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Concept Development for Employment Skills

Tips for teaching students who are blind or visually impaired, including those with other special needs, about employment-related concepts.

By Courtney Tabor-Abbott

In an earlier post, I addressed concept development for building independent living skills in transition-aged youth. Continuing with the concept development discussion, I want to present some ideas for using concept development for transition skills, this time specific to employment. There is a lot of talk in the field today about transition for people with disabilities, and with that comes talk about work and work readiness skills. The topic of employment skills is immensely important, especially because the unemployment rate for individuals who are blind or visually impaired remains astoundingly and persistently high. But today I want to focus not on work skills, but on the concepts behind these skills. After all, without the basic concepts, it is very hard to develop the appropriate skills necessary for employment success. Below are some concept areas specific to work and professionalism to teach transition-aged students who are preparing to enter the world of work.

Job Awareness

Professional dress

Professionalism

Job Application concepts

Work Concepts

Work Site Specific Concepts

Below are some examples of various work settings for some entry-level positions, and some concept development questions to consider for each one. Each job site is likely to present its own new concepts and challenges. The examples below are meant as a starting point only.

Kitchen or restaurant setting:

Office setting:

Store or retail setting:

If students have a firm grasp of many of the concepts in the lists above, they will have a thorough understanding of employment and work readiness. With these concepts, they will be able to develop the skills they need for employment success. Feel free to comment below if you have additional ideas to contribute to these lists.

Transition-age student shaking hands with teacher

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