Donna Johnson, M.A., M.S., Project Director

Marilyn Petrich, M.S., Project Coordinator

Janet Bast, Ph.D., Project Evaluator

Jennifer Hatfield, M.A., Evaluation Specialist

Tina Lorsung, Administrative Aide

Contact:

Research and Training

Disability Services

University of Minnesota

McNamara Alumni Center

University Gateway Bldg.

Suite 180

200 Oak Street, S.E.

Minneapolis, MN 55455-2002

612-624-6884 (V)

612-626-1333 (V/TTY)

Opinions expressed are the authors’ and do not necessarily represent the position of the funding agency or the host institution.

The following individuals helped make Access to Work possible:

Nancy Barcelo, Vice President for Multicultural and Academic Affairs

Carl Brandt, Director, Career and Community Learning Center

Kathy Brown, Assistant Vice President for Multicultural and Academic Affairs

Roberta Cordano, Director of Disability Services

Sue Kroeger, former Director of Disability Services

Thanks are extended to Disability Services and the Career and Community Learning Center staffs for their involvement in the project.

The following individuals served on the Advisory Committee. The affiliation noted was at the time of their membership on the committee.

Representatives of Off-Campus Organizations

Jose Basques St. Paul Companies

Mary Jo Becker Boys and Girls Clubs of Minneapolis

Patrick Carey IBM

Dianna Collier The Bridge for Runaway Youth

Tom Gilsenan Plymouth Youth Center

Barbara Hanna Rise, Inc.

Angela Johnson Honeywell

Ronna Linroth STAR Program

Chris McVey Rehabilitation Services

Karen Moore Northwest Airlines

Jeanne Rasmussen Family and Children’s Services

Carol Thompson Planned Parenthood of Minnesota

Mai Thor College of St. Catherine

Representatives of On-Campus Departments

Terry Collins General College

Judy Fox General College

Maree Hampton Boynton Health Education

Roberta Juarez Disability Services

Charlie Lakin Institute on Community Integration

Kathy McGillivray Disabiity Services

Tom McKinney U-YMCA

Kevin Nutter University Counseling and Consulting Services

University of Minnesota Students

Kris Gruba

Jennifer Kettler

Jane Lampland

Susan Lindgren

Marissa Johnson

Jackie Webb

The following individuals served on the staff of Access to Work:

Oscar Aliaga, Graduate Research Assistant (1997-1999)

Betty Aune, Associate Director, Disability Services and Project Director (1997)

Janet Bast, Project Evaluator

Roberta Cordano, Director, Disability Services and Principal Investigator (2000-2001)

Wendy Harbour, Project Associate (1998)

Jennifer Hatfield, Evaluation Specialist, (1999-2001)

Carol Hill, Project Coordinator, (1997-1998)

Laurel Hirt, Career and Community Learning Center Program Coordinator and Project Liaison

Roberta Juarez, Disability Specialist and Project Trainer (1997)

Donna Johnson, Assistant Director, Disability Services and Project Director (1998-2001)

Mera Kachgal, Graduate Administrative Fellow (1998-2000)

Sue Kroeger, Director, Disability Services and Principal Investigator (1997-1999)

Susan Lasoff, Access Specialist

Tina Lorsung, Administrative Aide

Marilyn Petrich, Project Coordinator (1998-2001)

Introduction

1. Executive Brief4
2. Conclusions4
3. Purposes5
4. Clientele7
5. Sponsorship and Collaboration8
6. Contexts9
7. Project Activities9
8. Project Evaluation Activities27
9. Service Delivery Accomplishments38
10. Model Building Accomplishments40

Evaluation Appendices

Student Focus Group Tables

Baseline Student Survey

Non-participant Student Survey

Career and Community Learning Center and Career Officers’ Focus Group Tables

Business/Non-Profit Needs Assessment

ADA Survey

Faculty/Coordinator Survey

Appendices

Appendix A – Sample Recruitment and Publicity Materials

Appendix B – Training Report

Appendix C – Accessibility Surveys

Appendix D – Sample Product Listing

Appendix E – Sample Project Newsletters

Appendix F – Sample Publications

Appendix G – Institutional Roles and Responsibilities

Appendix H – Outcomes Measurement Chart

This report describes the goals and objectives of Access to Work, project participants, activities undertaken by project staff, participant satisfaction and outcomes of the project. Additionally, the report addresses how Access to Work evolved, what changes were made from the original proposal and why, and what unanticipated outcomes resulted from project activities. Finally, the report reflects on lessons learned, describes how project activities will be continued and makes recommendations for adapting and replicating the project.

Access to Work, a three-year project funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), began in October 1997. The original intent of the project was to improve opportunities for postsecondary students with disabilities in academic and work settings by increasing student participation in service-learning. This was to be accomplished through the following objectives: Student Experiences (student participation in service-learning and as student trainers), Training of faculty, career services/service-learning staff and community employers, Technical Assistance (such as access improvement recommendations, consultation, and the compilation of a pool of adaptive equipment and a database of funding sources for access improvements), an Advisory Committee comprised of campus and community members and Dissemination through conference presentations, journal articles and a multimedia tutorial.

Project staff hypothesized that as a result of participation in the project, students would gain experience with using accommodations in work settings, employers would more be more effective in accommodating employees with disabilities, faculty would be more skilled in adapting to diverse learning styles and career services staff would be better prepared to work with disabled students. Because Access to Work was a natural outgrowth of Career Connections (a previously funded OSERS project which provided career counseling and job/internship assistance), staff did not anticipate limited student participation in service-learning as a barrier to achieving project goals.

However, student participation in service-learning was very limited. By the end of the first six months of the project, only two students had participated in the project. Because of this lack of student participation, project staff conducted extensive formative evaluation to better understand student needs and to adapt the project to fit these needs. Staff also met with the OSERS program officer and evaluators from the National Transition Alliance (NTA) to explore ways to address this issue. The OSERS program officer supported project expansion to include individualized career counseling, job search and experiential learning assistance. The NTA evaluators suggested the project explore why students with disabilities did not participate in mainstream career counseling and experiential learning activities and whether people with disabilities were continuing to slowly enter the workforce approximately 10 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Because of this shift in the project (Year 1, Month 6), Access to Work was not able to complete the evaluation as described in the original work plan (see Evaluation section). However, through the use of focus groups, surveys and individual interviews, the project evaluation offers important insights regarding students with disabilities’ use of career services, experiential learning and campus activities; the likelihood that local businesses and non-profit organizations have worked with employees or interns with disabilities; what types of organizations are more likely to hire employees or interns with disabilities; with what types of accommodations businesses and non-profit organizations have had the most experience; the likelihood that supervisors receive training on hiring, making reasonable accommodations and working with employees with disabilities; and the likelihood that faculty have arranged for accommodations in experiential learning activities.

In summary, Access to Work is a project which evolved from one which attempted to utilize an innovative approach to career development (service-learning), to one which used formative evaluation to meet student needs and answer questions regarding the experiences of people with disabilities in the classroom and the workplace.

1.  
2. Executive Brief

Access to Work provided individualized career counseling and job search assistance to college students with disabilities, promoted experiential learning as a career development tool and provided training and technical assistance to university faculty, career services/service learning staff and community employers. At the end of the three-year project, 89 students with disabilities received individualized services; 27 students with disabilities and staff participated in community service activities and 937 campus and community professionals participated in disability training.

B Conclusions

As a result of implementing Access to Work, project staff learned that although students may express an interest in completing experiential learning activities, they often encounter barriers in doing so. Students reported the following barriers: limited time, need to focus solely on course work (because of time needed to manage disability) and emotional barriers such as procrastination and fear of failure. It was also clear in the first year of the project that students needed and wanted an individualized approach to career counseling in which they could explore career options and personal interests, skills and values with a staff member who understood their disability. One student said of their participation in Access to Work: "It was nice to work with someone who didn’t focus solely on my disability"

In addition to making changes to meet student needs, Access to Work staff utilized formative evaluation to tailor workshops to meet the needs of employers, faculty and career services professionals. For example, survey and focus group data indicated that campus professionals and employers were interested in learning more about the needs of people with psychiatric disabilities. Access to Work coordinated three half-day workshops on the subject which were well attended and conducted a focus group with students with psychiatric disabilities.

