Career Placement Project: A Career Readiness Program for Community College Students With Disabilities SUSAN CROY NORTON KAY F. FIELD

This study examines the effect of a Career Placement Project using enhanced career services specifically designed for community college students with dis- abilities. The 4 areas of services provided by the project were career explora- tion, job readiness, job-seeking skills, and job shadowing. A pretest-posttest design using a participant group and a control group measured change in ca- reer readiness. Based on the data, it seems that the Career Placement Project was effective in increasing the career preparedness of participating students with disabilities.

Passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Public Law 94- 142, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, opened the doors of America's universities to individuals with disabilities (McLoughlin, 1982). The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) expands the Re- habilitation Act of 1973 and forbids discrimination in employment (Wilson, 1992). As a result of these new opportunities, colleges have seen an ever increasing enrollment of students with disabilities on their campuses.

Community colleges are seeing an especially dramatic increase in the number of students with disabilities who enroll. Two-year col- leges have been the fastest growing postsecondary institutions en- rolling students with special needs (Barnett, 1990). Their open admission policies and the special support services they offer have made them attractive to a large number of students with disabilities as well as to other at-risk groups. Community colleges have a re- sponsibility that goes beyond helping students with disabilities re- ceive services and perform academically. They have a responsibility to assist them in developing their own independence. This is espe-

Susan Croy Norton is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and H w n a n Development at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro. Kay F. Field is the director of employment and career services at North Iowa Area Community College, Mason City, Iowa. Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to Susan Croy Norton, 133 Butterjleld Hall, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro, PA 16444.

40 JOURNALOF EMPLOYMENTCOUNSEUNGlMARCH 1998lVOL35

cially crucial since the passage of the ADA. More opportunities are opening up for qualified individuals with disabilities. However, these graduates will need the ability and skills to self-advocate in order to obtain jobs and receive the accommodations they require (Brown & Brooks, 1990).

Graduates with disabilities have traditionally required a signifi- cantly longer time to locate employment, and the unemployment rate of graduates with disabilities is higher than the rate of gradu- ates without disabilities (Rank, Kartst, & Boles, 1989: Thompson & Hutto, 1992). This is partly because people with disabilities have not had employment opportunities equal to those of people without disabilities (Rank et al., 1989). Lack of knowledge and skills in how to sell themselves in an interview. discomfort with self-advocating for accommodations, and the inability to perceive what behaviors are necessary for job retention are also factors.

To be responsive to the needs of this growing population, commu- nity colleges should offer assistance in preparing students to be self-advocates and in the successful transition from school to work. One form of assistance is offering enhanced career services specifi- cally designed for students with disabilities.

A Career Placement Project was developed by a rural community college in the Midwest to assist students with disabilities in prepar- ing for successful careers. The four areas of placement services iden- tified for inclusion in the project were (a) career exploration, (b) job readiness, (c) job-seeking skills, and (d) job shadowing. The pur- pose of this study was to determine the effect of the Career Place- ment Project on preparation for successful transition to the world of work.

METHOD

During the 3-year period of the study, 295 eligible students with disabilities were identified and referred to the Career Placement Project. Students were invited by personal letter to participate in the project. 'henty-five students chose to participate. Students with disabilities were offered services in the four areas of (a) career ex- ploration, (b) job readiness, (c) job-seeking skills, and (d) job shad- owing. Specific activities included individual career counseling, computerized career exploration, a 10-session job readiness semi- nar, a 15-session job-seeking skills class, job shadowing, and coop- erative education opportunities.

A pretest-posttest design was used to measure change during the project. A 16-question instrument was developed to reflect the ap- plication of skills in the four areas of placement services provided.

JOURNAL OF EMPLOYMENT COUNSEL1 NG / MARCH 1 998 / VOL. 35 41

The individual items were true-or-false questions. Items were scored as correct or incorrect according to whether or not the responses indicated those behaviors or skills needed for successful placement. For example, for the item "I have prepared a resume that I am com- fortable with in my job search." true was a correct response and false was an incorrect response.

The pretest was administered to the participants at the beginning of their involvement in the program. The identical test was adminis- tered as a posttest at the end of the school year. A control group of nonparticipating students with disabilities was administered the same pretest and posttest using the same timeline as the one for the participant group. Students were matched by age, sex, race, disability, and college major. Possible scores ranged from 0 to 16.

