Submitted by Janet Merrick, Director
Disability Support Services
Montgomery College
51 Mannakee Street
Rockville, MD  20850
301-279-5000
Contact Janet Merrick for more information: jmerrick@mc.cc.md.us

I. Overview of this Report 1

II. Project Identification 1

IIA. Origins, Purpose and Goals 1

IIB. Accomplishments 3

IIC. Organizational and Operational Context 3

IID. Limitations of Report 4

III. Project Summary

IIIA. Faculty Staff Development 4

IIIB. Student Employment 8

IIIC. College/Employment Accommodation Transfer 12

IIID. Community Linkages 14

IIIE. Product Development and Dissemination 15

IV. Summary Conclusions and Recommendations

IVA. Overview 17

IVB. Outcomes and Effective Strategies 17

IVC. Lessons Learned 18

IVD. Recommendations 19

TABLES

Table 1. Training Sessions Offered to Faculty and Staff

Table 2. Student Progress

Table 3. Workforce Recruitment Program Statistics

Table 4. Student Requests for Specific Employment Service

Table 5. Disability Categories of Students Served

ATTACHMENTS

Attachment A. Technical Assistance Survey

Attachment B. Technical Assistance Survey Results

Attachment C. Employment Services Brochure

Attachment D. Project jobtrac Sample Flyers

Attachment E. Project jobtrac Application

Attachment F. Initial Student Survey

Attachment G. Pre Workforce Recruitment Program Interview

Attachment H. Federal Workforce Recruitment Program Follow-Up Questionnaire

Attachment I. Project jobtrac Survey

Attachment J. Evaluation Performed by Lynda West, Ph.D.

Attachment K. Conference Presentations

Attachment L. PowerPoint Workshop Presentations

Attachment M. Letters of Support

FINAL REPORT: Montgomery College Project jobtrac

Grant # H078C40046-95

I. OVERVIEW OF THIS REPORT

This document is the final report of the results from Montgomery College’s Project jobtrac, a three-year grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. This report is divided into three major sections.

The first section, Project Identification, is divided into four parts. This section includes the justification for the grant, the grant’s purpose and goals, and activities to meet these goals. Here, the accomplishments of Project jobtrac’s efforts will be summarized and the organization and operation will be explained.

The second section, Project Summary, will detail the stated objectives of the Project and delineated activities, barriers, shortcomings and evaluation of the outcomes.

The third and final section, Conclusions and Recommendations, will summarize what the Project accomplished, lessons learned and recommendations for the future.

Origin

Project jobtrac, a three-year demonstration grant, approved to begin in October 1994, initiated activities and services in January 1995 at Montgomery College, which is located in Montgomery County, Maryland, and is the state’s oldest and largest community college. Project jobtrac was developed to address the poor post-secondary education and employment outcomes for students with disabilities in community college settings. Montgomery College collaborated on this project with TransCen, Inc., a local community organization with proven expertise in employment innovations for people with disabilities, as well as disability awareness, accommodation training, and diversity management.

Despite legislation, services and recruitment efforts, research has found that a small number of youth with disabilities enroll in post-secondary schools - only about 14%, compared to 53% for the general population. Enrollment in two and four-year college programs is pursued by an even smaller percentage, with completion rates and direct post-training employment remaining dismally low. To address the barriers that influence these outcomes, Project jobtrac proposed strategies for a community college setting that 1) would help students with disabilities, college personnel and employers determine and implement school and workplace accommodations; and 2) would provide adjunctive job placement and support services for students with disabilities through mainstream college career planning and placement services and cooperative education programs.

Serving students on three campuses, Montgomery College is an open enrollment college offering more than 100 degree and certificate programs to prepare students for an associate degree, to transfer to a four-year college or university, to enter the job market, upgrade career skills, complete an apprenticeship, or enhance the quality of life through enrichment experiences.

In 1994, approximately 700 students at Montgomery College self-identified as having a disability. For Fall semester, 1997, more than 1,200 students with disabilities identified and requested services. This figure represents 6.5% of the general population. Although overall enrollment at the College has been on a slight decline, increasing numbers of students with disabilities are attending, identifying themselves and requesting support services.

