Access to the Future: Preparing Students with Disabilities for Careers

College career development staff share ideas for making services and programs accessible to students with disabilities

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[Narrator] It's a long way from the classroom

to that first job interview.

And for students with disabilities,

there may be some awkward moments when they get there.

[Interviewer] Tell me.

How did you happen to go blind?

[Interviewer] Gosh, you're such an inspiration.

But computer programming's really demanding.

[Interviewer] So you probably can't use a computer, right?

'Cause you're crippled, right?

[Interviewer] So, how'd you happen to go blind?

[Interviewer] Don't you get sick a lot?

[Interviewer] Right?

[Interviewer] Hmmm, tell me.

How'd you happen to go blind?

[Narrator] Well, of course they aren't supposed

to ask those questions.

As a career counselor

or work-based learning coordinator, you know that.

But it does happen, and some potential employers may be

thinking those things even though they'd never say them.

Learning to deal with employers' concerns

and assumptions is essential.

[Randy] Interviews, to begin with, are a game in psychology.

You're showing them that you are the greatest thing in the world

and they want you so badly that they can't stand it.

For the disabled person it's a little more tricky,

because you have to prove to them

that you are the hottest thing in the world

and they can't stand not having you,

and you can do the job even though you have the disability.

[Co-worker] Did you want to do the Airborne thing tonight?

[Todd] Yes, let's get it together before I go.

[Co-worker] Okay, I'll be here for a little bit longer.

[Todd] Okay, great.

[Co-worker] All right.

[Todd] Thanks.

[Co-worker] See you, Todd.

[Narrator] The ADA, or American with Disabilities Act,

prohibits discrimination in the workplace.

[ Phone dialing beeps ]

[Narrator] People with disabilities need to be aware

of their legal rights.

But they also have to consider the impact of their disabilities

as they plan their career-seeking strategies.

You can help with that process.

[Vic] We've found that internships, co-op programs,

and other work-based programs are very effective in terms

of students learning how to interview, learning how and when

to disclose disabilities,

and learning what accommodations students might need

in different work situations.

[Supervisor] There's this mailing project

that I need you to work on.

[Minda] Okay.

[Supervisor] It's going to go to about 20 or 30 people?

[Narrator] Unfortunately,

students with disabilities don't enter work-based learning

programs as often as other students.

Inclusion in those programs may take some specific

recruiting efforts.

[Minda] I think students with disabilities think that maybe

that those opportunities aren't for them,

that maybe that those programs internships

or things aren't geared toward people with disabilities,

so maybe they just don't want to apply or think

that they're applicable.

[Narrator] One way to reach those students is

to ask the Disabled Student Services Office

to help you advertise your activities and services.

They might be able to distribute information about your programs

and connect you to student groups

that would appreciate a presentation.

Then, once you have people's attention, they have to be able

to access your services.

Your clients may have learning, visual, hearing, speech,

or mobility impairments.

Taking steps to make sure your facilities, services,

and resources are welcoming and accessible to individuals

with a broad range

of characteristics is an application

of the principles of universal design.

For example:

 

[Narrator] Using electronic formats may help make your

materials more accessible,

but there are challenges there as well.

For people who are blind, critical information presented

as graphics must be duplicated in a text format to be readable

by speech output software.

[Computer] At first,

the quaternions were regarded as pathological.

[Narrator] And for students who are deaf,

audio information must be captioned or transcribed.

The important thing is to plan ahead,

to know how to produce materials

in alternative formats before someone needs them.

Be prepared to produce them quickly when asked.

[Dyane] What is essential is that you do know how to go

about getting those accommodations in place

in a timely manner when they're requested.

And a real good resource for that,

for the Career Services Office,

is the Disabled Student Services Office.

They can contact that office any time

and they'll help them figure out how to fulfill

that requested accommodation.

[Narrator] And then think about how you can work effectively

with a person who has a disability.

Here are some tips for success:

 

[Dyane] When a student with a disability goes to any office

on campus, but certainly the Center for Career Services,

you'd want to treat them like you would any other student,

provide them with the same services

as you would any other student,

have the same expectations as any other student.

However, if the student has disability-related needs,

you'd certainly want to consider them

as you provide them the service and respond accordingly.