Over a 3-year period, 25 students participated in the Career Place- ment Project. Twenty-three of the participants completed both the program pretests and the posttests. Eighteen of the 25 students in the control group completed both the pretest and the posttest.

Mean scores were determined for the program participant and control groups on the pretests and posttests, and scores were com- pared for significant differences between the two groups. The find- ings are presented in Table 1 by individual year pretest and posttest mean scores as well as by 3-year aggregate pretest and posttest mean scores. In addition, graduation rate and employment status after graduation are discussed for both groups in the next section.

TABLE 1

Career Placement Project Program Results

Participant Group Control Group

Project n M n M P

1992-1 993 Pretest Posttest

1993-1 994 Pretest Posttest

1 994-1 995 Pretest Posttest

Aggregate Pretest Posttest

6 4

14 14

5 5

25 23

5.333 13.250

6.000 10.571

9.800 10.000

6.600 10.91 3

5 5

8 8

5 5

18 18

10.000 12.800

7.875 10.373

9.800 8.800

9.167 10.61 1

0.008 0.822

0.238 0.874

1 .ooo 0.737

0.029 0.794

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RESULTS

The program pretest and posttest means were calculated individu- ally by the year in which services were provided. The pretest and posttest means of the participant groups were compared using an independent t test. Due to the small number of subjects involved in this study, one must use caution in drawing conclusions.

Table 1 shows the results for the 1992-1993 school year, the 1993- 1994 school year, the 1994-1995 school year, and the 3-year aggre- gate. There was a significant difference at the .05 level in the mean scores of the participant and control groups on the pretest scores for 1992-1993. There was no significant difference on the posttest scores. The participant group had a mean score increase of almost 8 points between the pretest and posttest, whereas the control group had a mean increase of less than 3 points. In 1993- 1994 there was no significant difference between groups on either the pretest or the posttest scores. However, the gain scores were 4.5 for the par- ticipants and only 2.5 for the control group. There was no signifi- cant difference between the two groups on the pretest or the posttest for the 1994- 1995 school year. For the 3-year aggregate results. the program pretest mean score of the control group of 9.167 was sig- nificantly higher at the .05 level than that of the program partici- pant group mean score of 6.600. There was no significant difference in the posttest results. Gain scores were 4.3 for the participant group and only 1.5 for the control group.

Over this 3-year period, 10 students with disabilities participating in the Career Placement Program graduated from the community col- lege. Four of those students found employment, 4 were continuing their education, and 2 were unable to be located. TWelve students in the control group graduated during this same time. Four of this group found employment, 1 was seeking employment at the time of the study, 6 were continuing their education, and 1 was unable to be located.

DISCUSSION

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Career Placement Project on preparation for successful transitions to the world of work for community college students with disabilities. This project was designed to increase career preparedness in students with disabilities over a 3-year period. The operational definition of career preparedness used in this study is "a state of being prepared to pursue an occupation by possessing knowledge in the areas of career exploration, job readiness, job-seeking skills, and job shad- owing or work experience."

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Based on the data, it seems that the Career Placement Project was effective in increasing the career preparedness of students with disabilities participating in the project. The data indicate a signifi- cant difference (.05 level) between the 3-year aggregate program pretest mean scores of the participant and the control groups. The data also indicate no significant difference between the 3-year ag- gregate posttest mean scores of the two groups. The participant group scored significantly lower on the program pretests, but by the posttkst time the participant group scored as high or higher than the con-

The difference between the pretest scores of the control and ex- perimental groups was unexpected. A probable cause for the dis- crepancy was self-selection. Students who were not comfortable with their career readiness were more likely to choose to participate in the program. Those students who were comfortable did not choose to participate. This is a reminder that we cannot group all students with disabilities in the same class. Although many students with disabilities have a need for this type of assistance, not all do.

The gains of the participant group were expected. By the end of the program, students had caught up to their peers in career readi- ness. The placement rates of the two groups were similar.

The results suggest that the Career Placement Project was a valu- able tool for the assistance of some students with disabilities. There- fore, it would behoove community colleges to offer such assistance for those students who could benefit. It would not be advisable, how- ever, to require the course for all students with disabilities, because some have been able to obtain the skills in other ways.

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Frank, K.. Kartst. R. & Boles, C. (1989). After graduation: The quest for em- ployment by disabled college graduates. Journal of Applied Rehabflitation Counseling, 20(4). 3-7.

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