Purpose

Project jobtrac focused on the reality that in a recent study, two years after graduating high school, as few as 14% [of students with disabilities] were enrolled in post-secondary schools compared to 53% for the general population. Further, those students who do attend post-secondary institutions are significantly less likely to complete their programs of studies or to be employed following their post-secondary experience. Project jobtrac’s purpose was to address the poor post-secondary education and employment outcomes for students with disabilities in a community college setting. The project proposed activities to: 1) help students with disabilities, College personnel and employers determine and implement school and workplace accommodations; and 2) provide adjunctive job placement and support students with disabilities through career planning and placement services and cooperative education programs available to all college students.

Goals

Project jobtrac outlined five objectives the Project attempted to address to demonstrate improved post-secondary outcomes for college students with disabilities. The Project concentrated its focus on two major goals to effectively demonstrate quality outcomes. Those goals were:

• To conduct disability awareness training and provide consultation to faculty and staff
• To place 90 students with disabilities in employment as an adjunctive or integral part of their educational experience

The Project was designed to improve access to mainstream services for students with disabilities and to ensure the continuation of activities that have proven effective through continuing involvement of, and training and support to, existing College departments.

IIB. Accomplishments

The most successful component of Project jobtrac was surpassing its stated goal of assisting 90 students in obtaining employment as part of their college experience. Ninety-six Montgomery College students secured employment with some type of support from Project jobtrac. In serving 168 students, it is very significant that each of the 100 plus jobs obtained by the 96 students were related to the individual’s stated goal; most often the goal was a job related to their major course of study or that fit their interests and hours desired. The Project included students with a wide range of disabilities, skills and interests who were both full and part-time students enrolled in or graduated from Montgomery College programs.

Collegewide access to the Career/JOB$ Centers improved through training and assistance from jobtrac staff, enabling enhanced mainstream services for students with disabilities. Centers staff are more confident in serving students with disabilities, as they do all students. The college, acting on the success of Project jobtrac, has committed itself to continuing its participation in the Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities, co-sponsored annually by the President’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities and the U.S. Department of Defense. Indeed, sixteen of the 25 Workforce Recruitment Program applicants for summer 1998 obtained employment in government agencies. The Rockville Career/JOB$ Center office will continue to coordinate this program, demonstrating the capability of current campus services to provide appropriate services to students with disabilities.

More than 700 identified students with disabilities benefited directly from disability awareness and accommodation training that was provided campus-wide to College faculty and staff who participated in "train the trainers" and professional development workshops. In addition, faculty and staff received individual contact with Project jobtrac and Disability Support Services personnel through this Project. The "Faculty/Staff Guidebook: Optimizing the Learning Environment for Students with Disabilities" was developed and is being distributed collegewide with full support of College administrators.

IIC. Organizational and Operational Context

Project jobtrac was designed to benefit the faculty, staff and students working at or attending one of the three campuses of Montgomery College. Operational under Student Development, Disability Support Services (DSS) (Rockville campus), Montgomery College designated Project jobtrac staffing to include a part-time Project Director, Janet Merrick, DSS Director on the Rockville campus, and a full-time Project Manager, Janice Chory Johnson, who began work in April 1995. A full-time Human Resources Specialist, Margaret Leedy, was provided through contractual agreement with TransCen, Inc. as of January 1995. Project jobtrac offices were located on the Rockville campus; however, staff regularly traveled to the other two campuses.

Each campus has its own unique and distinct course offerings, student body composition and needs. Rockville, centrally located in the county, is the largest campus and provides the greatest selection of majors and certificates. Takoma Park, located on the border of the District of Columbia, possesses a more urban dynamic and concentrates its course offerings to the health care sciences. Germantown, the smallest and newest campus, concentrates on technical courses to meet the needs of the high-tech employers in Upper Montgomery County. While the College makes a concerted effort to institute college-wide policies and procedures, each student population on the three campuses has distinct needs which direct the implementation and focus of services provided.

Project jobtrac and DSS faculty and staff report to the DSS Director at the Rockville campus, who reports to the Rockville Dean of Student Development. DSS counselors at the Germantown and Takoma Park campuses, as well as the Career Center personnel on all three campuses report to the Dean of Student Development at their respective campuses.

Project jobtrac staff became a bridge between career services and Disability Support Services, in addition to linking to the career centers and DSS on each campus. This role as liaison demonstrated the strong need for the collaboration between the various departments. The goal of mainstreaming or decentralizing services needs to be balanced by the need for specialized support services provided through DSS.

