CAREER PREPARATION FOR BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED ALASKA NATIVE YOUTH

and others; this community-based support will amplify the opportunities for success by the students and build avenues in which skills learned at the Center as well as in their schools will be reinforced and supported in their home villages

• career assessments and job shadowing opportunities for students who have participated in the Youth in Transition Project for two years or who are in their senior year in high school to better them to enter the job market or attend additional schooling.
• two week long training sessions per year at the Center in which students will receive concentrated compensatory skills training, participate in activities aimed at reinforcing that training while expanding their information about vocational options, and interact with other sight disabled students from across the state to develop social skills and a support system; parents/caregivers accompanying the students to each of the two sessions will be involved in a parallel program designed to acquaint them with available resources and possible career opportunities for the students while also offering them information about adaptive techniques to increase independence in those with a vision loss.

The first of the sessions was held February 17-21, 2003, and students came from as far away as Wainwright on the North Slope, Ketchikan at the southern extension of Alaska, Tetlin in the eastern Interior, and Koyuk in Western Alaska. Each appropriate student was given a: backpack filled with useful items such as talking watches; a low vision evaluation to determine functional sight; and a computer assessment as the basis for developing individual skill development plans. They also received specific instruction in personal and home management, manual skills, and mobility and participated in career testing at the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR), a tour of the University of Alaska Anchorage ending at the Disability Support Services office, a special night at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, and a scavenger hunt in the Fifth Avenue Mall to practice problem solving and mobility skills in a team situation. Parents/caregivers accompanied the students on most of the tours and separately visited Business Enterprise sites (operated by visually impaired individuals) as well as the offices of Parents, Inc., received information on assistive technology, and attended their own support group.

Following a trip to each of the home communities of these students by the Project Coordinator, Brandie Young, the second session was held May 19-23, 2003. In addition to instructional classes in compensatory skills, the students received free haircuts from Trend Setters, learned about how to be safe in Anchorage, ice skated (some for the first time), went to a special Alaskan History program at the Anchorage Museum, visited the Ophthalmology Department at the Alaska Native Medical Center, explored general career interest areas, and splashed at the new water park. Parents/caregivers accompanied them to most of the places, were provided with a demonstration and explanation of low vision devices, and attended their support group.

The third of the six sessions was held October 20-24, 2003, after another community visit by the Project Coordinator. Emphasis during this session began to shift toward continued instruction that built on skills previously learned as well as career exploration. Thanks again to Trend Setters, all of the students received free haircuts as they began their week. Special tours to the University of Alaska Technical College as well as Alaska Pacific University were arranged to expand information about post secondary training options. The Anchorage Museum gave the students and their parents/caregivers a special once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Sue, the T Rex, and the Imaginarium hosted a unique tour including hands-on experience with reptiles. The week culminated with trips to vocational schools that included public transportation routes planned and executed by the students themselves with staff accompaniment to insure safety. Parents were provided with time to attend the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention after they had been given a presentation on various eye diseases, the services offered by Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation Projects, and local as well as national resources available to them.

Below is a report submitted by the person who has facilitated the Support Group for parents/caregivers for all three sessions which summarizes the impact of the Project from their viewpoints:

Topics such as social isolation were explored by group members. One parent wanted to know if he was the only one present that wondered why his family was chosen to be personally afflicted with this child's disability, all the others present expressed an overcoming attitude..... of triumph as a result of staff support, skills training, and support of each other. They jointly were of one accord in saying that like their children, they were over comers. All present expressed a huge support for the efforts of the BVI center in helping them and their children to move on with their lives. One parent admitted that initially he was afraid to have his child leave home, but was confident now that he can see for himself the positive effects of the rehabilitation process.

• The parents/caregivers made the following comments regarding how they support the increasing independence of their children (collective answers from all group members):
• learn to make decisions for themselves; have kids put items in same place so that they can be easily found; make charts so student can check on himself until positive habits are found; have child fix food for self for breakfast and lunch; have child and family always keep food in the same spots in the refrigerator; talk to child about his/her future and the topic of independence; if child, at some point wants to move into apt., then was felt parent must reinforce his desire to become independent; must learn to handle money responsibly and set up own budget; child must be able and learn to cook all of his own meals; child must learn to do things on his own; child must be given freedom to choose and to then plan and prepare his own meals; visually impaired kids can be encouraged to baby sit; child must accept odd jobs; several kids had part time jobs; child must learn to earn their own money and to be independent, not dependent; home school acceptable to parents if child lives in remote location; child must learn to gradually make his own decisions; kids must think for themselves; kids should read and become proficient with computers, and interconnect with each other; kids must learn to deal with life crisis; one student walked up on bear in the outhouse; students must form their own observations and be able to accurately scan situations; kids must do laundry and put clothes away; parents agreed kids can not be encouraged to say they can't do something that is realistically possible for them to do.; kids must learn to be responsible adults; parents must never do everything for the child; rehabilitation is a growing process; kids should work away from their families; several parents said their children had worked in snack shops, McDonald’s and small businesses, but parents felt frustrated when business owners were reluctant to hire them; phone use with friends should always be encouraged; student should learn how to fix things that are broken; students should fully participate in the smoking process at fish camp
• Parents said they had always told their children that the children HAD TO BE REALISTIC about what they could actually do now and actually accomplish in the future. All parents were adamant about this issue. They said the not being able to drive an automobile was hard for the kids to accept. Parents have dialogue with their kids about the need for ever increasing coping skills; parents take pride in their kids when the kids go to work for other people, away from home; parents encourage their kids to fish and to sell fish; parents see kids self esteem improving; one parent took pride in fact that they made their house more accessible by building a stone pathway directly to house, and remarked how much the child appreciated this effort on their part; kids must learn to compensate for their loss of sight