Transition to College and
Work
BJ LeJeune, M.Ed., CRC, CVRT
Mississippi State University
bjlejeune@colled.misstate.edu
Advice on leaving high school…
 Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen.
Don't be afraid. ~Frederick Buechner
Hierarchy of Levels of Best Research Evidence
(Boothroyd,2006)
1. Systematic Literature Review of Research
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Findings
Randomized Controlled Experimental Research
Non-randomized Controlled Experimental
Research
Single Subject (Retrospective, Replicated)
Case Studies (Retrospective)
Expert Opinion
In our field what are the most common levels of
research evidence?
 Single Subject (Retrospective,
Replicated)
 Pre-Post Test measure of
capabilities
 Case Studies (Retrospective)
 Expert Opinion
Words to live by….
Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.
~Ralph Marston
Federally Funded Research
 Disability and Rehabilitation Research Project on VR: Transition
Services that Lead to Competitive Employment Outcomes for
Transition-Age Individuals with Blindness or Other Visual
Impairments
Major Transition Research Strands
Systematic Literature review to identify research on services leading
to successful employment.
2. Data Analysis of 5 National Data Sources to identify relationships
between potential factors influencing employment outcomes.
3. Focus groups and state level data to analyze factors influencing
employment status of youth in transition
4. Project HIRE: Measure the effectiveness of 2 experimental
interventions to prepare high school and college students for
successful employment outcomes.
1.
VRT/MACRT Focus Group: Most
important services in transition
 Orientation & Mobility Services
 Activities of Daily Living
 Use of Assistive Technology
 Social Skills
 Nonverbal communication skills
VRT/MACRT Focus Group: Most important
services for College and Employment
 Mentoring programs - Good role models w/VI who are
successful in college/work
 Learn study skills for college.
 High school students going to work
need many of same skills as those
going to college (AT).
 Have college prep program to work on academics and learn
how college is different.
VRT/MACRT Focus Group: Most
important services for Employment
 Work exploration
 Interviewing skills
 How to address visual impairment/
discuss disability
 Self-Advocacy skills to tell
employers/service providers what you need
 Learn what accommodations are needed for jobs and how to
ask for them.
VRT/MACRT Focus Group: Most
important services for Employment
 Summer work program with paying job to learn skills and
expectations.
 Clients need information about careers. They frequently don’t
know what they can do.
 Work Experience Programs
 Expose to professions and how
blind people can do them, not just
have them read Occupational Handbook
VRT/MACRT Focus Group: Most
important skills in transition
 Problem solving is important.
 How to get accommodations.
 How to get their own place and
take care of it.
 Important to learn about getting
power, water, utilities, turned on.
 Organizational skills.
VRT/MACRT strategies
 Show how to do things instead of doing for (both client and
family)
 Give room to make mistakes while safe
 Education about expectations in different environments (high
school v. college/work)
 Collaborative w/teacher & parent.
 Educate parents about expectations. Need to know what child
can do. Hard to teach some parents.
 Apply skills in real world environment.
MACRT Focus Group: Job Seeking Skills
 Learn to look at job description, figure out essential job tasks,
and if they can do them and if they need accommodations.
Find solutions for essential job functions, then how you can
benefit the company
MACRT: Innovative Ideas
 High school juniors and seniors are encouraged to volunteer.



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Getting a job is good, but also learn to give to community.
Summer work program.
Expose parents to blind people working. Especially unusual jobs.
Parents don’t imagine a totally blind person can be a scientist or
engineer.
Use OJT more. Supported employment services contracts. Job
coaches, readers, etc. typically don’t know much about vision loss.
Collaborative program between private agency and state agency,
VI teachers, job coach/IL teacher, people in community
(employers) for 16 – 19. Six students. Came together. VI teacher
collaborated with counselor.
MACRT: Problems
 Work for VR but work with school systems. Arguments over
who pays for what.
 Rehab teachers (VRTs) not included in a lot of meetings and it
would be helpful if they were. Delivery must be collaborative.
Everyone must do their piece.
 Not being asked by VR to work w/non college students. May
be regarded as unemployable. Need to educate VR about
blindness. They think if you don’t have college skills you don’t
have skills to work. Many numbers of kids falling through
cracks.
Disabled Students Office Focus group
 DSO is merely an advocacy group – students must be able to
function independently.
 State services are great, but person will be successful if that is
what they want to be. Guts and perseverance make a
difference.
 Student Support Services are about civil rights issues, not
about transition. Not job of student support services. Provide
equal opportunity for success. Coach individual students. Let
students experience the consequences of their actions
instead of protecting. Work with parents to help them release
their children.
DSO Focus Group: Skills to Success
 Assistive technology. Must be proficient. Students may have exposure





but in secondary school use is not on IEP, not measurable goal, not
proficient.
Amount of reading is high, so proficiency in reading is important.
Adjustment to blindness training important. Skills needed like travel,
technology, ADL, independence skills.
Must have self advocacy, be able to explain disability and ask for what
you need.
Ability to use readers. Human readers, as opposed to machines.
Training in using a reader.
Mental shift from K-12 to college students. Change from custodial
mentality. Transition to articulating disability and functional limitations,
modifications needed.
Overall Transition Project Results
 Early work experiences – most important predictor!
 having multiple experiences and finding jobs
independently important also
 Academic competence – staying at grade level – and
having a postsecondary degree
 Independent travel skills
 Parental support/expectations
 Begin Transition Intervention at the Earliest Possible
Date
 Importance of Learning Self-Advocacy, Assistive
Technology, and Study Skills
Outputs from NRTC Transition Research
 Transition to College Activity Calendar
http://ntac.blind.msstate.edu/providers/tac/
 List of Transition Programs
http://ntac.blind.msstate.edu/providers/transition/
 Career Advantage Career Exploration program
www.blind.msstate.edu/our-products/online-employmentpreparation/
 Journal Articles
http://blind.msstate.edu/research/completed-research/transition/
Future Directions and Thoughts
 Funding options through WIOA - 15% on transition
 Job-driven training based on the President’s Memo of January
2014.
 More emphasis on dual customer – looking at the employer as
a VR customer.
 The role of the Rehabilitation Counselor in job placement
 More innovative interactions with business leaders and human
resources personnel
One last word…..
Don't live down to expectations. Go
out there, and do something
remarkable. ~Wendy Wasserstein
Thank You!!
B. J. LeJeune, CVRT, CRC
National Research and Training Center on
Blindness and Low Vision
P. O. Box 6189
Mississippi State, MS 39762
NRTC - www.blind.msstate.edu
NTAC – www.blind.msstate.edu
bjlejeune@colled.msstate.edu
662-325-2001