Expanding Career Options through Universal Design for

Expanding Career Options through Universal Design for Learning (ECO-UDL)

Key Players ________________________ • Lindsay A. Harris, Ed.S. - Project Supervisor

PHILLIPS Programs ~ Annandale School

Lindsay.Harris@phillipsprograms.org

• Lynn R. Dowd, Ed.S., CVE - Certified Vocational Evaluator (CVE), Careerworks, Inc.

• Frances G. Smith, Ed.D, CVE - UDL Consultant/ CVE VDOE's Training & Technical Assistance Center Virginia Commonwealth University

It all started on a napkin…

Shared Philosophies _____________________________

• All individuals can learn

• All individuals have worth and can contribute to society

• All individuals have the potential to work

• Work contributes to a quality of life

• All individuals have a right to choice, including employment

Shared Philosophies _____________________________ • Career Assessment

contributes to an individuals understanding of themselves and their world of work

• All human assessment should be humanistic and holistic.

Shared Philosophies _____________________________

• UDL facilitates access to and participation by all who wish to engage in vocational evaluation and career assessment services.

UDL and the Career Assessment Process

What Do We Know

What Do We Want To Find

Out

What Did We Learn

Universal Design for Learning

What is UDL? _______________________

http://www.youtube.com/wa

tch?v=pGLTJw0GSxk

It begins with Neural Networks

Recognition

Strategic

Affective

• Multiple Means of Representation ▫ To increase recognition

• Multiple Means of Expression ▫ To expand strategic output

• Multiple Means of Engagement ▫ To enhance involvement

The 3 Principles of UDL

• VECAP embraced UDL as a practice in 2006

Career Assessment

Career Assessment a working definition

Any process of measurement which

• is used to identify individual characteristics and education, training, and placement needs;

• contributes to the career planning process and;

• provides the individual with insight into their career potential.

Career Assessment for Transition the outcome

• should influence the student and their team in day to day curriculum, and

• have implications for career choice.

VECAP

30th IRI A New Paradigm for Vocational Evaluation: Empowering the VR Consumer through Vocational Evaluation

Assess for Success 2ed Sittlington, et. al.

Congruence

Congruence = Success

Strengths and

needs, interests,

abilities, self-

awareness

Adult ecologies are

diverse (jobs, training

programs, post-

secondary education)

Congruence can be facilitated by

the identification of appropriate

services and supports

Student

Work

Ecology

This project: ECO-UDL Expanding Career Options Through UDL

Paradigm Shift: UDL provides solutions/supports to student’s

learning needs overcoming barriers to employment

increasing congruence/success on the job

UDL

I H

Student

Work

Ecology

ECO-UDL

Assessment Process Sources of Information

Student Student Interview

Parent Interview

Teacher Interview/Team

Meeting

Assessment of Interests & Preferences

(Envision Your Career, Career

Priorities Profile)

Career Exploration

(ACI Net Videos)

Tyler

Tyler’s Interview

• No favorite classes in school

• Liked EFE at Fire Station (due to setting rather than job duties)

• Appropriately declined to discuss his disability

• Relies on Mom & one of his teachers for support

• Not much insight into learning style preferences

• Uses computer at school – not much at home. Uses mom’s cell phone for calls does not have one of his own.

• Likes spending time playing with his dogs and playing video games

• Wants to learn to drive.

• Wants to “go where I am needed.”

Student Student Interview

Parent Interview

Teacher Interview/Team

Meeting

Assessment of Interests & Preferences

Career Exploration

• 19 Questions

• Covers work experience, school experience,

leisure, learning style, disability awareness,

strengths/needs, family, transportation, use

of technology, personal goals

• Offered advance organizer

• Able to respond via interview or in writing

Tyler’s Team Meeting

• Equivocal results on interest assessments completed to date (Virginia View)

• Likes being outside and by himself

• Spends free time in class searching trucks, busses & army surplus on Internet

• 3rd grade reading level

• Needs routine, difficulty with executive functioning

• Perceptual difficulty

• Difficulty using technology

• Low sustained effort on tasks

• Easily fatigued

• Low body awareness

• Doesn’t verbalize difficulty, doesn’t look for the next thing, may take easy route

• Likes to please

• Can be bossy to others

Student Student Interview

Parent Interview

Teacher Interview/Team

Meeting

Assessment of Interests & Preferences

Career Exploration

• Use of organizer that addresses Interests,

Preferences, Academic Performance,

Talents/Skills, Strengths and Needs in the three

UDL Networks

• Team Discussion format

• Included review of progress reports on the

community based work experiences he has

participated in

• Included student portfolio review

Tyler’s Parent Interview

• likes daily living class – dislikes any class involving sitting down and learning.

