Barriers to Self-Empowerment Faced by Transition Students: How We can Provide a Helping Hand over the Barriers

1. Barriers to Self-Empowerment Faced by Transition Students: How We can Provide a Helping Hand over the Barriers Transition Learning Collaborative Peggy Hale, CURRENTS Avis Brown, LRS

2. TLC (Transition Learning Collaborative) • Transition Coordinators in Region 6 • Began in 1997 • Have a teleconference monthly • Discuss current issues in Transition • Share knowledge and experiences • Meet face-to-face once a year

3. TLC Possibility Statement TLCserves as a resource for transition counselors by– • Sharing our passion and energy • Connecting counselors in the field to cutting edge transition tools, information and policy; • Creating a sense of community among practitioners; • And supporting counselors to effectively work with young people with disabilities to achieve their goals.

4. Objective In order to have empowered transition consumers, we believe that students must know their rights and be provided information regarding how to access services. Barriers to accessing services will be identified, and suggestions for overcoming the barriers will be given and discussed.

5. PACER Center – What is Self-Determination http://www.pacer.org/tatra/resources/self.asp Self determination is believing you can control your own destiny. Self-determination is a combination of attitudes and abilities that lead people to set goals for themselves, and to take the initiative to reach these goals. It is about being in charge, but is not necessarily the same thing as self-sufficiency or independence. It means making your own choices, learning to effectively solve problems, and taking control and responsibility for one's life. Practicing self-determination also means one experiences the consequences of making choices.

6. http://www.ohsu.edu/oidd/CSD/aboutcsd.cfm Center on Self-Determination Oregon Health & Science University- A good resource for parents and transition youth. What is Self-Determination? As described by the Oregon Center on Self-Determination • control their lives • reach set goals • take part fully in the world around them

7. Self-Empowerment • Self-Determination • Consumer Directed • Control (over ones own life and has knowledge, skills, supports, resources and confidence to exercise that control in achieving goals.) • Informed choice • Empowerment

8. Wehmeyer (1996) defined self-determination as "acting as the primary causal agent in one's life and making choices and decisions regarding one's quality of life free from undue external influence or interference

9. Research has shown • PWD with Self-determination skills have a more positive outcome. • Self-determination contributes to a better quality of life for PWD. Wehmeyer 1998

10. Informed Choice Implementation of Informed Choice Policy Directive RSA-PK—01-03 DATE –January 17, 2004

11. Rehab Act of 1973 Sec 504 • Earliest legislation acknowledging that people with disabilities deserved civil rights protections in employment and public accommodations

12. Education of the Handicapped Act 1975 (EHA) • First legislation that guaranteed that children with disabilities had a right to a free public education. • We know this legislation today as IDEA –(Individuals with disabilities Educational Act)1998

13. 1998 Amendments to the Rehab Act • “To empower individuals with disabilities to maximize employment, economic self-sufficiency, independence, and inclusion and integration into society. From the time the Consumer enters the program he/she is to be actively involved in the decisions that impact every aspect of the services received.

14. Application • http://nichcy.org/schoolage/transitionadult/students NICHY • http://www.ncset.org/publications/mfmp.asp My Future My Plan is a curriculum designed to motivate and guide students with disabilities and their families as they begin early transition planning for life after high school

15. Youthhood http://www.youthhood.org/guides/overview_interactive.asp

16. Assessment The Arc's Self-Determination Scale (Wehmeyer & Kelchner, 1995) • Transition assessments are ongoing, specific, and individualized according to the students' goals and programs. • Vocational evaluation • Psychological assessement • Assistive Technology assessment

17. Plan Development • The goal of the plan is to strengthen the weak areas identified from the assessment process. • Identifying abilities, interests, capabilities, strengths, needs, potentials, behaviors, and preferences. • Everything the student needs in order to achieve an employment outcome goes on the plan

18. Services • Guidance & Counseling • Job Readiness • Career Exploration • Job Placement

19. Placement • Student needs referral to agency’s Job Placement staff. • Connection to the Career Center/Employment Center

20. NASET • http://www.nasetalliance.org/toolkit/

21. NYLN (Nation Youth Leadership) • is a youth-led organization. “We work to build power among people with disabilities between the ages of 16- 28 years old.” We want to support young people in their role as the next generation of leadership in the Disability Rights Movement. NYLN has been around since 1997. We are the only youth-led disability rights nonprofit organization in the country. • The NYLN:• Promotes youth leadership development.• Values inclusion, interdependent support systems, and disability pride.• Works to create access to the resources youth need to be leaders.• Supports work being done by youth activists with disabilities on the local level.• Trains youth with disabilities.• Connects youth leaders with opportunities to serve and be active members of their communities.

