Pre-ETS Services

Anne Greenwood Brown,
Parent

I wholeheartedly recommend College Success @ Perkins to other families and students. It provides a smooth glide into college, rather than a crash landing.

 

Compass, a College Success @ Perkins program, is a nine-month virtual program that prepares 9th through 11th grade students with visual impairments for college while working with three members of the learning triad: students, families, and TVIs. The program is aligned with each of the five tenets of Pre-Employment Transition Services.

Summary of Pre-ETS Services

Job Exploration Counseling

Participants will receive job exploration counseling by:

  • Discussing trends in the labor market, in-demand industries/occupations, and non-traditional career options
  • Exploring employment pathways of interest 
  • Hearing from visually impaired and typically sighted speakers who work in various occupational fields
  • Completing a career interest inventory that provides insight into vocational paths 
  • Responding to a work personality evaluation to determine the traits, characteristics, attitudes, and values that make up their work personalities
  • Completing a discrepancy analysis that compares their job interests and perceived abilities to the skills and qualifications necessary to be successful in various positions 

Work-Based Learning Experiences

Participants will receive work-based learning experiences by:

  • Conducting informational interviews
  • Participating in career mentorship
  • Following workplace guidelines with respect to attendance, punctuality, professionalism, and productivity.

Counseling on Experiences for Enrollment in Comprehensive Transition or Post-Secondary Educational Programs and Institutions of Higher Education

Participants will receive higher education counseling by:

  • Documenting academic accommodations
  • Advocating for needed accommodations and services
  • Identifying interests, abilities, talents, learning preferences, and goals
  • Promoting use of executive functioning skills
  • Learning about educational and vocational laws
  • Identifying technology needs
  • Selecting admission test accommodations
  • Receiving guidance on a variety of post-secondary education and training opportunities 

Workplace readiness training

Students will participate in work-place readiness training by:

  • Receiving feedback and self-reflecting on their communication, attitude, active listening, body language, professionalism, and other critical soft skills
  • Participating in group activities designed to promote leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving/decision-making skills 
  • Learning to identify causes of conflicts and finding resolutions to them
  • Creating and implementing an action plan to develop skills in independent living, orientation and mobility, and financial literacy

Instruction in Self-Advocacy

Participants will develop their self-advocacy skills by:

  • Learning about their rights and responsibilities as citizens with disabilities
  • Practicing how to discuss their disability and necessary accommodations
  • Learning about their skills, interests, and abilities
  • Gaining experiences and acquiring skills to build their confidence and sense-of-self
  • Having opportunities to ask for help or decline assistance