IID. Limitations of Report

Long term impact, usefulness and effectiveness of the training sessions and assistance to students in facilitating the job search process will need to be evaluated.

IIIA. Faculty and Staff Development

objective 1 Conduct disability awareness training and provide consultation on accommodations to no fewer than 200 College faculty and staff so they are comfortable interacting with students with disabilities, competent to accommodate students’ learning styles and particular disabilities, and capable of training others to do the same.

Activities and Accomplishments

The first disability awareness training, a two-day Train the Trainer session, was held in May 1995. Several faculty participated in this training, which was developed and conducted by TransCen staff. The materials used during this training were adapted from existing materials developed by TransCen, Inc. including materials on accommodations, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and related publications. Additional training sessions for faculty and staff were conducted each semester. Table 1 details the training sessions offered to faculty and staff.

Table 1: Training Sessions Offered to Faculty and Staff

The training session entitled, "Working with Blind College Students," commanded the largest attendance of all workshops offered to faculty and staff during the Fall 1995 Professional Week. The workshop on Learning Disabilities in the ESOL Population was also very well attended. The DSS counselors provided training sessions to the Speech, Dance, Theater and ASL Departments. Learning Center staff provided sessions to the English and Reading departments. With the very low participation in workshops, no matter how well advertised, DSS and Project jobtrac staff decided to concentrate efforts on the production of a guidebook to serve as a resource to faculty and staff to address concerns regarding students with disabilities. Though many group formats were tried, the primary method for faculty/staff professional development continued to be the individual contact DSS counselors have with college personnel who are working with students with disabilities.

Demographics

Administrators, faculty and staff who attended the workshops, demonstrations and training sessions were frequently those already most involved and aware of the needs of students with disabilities. Attendance was low, though the Technical Assistance [Needs] Survey indicated a high interest in information about disability-related technology and instructional strategies. Individual contact by DSS counselors with College personnel spanned all academic and student service departments.

Barriers

The unique and diverse campus locations, services, students, and program offerings provided Project staff with a challenge to effectively address the professional development needs facing the College. Not only are the three campuses very different in the student populations served, but the departments within each campus function very differently with regard to availability and time for professional development opportunities. Some of the departments never hold departmental meetings; others have very few requests for accommodations from students with disabilities, so they do not perceive professional development on disability issues as a primary need. Many faculty do not seek information until a student with a disability requests an academic adjustment or accommodation, then seek individual assistance from a Disability Support Services counselor. Many faculty do not read flyers about workshops or letters authorizing accommodations for students from DSS until they have difficulty meeting the needs of a particular student with a disability in their classroom.

The diversity in locations and cultures made reaching the entire college community difficult. With Project jobtrac based in Rockville, staff often juggled student and faculty requests by holding meetings at Takoma Park and Germantown. Without a consistent presence at the Takoma Park and Germantown campuses, providing wide-reaching support proved challenging. With the discouraging attendance for professional development workshops, Project staff focused its activities on serving students with disabilities and enhancing the ability of the Career/Transfer Centers to accommodate their needs.

Evaluation and Outcomes

In search of better ways to meet the professional development needs of faculty, in September 1996, Project jobtrac Director, Janet Merrick, provided an overview of the services of DSS and Project jobtrac at the Rockville Department Chairs meeting and distributed a faculty Technical Assistance Survey (See Attachment A), which the Chairpersons distributed to their faculty. Project jobtrac staff received 47 responses, 39 from eight departments and 8 with no department designation. The survey was intended to determine the best course to provide training and technical assistance to faculty. Results are described in Attachment B. The top three responses were, "interested in learning how to incorporate the use of technology into my classroom," "interested in having DSS staff attend a department meeting to review services DSS provides to faculty," and "attending a workshop to learn instructional strategies to improve my teaching of all students." In addition, the Project Evaluator met with faculty during her evaluation visits and recommended that increased emphasis be placed on better communication with department faculty and staff.

As a result of the evaluations, DSS and Project jobtrac staff hosted an open house in the DSS Learning Center for faculty and staff to see and try out available adaptive technology. Other workshops were offered in departments on various topics. Completion of the "Faculty/Staff Guide: Optimizing the Learning Environment for Students with Disabilities" also became a goal of Project jobtrac to meet the expressed need to learn instructional strategies for working with students with disabilities.

