Career & Vocational SkillsBy: Carmen Willings
teachingvisuallyimpaired.com Updated June 9, 2019 Career education for students with visual impairments needs to begin as early as possible and include self-awareness and career exploration activities, job seeking skills instruction, information about job keeping, and encourage opportunities for gaining work experience. Teaching skills in the area of career education can provide students with visual impairments of all ages with the opportunity to learn first-hand the work done by members of the home and community. The students need to gain an understanding of the many jobs that are available from the bank teller, to the gardener, to the social worker, to the artist, and much much more. The student who is blind or visually impaired should have the opportunity to explore a wide range of careers in a systematic, well-planned manner as they will not be able to casually observe these jobs as their sighted peers can.
Areas the student may need specific instruction in include: knowledge of relationship between work and play; understanding of the value of work; knowledge of characteristics of valued workers; awareness of the variety of jobs people hold; awareness of jobs people with visual impairments often hold; job acquisition skills (want ads, resumes, applications, interviews); typical job adaptations made by workers with visual impairments; in-depth knowledge of a variety of jobs of interest; work experience; laws related to employment; and management of readers and drivers.
Job AwarenessProvide students with many opportunities in order to gain awareness of jobs. Provide opportunities for students to, participate in field trips to work sites where a variety of tasks are expected of employees.
Help the student develop an awareness of jobs by providing students the opportunities to:
Practice Job SkillsAfter students have had an opportunity to observe different types of jobs, provide tools used at those jobs and encourage the students to practice the skills used on the job sites. Help the student practice job skills by encouraging them to:
Receiving Payment for ServiceProvide many opportunities for students to discuss, list and practice ways to receive payment for service. It may be appropriate to ask the parents or other family members at this time to assist in setting up jobs that the student can do for neighbors in advance and then have the students "sell" their services and role-play their marketing pitch at school or at their home.
Help the student practice this skill by encouraging the student to:
Rules for JobsAs a member of society, there are rules that people are expected to follow. Similarly, students have to follow rules when they are at school and different work sites have different rules and expectations of their employees. Help students understand the importance of following rules by having the students:
Work BehaviorStudents should be encouraged to develop positive work behaviors. Students must learn these interpersonal and work skills in order to be successful in the workplace and not only obtain a job, but maintain a job. The following is a list of critical work behaviors. The student must learn to:
Career ResourcesCareer Connect is an employment information resource developed by the American Foundation for the Blind for job seekers who are blind or visually impaired. Provides employment information, career exploration tools, and extensive job-seeking guidance for students and adults with vision loss and the professionals who work with them.
LiveCareer is a career website that not only helps persons find jobs but offers a free career resource center. They feature hundreds of professional cover letters to assist persons in making cover letter writing easier and less stressful. Cover letters are job title and industry-specific so students can obtain relevant guidance.
O*NET Online, from the Department of Labor Occupational Information Services, provides tools for career exploration and job analysis. Tools include Ability Profiler, Interest Profiler, Computerized Interest Profiler, Work Importance Locator, and Work Importance Profiler.
Project Aspiro is a comprehensive career planning and employment resource for individuals who are blind or partially sighted. The web resource includes career planning advice, information about education, profiles of people enjoying meaningful careers, and much more.
YouthRules! is an initiative of the United States Department of Labor to promote positive work experiences for teens by distributing information about young workers to youth, parents, employers, and educators.
![]() Job Tasks for Jobs, Career & Life Recorded Presentation
$25.00
Do you struggle to find activities to use with students with mild to moderate disabilities in addition to visual impairments or blindness to prepare them for jobs and provide functional literacy activities? I love these activities that I developed specifically for this population. In this presentation I share what I feel are the important reasons for using job tasks and share activities that you can take away to create job tasks for your students to help them build skillful hands, assemble kits and follow directions while building functional literacy skills. These activities use real materials, are age neutral, and can be easily modified to meet the unique learning needs of each student. This presentation is packed full of activities you can begin using immediately with your students! Objectives:
Includes:
Request a Certificate of Completion To receive a certificate of completion for 1 contact hour, complete the short survey on Google Forms. If you have any accessibility issues with the form, please don't hesitate to let me know and we can make other arrangements.  ​ System Requirements: Presentations are recorded PowerPoint presentations in an MP4 file. Please note that the presentation pages are closed member pages available to individuals who have purchase access to the presentation. |
History of vi
Visual Impairments
Vi organizations & Agencies
VI book resources
VI Professionals
Professionalism
Instructional Planning
Professional Publications
Educational Programming
Individual Learning Differences
referrals
Medical vision exams
fvlma
additional evaluations
service planning
writing goals
compensatory skills
Guiding Principles Functional Skills Community Based Experiences Concepts to Teach Access to Instruction Organization & Study Skills Time Management Virtual Instruction Movies & Assemblies Lectures & Instruction Board Work (Chalk, White, etc.) Daily Schedule Morning Meeting Weather Check Dramatic Play Blocks Numbers & Counting Cranmer Abacus Instruction Algebra Geometry & Spatial Sense Measurement & Data Early Literacy Experiences Create Tactual Books Reading Instruction Reading Efficiency Science Adaptations Social Studies Adaptations Communication Modes Accessible Educational Materials Individual Schedules & Communication Cards Adjust Lighting Large Print Optical Devices for Near Optical Devices for Distance Optical Device Use Photocopying Font Legibility Increase Contrast Pictures & Worksheets Keyboarding Instruction Word Processing and Shortcuts Navigate Computer w/o a Mouse Braille Code Braille Instruction Braille Instruction Materials Writing Braille Summer Reading (braille) Signature & Handwriting Nemeth Braille Code Tactile Graphics Guidelines Creating Tactile Graphics Tactile Graphics Instruction Teacher Made Materials Labeling System assistive technology
Overview of Assistive Technology VI AT Resources Non-Optical Low Vision Devices Video Magnifiers Video Magnifier Instruction Screen Enlargement & Readers Low/Med. Tech Tactual Devices Notetaker Instruction Braillewriter Repair Tactile Graphics Technology Braille Technology Auditory Access Devices Accessing Audio Books iPads as Instructional Tools Making iOS Device Accessible iOS Accessibility Resources VoiceOver Apps for VI Note Taking apps Apps for Accessing Books Identification Apps Navigation & Location Apps Braille Apps Magnifier Apps Sound Making Apps Cause & Effect Apps Vision Skills Apps Apps for Early Learning Read to Me Story Apps Apps for Communication Android Apps for VI sensory efficiency
Sensory Input Encourage Use of Vision Sensory Area & Rooms Lightbox Use Sensory Activities for Students with Multiple Disabilities Sensory Tables Visual Efficiency Skills Visual Attend and Scan Activities Visual Tracking Activities Visual Discrimination Activities Visual Motor Activities Tactual Readiness Developing Skillful Hands Auditory Readiness Listening Skill Instruction independent living
orientation & Mobility
career education
recreation & Leisure
self determination
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