Lions Connected- Inclusive Vocational Opportunities: A Post-Secondary Experience

1. Lions Connected- Inclusive Vocational Opportunities: A Post-Secondary Experience Dr. GerlindeBeckers, Ph.D., Southeastern Louisiana University Allie Boquet, M.Ed., Southeastern Louisiana University Louisiana Council for Exceptional Children Superconference 2019

2. Session Description This presentation will explore inclusive vocational opportunities occurring through a comprehensive transition & post-secondary program on Southeastern Louisiana University’s campus. Students are experiencing career exploration while acquiring transferrable workforce readiness skills. Personal perspective from both students with intellectual disabilities and their peer-mentors will be provided as well as practical implementation strategies.

3. Who Are We? • Lions Connected • Located on Southeastern Louisiana University’s campus • Established fall of 2016 • Providing a personalized, post-secondary educational experience for individuals with intellectual disabilities by immersing students into the “College Experience” while preparing them to be contributing members of society

4. Session Objectives • Participants will learn how to create inclusive career exploration opportunities on a University campus. • Participants will learn how to facilitate inclusive vocational opportunities using peer mentors. • Participants will learn how to appropriately teach and assess career readiness skills through inclusive vocational opportunities.

5. Program Overview • Students: 13 • Mentors: 25 • A typical day • University courses • College experience • Our goal

6. Purpose of IVO • Acquire transferrable workforce readiness skills • Gain experience in interest specific workforce skills • Practice basic workforce readiness skills • Receive real-world training in preparation for the Credit for Prior Learning Opportunity • Gain insight on their future endeavors • Learn the expectations of inclusive settings

7. Our Goal • Train and educate students to acquire payable employment within their personal community. • Build a career NOT just a job. • Generate an appropriate workforce goal derived from their personal interests and goals.

8. IVO Definition • Unpaid on-campus internship • Accompanied by mentor • Supervisor signs contract • Subject to semester evaluations • Individualized based on interests and goals • Starts in year 2 • Progression: • Year 2: 2 hours/week • Year 3: 4 hours/week • Year 4: 8 hours/week

9. IVO Locations at Southeastern • University Bookstore • Southeastern Football Team • Textbook Rental • Sims Memorial Library • Pennington Recreation Center • University Health Center • Regina Colei Head Start • Teacher Development Center • Lion’s Roar

10. Contract Workforce Readiness Skills • Promptness • Time management • Following directions • Task completion • Positive work ethic • Teamwork-works well with others from various diversities • Dresses appropriately • Integrity-abides by rules • Conflict management • Contributes ideas • Interested in learning • Uses proper language • Organized • Maintains a clean workspace • Respectful customer service • Additional opportunity for responsibility

11. Evaluation

12. Program Completion • Workforce Portfolio • Resume • Experience • Course Descriptions/Objectives • Skills List • Recommendation Letters • Industry Based Certification Certificates • Seek payable employment within personal community

13. IVO’s for Lions Connected Students

14. Dixi • Location: Regina Coeli Head Start • Duties: • Assist teacher with student activities • Read stories to students during center time • Assist students with assignments • Goal: Assist education professionals

15. Dillon • Location: Sims Memorial Library • Duties: • Re-shelve books using call number order • Discharge items from bins and re-sensitize • Organize student equipment • Refill printers with ink and copy paper • Make interdepartmental deliveries and pick-ups • Complete shelving, searching, inventory, shredding as needed. • Goal: Become a staff member at the library

16. Michaela • Location: Textbook Rental • Duties: • Assisting students locate textbooks • Organize textbooks • Prepare textbooks to be transferred to sales floor • Stocking shelves • Goal: Provide and take care of others.

17. Gabriel • Location: Teacher Development Center • Duties: • Organize resources • Helping students locate items in the center • Assisting with ongoing projects in the center • Goal: Care for the elderly

18. Mitchell • Location: Lion’s Roar • Duties: • Create characters included in cartoon • Illustrate cartoons for the university newspaper • Contribute to creative ideas • Goal: Create and publish artwork.

19. Cekisha • Location: University Health Center • Duties: • Greet patients entering clinic • Provide patients with in-take documentation • Notify clinic personnel of patient arrival • Goal: Assist health care professionals.

20. Shelby • Location: Southeastern Football • Duties: • Set up practice equipment. • “Pump” up team during warm-ups. • Retrieve equipment for players and coaches as needed. • Goal: Coach athletes.

21. Drew • Location: University Bookstore • Duties: • Assist customers in locating merchandise • Fold, hang, or tag merchandise • Address proper “look” for “fronting” the store • Goal: Own a comic book store.

22. Other Benefits of IVO Participation • Interactions between student, co-workers, supervisors, and customers • Raising awareness for individuals with disabilities • Changing the “stereotype” perception • Recognition for ABILITY not disability

23. Implementation Tips • Teach transferrable workforce readiness skills in the classroom. • Begin with the end in mind: design evaluation process to assess skills and performance of students. • Form relationships with departments across campus. • Use student interests and goals to decide placement. • Use what you have!

25. Want More Information? • Table outside of Blues Room. • Email: allie.jenkins@selu.edu or lionsconnected@selu.edu • Call: Allie Boquet at 985-549-3637 • Schedule a tour for students, parents, or teachers to see our campus and program office. • Like us on Facebook. Search Lions Connected.