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DRAFT
ICEVI
Fiftieth International conference,
July, 2000
Transition for students from home to work and/or school to college
This is an important subject, and I gather from all accounts, a subject that is not given as much of the attention as it deserves either in development projects, or in schools of higher learning where we train the professionals for our field. I am pleased that the conference has decided to focus on this topic and to look at the broad array of issues that confront professionals and leaders in our field as we address this issue.
The human being is always in a state of transition. From toddler to childhood, from youth to adulthood, from school to home, home to work and so on. This is a perpetual state of shifting and learning to adapt. The operative phrase here is one of shifting and learning to adapt. That is essentially what one does in transitioning.
The Webster Dictionary has at least six different definitions of the word transition. A glance at some of those definitions would help to give a closer look at what I noted when I suggested that we are always in a state of transition.
The dictionary speaks of “Passage from one form, state, style, or place to another… a. Passage from one subject to another in discourse… b. A word, phrase, sentence, or series of sentences connecting one part of a discourse to another… Sports the process of changing from defense to offense or offense to defense, as in basketball or hockey…”
If we broke each of those phrases down, we would see how we could implement these into the work that we try to do. For example, “passage from one form, state or style to another;” this could link to our effort to move a young adult from home to work, or from the protection of a residential school to a university. That passage is the state of transition, the shifting state to which I referred.
Research done in our field has addressed the issue of transition as it relates to moving the child from “home to work” or from, “school to college”. Some schools and/or rehabilitation centers have specifically designed programs to “transition out” students to work or college. The subject is given some attention; (not much) in some teacher training curricula. I would like to work with you, to open the discussion on the subject of transition, both from the aspect of policy, and from the practice on the ground. Practice here, is referred to the act of “doing the thing”; (transitioning out.)
Some work has been done in the United States in following young adults who have been transitioned from school to work or from college to work or school to college. The work done in the United States has looked at both the young adult in the transition process in to work or college and the employer or college leadership in the process of accepting the young visually impaired person. Much of the work done in the U.S is encouraged by the legal framework of (idea). This legal framework has opened opportunities for support to be provided by agencies to give more attention to the process of transiting of the student whether it is from home to work or from school to college.
The legal instruments certainly allow one a frame work into which to provide programs. And certainly IDEA. The American with Disability Act has gone a long way to help bring about more attention to this subject.
Let us now take a glance at some of the factors that came out of some of the research, and see how we can cross-pollinate these to addressing the concern of young blind and or visually impaired adults around the globe. I am aware that none of the issues in the studies will be addressed the same in all countries. I am also aware that many countries do not have legal instruments that will help to bring attention to this area of need. However, what we can do is to begin the discussion regarding some essential issues that are generally the same for all children. What I am suggesting is that there maybe some universal issues regarding transition. These issues maybe specific to all children and others only too visually impaired children.
A study done by HOLT of the University of Northern Colorado, identified several factors that enhance or impede student participation in transition related activities and, noted some interventions that were found to enhance their participation.
Some of the factors identified included:
2. students having job competencies,
3. students enrolled in general education classrooms,
4. students being part of democratic, non-controlling families,
and,
5) Student’s ability to self regulate. (Holt 1998)
(In the final version of this paper, those factors will be addressed in a broader global context.)
Holt suggested some Techniques that can be used to address the issues noted above.
The team approach; Involvement of the family; the role of teachers and school district; the policy and support role of the ministry of education personnel; and the involvement of the student or student representatives.
An additional study by Mcbroom of Mississippi State University identified the following factors:
Finally, the researchers pointed to the student’s need to understand how employers' expectations change over time. That is, they noted that the student needed to be taught that an employer initially expects to see evidence of good work habits and rudimentary work skills. (Mcbroom 1995)
Many of the experts, with whom I speak, noted that a gap existed between the role of the school that was involved in the transition process, and follow-up to see the long term results of those programs. They noted that there was a need for much grater involvement of schools to follow the progress of persons who have come through the process of a transition program.
In developing countries, where such programs are very limited or non-existent, individuals are placed in work situations without an organized transition program. In many countries, university programs are developing (Disability desks (that are involved in helping the visually impaired individual to adjust in the university. However, Career planning and guidance beyond university is limited.
In these countries, many individuals are placed in a “project”. Many end up in sheltered workshops, and the majority ends up back at home doing nothing.
In these countries, the situation of transitioning is rather different, and in many cases the concept does not exist.
Operationalizing the concept.