Continuation Plans

Salome Heyward, a nationally recognized speaker on ADA compliance and disability awareness, presented to the faculty and staff during the fall professional development week in August 1998. This meeting was co-sponsored by the Affirmative Action Office, as well as Disability Support Services, and had the support of the administrative level of the College.

The "Guide" has been presented to the College administrators, including the President’s Cabinet and at a meeting of the collegewide Deans. Distribution of the "Faculty/Staff Guide" during departmental meetings with both full-time and part-time faculty and staff are planned for all three campuses. DSS will continue to provide disability information sessions to campus departments. Though more presentations to groups will be offered, DSS personnel will continue to provide individual consultation with College faculty and staff on an as needed basis, since past experience indicates the need and desire for such assistance.

IIIB. Student Employment

objective 2 Place 90 students with disabilities, at least 20 for the first Project year and 35 per subsequent Project years, into competitive paid, work experiences as an adjunct to or integral part of their educational experience.

Activities and Accomplishments

Project jobtrac staff agreed that the approach used with regard to "placing" 90 students would be to provide the students with the skills necessary to obtain employment. Thus, in the second year Project report, placing… was changed to facilitating the placement of 90 students with disabilities in support of the goal to increase independence and self-advocacy skills of Project participants. Project staff informed students with disabilities about all career related services available to Montgomery College students, in addition to the community career services, i.e. CareerNet and the state of Maryland’s one stop career service center located on the Rockville campus. The goal was to increase the inclusion of students with disabilities into existing career development activities, not to create a separate placement service. To that end, Project jobtrac staff became members of the collegewide Career Fair planning team to conduct workshops to assist students to prepare for job fairs, recruitment days and other employment-related activities.

jobtrac staff were also members of the Career Council, a group of faculty members from career-technical departments. All college Employment Services brochures and flyers developed and distributed to faculty and staff informing them about Career/Transfer Center services available to students included Project jobtrac services (See Attachment C and Attachment D). Student participants, while at first not comfortable with learning that Project jobtrac would not "place" them (i.e. find them a job and put them into it), but assist them in finding their own employment, became excited to be active participants in a job-seeking plan.

The objective to place 90 students with disabilities was surpassed. During the three years, Project jobtrac assisted 96 students to obtain at least one job. Many students received more than one offer and/or job, allowing many students with disabilities to make a choice in deciding their employment. Table 2 describes a breakdown of progress made by participating students, and Table 3 shows the statistics of students working with the Workforce Recruitment Program.

Table 2: Student Progress

Table 3: Workforce Recruitment Program Statistics

* MC was limited to 24 and 25 interview slots respectively for summers 1996 and 1997.

Method of Service Delivery

The process used to serve students with disabilities was based on self-determination with support. Students receiving Project jobtrac services were not required to be registered with Disability Support Services. To be eligible to receive Project jobtrac services, a person had to be either a currently enrolled student or a recent graduate of Montgomery College, have a disability and want to work. Interested students were required to complete a Project jobtrac application (See Attachment E), and return it along with a resume. A resume was not a prerequisite as some students had no paid work history and resume assistance was provided by Project jobtrac staff. Once the application and resume was received, Project staff would contact the student and schedule an intake interview. An initial student survey (See Attachment F) was completed during this intake to determine each student’s interests, goals, skills and preferences.

At this time, Project jobtrac staff would explain that this was a partnership with the student having responsibility to participate and make decisions regarding their employment. A plan was identified to help the student to reach the stated goal. A plan of action would be developed at each meeting with the student having responsibility for completing those tasks as much as possible. Very often, especially during the initial meetings, the plan would consist of very small incremental steps; therefore, meetings would be held frequently, often once a week. The student had the responsibility for performing assignments and for keeping appointments. This method required the student to take charge.

Students preparing to interview for the Workforce Recruitment Program completed a "Pre" Interview form (Attachment G). This information assisted Project staff in preparing the students for the actual interview.

Project jobtrac worked with a wide range of students from those wanting someone to review their resume, to those wanting to work but who had no idea where to begin. The most common assistance needed was career counseling. The second most requested assistance was resume development. Table 4 provides a breakdown of requests for assistance.

