Useful resources (some free, some for a fee) for students, families, special education professionals, and adults
- Vocational Assessment: A Guide for Parents and Professionals. Download this information-packed article from the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities in Washington, DC. It may be a bit old, but it has timeless information on vocational evaluation.
Summary of article: Students with disabilities (and their parents) often have difficulty assessing their life skills and abilities, and matching up with adult services or education and training programs after they leave school. This article presents a clear definition of transition services, and discusses the importance of vocational assessment in the education and transition planning process for students with disabilities. - A wonderful “Ask the Expert” article on Transition Assessment, with lots of good questions and answers. It also links to the transition coalition, a highly recommended site to visit for more resources and training modules for school personnel, parents and students.
- Transition Assessment Manual from the state of Connecticut. They did a wonderful job with their leading information document for parents, students and schools.
- Position paper for Transition Assessment and Vocational Evaluation. This paper is being re-visited. Ms. Imperatore is the chair of this committee and the leader of this national team.
- Promoting Student Self-Determination in IEP Planning. A tried and true resource with a good definition of self-determination and information on what the research says.
- The 411 on Disability Disclosure: A Workbook for Youth with Disabilities is designed for youth and adults working with them to learn about disability disclosure. This workbook helps young people make informed decisions about whether or not to disclose their disability and understand how that decision may impact their education, employment, and social lives. Based on the premise that disclosure is a very personal decision, the Workbook helps young people think about and practice disclosing their disability. The workbook does not tell a young person what to do. Rather, it helps them make informed decisions about disclosing their disability, decisions that will affect their educational, employment, and social lives.
- FLSA Ch64c08 – Criteria for CBVE
- Wage and Hour Division 64c08
- CBVE agreement template
- FLSA DCDT Ohio 2014
- College for Students with Disabilities Guide. For any student, family member, or educator looking for information on how to prepare for higher education regarding disabilities. The guide is 100% free and covers educational opportunities, preparation steps, knowing your rights, different types of disabilities, and recommended resources for additional information.
Links to highly recommended resources:
- Transition Assessment Planning Form: A great source for organizing your approach to Transition Assessment and Vocational Evaluation.
- Life Skills Inventory: Highly recommended survey that reveals strengths and weaknesses in the most important life skills domains.
- Independent Living Goal—IEP Team Decision Form: A post-secondary goal for independent living is optional, but you need to evaluate whether it’s appropriate. Here’s your tool.
- TransitionCoalition.org: a premier training resource that provides online information, support and professional development on topics related to transition from school to adult life for use with disabilities.
Vocational Exploration: Free Resources
- CareerOneStop is a source for employment information and inspiration. The place to manage your career. Your pathway to career success, Tools to help job seekers, students, businesses, and professionals Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. http://www.careeronestop.org/ExploreCareers/SelfAssessments/FindAssessments.aspx
Free Assessment on Life Skills
- Casey Life Skills Assessment A free, on-line life skills assessment that provides a full scope across various areas of interest and skill levels/aptitudes for realistic based skills is the Casey Life Skills Assessments which offers a series of four main assessments (ACLSA) appropriately ranged for students from 8 years old through over 16 years old. Each of the four main assessments offers a version for the youth and for the caregiver. The assessments evaluate the level of independent living skills for youth, and are appropriate for all youths regardless of living situations. Areas assessed are daily living skills, housing and community resources, money management, self-care, social development, and work/study habits. Additional supplement assessments with topics including American Indian, pregnancy, parenting infants, parenting young children, homeless, youth values, and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning are available if interested. The results can be conveniently compiled and sent to a designated email for review and utilized for present levels of functional performance with strengths and needs for student transition planning. This series of assessments can be found at www.caseylifeskills.org.
Recommended Book:
This Crazy Quilt: Parenting Adult Special Needs One Day At A Time
by Jill Edelman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W
Resources for a Fee:
- PRO-ED Inc. is a publisher of standardized tests incorporating education, employment, training and independent living skills, including:
- The Transition Planning Inventory
- Transition Skills Inventory
- Informal Assessments for Transition Planning
- Work Adjustment Inventory
- Reading Free Vocational Interest Inventory
- Occupational Aptitude Survey and Interest Schedule (OASIS-3)
- Wide Range Interest and Occupation Test (WRIOT 2)
- BRIGANCE® Transition Skills Inventory (TSI) helps educators easily assess post-secondary education, employment, independent living, and community participation skills to help students transition to post-school activities.The Transition Skills Inventory includes hundreds of in-depth assessments of job-oriented, academic, and functional life skills in the context of employment, post-secondary education, and real-world situations. These assessments cover a broad range of skills:
- Preemployment/functional writing
- Career awareness
- Job-seeking
- Post-secondary opportunities
- Functional reading
- Speaking and listening
- Math
- Money and finance
- Technology
- Housing
- Food and clothing
- Health
- Travel and transportation
- Community resources
http://www.curriculumassociates.com/products/detail.asp?title=BrigTSI&topic=CSPE0#additional_nav
- North Carolina State University(Felder and Solomon) has a learning style assessment that it uses with first year students. The assessment rates preferences and then defines each of the areas (Active vs. Reflective, Sensing/Intuitive, Visual/Verbal, Sequential/Global) and gives classroom strategies for each of the preferences. http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html
Assistive Technology Assessment
Assistive Technology Needs Assessment
Please visit my site again soon for more resources and materials for vocational and transition assessments, including:
- Training for professionals who want to build their credentials as a trained Functional Vocational Evaluator and Transition Assessment Specialist.
- A proprietary 3-tiered packet for assessing individuals with moderate and severe disabilities.