Access to Work staff learned that it was essential to the success of the project to be flexible and to use formative evaluation to guide the direction of the project. Although the project objectives changed from those of the original grant proposal, project staff provided meaningful services to students, employers, faculty and career services staff who utilized the project. Access to Work was also able to contribute to the research base by conducting qualitative and quantitative evaluation which addresses education and employment issues of people with disabilities.

C. Purposes

The project called for five components which are briefly described below (see the Project Activities section of this report for a more complete description of each component):

Student Experiences: Originally, one of the goals of the project was to recruit 60-90 students with disabilities to participate in service-learning courses. Due to lack of student participation in service-learning, the project expanded to include career counseling and other forms of experiential learning (e.g. internships and co-operative education). Numerous recruitment efforts were made, including the development of flyers and brochures, exhibits at community involvement fairs, articles in student newsletters and informational sessions for Disability Specialists to encourage referrals. By the end of the project, 89 students with disabilities participated in Access to Work.

Training: Another goal was to provide training to university faculty, career services/service-learning staff and community employers. The training included the following topics: Section 504/Americans with Disabilities Act compliance; four models of access (physical, policy/programmatic, informational and attitudinal); academic accommodations, universal instructional design, course modifications, and instructional strategies; adapting to different learning styles in the classroom; transferring academic accommodations to the workplace; disability identity and culture and two models of disability (medical and interactional). By the end of the project, 937 faculty, career services/service learning staff and community employers had participated in Access to Work training.

Technical Assistance: The plan called for on-site technical assistance to be provided to faculty and community organizations which host service-learners. Staff consulted with 92 organizations, provided nine on-site accessibility surveys and compiled lists of adaptive equipment and foundation resources.

Advisory Committee (formerly called Roundtable): An advisory committee of 26 members from the university, businesses and non-profit organizations provided consultation to the staff through regular meetings and individual contacts.

Dissemination: All of the work described in this report was disseminated through an annual newsletter, conference presentations, contributions to journals and newsletters and the development of a multimedia tutorial which is located at http://disserv3.stu.umn.edu/work The temporary address for this site is http://umrtv.uc.umn.edu/aw.

There are several reasons why Access to Work evolved over the course of three years. First, the Twin Cities experienced record low unemployment rates during the project time frame. As of March 1999, statistics indicated 2.4% unemployment in the metropolitan area. This affected participation in that students benefited from the robust job market and oftentimes received job offers without completing experiential learning activities. Second, in September 1999, the University of Minnesota converted to semesters. Many students tried to graduate before the semester conversion and therefore, would not take the additional time required to complete an experiential learning activity if it meant delaying graduation. Third, although the services available through the project were expanded to include internships and co-operative education, project staff found that many students are not ready to participate in these types of activities without first completing career exploration, career planning and assessment programs.

During the first year of the project, staff referred students to their college's career counseling office and served as consultants to the college regarding disability issues. During the second year of the project, staff found that the Career and Community Learning Center no longer provided individualized career services to their students but had opted to take a group training approach. Many students with disabilities expressed a preference for an individualized approach to career planning, which was an unanticipated need Access to Work was able to fill. Because students did not participate in service-learning courses, how faculty and community organizations were served through the project also changed. Staff identified the issue of how to serve students with psychiatric disabilities as a concern of both faculty and community employers, therefore, the project sponsored three half-day workshops on psychiatric disabilities in education and work, schizophrenia and depression. All three workshops were well-attended. Staff also seized the opportunity to reach faculty by developing and conducting a workshop on universal instructional design which was offered through the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning. By conducting formative evaluation throughout the project, staff was able to provide flexible services for the intended audiences.

D. Clientele

The core users of Access to Work were University of Minnesota students with disabilities. Of the 89 students who participated in Access to Work, the mean age was 35 with students ranging in age from 21-59. Fifty-five of the students were female and 34 were male. The majority of participating students were European-American (70 out of 89); six were African American; three were Hispanic; three were international students; two were American Indian/Alaskan Native; one was Asian/Pacific Islander and four reported "other". Thirty-eight students reported psychiatric disabilities as their primary disability; 19 reported learning disabilities; nine students were blind or had low vision; seven students had mobility disabilities; seven students reported attention deficit disorder; five students reported brain injury; three had systemic conditions and one reported a speech disability. Seven of the students were prospective students; five were freshmen; ten were sophomores; 14 were juniors; 21 were seniors; 19 were graduate students; seven were registered with the College of Continuing Education and Extension; four students were enrolled as Adult Special and two reported "other". Student goals for participating in Access to Work were as follows: career exploration, internship development, job search assistance (including resume preparation, interviewing skills), and graduate school application preparation. Students also sought assistance regarding disclosure issues, use of workplace accommodations, how to deal with potential discrimination and with arranging and conducting informational interviews.

E. Sponsorship and Collaboration

In addition to the grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the project received monetary support from Disability Services and the Career and Community Learning Center for a total of $67,146. Disability Services and the Career and Community Learning Center provided in-kind support, such as staff time, office space, computer equipment and software and technical computer support and accounting. All fiscal matters and official documents (e.g. continuation applications) were processed by Sponsored Projects Administration (SPA), the University's grant office. A staff member from SPA served as a consultant to the project regarding financial reporting.

In addition to federal and university funding, project staff applied for and received a University of Minnesota Coca-Cola Community Building grant to fund the first service-learning "plunge", a day-long community service activity. The project also received support from the College of Human Ecology’s graphics arts department to create a brochure and poster (see Appendix A). Project staff collaborated with Disability Services, Northwest Airlines, KKE Architects and the State Council on Disability to co-sponsor a half-day workshop on Universal Design (see Appendix B). Staff also collaborated with Northwest Airlines and IBM to promote on-site informational interviews for participating students. In addition, 13 community employers and six campus units were represented on the advisory committee.

F. Contexts

The University of Minnesota's Disability Services is one of the largest such offices in the nation, with a staff of 60. Disability Services provides services to 900 students and 300 employees per year. Nine student services staff each specialize in a particular disability area. Employee Services staff assist faculty and staff with disabilities in arranging reasonable accommodations at their work sites. The department also provides auxiliary services, including document conversion (e.g. Braille, tape), sign language interpreters, and exam accommodations. Access to Work grew out of Career Connections, a project funded by OSERS (Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education) and the University of Minnesota. Career Connections had established a network of 75 employers and had worked with 50 units on campus. Career Connections had also established a strong relationship with Rehabilitation Services and Project with Industry. More than 200 students were enrolled in the program.

Access to Work was a natural outgrowth of existing work in that students who utilized Career Connections stated that "real world" work experience was a missing component in their career planning. Experiential learning (service-learning, internships and co-operative education) appeared to be the missing link for students with disabilities. Unfortunately, other factors limited students’ participation in these activities (see Introduction and Purposes sections).

1.1 Beginning fall quarter of year one, identify students who are interested in taking service-learning courses. University students who are eligible for service from Disability Services will be eligible to participate (e.g., blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, learning, mobility, and psychiatric disabilities, chronic illness). By the end of the project, recruit approximately 60-90 students to participate in service-learning courses (approximately 20-30 in year one). Students will work with their disability specialist to identify how academic accommodations transfer into the workplace, to learn their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and whether or not to disclose their disability at the service-learning site. Students will be recruited on an on-going basis.

Evidence of completion: Case notes.

Personnel responsible: Project director, trainer, project liaison (OSLO).

