Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Division 2:Employment Update!

Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired

Volume1, Issue 3 Summer 2002

Greetings from the Chair

by Megan Merriwether

Welcome to our Spring Edition of the Employment Update! In this issue we celebrate leaders in the field of Employment and Blind Rehabilitation with an article by Anthony Candela, of the American Foundation of the Blind. We encourage you to give him feedback about the current leaders you know. What do they have that is special? What makes them illustrious leaders?

Let Tony know at .

We also have the pleasure of presenting an article by Helena Yeo on a transition program provided by the Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority (APSEA). Talk about illustrious, our Canadian neighbors are leading the way with transition services and this program seems uniquely constructed for maximum success!

Other news? Please think of joining your Division II colleagues at the AER International Conference in Toronto this July 17 – 21. There is still room! For information, call Accurate Image Marketing (AIM) at (703) 549-9500 for registration information. Don’t miss this valuable networking and training opportunity as all the Divisions and Chapters of AER present the latest in service delivery and research news to our members.

If you are already registered to attend, please do not miss our Division II meeting on July 17th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. We will have our first ever presentation of the Division II Chairperson’s Award, a brand new bi-annual award to be presented to an outstanding member of Division II in the preceding two years. We will also be electing new officers for Division II: both the Chair-elect and the Treasurer positions need to be filled.

Last, but not least, don’t miss Tim’s Tips on success in the employment world. In this issue his focus is on the behavioral competencies that are important to any job you are seeking.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the Employment Update and please let us know what you would like to see in future issues!

Legends of Our Own:

Gaining Stature Within AER

by Anthony R. Candela

A few months ago, while I listened to a series of talks at a professional conference, the child inside the man suddenly awoke in a burst of competitiveness and, perhaps, a small bout of jealousy. The scene of my epiphany was a plenary session of the Josephine L. Taylor Leadership

Institute (JLTLI), held this year in Washington, D.C. from March 8-10.

JLTLI is an annual conference offered by American Foundation for the Blind (AFB).

The specific event was a plenary session devoted to legends of our field. Speaker after speaker described the characteristics of a legend, and, by example, qualities of leadership. I found myself envious of the educators whose legends are, well, legendary. The rub was that employment and rehabilitation legends were, to my consternation, given little attention. This all too typical occurrence is also symptomatic of how rehabilitation and employment sit within AER.

Many readers will recall that AER is composed of two former professional organizations: one which represented rehabilitation counselors and others interested in the employment of blind and visually impaired people, and the other, representing educators (mainly teachers of visually impaired students, orientation and mobility instructors, rehabilitation teachers, and university-based teacher-educators). Since the consolidation of the American Association of Workers for the Blind (AAWB) and the Association of Educators of the Visually Handicapped (AEVH) in the early 1980s, education has outnumbered rehabilitation and employment, both in membership and influence. Thus, in my informal tally during the JLTLI session, only two bona fide rehabilitation and employment legends (Mary E. Switzer, arguably the mother of the modern Vocational Rehabilitation system, and Kenneth Jernigan, Director of the Iowa State Commission for the Blind and President of the National Federation of the Blind) were named while dozens of legend from the "education side" were discussed.

I emerged with the following questions: Is it possible for rehabilitation and employment to become more of a presence in AER? Is there a desire to do so? Who are our legends and great leaders?

Last summer, the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) inaugurated its "Hall of Fame: Leaders and Legends of the Blindness Field". Quoting Dean Tuttle, a leading figure in the field whose important work focused on self-esteem and coping with blindness, the mantra for the Hall is as follows: "The paths that our heroes have blazed and the legacies they have left provide us with purpose and meaning."

The mission of the Hall of Fame, I posit, should become the mission of Division II: "...dedicated to preserving, honoring, and promoting the tradition of excellence manifested by the specific individuals inducted...and through the history of outstanding services provided to people who are blind or visually impaired."

A visit to the APH web site, www.aph.org, and a foray to the 'legends' link bring the reader to a growing treasure-trove of biographies of famous people in the blindness field. A sample of the leaders and legends connected directly to employment now in the Hall includes:

Mary K. Bauman - Developed non-verbal psychological testing and vocational assessment tools; wrote a seminal book on job placement of blind and visually impaired people.

Fr. Thomas Carroll - Founded the center which now bears his name in Newton, MA and wrote a seminal book, "Blindness: What It Is, What It Does, and How to Live With It", explaining the psychological paths newly blinded adults must travel in order to 're-invent' themselves as blind persons. Fr. Carroll received many awards, including one from the National Rehabilitation Association (NRA) and a Miguel Medal from AFB.

Durward McDaniel - An early founder of the American Council of the Blind, attorney, and expert on the Randolph-Sheppard program for blind vendors and the Wagner-O'Day Act, which structured the sheltered workshop system for the blind.

Peter Salmon - Executive Director of the Industrial Home for the Blind in New York and champion of services for deaf-blind people, Mr. Salmon founded a vocational placement program and, perhaps his greatest accomplishment, the Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-blind Youths and Adults.

Louis Vieceli - A progenitor of our own Division II, Lou Vieceli spent most of his career providing vocational rehabilitation counseling to blind people and job placement training to rehabilitation counselors. He served as editor of the Employment Counselor's Newsletter for AAWB's Group 2, an earlier version of the newsletter you are now reading, and a lecturer for the Job Placement Division of the NRA.

There are many more leaders and legends of our field out there. It is up to us to bring their names to the attention of AER. One way of doing this is to get them inducted into the Hall of Fame.

However, we need to do more. AER's Division II membership is only a fraction of the total group of rehabilitation counselors and employment specialists working for blind and visually impaired people in the U.S. and Canada. Many belong to the NRA and affiliated organizations; many more have not joined any professional organization at all.