• talked most about working at the food bank

• enjoys socializing with his neighbors, volunteering with local rescue squad

• does household chores – laundry, mail, taking out trash, yard work

• greatest need to develop appropriate social boundaries

• likes being in charge

• very literal, does best with short directions, repetition

• important for Tyler to understand “why” of directions

• goal – “be independent – do things on his own in a safe, appropriate way” (group home, work, socially active, taking care of himself)

Student Student Interview

Parent Interview

Teacher Interview/Team

Meeting

Assessment of Interests & Preferences

Career Exploration

• 15 questions addressing school interests,

leisure interests, student challenges, impact of

disability, learning style, technology use,

transportation, parent goals for student.

• Parent contacted by phone and email

• Given choice of response formats (phone

interview, or completing written form)

• Provided with advance organizer via email.

Tyler’s Interests & Preferences

• used Envision Your Career with

modified work sheet

• R I S – Realistic & Investigative

Farm Machine Operator

Stable Attendant

Veterinarian

Kennel Manager

Ambulance Driver

Dog Groomer

Farm Equipment Mechanic

• comments: "I love pets.”, “I hate blood", "hate cooking" and does not want to do "anything dangerous." Tyler also stated, "any job that involves walking - not for me."

• Item analysis of high interests

Livestock Yard Supervisor

Veterinary Livestock Inspector

Veterinarian

Preschool Teacher

Student Student Interview

Parent Interview

Teacher Interview/Team

Meeting

Assessment of Interests & Preferences

Career Exploration

• Envision Your Career (EYC) - used to

measure interests (regular or modified

worksheet) – administered one on one –

reactions recorded

• Expansion on Holland Code with other related

jobs using SDS Jobs Finder

• Item analysis of EYC responses

• Career Priorities Profile – used to measure

temperaments & preferences

Tyler’s Community Based Career Exploration

Activities

SY 2009 –2010

Fairfax County Fire Department:

Safety Division

Preparing Materials for Distribution

SY 2010 – 2011

Northern Virginia Jewish Community Center

Variety of task involving organizing and maintaining equipment

Outside Career Exploration:

Volunteers with the Purcellville Fire Dept.

Student Student Interview

Parent Interview

Teacher Interview/Team

Meeting

Assessment of Interests & Preferences

Career Exploration

• Community Based Career Exploration Activities

• Use of videos from America’s Career

Information Network www.acinet.org

• Discussion

Determine Potential Career Pathways

• Use O*Net www.onetonline.org to delineate job/duties

Demonstrated

Expressed Tested/Surveyed

• Triangulate data re: student

career of interest (expressed,

tested, manifest) using all

sources of information

(individual interview, team

meeting, parent interview,

assessment results,

career exploration).

Career Learning Needs & UDL Support Checklist

Career Learning Needs & UDL Support Checklist

Career Learning Needs & UDL Support Checklist

Is there an app for that?

The

Learning

Ecology

Congruence

Matrix

ECO - UDL

TYLER at WORK

Joe

Recognition Network:

Not cued into the larger environment, sees one need and focuses solely on that

Strategic Network:

Too fast of a work pace. Afraid that the work won’t get done

Affective Network:

Problem Solving is difficult

Is There An App For That?

Picture Scheduler & VoCal

The Social Mentoring Space

• Career Coaching through a social network site

• www.Ning.com

• Having a

Social Contract

Lessons Learned: Multiple Perspectives

• Blending of Viewpoints is beneficial • Report Format - Understandable by end users • UDL Learning Matrix - So much info. to represent - Simple is better (KISS)

• Selecting an app

- learn a few well

• Learning the individual apps

- no manuals

- time consuming

- use millennium mentors

- we have included some links on our website

• Not every dream job was available

- look at work skills individual wants to

use

Lessons Learned: Implementation

• Systems change took time

- Job roles and habits are to break

- Student enthusiasm very powerful

- Keep searching for the cheerleaders

• Technology is evolving and places new demands on policies and practices

Lessons Learned: System Change

Lessons Learned: Positive Surprises

• Kids were motivated by using the technology

• Intuitive nature of technology and connection to learning

• Students problem solving their work

• Students used technology to a purposeful goal

• Supportive Business Community

• Families explored increased technology use at home

Ongoing Collaboration

• Continue to work together and learn from each other

• http://phillipsprograms.pbworks.com

• Dialogue to share success and challenges

• Continue to add work needs and technology solutions

- devices

- software

- apps

KWL and Q/A?

What Do We Know

What Do We Want To Find

Out

What Did We Learn

If we all did the things we are capable of,

we would astound ourselves.

~ Thomas Edison