Beginning summer session of year one, identify students who are interested in taking service-learning courses, and participating in internships and co-operative education (co-op) experiences. University students who are eligible for service from Disability Services will be eligible to participate (e.g., blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, learning, mobility, and psychiatric disabilities, chronic illness). By the end of the project, recruit approximately 60-90 students to participate in experiential education activities such as service-learning courses, internships and co-operative education experiences (approximately 20-30 in year one). Students will work with project staff to identify how academic accommodations transfer into the workplace, to learn their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and whether or not to disclose their disability at the experiential education site. Students will be recruited on an on-going basis.

Evidence of completion: Case notes, student surveys, student interviews.

Personnel responsible: Project coordinator, project associate, project liaison (OSLO).

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

A project coordinator was hired in October 1997 and began work on the project full time in November 1997. In November 1997, project staff met with the University of Minnesota's General Counsel to discuss parameters of the project and clarify roles and responsibilities for providing accommodations at community-based sites (see Appendix G for Institutional Roles and Responsibilities).

Because the project focused on service-learning opportunities available through the Career and Community Learning Center (formerly the Office for Special Learning Opportunities), Career and Community Learning Center and Disability Services’ staff conducted reciprocal training in November and December, 1997. Project staff then coordinated a meeting with eight disability specialists to discuss project components and to establish a referral process.

A flyer was sent to approximately 900 students registered with Disability Services prior to Winter Quarter 1998 course registration. Project staff also submitted articles to the Disability Dispatch, a newsletter sent to students registered with Disability Services. In order to draw more students to the project, staff placed an advertisement in the Minnesota Daily (student newspaper) promoting a pizza "lunch and learn". Articles about the project were submitted to the University of Minnesota Brief, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the Minnesota Association of Higher Education and Disability (MN AHEAD) and the National Commission on Community Service newsletters. Information about the project was also disseminated via the University Academic Advisors listserv prior to the Winter 1997 and Spring 1998 quarters. Project staff also coordinated two informational sessions in November, 1997 for students in which project components were described (see Appendix A for sample recruitment and publicity materials).

After developing and implementing the above recruitment activities, two students participated in the project Winter Quarter of Year 1: one as service-learner and one as a student trainer. Each of these students completed 20 hours of community service. The service-learner taught Braille at community agency and the student trainer co-facilitated three workshops with project staff.

After experiencing limited participation the first quarter of the project, staff continued to work on student recruitment. Project staff applied for and received a University of Minnesota Coca-Cola Community Building Initiative grant for additional funding to sponsor a service-learning "plunge", a day-long community service activity. Seventeen students and staff participated in painting and cleaning the Pillsbury Camden Crisis Nursery/Day Care, a crisis nursery facility in north Minneapolis (May, 1998). A second community service plunge took place during fall quarter of Year 2 at the People Serving People inner-city homeless shelter in downtown Minneapolis. Ten students and staff participated in this plunge. The plunges offered an opportunity for short-term community service experiences with the expectation that students would then participate in longer-term experiences.

During spring quarter, staff worked collaboratively with the College of Human Ecology's Graphic Arts department to create a brochure and poster which were distributed to Disability Services, Career and Community Learning Center, 17 campus career offices, and approximately 25 other campus departments. Brochures were also sent to 900 students registered with Disability Services. Staff also submitted project information in the Gopher Guide, the CLA Honors Newsletter, and the Disability Dispatch (see Appendix A for sample recruitment and publicity materials).

Access to Work attempted to reach freshmen and transferring students in a number of ways. First, project staff conducted four New Student Orientation sessions in which Access to Work was featured. Second, Access to Work staff participated in the University's campus kick-off for all incoming freshmen in which project information was distributed. Third, Access to Work collaborated with Disability Services by co-sponsoring their fall quarter orientation for incoming freshmen. Follow-up calls were made to students who attended the orientation to promote services available through the project. Although a significant amount of staff time had been spent on recruiting students to participate in service-learning, internships, co-operative education and volunteer opportunities, Access to Work continued to experience low student participation.

In order to evaluate the project and search for ways to increase student participation, Access to Work conducted focus group interviews with the following groups: Disability Services’ Student Services staff, the Quality Assurance Committee (comprised of students with disabilities) and Career and Community Learning Center staff. A central theme for each of the focus groups was that Access to Work needed to place more emphasis on career planning and development. This finding was in agreement with project staff assessment that students may be interested in participating in experiential education, but needed preliminary career planning assistance to help them identify appropriate career goals.

In April, 1999, Access to Work began offering career counseling and job search preparation services for University of Minnesota students registered with Disability Services. These services included administration and interpretation of career assessments, individualized career counseling, resume preparation, employment interviewing skills, informational interviews, education on rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, disclosure options and transferring accommodations used in the academic setting into the workplace.

Brochures were also developed outlining the career services offered through the project. These brochures were distributed to the 17 campus career offices, Career and Community Learning Center, Disability Services and the State of Minnesota Rehabilitation Services. Project staff also developed a newsletter that was sent to 900 students registered with Disability Services (see Appendix A for sample recruitment and publicity materials).

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

In Year 1, two students with disabilities participated in the student training option for service-learning (see Objective 1.3 for more details).

In Year 2, 11 students participated in Disability Services as a service-learning site. These students provided reading, writing, and laboratory or library assistance to students with disabilities.

In Year 3, eight students were recruited to participate in Disability Services’ service-learning option as student trainers. A total of 21 students participated in Disability Services as a service-learning option.

1.3 During winter quarter of year one and each quarter thereafter, student trainers will co-facilitate training on Section 504/Americans with Disabilities Act compliance; four models of access (physical, policy/programmatic, information and attitudinal); academic accommodations, course modifications, and instructional strategies; accommodating different learning styles in the classroom; transferring academic accommodations to the workplace; disability identity and culture; replacing the charity model with social justice; two models of disability (medical and interactional); incorporating disability perspectives into course curriculum. Each student who participates as a trainer will co-facilitate a minimum of two trainings while enrolled in a course in which service-learning is a component.

Evidence of completion: Agendas

Personnel responsible: Trainer, student trainer.

Revised Objective 1.3

During fall quarter of year two and each quarter thereafter, students who choose Disability Services' training as a service-learning option, will co-facilitate training on such pertinent issues as academic and employment accommodations, disclosure options and student rights and responsibilities. Student trainers will participate in a minimum of one training per quarter.

Evidence of completion: Agendas, case notes, training evaluations

Personnel responsible: Disability Services' staff and student participants.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

In Year 1, the two student trainers received training on disability identity and culture, rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and access , disclosure and reasonable accommodations. They met with the project trainer twice a week and co-facilitated one training at the Disabled Student Cultural Center. The content of this training included rights and responsibilities under the ADA, transferring academic accommodations to the workplace, and disclosure issues.

Because students did not choose training as a service-learning option and because not all students are skilled speakers, project staff chose to hire two students to assist in Access to Work training in Year 2. The project trainer developed a series of in-services for these student trainers pertaining to disability access issues and presentation tips, how to handle training requests, and how to develop presentations and handouts. The student trainers assisted in educating graduate students enrolled in a Human Resources Development course, University of Minnesota academic advisers, career counselors and service-learning staff and presented at the Minnesota Campus Compact conference (a student led service-learning conference).

1.4 During winter quarter of year one, and throughout the three years of the grant, provide referrals for students who need additional career development and job search assistance to the Career Connections program, their college's career planning and placement office, Project with Industry and/or Rehabilitation Services. Students will receive career counseling and assessment, and job/internship search assistance.

Evidence of completion: Case notes.

Personnel responsible: Project director, service-learning staff, disability specialists.

No revision required for Objective 1.4.

Evidence of completion: Case notes.

Personnel responsible: Project coordinator.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

Eighteen students were referred to their respective college career offices for additional assistance.

2.0 Training (Please note: faculty, service-learning and career services' staff and community employers will be invited to attend one formal training on pertinent disability topics each quarter. Additional trainings will be offered on an as-needed basis).

