School as Workforce Preparation and "Resume"By Dan SackheimDan Sackheim is the program consultant in the Educational Options Office of the California Department of Education. Recently, I was at a conference focused on transition for youth with disabilities. This was one of the better conferences, where the youth we were talking about were actually in attendance. When asked what their biggest issues were, youth after youth said that the key concern was getting a job — they were very worried about going to an interview when they had never worked and, for many of them, they had some physical condition that could, possibly, raise questions in the minds of a less sensitive or less informed potential employer. Several of the adults responded, offering words of empathy and sympathy. I had a much different approach. I told the youth that, while I heard their concern, that they were wrong. Sometimes (but certainly not always) it can be fun to tell youth they are wrong, then wait and watch as they react. I soon added that they needed a different perspective. |
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