1. Transition from School to Work Dr. Karen Wolffe kwolffe@austin.rr.com

2. Critical Issues to Discuss Functional academic skills, Transportation, Housing, Socialization & recreation, Career exploration, Job seeking, and Job maintenance.

3. Functional Academic Skills Basic skills employers expect:  Reading  Writing  Calculating  Listening  Speaking

4. Thinking skills employers expect:  Creative thinking  Decision making  Problem solving  Mental visualization  Knowing how to learn  Reasoning

5. Personal qualities employers expect:  Responsibility  Self-Esteem  Sociability  Self-Management  Integrity/Honesty

6. Transportation Decision making chart  Public/ private transportation options Social considerations Special considerations  Working with O&M instruction  Learning to read maps & schedules  Use of GPS

7. Housing Where to live… With whom to live… How much to pay… When to move… What kind of amenities… Special considerations for students with additional disabilities

8. Socialization & Recreation Incidental learning challenges Reciprocity Impact of one’s behaviors on others Explaining unique needs Exploring community-based options Exploring consumer group involvement

9. Career Exploration Knowledge of jobs available  Nationally  Provincially  Locally Awareness of self/job match  Interests  Abilities  Values  Work personality

10. Job Seeking Skills Finding job leads Completing applications (PDS) Building a résumé Self-disclosure: where, when, how Interview skills Follow-up & documentation

11. Job Maintenance & Advancement Basic work habits (soft skills) Critical social skills Understanding of employer expectations & how they change over time Demonstration of knowledge, skills, abilities Negotiation skills

12. Resources Navigating the Rapids of Life: The Transition Tote System Transition Planning for Youth with Visual Disabilities Career Counseling for People with Disabilities Transition Competencies Checklist

13. Resources www.careerconnect.org www.careerconnect.org/cnib/home.asp www.bls.gov/k12/ www.tsbvi.edu www.perkins.org www.hknc.org

14. Thank-you for your participation!