June 2003
Contact: Holly Brooker
(845) 255-1450 xt.1301

The saying goes that seeing is believing. But don't tell that to a student from Wallkill Central School District, or a student from Kingston City Schools Consolidated. Both of these Ulster BOCES Special Education visually impaired students have been participating in the Exploratory Occupations program through the Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Center. This program develops work skills that open up new worlds to students.

While other students in the program visit local work sites and complete an on-the-job educational rotation, both of these young women needed something a little different to suit their special visual needs. Job coach Marce Grady worked with Computer Assisted Design and Manufacturing Technology instructor Mark Harris to develop a special tool that would allow these students to work on stamping and stuffing envelopes right at the Career & Technical Center.

"I use a guide that allows me to position the edge of the envelope into the correct corner. The stamp that I use has an indicator for top and bottom to stamp the return address on the letter. In just over an hour, my friend and I are able to stamp 150 to 200 envelopes. We later stuff them for mailing," describes one of the students. The task, a vital asset to the Adult Career Education Center, provides the young people with a powerful feeling of accomplishment.

"I like this project because even though I have a disability, I know that I can do anything that I put my mind to," is the assessment of the other participant. "Now I know that I am able to do something. I feel more confident!"

One of the students has parlayed a newfound confidence into a dream for the future, with recently made plans to translate some children's books into Braille and read them aloud to children in the Ulster BOCES Child Care Center, also located in the Career & Technical Center. She also envisions new possibilities for her bilingual abilities.

The Exploratory Occupations is a modified occupational program. It provides special needs students with the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of trade areas, to participate in varied experiential learning activities, to develop skills to help ensure successful employment, to increase awareness of real life employment opportunities, to experience "on-the-job" training in a supportive environment through participation in School-to-Work rotations, and to prepare for a seamless transition from school to the workforce upon graduation.