Increasing numbers of individuals with disabilities are seeking advanced educational opportunities beyond high school. Much of the focus of these students' transition has been on entering postsecondary institutions and managing college requirements. The third stage of this process, exiting college, has received the least amount of attention. Earning a college degree does not guarantee employment, as many graduates with disabilities face significant employment barriers.
The RRTC on SE at VCU proposes to design, implement, and evaluate an individualized career planning model that is student directed and incorporates an array of university services and community supports. The model will enable students to develop strategies to determine the accommodations or adaptations required for professions or employment settings and the transferring or arranging for those accommodations.
The VCU Career Connections model builds on the essential elements of career development and planning for young adults with disabilities and emphasizes :
The emphasis on coordinating both university and community supports makes the model most relevant to the unique needs of students with disabilities in higher education. The model will make maximum use of all available services including alumni, cooperative education programs, career counseling and placement services, and student support services for individuals with disabilities. This will be achieved through the use of person-centered planning techniques that focus on students' goals and provide a framework of supports and services needed to achieve these goals, and the development of an individualized plan with outcome oriented objectives specifying the strategies needed to assist students in moving from an academic to employment setting.
During Year 1 of the project, the model will be implemented on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. The project will ultilize the State Council of Higher Education in VA and the VA Community College System to assist in identifying a miniumum of four other community colleges, colleges, and universities to replicate project activities in Years 2 and 3.
Over the course of the three year project, an anticipated 200 students with disabilities will transition from postsecondary seetings to employment. Before replication efforts are initiated, the model will be refined and modified based on information received through the project's evaluation plan. Information will be gathered on the effectiveness and utility of each of the model's components.