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SEE Program

Partnering with the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH), Olmsted Center is proud to offer its highly successful Summer Employment Experience (SEE Program) to high school students throughout the State of New York.

Participants in the SEE Program include ten blind and or visually impaired students between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one. The students will spend four weeks during Summer 2007 learning about the professional working world, gaining technology skills, receiving employment training and developing strong and productive relationships. The staff will also serve as mentors to instill a healthy work ethic, a desire for self-sufficiency, a strong sense of accomplishment and an educational experience that will make each student attractive to potential employers.

The program will provide opportunities to share experiences and concerns, receive individual and group guidance for career paths and advanced training and job opportunities. Guest speakers will lecture on topics ranging from career development to personal growth and wellness Students will learn about general banking and budgeting, life skills, independence and self-esteem.

Recruitment of participants will include youth served by Olmsted Center, referrals from the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) and/or the New York State Department of Education; New York State school districts and other agencies serving the needs of young people with disabilities. Participants accepted into the program will each receive a scholarship.

Program Objectives

The work exploration and readiness program is limited to the summer months. Thus, its objectives must be clear and its implementation must be efficient. It is expected that upon completion of the program, participants will have:

Knowledge and understanding of career opportunities and related work requirements across a variety of occupational settings.
Knowledge of and proficiency in state-of-the-art technology for the blind and visually impaired.
Knowledge and attainment of employability skills.
Paid work experience.

These objectives will be accomplished through classroom training, technological training, work experience and supportive services, as described in the components the follow.

Program Components

The proposed project will include the following components:

Initiate the participants into the program’s overall goals, objectives and methodology; introduces staff; and clarifies both staff and student roles and responsibilities (conducted by project staff).
Introduce students to a variety of career opportunities and the kind of academic and work-related skills necessary to successfully pursue them.
Develop employability skills, including work ethic development, interpersonal skills, resume building, interview skills, appearance and dress, personal hygiene, telephone skills, etc. (conducted by project staff and guest speakers using lecture, role play and practice
Prepare participants for on-site work experience.

Technology Training

All participants in the Summer Employment Experience program will receive computer literacy and adaptive technology instruction at Statler Center (a program of Olmsted Center). The purpose of this training is for students to improve their knowledge by using adaptive software specifically designed for the blind and visually impaired user to ensure full accessibility to the world of technology.

Work Experience

The work experience component is designed to increase the participants’ perceptions of the realities of the working world. Goals include meaningful, satisfying experiences that provide youth with the ability to learn and to serve, and to reduce individual barriers of youth employment such as lack of experience, skill set and ability to perform in a professional manner.

The work experience component will provide supervised work opportunities in various occupational venues identified by summer employment experience staff. Each placement will align as closely as possible with the occupational interests and capabilities of the participant and the needs and demands of the worksite. Because of the brevity of the program, emphasis during the cause of the work experience component will be on:

General work exploration and the development of beginning and intermediate job skills

The opportunity to experience new kinds of relationships with others in a work situation, aided by the advice and guidance of project staff, site supervisors and participant team meeting.

Supportive Services

Each participant in the summer employment experience will have access to the services and staff of Olmsted Center.

Independent Living

Olmsted Center and the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped (CBVH) will partner with a local college or university to provide supervised apartment-style accommodations and meals for all participants on a work-week basis for the duration of the program. Weekends will be spent at home. Students will be given orientation and mobility training in order to independently use public transportation each day. In the apartments, students will have the opportunity to experience independent living, attendance at a variety of supervised events and time spent with peers having fun and forming friendships.

Project Time Line

The Summer Employment Experience time line is as follows:

Program promotion and recruitment of potential students

Interviews with each applicant

Program begins in June and commences in August 2008.

For more information on the SEE Program, please contact Sheri Shaw at 716-882-1025, extension 4578 or via e-mail at sshaw@olmstedcenter.org.