2.1 During fall quarter of year one, adapt and revise training materials (developed by other projects described earlier) to be used in the training of faculty, service-learning staff, and employers, and student trainers.

Evidence of completion: Actual training materials.

Personnel responsible: Project director, trainer.

Evidence of completion: Actual training materials.

Personnel responsible: Project staff.

 

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

This objective was completed in December, 1997.

2.2 Over the three years, provide a series of training sessions to 35-50 faculty (who offer service learning as part of their in-class requirements) in 5-10 academic departments on selected topics listed in Objective 1.3. Separate trainings will be conducted for each of the participant groups (i.e. faculty, employers, service-learning staff) to address the specific concerns of each audience. Training will be interactive and utilize adult learning techniques. Training will begin winter quarter of year one and be offered quarterly.

Evidence of completion: Log of sessions, training materials, list of participants.

Personnel responsible: Project director, trainer, student trainers.

Revised Objective 2.2

Over the three years, offer one formalized training session each quarter to faculty who utilize experiential education (service-learning, internships or co-operative education) in their coursework. Topics will include: Section 504/Americans with Disabilities Act compliance; four models of access (physical, policy/programmatic, information and attitudinal); academic accommodations, course modifications, and instructional strategies; accommodating different learning styles in the classroom; transferring academic accommodations to the workplace; disability identity and culture; replacing the charity model with social justice; two models of disability (medical and interactional); incorporating disability perspectives into course curriculum. In addition to formalized training, project staff will offer one-on-one training to individual departments by attending faculty departmental meetings on an as-needed basis. Approximately 35-50 faculty will receive training (formally or through department meetings) by the end of the project.

Evidence of completion: Log of sessions, training materials, list of participants, training evaluations.

Personnel responsible: Project staff.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

The first step was to conduct two informational sessions for faculty and service-learning coordinators in which 12 individuals participated. The purpose of these sessions was to discuss project components and to identify training topics. As a result, advisory committee participants were identified.

Project staff conducted a half-day training; for eight faculty and teaching assistants (January, 1998). Topics included Section 504/ADA compliance; fours areas of access; transferring academic accommodations to the workplace; disability identity and culture, and the two models of disability. Another presentation was conducted for 25 Educational Psychology graduate students. Staff also presented to 30 Human Resources Development graduate students on accommodating people with disabilities in the workplace.

In Year 2, project staff developed and presented a workshop entitled "Seven Principles of Highly Effective Instruction which was offered as part of the University of Minnesota’s Teaching Enrichment Series. Forty faculty, instructional staff and teaching assistants attended the half-day workshop. This workshop was offered again in August, 2000 (Year 3) in which 40 additional faculty and teaching assistants participated. A total of 145 University of Minnesota faculty and teaching assistants participated in Access to Work training (see Appendix B for training report).

2.3 Over three years provide a series of training sessions to service-learning and career service staff on selected topics listed in Objective 1.3. Training will begin winter quarter of year one and be offered quarterly.

Evidence of completion: Log of sessions, training materials, list of participants.

Personnel responsible: Project director, trainer, student trainers.

Revised Objective 2.3

Over the three years offer one formalized training session each quarter to service-learning and career services staff. Topics will include: Section 504/Americans with Disabilities Act compliance; four models of access (physical, policy/programmatic, information and attitudinal); transferring academic accommodations to the workplace; disability identity and culture; replacing the charity model with social justice; two models of disability (medical and interactional); disclosure issues and determining reasonable accommodations. In addition to formalized training, project staff will offer one-on-one training to individual departments by attending departmental meetings on an as-needed basis.

Evidence of completion: Log of sessions, training materials, list of participants, training evaluations.

Personnel responsible: Project staff.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

In order to introduce service-learning coordinators to the project, staff conducted two information sessions with 10 service-learning staff in December 1997. Follow-up sessions were offered in January and February, 1998 regarding accommodating students with disabilities in service-learning. Seventeen staff from the Career and Community Learning Center attended these workshops. Additional workshops were offered in March 1998, September 1998, May 1999, April 2000 and May 2000 in which 40 career services and service-learning staff attended (see Appendix B for training report).

2.4 Over three years provide training to 100-150 employers on selected topics listed in Objective 1.3. Training will begin winter quarter of year one and be offered quarterly.

Evidence of completion: Log of sessions, training materials, list of participants.

Personnel responsible: Project director, trainer, student trainers.

Revised Objective 2.4

Over the three years offer one formalized training session each quarter for community employers. Topics will include: Americans with Disabilities Act compliance; four models of access (physical, policy/programmatic, information and attitudinal); determining reasonable accommodations; disclosure issues; disability identity and culture; replacing the charity model with social justice; and two models of disability (medical and interactional) . In addition to formalized training, project staff will provide on-site training to community employers upon request. Approximately 75-100 community employers will receive training by the end of the project.

Evidence of completion: Log of sessions, training materials, list of participants., training evaluations.

Personnel responsible: Project staff.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

In order to introduce businesses and non-profit organizations to the project, Access to Work held a community organization breakfast in which 18 employers from 14 organizations attended. The event was conducted in July 1998 and included an overview of the Career and Community Learning Center’s role in experiential learning, a description of Access to Work, and a small group problem-solving activity.

During spring quarter of 1998, Access to Work staff trained 66 community employers by conducting three different presentations at the Jane Addams Community Center, a training at the University of Minnesota for community organizations, and a training at the U-YMCA. During summer session of 1998, two disability awareness workshops were held for 25 professional staff at the Bridge for Runaway Youth and People Serving People.

On-site accessibility surveys were completed for the following organizations: Arthritis Foundation, People Serving People, Simpson Shelter, United Way, Variety Theater, Youth and Aid Project, Plymouth Youth Center Alternative School, Plymouth Youth Center - Oliver Site, Career and Community Learning Center (see Appendix C).

3.4 In fall quarter of year one, begin compiling a pool of adaptive equipment to facilitate the accommodation of service-learning participants with disabilities. Equipment will be purchased based on the needs of participating students. Project staff will also inventory what equipment is currently available to students through State Services for the Blind, Rehabilitation Services and Disability Services.

Evidence of completion: Database of equipment inventory.

Personnel responsible: Project director.

Revised Objective 3.4

In fall quarter of year one, begin compiling a pool of adaptive equipment to facilitate the accommodation of service-learning , internship or co-operative education participants with disabilities. Equipment will be purchased based on the needs of participating students. Project staff will also inventory what equipment is currently available to students through State Services for the Blind, Rehabilitation Services and Disability Services.

Evidence of completion: Database of equipment inventory.

Personnel responsible: Project coordinator, access specialist.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

Access to Work's adaptive equipment pool included equipment available through the university's adaptive computing lab, Disability Services’ Auxiliary Services, and State Services for the Blind. The project purchased a teletype for a student's use at an experiential education site and an FM system for use at conferences. An adaptive equipment loan process was developed for students requiring adaptive equipment through the project. Project staff also compiled a list of 30 local companies which offer physical access products and services (see Appendix D).

3.5 By winter quarter of year one, begin developing a database of funding sources (i.e. grants) to which participating public/nonprofit employers can apply for making access improvements.

Evidence of completion: Database file.

Personnel responsible: Project director.

No revision required for Objective 3.5

Evidence of completion: Database file.

Personnel responsible: Project coordinator.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

Staff met with the University of Minnesota Foundation to identify 34 private foundations, which have funds available for disability issues.

4.  
5. Access to Work through Service Roundtable (Please note: The title of this objective

4.1 Beginning fall quarter of year one, hold quarterly meetings for a total of nine meetings during the grant period. The Roundtable will offer a forum for participating students, faculty, service-learning staff, career services staff, disability specialists, employers, Rehabilitation Services and Project with Industry to improve the accessibility of service-learning classes and sites by problem-solving specific issues; to capitalize on service-learning for students' career development and preparation for employment; to promote ongoing collaboration among participating groups; and to serve as an advisory for project evaluation.