Table 4: Student Requests for Specific Employment Service

Demographics

Project jobtrac served more than the anticipated total of 90 students over the three years of the Project. All of the participants were students with physical, psychiatric, sensory and/or learning disabilities who were enrolled in one of the three Montgomery College campuses. Any student with a disability, regardless of type or level of severity, who could benefit from the programs and services of the College and was enrolled or planning to enroll in classes was eligible to participate in the Project. Participation was determined based on the order in which applications were received; however, priority was given to students who had never had a paid work experience.

Project jobtrac received 189 applications and served 168 students during its three years in operation. Twenty-one other students submitted applications and for various reasons chose not to follow through with an intake meeting. The breakdown by campus was as follows: 126 from Rockville, 24 from Takoma Park, 18 Germantown. Table 5 provides further information regarding the types of disabilities of participating students.

Table 5: Disability Categories of Students Served

*Five students reported a dual diagnosis.

Barriers

The traditional barriers faced by all people with disabilities looking for employment were experienced by the students at Montgomery College. One barrier faced by all students at the College was lack of knowledge of programs and services available to assist them. A second barrier was the attitude and perceptions of the faculty, staff, employers and the community at large about people with disabilities. To compound the problem, many students with disabilities held a negative self-image and did not represent themselves well. The response to the question, "Tell me a little bit about yourself," often would begin with either, "Well I can’t…" or "I have trouble with…".

As mentioned earlier, another barrier specific to the College operation was the lack of a coordinated line of authority among the three campuses. Project jobtrac was a bridge between three campuses, between DSS offices and Career/Transfer centers and the Job Opportunity Bureau (JOB$) office. Each campus DSS office and career office is responsible to the campus’ individual Dean of Student Development. The Project jobtrac offices were physically located on the Rockville campus, the largest of the three campuses, therefore the majority of students served through Project jobtrac attended the Rockville campus. Outreach to the two other campuses, Germantown and Takoma Park, was more difficult to consistently sustain due to the juggling of adequate meeting space and accessibility to the student body.

Evaluation and Outcomes

Formalized evaluation included a yearly survey sent to the participants of the Federal WorkForce Recruitment Program (See Attachment H). A satisfaction survey (Attachment I) was sent to all participants of Project jobtrac as it ended to assess quality of services and outcomes. This survey and its results are described in Product Development and Dissemination.

Continuation Plans

Project jobtrac services have been assimilated into the Career/JOB$ Center, Rockville and the Career/Transfer Centers on the Germantown and Takoma Park campuses, with support from the DSS counselors on the respective campuses. Montgomery College’s participation in the Work Force Recruitment Program continued successfully during summer 1998, as previously mentioned. In addition, the Career Team of counselors at the Rockville campus were given training on disability awareness issues with the goal of increasing their ability to serve students with disabilities.

IIIC. College/Employment Accommodation Transfer

objective 3 Ensure the effective transfer of accommodations from the College environment to the employment setting for each of the Project participants by providing pre- and post-placement support to the students, their employers and appropriate College personnel.

Activities and Accomplishments

For Students. Each semester, Project jobtrac co-sponsored the workshop, "The Americans with Disabilities Act: Addressing Your Concerns," with the Montgomery County Government. This workshop was conducted for students and the community at large each semester and held on the Rockville campus. Two workshops intended to provide students with information regarding their rights, "If, When, and How - Disclosure and Reasonable Accommodation - What Can and Should You Expect?" were offered to students at each campus during the Fall of 1995 and Spring 1996 semesters.

Project jobtrac staff focused efforts on individual education and self-advocacy. During meetings with Project staff, students discussed issues and concerns related to their disability and marketability. Students received individual consultation regarding how to promote their skills and abilities.

During interview preparation for the Work Force Recruitment Program, students were asked how they learn best and the types of accommodations they received in class. The accommodation need cited most often was "extra time for tests." Students were then asked why they needed the extra time, followed by how that might apply this accommodation to a work situation. Project jobtrac staff would ask questions to encourage the students to think about what they would need in order to succeed; for example, "would you need extended deadlines or a proof reader?" This would open a discussion about reasonable accommodations in the workplace. Students would then be prepared to discuss these accommodations with an employer in the context of, "In order to be most productive, I work best with…"

For Employers. Most often, the approach to employers was "behind the scene" support, often requested by the student. Even then, Project jobtrac’s first line of approach would be to discuss the accommodation issue at length with the student, coaching the student with how and when to request the need for assistance. Students were told that they could tell their employer they had a job counselor at the college that could be contacted for more information. In some cases, employers would contact Project staff, although Project jobtrac represented itself as a job program for students at Montgomery College, not a program for students with disabilities.