23. Barriers to Empowerment and Informed choice • Lack of parent participation • Over-involvement of parents • Lack of knowledge and understanding of what choices are available • Lack of transportation • Lack of information of teachers and school personnel about what is available • Fear of losing benefits, family dependence on benefits • Lack of computer access

24. Barriers to empowerment and informed choice…continued • Lack of vendors • Family does not meet need guidelines for services needed by the transition student • Lack of knowledge by the parents and students about what skills are needed to go to work or to college. • Educators sometimes keep students in school until they age out rather than helping them transition.

25. Attitudes • VR Professional • Consumer

26. Constraints on VR System • Time Constraints • Policy/Procedure • Funding

27. Factors that lower Consumers ability to control • Low societal expectations • Lack of opportunity • Employer’s misperceptions • Institutional bias • Unresponsive bureaucracies

28. Disability Specific and Psychological Factors • Consumers may not be able to make decisions on their own due to limitations. • Learned helplessness

29. Skills needed for Self-Determination • Choice making • Self-advocacy • Decision making • Problem Solving • Lotus of control • Self-management • Self-efficacy and understanding • Self observation, evaluation , and reinforcement

30. Knowledge • Disability Awareness (self-knowledge) (strengths, weaknesses, preferences) • Available services and resources, laws, funding, policy and procedures –how to navigate the VR system • Options –training, education, services and resources, funding possibilities

31. Resources • Community resources are Essential to the process. The key to success is Professionals skill/ability to identify, utilize, and coordinate with resources http://www.imdetermined.org/one_pager/ Virginia Department of Education Self-Determination Project

32. Resources • http://www.familyvillage.wisc.edu/

33. Resources National Youth Leadership has a curriculum called- Reap what you Sow

34. Skills • Counseling and guidance • Training programs (community programs) • Self-help groups • Spiritual programs and supports

36. Skills needed by Consumer to Direct the VR Process: • Communication skills (spoken/written) • Self advocacy • Organizational/planning skills • Problems-solving abilities • Listening and learning skills • Negotiation and compromising ability • Self and system evaluation • Monitoring skills.

38. Skills (VR Professional) • Effective communication skills • Assertion • Self-Advocacy skills • Organizational skills • Planning and problem solving skills • Listening skills • Negotiation and compromising ability • Self and system evaluation • Monitoring • Cultural sensitivity

39. Practical Actions and Suggestions for Counselors to Promote Choice • This summary was adapted from the 29th annual IRI – Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, Topic 1 • RCEPV - Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 2006

40. Practical Actions and Suggestions for Counselors to Promote Choice • Place the focus on the whole customer • Assure that customers have real choices and are in control of decisions in all phases of their rehabilitation • Provide accurate information in a format that customers can use • Accommodate and modify for sensory/cognitive obstacles

41. Continued…. • Define roles, responsibilities and expectations explicitly and truthfully at the onset • Understand your feelings about customer control and self direction • Prepare the customer for the needs of the VR system • Consider making changes in the way the initial or intake interview is conducted

42. Continued…. • Eliminate or reduce disempowering vocabulary and language • Encourage and facilitate an ongoing evaluation of the counseling relationship • Understand and respect what reinforces the customer • Demystify clinical and diagnostic processes • Identify natural supports

43. Continued… • State an explicit goal of self management and self-direction • Recognize and deal with anxiety, fear of failure and learned helplessness • Teach and promote sound consumerism • Assess and address the “impact” of disability • Remain open to alternative, non-traditional and creative goals, options, intervention approaches and plans

44. Continued… • Share the professional rational • Facilitate peer modeling and mentoring • Model empowered behavior and skills • Assist the consumer to process their experiences over time to gain self awareness

45. Continued… • Enable by encouraging, modeling and supporting customer involvement in rehabilitation and daily living activities • Advocate for consumer self direction with others involved with the customer, including vendors and other providers of service • Raise expectations • Expect mistakes

46. Wrap- up • What is self-determination? • What is informed choice? • What is empowerment • What is Counselors role in self-determination and empowerment? • What are the major barriers your consumers face and what is your role in helping remove the barrier or help then through the barrier?