ACCES-VR and Vocational Services for Young Adults

A recent inquiry from the parents of a young adult had us looking at our past blogs, seeking information about vocational rehabilitation in New York. We were surprised to see that we had last addressed this issue five years ago -- in 2010. Much has changed since then and it's more than time to update this information.

In fact, in 2011, the entire vocational education system in New York was revamped, and the new agency changed its name from VESID (Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities) to ACCES-VR ( Adult Career and Continuing Education Services - Vocational Rehabilitation). Special education services, which had been part of VESID, were integrated with general educational services for students through 12th grade, a move we thought was long overdue.

 While today's blog looks at changes in the New York system, vocational rehabilitation programs exist in every state, growing out of a series of federal laws that go back almost 100 years and which were designed to provide federal funding to states to establish programs for vocational guidance, training, occupational adjustment services, and job placement for adults with disabilities.

Who can benefit from such programs? Let's look at a couple of actual examples to see some of the Transition and Youth services that might be available to young adults, which ACCES-VR considers to be any individual from late high school age through age 25:

• "Sam", a twelfth grader at a public high school, hopes to attend a local college. Sam is a good student who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. He has an IEP and, as part of his post-high school transition planning, his IEP Team is looking at what he will need to succeed in college. Although ACCES-VR and other vocational rehabilitation agencies provide adult services, they also work with high school aged youth who will be in need of support to move to adult employment. Through ACCES-VR Sam may get help (beyond what his high school can provide) to learn to drive so he can travel from his home to the local college.
• "Sally", who is 24,  had graduated from college and was working at her first job when she suffered an emotional crisis. She left her job, moved back to her parents' house, and was diagnosed with a severe anxiety disorder. She entered treatment and slowly, over a number of months, felt better and wanted to go back to work. Through ACCES-VR, she was referred to an agency that helped her get back into the work force, with the help of an understanding employer and a job coach. After a period of time in this supportive environment, she was ready to move on to the regular job market and is now again employed in her chosen field.

For individuals over the age of 25, ACCES-VR offers services to assist with entering or re-entering the workforce. You can get a good overview of these adult services in a brochure they publish. 

Since vocational rehabilitation programs are operated individually by each state, residents of New Jersey should contact their program at Jobs for Jersey and those in Connecticut should contact that state's  Bureau of Rehabilitative Services. Residents of other states can check a list from the federal Department of Education to find their state's agency. Note that individuals with visual impairments are dealt with via other agencies, so the list may contain a separate agency for these individuals.

A Supportive College with a Real World Focus

We had the opportunity last week to visit Northeastern University in Boston and to meet with the dynamic Director of The Learning Disabilities Program, Mary Barrows. We had known about and were particularly interested in Northeastern because of the co-op program that is key to a Northeastern education. The co-op program had long been a five year curriculum that integrated periods of employment with semesters of classes. More recently, the program has been modified so that students can elect to participate in fewer co-op experiences and graduate in only four years.

As might be imagined, the focus on real-world work experience has an impact on Northeastern students' ability to enter the job market when they graduate and the school's successful placement figures reflect this. Furthermore, almost all Northeastern graduates who are out in the working world have indicated that they were better prepared for working because of their co-op experience.

Northeastern is very much an urban school and outdoor spaces are not extensive. The campus buildings range from drab and utilitarian to soaring and modern. The campus spreads out over 73 acres and has 37 residence halls, 26 dining places, and almost 16,000 full time undergraduates. Campus spirit is enriched by the University's 18 division one sports teams and a stroll around the campus offers constant reminders of student support for the Husky teams.

In this large, urban setting, students with learning and attention issues can really benefit from the personalized attention and individual support offered by the Learning Disabilities Program.

Mary Barrows explained that the Learning Disabilities Program is an intensive support program requiring a separate application and fee. Students are accepted after submitting documentation about their learning or attention difficulties and are personally interviewed before a determination is made about whether they would be a good fit with the program. Ms. Barrows noted that the students in the program are assigned a learning specialist that they meet with two hours each week. They receive support from their learning specialist in the academic aspects of their courses, plus such more general learning related issues as time management, writing, organization, study skills, and self-advocacy.

Students who are not accepted to the Learning Disabilities Program, or who choose not to apply, are still entitled to accommodations through the campus Disability Resource Center, which assists students with appropriate documentation receive such accommodations and services as extended time on exams or note-taking services. The Disabilities Resource Center follows the legal standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

It's off to work we go...

We've written before about the importance of building affinities and how this can help a student broaden his interests and strenghten his skills. Students and parents often look at hobbies, extracurricular school activities, and community service as ways to acomplish this. We'd like to suggest another.

Working at a part-time job can build skills and responsibility for many young people, from the academically gifted to those who struggle in school. Although the concept of apprenticeship as a path to an adult career is something we think of in historical terms (Ben Franklin as a printer's apprentice comes to mind), working in an area of interest can help a young person decide if a particular career is really the right path for him. Even more gritty jobs, from sweeping a stockroom to flipping burgers, can bring benefits. The reward of a paycheck, the need to cooperate with others, and the reality of following instructions from a supervisor, can all help build maturity and skills that will stay with a young person into adulthood.

We know that some students need to spend all their time and energy on mastering their school work. We know that jobs are hard to find in this difficult economy. But we want to suggest that for some young people the benefits of working go far beyond the economic. Decisions about what to spend, what to save, and how to open a bank account are important steps toward adulthood. The next time your teenager asks for more pocket money or the newest electronic device, you might want to consider offering to help him draft a resume instead.