In other cases, notably through the participation in the Work Force Recruitment Program, the government agencies knew Project jobtrac as the contact for assistance in matching qualified students with disabilities to the available positions. In these cases, Project staff were aware of the various students’ best learning environment and skills, and recommended specific students for positions personnel managers were trying to fill. A partnership was forged between many government personnel hiring mangers and Project jobtrac staff.

One such partnership was with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Office of General Counsel. During the summer of 1997, the Veteran’s Affairs hired two Montgomery College students through the Work Force Recruitment Program. After the summer program ended two more students were hired as permanent employees. One of those employees began to have some difficulty on the job and informed her supervisor to contact Project jobtrac for additional information and support. The supervisor contacted Project jobtrac and working together, Project jobtrac, the student and Veterans Affairs found a solution to the difficulty. Project jobtrac performed two half-day training sessions on disability awareness to the entire department of 35 employees. Although the student no longer works there, Veterans Affairs has contacted Project jobtrac for additional student candidates and has hired five more Montgomery College students.

For Montgomery College Personnel. The training sessions provided to faculty and staff, as delineated in Table 1, focused mainly on the services DSS provides, concerns specific to a particular department, and general disability awareness issues. There were two technology demonstrations on the adaptive equipment available on campus.

Concerns

Although students can continue to receive career counseling services through Montgomery College, the counselors and Career Center personnel are still not as well versed in the area of accommodations as were the Project jobtrac staff. Project staff worked with the counselors and Career Center personnel to make them more aware of possible accommodations, as well as some of the resources available to provide assistance to employers regarding accommodations. The Career Center personnel also do not have the time to do worksite visits, problem-solving and follow-up often necessary for a successful placement outcome for an employee with a disability.

Project jobtrac staff stressed the need to place more emphasis on the connection between college and workforce accommodations. The goal in making this a focal point was to help faculty and staff understand better how important providing classroom accommodations is to the future employability and success of students, thus creating more interest for additional information on how to work with students with disabilities. The faculty who attended the two adaptive technology demonstrations at the Rockville campus were mostly those who already possessed an interest in technology. A more concerted effort should be made to reach out to the "non" technically inclined faculty and staff.

IIID. Community Linkages

objective 4 Link participating students with support services in the community including vocational rehabilitation, social services and other necessary programs and services that have impact on their employment and educational experience.

Activities and Accomplishments

Project jobtrac staff decided not to duplicate the community resource directories already used by the Student Development departments on each campus. The Takoma Park and Rockville campuses each have extensive directories, which are distributed to the counselors. A directory listing specific resources for people with disabilities became available from the Montgomery County Division of Family Resources. Project jobtrac staff compiled a file of resources specific to disability issues that were missing from existing directories, primarily listings related to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security, and PASS plans. This, as well as a list of service providers who offer testing for learning disabilities and ADD/ADHD, is available in the Disability Support Services offices on each campus.

Project jobtrac staff counseled students on the community support services such as programs offered by the Commission for Women Counseling and Career Center, Housing Opportunities Commission, and the Department of Social Services. Project jobtrac attempted to link students to existing resources; many were referred to the Montgomery County Counseling and Career Center and Social Security Office.

TransCen, Inc. was a tremendous source of information on ADA information, training and employment resources in the community for Project jobtrac participants. Without the liaison with TransCen, Inc., the Project staff would have had a much more difficult task in facilitating the job placement of participants.

Concerns

Directories require continual update; staffing to maintain active supplies of documents can become a low priority when faced with a heavy load of requests for services from students with disabilities. Files of informational flyers from resources tend to become quickly buried and/or not replenished when exhausted. The most popular directory that DSS maintains is a list of service providers who offer testing for learning disabilities and ADD/ADHD. More work needs to be done and time committed to keep this list and other easily accessible sources of information available to faculty, staff and students.

objective 5 Develop and disseminate material on the replicability, effectiveness and maintenance of this approach through Project evaluation activities.

Activities

Surveys and Forms. Evaluation forms for the faculty/staff training sessions were developed, but unfortunately they were used inconsistently for training sessions not directly organized by Project jobtrac staff.