[Interviewer] Can you give me an example of how,

when you're working with the Big Brothers & Sisters,

if there was a conflict between two of the children,

how did you resolve it?

[Narrator] Events outside your office need

to be accessible, too.

These may include interviewing workshops like this one,

career fairs, and interviews between students and employers.

[Interviewer] What kind of a background do you have

that gets you interested in robotics?

[Dyane] The Center for Career Services Office is responsible

for providing any kind of requested accommodations

that a student asks for, but it is the student's responsibility

to request the accommodation, because the Center

for Career Services folks won't know what the student is needing

unless the student asks.

[Narrator] In advertising your event,

include a notice indicating who to contact

to request disability-related accommodations.

Some requests might include:

 

[Narrator] For its own events,

the Career Center would provide the accommodations.

For employer interviews, even on campus, it's different.

[Vic] The employer would provide the accommodations.

In fact, we have had employers in the past

who have interviewed students in our offices here,

if it's for their business,

we let them know what the opportunities are on campus

to provide, say, an interpreter.

They have the option to take advantage of that,

or they can bring their own interpreter.

But they would be the ones who would cover the cost.

[Student] What should I be doing?

[counselor] Well, it's just recognizing, first of all,

that the transferrable kinds of skills?

[Narrator] You can work with students on how and when

to present those accommodation needs.

However, if you want to talk to an employer

about a specific student's disability,

get written permission from the student first.

[Vic] Employers are looking for skilled people.

Whether they have disabilities or not, if people come

across to them as someone who has strengths and abilities

that will benefit their business,

that's what they care about.

They want people who are skilled.

And if a student gets that across they're halfway there.

[Narrator] The disability itself isn't supposed

to be part of the job interview.

Accommodations should be discussed

after an offer of employment.

But for students with obvious disabilities,

this timing doesn't always work.

It's an individual choice.

[Caller] Thanks, Todd.

Do appreciate it.

[Todd] You're welcome, man.

[Caller] Have a good afternoon

[Todd] You too, bud.

[Caller] Bye, bye [Todd] Bye bye.

[Narrator] At Todd Stabelfeldt's first interview,

it took a great flurry of activity,

including moving the Interviewer's desk,

to accommodate his wheelchair.

Then, the first thing they talked

about was Todd's disability.

Todd prefers to get the discussion

out of the way immediately.

[Todd] It's a good icebreaker.

People want to know.

This is obviously an attraction.

They're interested; they want to know as humans.

And so I find that it's real easy for me to talk about it.

I'll get it out in the open and get it over with,

and then we can move on with our conversation.

I don't mind, you know.

[Interviewer] It looks like you've done a lot of fundraising

with some non-profits.

Can you tell me about that?

[Applicant] Yes, I've handled many different tasks,

ranging from building and maintaining databases to --

[Narrator] Each situation and each student is different.

It's the individual's choice whether

to disclose a disability during the job interview.

Once a student has a job, accommodations may be necessary.

Work-based learning offers the opportunity

to determine what those accommodations might be,

and then to work with employers

to implement those accommodations.

[Todd] One, I obviously can't open the door.

So basically, you know, you can set up automatic doors off

of switches and things, so they set that up for my wheelchair,

and that's how I open the door at home and at the office.

And as far as computer working, it's real simple;

on-screen keyboard with sort of a stick mouse sip and puff,

you know, one puff single click, two puffs double click;

and that's what I use.

And then just a simple book stand and mouth wand

for magazine turning, paper turning.

And that's really it.

[Narrator] Companies are responsible

for providing reasonable accommodations

to their employees with disabilities.

In work-based learning placements, however, schools

and businesses should work together to determine

who will be financially responsible for accommodations.

To help students and employers choose reasonable

accommodations, you can use this four-step process:

 

[Dyane] Ultimately, the student

with the disability has the best knowledge

about what their needs are.

However, if students have not yet been in the workplace,

they may not have a good idea about what they need

and what's available to them.

[ Music ]

[Narrator] Finally, and most important,

have high expectations for students with disabilities.

Expect success.

More and more people with disabilities are going

to college, and you have the opportunity

to help them meet their career goals.

 

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