Evidence of completion: Agendas and case notes.

Personnel Responsible: Principal investigator, project liaison (OSLO).

Revised Objective 4.1

Beginning fall quarter of year one, hold quarterly meetings for a total of nine meetings during the grant period. The Advisory Committee will offer a forum for participating students, faculty, service-learning staff, career services staff, disability specialists, employers, Rehabilitation Services and Project with Industry to improve the accessibility of experiential education by problem-solving specific issues; to capitalize on experiential education as a method for enhancing students' career development and preparation for employment; to promote ongoing collaboration among participating groups; and to serve as an advisory for project evaluation.

Evidence of completion: Agendas and case notes.

Personnel Responsible: Project director, project liaison (OSLO).

Project Accomplishments:

The Access to Work advisory committee included 26 individuals from the following organizations: University of Minnesota’s General College, Boynton Health Education, Disability Services, Institute on Community Integration, U-YMCA, University Counseling and Consulting, St. Paul Companies, Boys and Girls Clubs of Minneapolis, IBM, The Bridge for Runaway Youth, Plymouth Youth Center, Rise, Inc., Honeywell, STAR Program, Rehabilitation Services, Northwest Airlines, Family and Children’s Services, Planned Parenthood, College of St. Catherine.

Due to lack of committee member availability at the advisory committee initially scheduled in March 1998, the meeting was rescheduled and held in August 1998. The agenda for the meeting included reviewing promotion and recruitment material and receiving feedback from the advisory committee. Feedback included the following: use more personal contact with students (including testimonies by students with disabilities who have participated in experiential learning) and the use of more visual graphics and less text in the Access to Work brochure.

The second meeting, which was held in October of 1998, included an update regarding the implementation of advisory committee recommendations regarding promotional activities and an update on training activities. A third advisory committee meeting was held in September, 1999. Project staff reviewed findings from data gathered through the ADA and Business/Non-Profit Organization surveys.

5.0 Dissemination

5.1 In spring quarter of year one, expand existing mailing list to include local, regional and national service-learning programs and public/nonprofit employers which offer service learning sites. Disseminate newsletter spring quarter of years one, two, and three via US mail and the World Wide Web sites of OSLO and Disability Services.

Evidence of completion: Copy of newsletter.

Personnel responsible: Project director.

Revised Objective 5.1

In spring quarter of year one, expand existing mailing list to include local, regional and national service-learning programs and community employers which offer experiential education opportunities. Disseminate newsletter summer session of years one, two, and three via US mail and the World Wide Web sites of OSLO and Disability Services.

Evidence of completion: Copy of newsletter

Personnel responsible: Project staff.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

In September 1998 staff presented at the Minnesota Campus Compact conference. The presentation focused on creating disability-accessible service-learning/internship opportunities for students with disabilities. Staff also presented at the Minnesota College Personnel Association , the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), and Association for Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) and displayed the project in the exhibit hall.

In year 3, project staff presented at the Pacific Rim conference, the Association for Human Resources Development conference, the National Counseling and Development Association conference, the Association for Higher Education and Disability conference, the National Career Development Association, the American College Personnel Association and a poster session at the OSER’s Project Directors’ annual meeting Project staff presented at a total of 12 state and national conferences (see Appendix B for training report).

5.3 Submit two manuscripts in year three to relevant journals, such as NASPA Journal, Journal of Democracy, Journal of Higher Education, Journal of College Student Development, Journal of Experiential Education and Educational Leadership .

Evidence of completion: Copies of journal articles accepted for publication.

Personnel responsible: Principal investigator, project director.

No revision required for Objective 5.3

Evidence of completion: Copies of journal articles accepted for publication.

Personnel responsible: Principal investigator, project director.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

Access to Work was featured in the Journal of Career Planning and Employment and in Disability Compliance in Higher Education. Project staff wrote a book chapter entitled, "Enhancing Out-of-Class Opportunities for Students with Disabilities" which was published in the Jossey-Bass Series: New Directions in Student Services: Serving Students with Disabilities (Fall 2000). Project staff also published an article in the on-line newsletter, Career Watch for the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Commission for Career Development (Fall 1999) issue and an article entitled, "Access to Work for College Students with Disabilities: A Revision of Current Conditions in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area" was published in the Association for Human Resources Development journal (March 2000) (see Appendix F for sample publications).

5.4 By fall quarter of year two, complete a draft of a three-part guidebook which will instruct

faculty on how to accommodate different learning styles in the classroom; service-learning staff on how to advise students in choosing service-learning sites; and employers on how to accommodate workers with disabilities. The guidebook will be field-tested in year two, revised in year three, and disseminated by summer quarter of year three. The guidebook will be disseminated on-line and through the National Service-Learning Cooperative Clearinghouse, HEATH Resource Center, and the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Evidence of completion: Copy of guidebook.

Personnel responsible: Project staff.

Revised Objective 5.4

By spring quarter of year two, complete a draft of a three-part guidebook which will instruct

faculty on how to accommodate different learning styles in the classroom; service-learning/career services staff on how to advise students in choosing experiential education sites; and employers on how to accommodate workers with disabilities. The guidebook will be field-tested in year two, revised in year three, and disseminated by summer quarter of year three. The guidebook will be disseminated on-line and through the National Service-Learning Cooperative Clearinghouse, HEATH Resource Center, and the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities.

Evidence of completion: Copy of guidebook.

Personnel responsible: Project staff.

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

A guidebook entitled, Experiential Learning for Students with Disabilities: A Manual for Advisors was developed. The guidebook includes information on community service -learning, volunteerism, internships and co-operative education; disability models; four types of access; disability definitions; disclosure options and information for determining who is responsible for providing reasonable accommodation in experiential learning.

5.5 By summer quarter of year two, complete a field-test version of a multimedia World Wide Web site. Field test in year three and make revisions on an ongoing basis in response to feedback by users. Complete by spring of year three. The tutorial, which will be based on the guidebook, will include components such as a needs assessment process for evaluating service learning site accessibility; recruitment materials, such as information about service learning opportunities and description of the benefits of service learning, geared toward students with disabilities; advising materials, such as questions to ask a disabled student interested in service learning, questions to ask a service learning site about its accessibility, guidelines for interpreting the ADA in service learning situations; a directory of service learning sites with information about their accessibility; case scenarios of students with disabilities who have participated in service learning; and quick time movie in which the user will be able to click on a type of disability and view students with that disability participating in a work setting or discussing how they accommodate their disability. The tutorial will permit employers, faculty, students, and service-learning and career services staff to pursue flexible, independent exploration of adaptive equipment and other accommodations.

Evidence of completion: Multimedia World Wide Web site.

Personnel responsible: Graduate administrative fellow (expert in instructional technology).

No revision required of Objective 5.5

Evidence of completion: Multimedia World Wide Web site.

Personnel responsible: Graduate administrative fellow (expert in instructional technology).

Project Accomplishments/Outcomes:

Project staff contracted with the University of Minnesota's Media Resources to assist in web site development. The World Wide Web site content is similar to the guidebook, but also includes quick-time movies featuring students with disabilities discussing disclosure issues, classroom accommodations and internship experiences, faculty discussing ways to incorporate principles of universal design in the classroom, a mock interview of a candidate with a disability and information on how to provide information and computer access. The web site also includes information on disability etiquette, disclosure, reasonable accommodations, rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, ways to provide reasonable accommodations, universal design resources, information on assistive technology and typical classroom and workplace accommodations. The web site may be accessed at http://disserv3.stu.umn.edu/work.

5.6 In spring quarter of year three, co-sponsor dissemination conference with Minnesota Campus Compact (an organization for service-learning programs) on improving access to service learning for students with disabilities for faculty and staff in the Midwest.

Evidence of completion: Conference participants list.

Personnel responsible: Project director, trainer.