If the term transitioning refers to moving an individual from one state to another, let us now see how that is operationalized into practical programs.
1. Offering opportunities for special education services
2. Developing and exposing persons to job competencies
3. Full participation of families.
4. Building self-confidence.
5. The individual developing and having the ability to self regulate
I will now spend sometime discussing Two important areas of social development that I believe should be added to any discussion that is preparing blind and or visually impaired persons for “integration” into the “world”.
A discussion on the empowerment of the individual and his/her community; and social negotiation as a process in “life” should be added to the rehabilitation and preparation process.
Empowerment is essentially a concept of social change. It is interpreted differently across a wide range of projects, organizations and cultures. It is a process that is implemented with organizations, individuals and/or communities.
This is not simply a psychological process. It is both sociological and psychological. The empowerment of the individuals is about the him/her assuming personal power for his/her development. The process would include an understanding of the community and the social functions of community development. The community would refer to work, college, and the social environment where you live and or are expected to be at the particular moment of your life. According to Rappaport “Empowerment is a construct that links individual strengths and competencies, natural helping systems, and proactive behaviors to social policy and social change (Rappaport, 1984).
At the individual level, empowerment might include participation or control. At the organizational level empowerment might include, collective decision making, shared leadership including policy and program development. Empowerment at the community level might include collective action to access Government and other community resources. (Perkins and Zinnerman 1995)
Social negotiation. This concept is one that I have developed as I have worked with blind and visually impaired persons around the world. It would seem to me that one of the basic skills that is necessary to integrate individuals into society is the ability to understand and work with social norms. For example, simply understanding how to approach people to get service without loosing your dignity as a blind or disabled person. Understanding how to ask for, and accept assistance to achieve a personal goal, whether it is to cross the road, or to get a cab. Negotiation is about human relations, something that every person does with an understanding of the social norms of their society.
The blind or visually impaired individual has to appreciate the norms, recognize the limitations of his disability, and work with that to achieve his goals. As I noted, he must maintain his dignity or “humanness” in the process. For me, this is an important aspect of transitioning kids into society.
Both empowerment and social negotiations are important processes that should be absorbed into rehabilitation teaching, and within both teacher training and rehabilitation counseling curricula.
Conclusion and recommendation.
We could not end this discussion without addressing the unique challenge faced by persons with additional disabilities - persons who are deafblind and/or blind persons who are multihandicapped.
The transitioning process of these persons has some similarities, such as the team approach, the involvement of the ministry, the involvement and/or respect of the rights of the individuals and so on. However, essentially there are unique challenges that must be responded too in a unique way. The preparation process maybe longer, the channeling process will be different, and the options will be different. Most significantly, the uniqueness of the multi-disability brings about additions awareness issues, and additional challenges regarding attitudes of the community. The empowerment and negotiation challenges are different, but certainly not to be left out. The curricula to meet the needs of this individual must be developed with an understanding of the unique circumstance and the social challenges that are different and more debilitating that that of even the individual who is blind without any additional disability.
Where as, I am calling for universities to look at the teacher training curricula to address and or strengthen the curriculum for transition. I feel that the issue of transition is not only the concern of those involved in the preparation of rehabilitation workers. That is, we have seen all too often when the child leaves school he has to go to a rehab center and learn “life skills”. Transition should be part of the education plan from very early. The team approach would remove the separation that now exists between school and rehabilitation work. It is true that the individual who is blind should not be the property of the “blindness system”. However, the system must work to support the individual as they make their transition away from its grasp. Scot in his book the “Making of the Blind man” noted that in a strange way the “blindness system” created an atmosphere of dependency. A transition program, like a good education or rehabilitation program should work to wean the student from the system and have him/her fully integrated into the “main stream” programs of work or college.
The university personnel preparation curricula is one of the starting points from where we should begin to re-address the challenge of transition. The second issue is related to the school program. Transition should not simply be a “second thought” subject of the school as it relates to their program. Successful transition is about the ability to maintain and understand the process; how well is the child doing after they have left the grasp of the school. The school must follow-up on this to understand if its program is meaningful to the child and not aimed too build its own numbers.
There are four elements that must be put together to work through a transition process.
1. Increased awareness and building of skills from the teacher training or personnel preparation programs;
2. Development and support for parents;
3. The team approach, which would include school, government ministries, rehabilitation workers and others;
and,
4. School programs that build in a continuous process from the “early grades” and build in follow-up and or evaluation to assess those who have successfully integrated into the society to meet the goals of the project.
W. Aubrey Webson
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