A "Career Search Efficacy Scale" was modified for students by the Project Evaluator and was intended as pre/post evaluation measurement, although no post evaluation was performed. The "Career Search Efficacy Scale" was to determine the effectiveness of Project jobtrac services through the students’ assessment of their ability to successfully locate employment and support resources. Use as a post evaluation tool proved cumbersome, since students were out on jobs and did not respond to other follow-up surveys.

A survey was developed and revised annually for participants of the Workforce Recruitment Program. Each year the program survey achieved at least a 73% response rate through the use of active follow-up methods. Comments for improvement included requests for more assistance with interview skills and follow-up. Additional comments included "what a great opportunity to participate," "thank you for the chance to interview," and "your support in preparing me for the interview really paid off."

A Project jobtrac survey was developed to rate student satisfaction with the Project, the quality of services and the types of services most used by Project jobtrac participants. The survey revealed that most of the students who responded were either happy or very happy with Project jobtrac.

Project jobtrac forms also were developed to facilitate service delivery, such as: the Application, Initial Student Survey/Needs Assessment, and a Pre-Workforce Recruitment Program Interview preparation form.

Evaluation and Assistance. Lynda West, an evaluator contracted through TransCen, Inc., performed a formative evaluation during the period November 1996 through January 1997 (see Attachment J).

Presentations. Project jobtrac presented at two NETWORK conferences. NETWORK is America’s two-year College Employment, Training and Literacy Consortium. The first conference was on "Work-based Learning and Literacy" in November 1996, held in Cleveland, Ohio, and the second on "Welfare to Work" in March 1997 in Tampa, Florida. Project jobtrac presented at the ninth annual Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE) conference in July 1997. The Association for Persons in Supported Employment is an international membership organization designed to improve and expand the integrated employment opportunities, services and outcomes for persons with severe disabilities. Project jobtrac submitted a proposal to present at the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) 20^th International Conference in July 1997, but was not selected. Conference presentations are included with this report (see Attachment K).

Products. Two training manuals in Microsoft PowerPoint were developed: "Taking Charge: Working with a Disability - The Job Search Process," and "Requesting Reasonable Accommodations: If, When and How," including facilitator’s manuals and participant guides. These manuals present the process used with the students involved with Project jobtrac (see Attachment L).

"A Faculty/Staff Guide: Optimizing the Learning Environment for Students with Disabilities" was completed and printed in June 1998 for distribution to all college administrators, faculty (part and full time), and professional staff. The Guides were printed on several colors of paper, and assembled into half-inch 3-ring presentation binders with a cover and label on the spine. Hard copies were mailed to all community colleges, 4-year colleges and universities in Maryland and to participants in the Nation’s Capitol Area Disability Support Services Coalition, which includes the District of Columbia and Northern Virginia. A disk was included with each copy including the complete "Faculty/Staff Guide" unformatted, plus the PowerPoint presentations on the "Job Search Process" and "Requesting Reasonable Accommodations: If, When and How." Permission to revise and use for their own campuses was given as long as the US Department of Education, OSERS, was given credit as the funding source for development. The American University and Towson University DSS staff responded that they plan to use the document immediately. Plans to post the "Guide" on the Montgomery College website are being made, as well as posting to the National Transition Alliance website.

Information about supplemental resources were collected and organized to provide information specific to disability related issues, i.e. Social Security, rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and county agencies providing employment services to persons with disabilities.

Project products also include the jobtrac Application, Initial Student Survey/Needs Assessment, Pre-Workforce Recruitment Program Interview preparation form, follow-up questionnaires, and a Project satisfaction survey.

IVA. Overview

Project jobtrac made a significant positive impact on the lives of students with disabilities, as well as faculty and staff at the College through work on its five major objectives. The goal of Project staff, in all activities in support of students with disabilities, was to promote respect, to develop knowledge of rights and responsibilities, and to build self-advocacy skills and independence.

IVB. Outcomes and Effective Strategies

• The most successful outcome of Project jobtrac was surpassing its stated goal of facilitating the job placement of 90 students with disabilities. Ninety-six students secured employment with some type of support from Project jobtrac. In serving 168 students, each of the 100 plus jobs obtained by the 96 students were related to the individual’s stated goal. The Project included students with a wide range of disabilities, skills and interests who were both full and part-time students enrolled in or graduated from Montgomery College programs. Some letters of support are included, one from a parent, one from faculty, and two from student participants (see Attachment M).