No revision required of Objective 5.6

Evidence of completion: Conference participants list.

Personnel responsible: Project coordinator, project associate.

Because of the limited participation in service-learning early in the project, staff chose to sponsor half-day workshops which provided more in-depth information on disability issues. The first such workshop was entitled, "Accommodating People with Psychiatric Disabilities in Education and Work" in which 64 University of Minnesota faculty and staff attended. The second half-day workshop focused on Universal Design and featured James Mueller, a national leader in the field. This workshop drew 110 University of Minnesota faculty and staff.

In Year 3, the project co-sponsored two additional half-day workshops. The first was entitled, "Recovery from Serious Mental Illness: Myths, Mountains and Miracles" presented by Dr. Fred Frese, a psychologist with a disability. This workshop drew 89 University of Minnesota faculty, staff and community employers. The second workshop was entitled "All About Depression" and was presented by Dr. Paul Hauck, a national expert on mental illness. One hundred university faculty, staff and community employers attended this workshop. A total of 363 university and community professionals attended these half-day workshops (see Appendix B for training report).

H. Project Evaluation Activities

This section addresses the extensive formative evaluation utilized in project revision and its subsequent findings. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used. Detailed descriptions may be found in the Evaluation Appendix. The quantitative methods focused on Access to Work participants who were interested in participating in experiential learning activities, students with disabilities who did not participate in project, local business and non-profit organizations who recruit University of Minnesota student interns, and university faculty/service-learning coordinators. The qualitative methods focused on students with disabilities who utilized Access to Work, students with disabilities with psychiatric and learning disabilities, Disability Services’ Student Services staff, Career and Community Learning Center staff and the Career and Employment Officers’ group.

As described in the Introduction, Access to Work evolved from a project which utilized service-learning as a career development tool to an individualized career counseling, job search and experiential learning assistance program. This project revision was based on formative evaluation conducted throughout the project. Project staff met with an evaluation consultant from the National Transition Alliance to discuss the ramifications of programmatic changes on project evaluation. The evaluation consultant recommended that Access to Work explore why students did not participate in experiential learning and investigate the specific career needs of students with psychiatric and learning disabilities (the two largest populations served by Disability Services). Therefore, the Nonparticipant Student Survey and two focus groups were added to the evaluation plan. Because the program’s focus changed, not all of the summative evaluation questions can be answered with the data collected. However, the survey and focus group data yielded interesting findings regarding students with disabilities in the classroom and the workplace. The findings are as follows:

Student Focus Groups

Three focus groups were conducted for students with disabilities. Two of the groups were conducted for specific disability groups, psychiatric disabilities and learning disabilities. These groups were conducted to get at the particular career-related needs of these populations. In addition, one focus group was conducted for Access to Work participants to learn about their experience with the project as well as their career concerns. The Access to Work focus group had four participants. The group for students with psychiatric disabilities had eight participants, and the group for students with learning disabilities had ten participants. One person attended both the Access to Work group and the group for students with learning disabilities. One person who attended the group for students with psychiatric disabilities had also participated in the Access to Work project. All of the students were paid for their participation.

Career concerns. All of the students were asked what concerns they had about their eventual career. They discussed concerns about just getting through school, finding a career that is a good match for them personally, presenting themselves positively to employers, when and if to disclose their disability, and what accommodations they could and should request. The students with learning disabilities were most concerned with "just getting through school," but they also were very concerned that their ability would be mistakenly judged by their grades. Students with psychiatric disabilities were most concerned with how their disability-related behaviors (e.g., crying, panic attacks) would fit into the workplace. They were also mistrustful of employers’ respect for confidentiality if they disclosed their disability. The Access to Work group, reflecting on the fact that they had sought out career services, was most concerned with finding a vocation that fits with their skills and interests and with how their disability would fit with their vocational choice.

Use of career resources. The students who participated in these focus groups had used campus career resources, including University Counseling and Consulting Services (UCCS), the Career and Community Learning Center, their college career counseling office, Disability Services and specifically, the Access to Work. The first three resources had tepid reviews. The students were very positive about their experience with Disability Services but felt that information about its existence had been difficult to obtain. The students who had used Access to Work were very positive about their experience.

Barriers to seeking career counseling. The students with learning disabilities overwhelmingly agreed that school was all they could deal with right now, and career planning would have to come later. Most of the students with psychiatric disabilities cited lack of energy and emotional factors related to their disability (e.g., apathy, confusion) as factors that deterred them from using career services. Other reasons given by students with psychiatric disabilities were lack of awareness of what exists and where to find it and time conflicts with classes.

Motivation to participate in experiential learning strategies. About half of the students in all three groups had participated in an experiential learning strategy. Others asked about how they could find more information. Most of the students in all groups said they would need to be compensated in order for them to participate in an internship or service learning experience. Most felt they needed monetary compensation because the internship would be an alternative to a part-time job, but several said they would do it for class credit. One person said that he would be interested in observing in his chosen field without pay. One student who had done an internship said that at the time he felt pay was important, but looking back, it would have been worth doing without pay. The major barriers to using experiential learning strategies for the students with psychiatric disabilities were emotional factors. One student mentioned the fear of the unknown, Two were concerned about how their disability would fit with the job. Three were concerned about expectations and whether they would be able to meet them. Besides pay, the students with learning disabilities were most concerned about having help with applying for an internship. One person wondered if it would be a competitive selection process. The Access to Work group was concerned about doing meaningful work and having the internship actually lead to full-time employment.

Desirable components of a career program for students with their particular disability. The groups of students with learning disabilities and students with psychiatric disabilities were asked what would be desirable components of a career program for students with their particular disability. Both groups mentioned higher visibility of Disability Services, support for finishing school, and support groups. The students with learning disabilities were also concerned that the program includes educating professors about their learning needs and possible accommodations, assessment and counseling on individual learning styles, and coaching for job interviews. The students with psychiatric disabilities wanted counseling staff who had dealt with a psychiatric disability, education for the community, and studies about the career models of people with disabilities. One student said that people with disabilities have a different life pattern which doesn’t always fit with the corporate model of "climbing the ladder" and uninterrupted work history. Another person said that people with disabilities may be able to work at certain times in their lives but have Social Security available intermittently for the times they are not able to work.

Importance of career planning. The students with learning disabilities had little concern with career planning beyond choosing a possible vocation. They felt that the burden of going to school with their disability was all they could deal with, and career planning would have to come after graduation. The students with psychiatric disabilities said that career planning was very important to them. They were concerned about choosing a career so they could focus their class work. They were concerned about networking and doing informational interviewing, and they were concerned about how to deal with a spotty work record.

Access To Work Involvement

One of the three student focus groups was conducted with students who had been involved with Access to Work. In addition to questions about their career concerns and involvement with experiential learning strategies, they were asked to assess their experience with the project. Of the four students in the focus group, two said they had recently begun their participation in Access to Work. One of these students said that she had just enrolled and had not received counseling yet, and the other one had participated in two counseling sessions. The other two students had substantial involvement in Access to Work. All had very positive assessments of their experience.

Three of the four students in the group felt that Access to Work being housed within Disability Services was important in their decision to participate. Paradoxically, their experience had been that generic service providers were more likely to focus exclusively on their disability while disability counselors saw them more as a whole person.

Of the three who had actually received service from Access to Work, one felt that the experience had helped her solidify her career goals. Another participant felt the experience had been beneficial, but "he wasn’t there yet". The third participant said that she knew what she wanted to do for a career when she came to Access to Work.

Of the two students who had received a significant amount of service from Access to Work, both felt that counseling about the effect of their disability on their career was the most helpful. One person, who had a learning disability, said that she now felt much more comfortable with her knowledge of what accommodations were available and appropriate. The other participant felt that the information about possible vocations and about informational interviewing was also very helpful.

