Blog Post #9

Brown's Chapter 6 caught my attention almost immediately, especially the idea that, "Disabled persons, like their nondisabled counterparts, seek to improve their employment prospects by enrolling in higher education institutions" (Brown, 2012, p. 120). This is especially interesting to me because at HACC we have a large amount of students with disabilities that utilize the services provided by our Office of Disability Services (whether that is note-taking services, extended testing time, private rooms for testing, etc.). Many people might think that students with disabilities are a nuisance in class or disruptive to other students, but many might not know that at the college level there are no behavioral plans like there are in high school, so while students with disabilities might be offered educational services to assist them, they must abide by our student code of conduct. HACC recently hosted a Partnership Day with all of the Lancaster County IU13 Job Trainers and their students with IEP's to come to HACC, learn about our school, hear from a student panel and take a tour of campus. It was highly successful. Prospective students with disabilities got a first hand look at what they would be able to accomplish at a school that offers them high quality disability services. "The GAO also reported that disabled students are more likely to be part-time and attend community colleges than students without disabilities" (Brown, 2012, p. 120). Many people think that because someone has a disability that it means they are unable to lead productive, fulfilled lives or that they cannot be as successful as someone without a disability. I also appreciated that, "Zunker (2006) described the career counseling process for clients with disabilities. He proposed a sequence that differs little from the approach used with all clients: assessment, occupational exploration and choice, vocational training, placement, and follow-up. The presence of a disability may require tailoring some of these steps to meet the specific needs of the client" (Brown, 2012, p. 120). From what I have learned from working with students with disabilities is that there has to be a focus on the opportunities that are available, not on what is not available to these students. "The occupational exploration process for clients with disabilities is similar to that followed by clients without disabilities, with the exception being that greater emphasis is placed on identifying occupations that correspond to the client's physical and mental abilities" (Brown, 2012, p. 120-121). It is hard for those who do not work regularly with disabled clients (myself included) to understand that impact on our society if students with disabilities are not given a fair shot at an education that can lead to gainful employment. "Kosciulek (2003) suggests that effective career counselors can empower clients with disabilities by fostering inclusion in the broader workforce and in society...however, career counselors working with the disabled may find that these clients have limited experience from which to draw, poor decision-making abilities because of fewer opportunities to make decisions for themselves, and low self-esteem" (Brown, 2012, p. 121). Even if none of us end up working as career counselors for those who have disabilities it is everyone's job to help empower this population so we can allow them to be as productive as possible in our society.

Brown, D. (2012). Career information, career counseling, and career development (10th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.