• College-wide access to the Career/JOB$ Centers was improved through training and assistance from jobtrac staff, enabling improved mainstream services for students with disabilities. Staff in the Centers are more confident that they are able to serve students with disabilities, as they do all students.

• The college, acting on the success of Project jobtrac, has committed itself to continuing its participation in the Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students with Disabilities, co-sponsored annually by the President’s Committee on the Employment of People with Disabilities and the U.S. Department of Defense. Indeed, 16 of the 25 Workforce Recruitment Program applicants for summer 1998 obtained employment in government agencies. The Rockville Career/JOB$ Center office will continue to coordinate this program, demonstrating the capability of current campus services to provide appropriate services to students with disabilities.

• A new college-wide position to coordinate employment services has been approved, thus increasing the staffing and availability of integrated services for students with disabilities.

• More than 700 identified students with disabilities benefited directly from disability awareness and accommodation training that was provided to College faculty and staff who participated in "train the trainers" and professional development workshops.

• Faculty and staff received individual contact with Project jobtrac and Disability Support Services personnel.

• The "Faculty/Staff Guidebook: Optimizing the Learning Environment for Students with Disabilities" was developed and is being distributed college-wide through ongoing presentations on the department level by DSS faculty.

• The "Guide" and two PowerPoint presentations with facilitator and participant guides entitled "Taking Charge: Working with a Disability - The Job Search Process" and "Requesting Reasonable Accommodations" have been distributed statewide and in the Maryland and Metro DC area. These Project products will be posted on the National Transition Alliance website as well.

IVC. Lessons Learned

• Future projects should continue to use and build on existing community and college resources already developed for people with and without disabilities. Collaboration with TransCen, Inc., a community-based organization, proved invaluable in all aspects of Project activities, in particular with facilitating the job placement of students with disabilities. The Human Resources Specialist from TransCen was immediately available to the College to start work on Project goals and objectives, saving months of potential delay. TransCen staff provided irreplaceable technical assistance with staff development activities, publications, community resources, the ADA information and training, and grant management guidance.

• College processes can move very slowly; for future projects, it is advisable that the groundwork for all Project activities be formed as early as possible. Develop a close relationship with college Grants, Finance, Budget, Human Resources and Procurement departments to enable full and rapid expenditure of grant funds. Project jobtrac developed an unforeseen roadblock when it was discovered that Montgomery County Council and College Board of Trustees approval was required before any newly awarded grant funds could be expended. This was a 5-month process that included a required public hearing and delayed the start of the grant by 3 months after the funding cycle began.

• At the initiation of the grant, Project staff should seek support for Project goals from the very top of the college administration and ask that the importance of these activities be communicated to every employee. Frequent publicity and visibility should continue throughout the Project funding period.

• Disability awareness workshops should not be the sole delivery method for professional development; individual contacts through departments or individual contacts are also necessary. Though several faculty and staff expressed interest in learning more about disability issues, particularly technology, they did not find the time to participate in opportunities made available to them. Professional development activities were not well attended, though considerable efforts were made to design workshops that would benefit college personnel.

• Publicity to potential Project participants proceeded rapidly; there was no lack of applicants to the Project. Students knew their need and rapidly responded to flyers and mailings, although individual assistance was sought more frequently than group workshops and presentations, just as with faculty and staff offerings.

• With training and consulting back-up from DSS personnel, college centers and employees can effectively serve students with disabilities as well as they serve all students. The basic needs of students with disabilities are not very different from other students, but college personnel need to be knowledgeable about accommodations and confidentiality issues to effectively work with these students. Given individualized and knowledgeable assistance, students with disabilities were able to obtain employment successfully.

• Project jobtrac staff became a bridge between the Career/Transfer Centers and Disability Support Services on each campus. The liaison role that developed demonstrated the strong need for collaboration between the various departments. The goal of mainstreaming or decentralizing services needs to be balanced by the need for specialized support services provided through DSS.

IVD. Recommendations

Project jobtrac demonstrated that students with disabilities can be successful in obtaining employment related to their personal goals and objectives through the effective development and use of college and community resources, as well as the development of job-seeking skills and knowledge of how to obtain and use accommodations. The lessons learned and strategies used by Project jobtrac should prove useful to other colleges and universities seeking to provide a welcoming and supportive environment for students with disabilities to develop and become successful.

Contact project JOBTRAC staff  or the Transition Research Institute for copies of appendices.

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