Baseline Student Survey

Access to Work administered a survey to student participants who expressed an interest in participating in experiential learning activities. Nineteen students completed the survey. Of the surveys returned, 31 percent were from blind/visually-impaired students, 21.1 percent were from students with psychiatric disabilities, 15.8 percent were from students with learning disabilities, 15.8 percent were from students with mobility disabilities, 10.5 percent reported "other" as their disability and 5.3 percent reported head injury as their disability.

The majority of students (90 percent) achieved third year undergraduate status or higher. The mean grade point average was 3.07 on a 4.0 scale. Sixty-three percent of responding students were female. Forty-seven percent of the respondents were over age 30. Sixty-six percent reported their ethnic background as white/Caucasian.

Although 60 percent had made a career choice to some extent or to a great extent, 89 percent were concerned about implementing their career choice to some extent or to a great extent. The career related activity in which the majority of students were engaged was discussing career goals with advisers or faculty. Eighty percent had participated in this activity to some extent or to a great extent, and 60% had discussed career goals with a counselor to some extent or to a great extent.

However, 73 percent had not tested out their career choice by participating in an experiential learning activity (internship, co-operative education, service-learning activity). When asked why they had not participated in career-related activities, 31 percent said they were not aware of what was available and 21 percent said they did not have time.

Responding students were more likely to disclose their disability to a professor (73 percent) than to an employer (33 percent). They were also more likely to use classroom accommodations (78 percent) than job accommodations (18 percent) (see Evaluation Appendix for complete data analysis).

Non-Participant Student Survey

Access to Work administered a survey to assess in what career-related and co-curricular activities students participate and barriers to participation. The survey was sent to 600 students registered with Disability Services of which 126 (20 percent) of the students responded. Of the surveys returned, 26.6 percent were from students with psychiatric disabilities, 25 percent were from students with learning disabilities, 15.3 percent had attention deficit disorder, 8.9 percent had mobility disabilities, 5.6 percent were blind or had low vision, 5.6 percent were deaf or hard of hearing, 4.8 percent had chronic illness, 4.8 percent reported "other" and 3.2 percent reported head injury.

The majority of responding students (86 percent) had achieved the third year undergraduate status or higher. The mean grade point average was 3.16 on a 4.0 scale. Seventy-one percent of the responding students were female. The mean age was 30. Eighty-seven percent of the respondents were white/Caucasian. Fifty-five percent of the respondents were full-time students, however, 53 percent reported working 10 hours a week or more.

The majority of students had not participated in individual career counseling, career planning workshops/courses, internships, service-learning or co-operative education. When asked why they had not participated in these activities, 61.3 percent said they did not have time, 40.3 percent said they were not aware of what was available. While 39.5 percent and 37 percent reported that they would find internship assistance and career counseling valuable, 10 percent said they would find a service-learning experience valuable.

CCLC and CEO Focus Group and Interview Summaries

Access to Work provided training, both in 1999 and 2000, for two groups of University staff that provide career-related services to students. Subsequently, these groups were asked about their comfort level in serving students with disabilities and other related questions.

Participants. Staff from the Career and Community Learning Center (CCLC) participated in two focus groups. The first group of six and the second group of five all had an average of less than two years of experience in their jobs. Nine campus career officers (CEO), who had an average of 5.9 years in their jobs, participated in the first focus group. The second year, a focus group could not be arranged, so six career officers were interviewed on the telephone. These respondents had been in their jobs for an average of 5.9 years.

Changes they have seen in the job market. Respondents mentioned lower unemployment and more job choice for students, use of the Internet in job searches, and new occupations in technology. They talked about the need for employees to manage their own careers, and their perception that employers are expecting some experiential education and providing more internships. They also mentioned welfare-to-work programs and an increased appreciation for diversity.

Changes they have seen in students. They are seeing more students with invisible disabilities, but attributed that to increased awareness. Students are more independent and have more of a consumer mentality. They are demanding that internships meet their unique needs. Students often have an unrealistic expectation of what job and salary they can expect. Because of the strong economy and job searching on the web, they think they are seeing fewer students than formerly.

How they know if a student with whom they are working has a disability. Some programs have an application that provides an opportunity to disclose a disability, but most of these participants found out about a student’s disability informally on an "as relevant" basis. Some things that they felt facilitate disclosure are working with the student on a one-to-one basis, working with the student over a period of time, and if it seems relevant, gently and emphatically bringing it up.

Career issues that are different for students with disabilities. These respondents mentioned: choosing an appropriate career given their disability; being aware of disability-related laws; confronting employers’ biases and assumptions; questions of when, where and how to disclose their disability; encountering prohibitive qualifications for jobs or internships, e.g., needing a car; obtaining needed accommodations; and concerns about finding a culture of acceptance with prospective employers.

Disability-related resources they have used. All of the groups had clients who had used Disability Services. They also had used Facilities Management at the University to help with physical adaptation. In addition to University resources, they had used the Minnesota Department of Rehabilitation Services.

Comfort level with serving students with disabilities. At the end of the focus group, participants were given a worksheet with two questions. For the CEOs who were interviewed on the telephone, the questions were read to them. The first question asked them to rate their comfort with overall knowledge on how to serve students with disabilities. They were given a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being "very comfortable." The ratings of the CCLC groups averaged 5.5 the first year and 7.6 the second year. The CEO groups averaged 6.6 the first year and 7.6 the second year. Although both samples reported a higher comfort level the second year, only two of the five individuals in the CCLC group and only one of the six CEO interviewees had been in the first year’s sample.

Business/Non-Profit Needs Assessment Summary

Results of the Business/Non-Profit Organization Needs Assessment (a survey sent to 404 Twin Cities businesses and non-profit organizations who recruit student volunteers/interns through the Career and Community Learning Center) indicated that these organizations have little experience with disabled employees: More than half (55.4 percent) of the organizations surveyed reported having no disabled employees. Organizations reported having more experience working with student interns/volunteers with learning and psychiatric disabilities (43 percent and 45 percent respectively) than with students with head injuries, deaf or hard of hearing students, students with chronic illness, blind or had low vision students or students with mobility disabilities (see Evaluation Appendix for complete data analysis).

ADA Survey Summary

Access to Work also administered a survey to assess the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on the policy development, training and staffing practices of local companies since the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. A survey was sent to 246 members of a Twin Cities-based human resources organization. Sixty-four members (26 percent) responded. Of the surveys returned, the majority (72 percent) were from for-profit firms and from firms with more than 100 employees (67 percent). Seventy-six percent of the responding firms reported they had ten or less job applicants who disclosed a disability in 1998 (the year the survey was administered). Forty percent reported making flexible work schedules available, 37 percent reported making special or modified equipment available and 26 percent reported restructuring job duties.

Faculty/Coordinator Survey Summary

When asked whether they had arranged for accommodations at the service-learning, internships or co-operative education site, 43 percent had never arranged for print materials in alternate formats, 45 percent had never arranged for sign language interpreters, 49 percent had never arranged for an adjustment of duties and 72 percent had never arranged for accessible transportation (see Evaluation Appendix for complete data analysis).

Case Scenarios

Information contained in the following case scenarios was condensed from case notes written by Access to Work project staff. Names, and in some cases gender, have been changed to protect confidentiality. The scenarios contain information about the career-related concerns of the students served by staff, along with services that were provided. Although some students came in for two to three sessions, many students were seen on a long-term basis.

Jill

Jill was a junior when she first came in to request career counseling. Jill had been in school longer than the typical college student because her education had been interrupted by hospitalizations for her psychiatric disability. Jill’s presenting issue was a request for information on how she might become an author. She was majoring in philosophy, but had taken several writing classes and thought she would enjoy this occupation. In talking with Jill about how she might learn more about this occupation, it was suggested that she conduct some informational interviews. Project staff contacted several individuals who would be willing to be interviewed, and gave Jill the information so she could follow through with scheduling interviews. She was also referred to the Career and Community Learning Center to do some additional research. Staff prepared Jill to interview and assisted her with developing a list of important questions to ask.

