Summer Academy prepares Pa.’s impaired students for employment

Pennsylvania students who are blind and visually impaired are learning independent-living skills at Penn State that will prepare them for? employment ? after high school.

The Department of Labor & Industry’s? Office of Vocational Rehabilitation ? (OVR) ?has offered the Summer Academy for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired since 2009 and has served some 325 students since 2014.

“Every young person must learn a set of independent-living skills to succeed in their transition from childhood to adulthood but that list of needed skills is a little longer for youth with disabilities,” Labor & Industry Secretary Nancy Walker said in a statement. “L&I’s summer academies help students and their families plan and adjust to a new set of circumstances with the best chance of success.

The program is offered by OVR every summer along with a separate academy for students who are deaf or hard of hearing to help students build the skills they’ll need to succeed in post-secondary education and competitive integrated employment.?

There is no cost to students or their families for participation in the academy. The program is funded through federal pre-employment transition funds.

According to a release, the academy is an immersive experience, offering students the opportunity to live in a college dorm with a roommate, eat meals at a dining hall, and participate in team-building activities.? Students can take various classes, including mobility skills with a white cane, how to request accommodations, study skills, assistive technology, disability services, social and emotional skills, adaptive sports, career planning, and more.

Each student and their family receive a report outlining the student’s strengths and areas that could be focused on to make the successful transition to college.

The summer academies also aid young professionals who will be supporting individuals with disabilities in their future careers by hiring college students with human services-related majors to serve as Resident Assistants (RAs). The RAs conduct activities and provide guidance to the participants to ensure that each student has a great experience. In the past, OVR has seen students and RAs successfully graduate from college and come to work for the Department.

OVR’s Summer Academy for Students who are Blind or Visually Impaired is open to Pennsylvania high school students enrolled in vocational rehabilitation services through the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services. Along with working with families directly, OVR partners with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network to distribute information about the academies to all vision departments within Pennsylvania’s Intermediate Units.

“These programs are based on the lived experiences of people who have successfully made the transition from high school to college, and then to employment and are a great example of government being a force for good for Pennsylvania families,” said Walker.

Copyright © 2024 BridgeTower Media. All Rights Reserved.