The reasons for low AER Division II participation require further clarification, of course. Still, I am left with the questions posed at the beginning of this article: Is it possible for rehabilitation and employment to become more of a presence in AER? Is there a desire to do so? Who are our legends and great leaders?

As you muse about your profession, jot down one or two names of people you feel are illustrious leaders or legends of our field. Please send an e-mail to with your list of names as well as your thoughts about our membership situation. Together we can get back on the AER radarscope. Together, we can support our work and our legends.

The Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority of Canada:

A Transition Model

By Helena Yeo

The Atlantic Provinces Special Education Authority of Canada (APSEA) has been providing unique transition services to students who are blind and visually impaired, including students with multiple disabilities, for approximately 14 years. Teachers of the residential school began transition planning with residential students around 1987. Transition meetings were held with agencies in the student’s home communities or community of their choice to establish employment, housing, etc. In 1992, APSEA piloted a transition project. A Transition Planning Facilitator was hired to provide on- and off-campus students with transition services throughout Atlantic Canada. A second transition staff member was hired in 1994.

APSEA defines transition planning as a collaborative service designed to assist students and their families in planning for the transition from school to adult life. APSEA students between the ages of 14 to 21, throughout Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island may access transition services.

Transition goals are different for every student, and vary with ability levels, needs, family and student preferences and community opportunities. For example, will the student be attending university/college, a vocational centre, seeking employment or a new living arrangement? To achieve these goals transition teams are formed. The teams are comprised of individuals who are currently involved in the student’s life and people who will be involved with the student after he or she finishes high school, e.g., student (if applicable), parents, itinerant teacher, school staff, community agencies, and transition facilitator. The transition facilitator contributes their expertise and knowledge specific to individuals with visual impairments, assists the student in long range planning and develops strategies to achieve these goals. Itinerant teachers are vital to the process as they have an excellent knowledge of the student’s abilities, career aspirations and family goals. Transition team members are a catalyst for or an active link to community programs, services, and resources for students and parents.

It is crucial to set goals in all areas of the student’s life and to prioritize which goals are important to the student/family. The areas normally considered are: education or employment training, living arrangements, transportation, personal management, legal issues, leisure/ recreation, financial/income, etc. For transition planning to be successful, families must be active participants in the process.

Families and students are presented with transition planning forms, which outline the areas they should consider when planning for the future. Checklists are provided to academic grade 10, 11, and 12 students, which outline the activities they should complete to prepare themselves for post secondary studies.

In addition to spearheading, formal transition meetings, transition facilitators provide a variety of transition services, depending on the goals of the student, in cooperation with itinerant teachers and local involvement with academic students include: career exploration activities to aid students in determining a career path, preparing students for post secondary education or training, assisting students with job search skills, facilitating students’ access to summer employment, volunteer experiences or work placements, helping families to access funding for a summer program, etc. Students with multiple disabilities and their families are assisted by introducing them to community agencies and services, vocational centres or day programs, residential options, funding possibilities, summer programs, volunteer experiences, etc.

Students also benefit from the programs offered at APSEA’s Centre in Halifax. Students served can benefit from APSEA’s one-week short-term programs. Students in grades 10 and 11 can participate in progressive Career Weeks. The goals of these weeks are to assure students with visual impairments or blindness that they have the potential to pursue the career of their interest, to experience these careers through job shadows and to meet employed individuals who blind or visually impaired. Graduating high school students planning to pursue post secondary studies can participate in Post Secondary Week. PSW is intended to prepare students for some of the challenges encountered when entering first-year university or college, such as improving time management and study skills lectures and note taking, financial concerns and living in residence.

APSEA also offers a five-month Cooperative Education Program where students receive classroom instruction in job skills and practical work experiences. Following graduation, APSEA maintains contact with students for a period of five years to monitor their progress and achievements as well as to determine the effectiveness of the transition process.

What An Employer Wants: Five Important Behavioral Competencies

by Tim Hindman

Employers, simply, are looking for the best prospective employer they can find. They are looking for a set of particular skills that have to do not only with technical expertise but also with behavioral competencies that signal a person has what it takes to perform their job successfully.

The “Big Five” behavioral competencies that are important to any job you are seeking are:

1. Continuous Learning and Growth-Assimilating and applying in a timely manner new job-related information that may vary in complexity; possessing intellectual agility needed to learn new concepts and tasks; showing eagerness and enthusiasm for laming new tasks and taking on additional responsibilities; taking the initiative in development activities; seeking and accepting feedback and coaching.

2. Teamwork Building/

Partnership Collaboration-

Working collaboratively and cooperatively with others; building relationships; working effectively with team or work group or those outside the formal line of authority (e.g. associates, senior managers) to accomplish organizational goals; taking actions that respect the needs and contributions of others; contributing to and accepting the consensus; subordinating own objectives to the objectives of the organization or team.

3. Communication- Expressing thoughts, feelings, and ideas effectively in individual and group situations (including nonverbal communication); presenting ideas effectively when given time for preparation; clearly expressing ideas in e-mails, letters, and reports that have appropriate organization, structure, correct grammar, language, and terminology; adjusting language to the characteristics and needs of the audience.

4. Decision Making-Identifying and understanding issues and problems; utilizing effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions; taking action that is consistent with available

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We want to hear from you!

Please send us your submissions, comments, questions, and inquiries about Division 2, the Employment and Vocational Rehabilitation Division. Please call Megan or Tim in Seattle @ (206) 436-2186.

E-mail: or

facts, constraints, and probable consequences.

5. Initiative-Asserting one's influence over events to achieve goals; self-starting rather than accepting passively; taking action to achieve goals beyond what is required; being proactive.