After completing the informational interviews and research, Jill decided that she did not, after all, wish to pursue writing as a career goal. Jill reported still feeling indecisive about what she would do following graduation. Several career assessment inventories were administered to help Jill further clarify her goals, interests, and work personality. Jill decided that she would like to change her major to what had been her minor field of study, psychology. Jill was again referred to the Career and Community Learning Center to research the opportunities available for graduates with a B.A. in psychology. In addition, project staff assisted Jill with arranging informational interviews, and developing questions for the interviews. Jill made the decision to change majors and to pursue psychology. In talking with Jill about preparing for graduation, staff stressed the importance of gaining some work experience either through an internship or through service learning. Jill began volunteering at a community mental health agency several hours per week. Jill answered phones and acted as an information and referral resource. Jill’s experience as a volunteer, led the staff at the agency to offer her a part-time position as a support group co-facilitator. Jill was provided with extensive training and successfully recruited participants for the group. She related having a positive experience as a volunteer and a group facilitator.

Jill had fifty-six contacts with project staff both in person and by phone over a period of two years. She stated she found the individualized approach and support offered by staff to be very helpful.

Randall

Randall was an older student who had just entered college following a car accident that had left him unable to continue with his previous career. Injuries from the accident had resulted in some permanent work restrictions. Randall stated he was interested in finding part-time employment to help meet his school expenses and financial needs and also wondered about funding resources for his education. Randall was given information about the state Division of Rehabilitation Services to explore funding.

Randall stated he was unsure about what kind of jobs he might apply for, but had an interest in finding a job at the University, if possible. He stated he had never written a resume and requested some assistance in developing one. He expressed a lack of confidence about his interviewing skills. He also was unclear about the ADA and wondered how much to tell a prospective employer about his injuries.

Over seven sessions with Randall, Access to Work staff discussed the provisions of the ADA, disclosure options and the rationale for disclosing and not disclosing. In addition, Randall was assisted with identifying his skills and abilities and preparing a resume. Randall practiced interviewing with staff and began to identify jobs to apply for within the University. Staff kept in contact with Randall throughout his job search. He was encouraged to also explore opportunities outside of the university. Randall was successful in finding a part-time sales job outside of the university. Randall was a business major and he recognized that gaining experience in sales would be in line with his future career goals. Randall thanked staff for the assistance with the process. He reported feeling pleased with his new job.

Gary

Gary was referred to Access to Work for assistance with identifying his skills and abilities and assistance with finding a part-time job within the university. Gary was an international student who had never worked in the U.S. He stated that he was desperately in need of employment because his funds for living expenses had all but run out. His disability was low vision. Staff talked with Gary about the work experiences he had in his home country. He had taught school for several years and had experience with farm animals. He requested assistance with completing a job application and staff assisted him with emphasizing his skills and abilities. Gary had never used computers and was not familiar with assistive technology available. Gary was encouraged to take a computer class and staff also referred him to the Disability Services’ assistive technology lab. Staff met with Gary to identify current job openings within the university. Gary went on several interviews and expressed a concern that he may not be considered for the position because of his disability. Since Gary’s disability was visible, staff helped Gary practice how to discuss his disability in an interview. Staff scheduled appointments with Gary prior to job interviews so Gary could practice discussing how he would be able to perform the specific job functions and what accommodations, if any, he might need. Staff met with Gary twelve times over a period of several months. Gary was successful in finding a part-time position on campus. He would be performing a number of job duties. He said that he would be doing whatever extra tasks office staff did not have time to complete. The last time staff saw Gary he was delivering informational flyers to various campus offices and was pleased with his new job.

J. Model Building Accomplishments

This chapter provides reflections on the development of the model, shares lessons learned, reports on plans for continuation of the model and gives recommendations for replication.

Reflections on the Development of the Model

Access to Work developed a model for career counseling, experiential learning and job search assistance for college students with disabilities. The model included (a) individualized student services; (b) training and technical assistance for community employers, university faculty and career services providers; (c) the coordination of an advisory committee and (d) the development of a state-of-the-art multimedia tutorial. Throughout the project, Access to Work evolved as we learned more about the needs of our target populations.

Individualized Student Services. During the first year of the project, Access to Work focused on developing a service delivery model for students participating in service-learning. Project staff worked with faculty who teach service-learning courses, community employers who utilize service-learners and service-learning staff. During the first year, it was evident that students with disabilities were not enrolling in service-learning courses as previously anticipated. Changes were made to the program, which included adding internship and co-operative education assistance as well as individualized career counseling. By the end of the project, the majority of students enrolled in Access to Work had used the individualized career counseling services. Disability Services plans to continue this component of the model by devoting a portion of a staff member’s time to career issues.

Training and Technical Assistance. As the focus of the program changed, so did the need for training and technical assistance. Because students were not enrolling in service-learning, project staff did not have a natural cohort of faculty and employers with whom to provide training and technical assistance. However, staff found that training and technical assistance could still be provided to employers who post experiential learning opportunities with the Career and Community Learning Center and with career services staff on campus. Therefore, Access to Work offered half-day workshops on psychiatric disabilities and universal design for these constituents. Staff also provided on-site training for community employers and career services’ staff. In order to address the needs of faculty, staff developed and presented a workshop entitled "Seven Principles of Highly Effective Instruction" which was offered through the University’s Center for Teaching and Learning. This workshop is the basis for a new project entitled "Curriculum Transformation and Disability", a three-year grant funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Coordination of Advisory Committee. Again, because the project’s focus changed, the majority of advisory committee sessions were focused around student recruitment and formative evaluation which would assist staff in making the required changes in order to develop a useful project. Advisory committee members provided suggestions on how to diversify the project (such as including individualized career counseling) and information to include in the multimedia tutorial which were implemented by project staff.

Multimedia Tutorial Development. The development of the multimedia tutorial began in the second year of the project. Because project staff were unable to locate a qualified graduate student to design the tutorial, staff contracted with the University’s Media Resources. This decision proved to be advantageous in several ways. First, because Media Resources uses professional staff, they were able to provide Access to Work with guidance on how users generally access information through multimedia tutorials and how best to present the information. Second, because our designer worked with the Disability Services Adaptive Technology Specialist to ensure the accessibility of the multimedia tutorial, the designer learned how to develop accessible web sites, a skill that he will utilize throughout his work at the University.

Because of the amount of information and number of quick-time movies available on the multimedia tutorial, project staff requested a no-cost extension to complete this work. Included on the multimedia tutorial are videos of a faculty member discussing universally-designed access, students discussing classroom and workplace disclosure options, a mock job interview, information on computer accommodations and document conversion and a "test" regarding best practices in physical access. These quick-time movies, along with text information provide an opportunity to learn anytime, anywhere in a truly accessible environment. This tutorial will be housed on the Disability Services’ web server and updated as part of project continuation.

Lessons Learned About Program Development

Individual student needs will necessitate shifts in projects like Access to Work. Because the University of Minnesota is seeing an increase in students with hidden disabilities (particularly students with psychiatric disabilities), the career needs of students served by projects like Access to Work will shift according to the student population served. For example, through focus group data, Access to Work found that students with psychiatric disabilities were concerned about disability-related behaviors, such as gaps in employment, which might impact their careers. Students with learning disabilities repeatedly said they did not have time to focus on careers. They said they had all they could do in completing coursework. These concerns necessitated an individualized career approach which would better meet the needs of students with hidden disabilities.

Lessons Learned About Evaluation

Individual student needs will necessitate shifts in the evaluation process. Because students overall, did not participate in experiential learning opportunities, project staff could not conduct evaluation as outlined in the project proposal. Staff contacted both the program officer and the evaluators from the National Transition Alliance to develop evaluation tools based on the new project direction.

Recommendations for Replication

Based on the experience of implementing and evaluating Access to Work, the following recommendations are made to other institutions considering replication of the model: