interests
educational history
work history
financial situation
physical and emotional health

With parental permission, the counselor may want to collect information from the student’s doctor, hospital or school, or to ask for evaluations at the expense of the DRS agency. The purpose of this gathering process is to give the counselor information about how the student’s disability affects his or her ability to work, and to help the counselor decide whether the student is eligible for services.

Services Provided by DRS Agencies

Based upon all available information, the DRS counselor will plan a program along with the family. Depending on what the student needs to meet his or her vocational goal, he or she may receive one or more of the following services that the agency buys and/or provides (Pierangelo and Crane, 1997):

1.) A vocational assessment to help identify:

• skills, abilities, and interests
• possible job goals
• services necessary to get a job and live as independently as possible

2.) A physical and/or psychological examination to help understand how the student’s disability affects his or her ability to work

3.) Guidance, counseling, and referral to help the student with problems he or she may have.

4. ) Vocational counseling and career planning

5.) Short-term medical intervention to improve the student’s ability to work (if not covered by family insurance)

6.) Training to learn the skills the student will need for the job he or she wants to enter, which may include:

• on-the-job training
• job coach services
• college and university programs
• trade and business school programs
• personal adjustment programs
• work adjustment programs

7. ) Transition services

8. ) Driver evaluation and training

9. ) Homemaker evaluation and training

Services that may assist the student during assessment or training, including:

• special transportation
• some maintenance expenses
• attendants, note takers, and interpreters
• reader’s aid for matriculated students

10. )Supported employment (see the section on Employment)

11. )Books, tools, and equipment that may be needed for training or employment

12. )Telecommunications aids and adaptive devices that may be needed for employment

13. )Assistance with some costs of modifications needed for employment:

• work site modifications
• van or other vehicle modifications
• home modifications

14.) Training in job-seeking skills to learn how to:

• fill out a job application or develop a resume
• handle job interviews successfully
• develop other job-related skills

16.) Occupational licenses, tools, initial stock, and supplies for a small business

17. ) Job placement services to help the student find suitable work

18. ) Follow-up services to make sure of job satisfaction and deal with any problems relating to work

19. ) Referral to independent living services for:

• peer counseling
• advice on other benefits
• housing assistance
• training in independent living skills

20.) Assistance in working with agencies such as the:

• Social Security Administration
• Department of Social Services
• Office of Mental Health
• Veterans Administration

Keep in mind that there is no guarantee that all agencies will pay for or provide all of these services. Parents need to investigate the agency in their particular community. While there is usually no cost for such services, sponsorship for some services may be based on the individual’s income and/or family resources.

The following are the rights one has when involved with DRS services:

• To have the student’s eligibility for VR services determined in a timely way regardless of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, national origin, sexual orientation, or gender
• If eligible, to take part in planning vocational goals and the services needed to reach these goals
• If eligible, to receive services to reach his or her vocational goal
• To have goals tailored to his or her personal needs
• To receive an individual written rehabilitation program (IWRP)
• To have all information kept confidential
• To be informed of all decisions and actions of the DRS related to the case
• To be informed of rights as a consumer of DRS services
• To request and receive a timely review if there is any dissatisfaction with any actions or decisions by the DRS staff

Along with the student, families will have their own responsibilities if they get involved in DRS services. Families play an important role in working toward a successful outcome with the student. Both have the responsibility to:

• Work closely with the DRS counselor to provide all information needed to plan a program.
• Ask questions if they don’t understand any aspect of the program.
  Keep in touch with the counselor by letter or telephone. If the family moves, let the counselor know your new address and telephone number.
• Participate fully in developing an individual written rehabilitation program.
• Make every effort to identify and apply for sources of funding that will help pay for the vocational rehabilitation program.
• Help the child maintain satisfactory performance and regular attendance, whether in a training program or in a job.
• Let the counselor know, on a regular basis, how well the child is doing or what problems there are with the program.
• Work with the counselor to look for job openings and go on interviews when the student is ready for work.
• Let the counselor know if the student becomes employed. For at least two months after the child is employed, maintain contact with the counselor to let him or her know how things are working out and whether assistance of any kind is needed.

Conflict Resolution Options With DRS Applying for DRS services is not a guarantee of eligibility. Many factors are considered, and each case is very different. If there is a rejection for services, or a need to resolve disagreements or concerns the family has about DRS services, parents should ask for a review of the case. There are a variety of ways in which disagreements or concerns can be resolved as quickly as possible. Any individual–a lawyer or a relative–may represent the student and parents at this meeting. The options include:

• Informal Meeting-Parents meet with the child’s counselor, his or her supervisor, and a representative, and try to quickly resolve problems.
• Administrative Review-Parents can ask for a review by a district office manager. They must ask for this review, in writing, within 90 days of the decision or action, unless they have a good reason for waiting longer than 90 days.
• Impartial Hearing-Parents can ask for a formal hearing before an impartial hearing officer who does not work for DRS. They must ask for a hearing, in writing, within 90 days of the decision or action, unless they have a good reason for waiting longer than 90 days.

Conclusion

Vocational assessments can be the most important part of a student’s educational career. They have been shown to be an effective intervention for improving the vocational and career outcomes of students with disabilities (Thomas, Hiltenbrand, and Tibbs, 1997). Vocational assessment can help parents, professionals, and the young person with a disability to think strategically about the young person’s vocational future — both training and employment — and to make decisions that are based upon his or her interests, abilities, and potential. As vocational assessment becomes more a part of transition planning for youth with disabilities, students, parents, and professionals can look forward to having the information necessary to ensure that students select postsecondary options and employment appropriate for them — who they are as individuals and what they are capable of and interested in becoming. By determining where the student’s strengths and weaknesses may lie in the area of vocational abilities, you can help the student on a path to career success.

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