TRANSITION TO INDEPENDENCE PROJECT

Workshops and Work Experience Placement: Overview

Transition to Independence Project (TIP) is a pilot program designed to help older youth and young adults learn and apply work-readiness skills in preparation for transition into the workforce through transition workshops and work experience placements (at our organization and with area host sites). TIP is a direct application of the Badger Association’s organizational goals to promote integration and independence among individuals with a visual impairment.

Transition Workshops

Transition to Independence Project’s transition workshops provide an interactive instructional venue for acquiring knowledge and applying skills in areas of team building and communication, personal assessment, job exploration, visual impairment awareness, advocacy, work relationships, problem solving, budgeting and finances, post-secondary education, resumes, interviews and presentations etc. Transition workshops will be offered each fall and spring and will align with most academic calendars. Participants, ages sixteen and older, may enroll in the semester’s seven workshops, which are scheduled on a biweekly basis. The workshops are integral to the program’s transition preparation design, and therefore, are prerequisites for application to and participation in the internship / work experience placement.*

Work Experience Placement

The purpose of Transition to Independence Project’s work experience placement program is to provide participants (who have finished their junior year in high school) with the opportunity to gain work experience necessary for successful transition into the workforce and self-sufficiency. While receiving guidance and support from trained staff from the Badger Association, participants will come to understand how to demonstrate positive work-related behaviors in the work environment while earning minimum wage. Participants in this introductory work experience placement will experience real work-place expectations such as punctuality, reliability, adaptability etc., and formal job-performance meetings will take place to evaluate participants’ progress. Work experience participants will be encouraged to seek and ask for references for future work or post-secondary education opportunities.

Transition to Independence Project will provide three timeframes for possible work experience placements: summer, an accessible schedule for high school students; fall; and spring sessions. The typical 20 hour per week structure will provide practical experience while allowing for participants to pursue post-secondary educational goals or actively engage in career planning and development. Through the future development of TIP, the Badger Association looks to continue expanding its capacity (i.e. incorporating person-centered internships) to provide employment / transition related services to older youth and young adults who are blind or visually impaired.

*Note: the detailed schedule shows that condensed workshop formats are offered for the summer 08 work experience placements. Subsequent scheduling concerns / needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis.