VVT Co-Op Program

Currently, blind or visually impaired college students graduate with little or no work experience related to their field of study. A course has been developed and implemented to address this issue. With this Co-op program, upon graduation, they have had summer or co-op jobs that prepare them for productive full time employment in the integrated workplace.

In the March – May timeframe the students (college undergraduates) attend a series of 2-4 workshop job-readiness sessions which focus on:

Skill evaluation
Resume guidelines
Job interview guidelines
Working with others in the integrated workplace
Defining and redefining goals
Conduct job searches with the guidance of VVT staff
Do post-job interview debriefing with VVT staff (use as lessons-learned to improve interview skills)
Secure summer-co-op job.

VVT staff will:

Start with ‘platform’ of current employer contacts

Stress advantages of hiring visually impaired or blind employees to prospective employers.

Advantages include:

Source of dedicated, loyal workers
No ‘obligation’ for long-term hire
Internships
Good employees are likely long-term hire
Diverse work force

Provides the following employer support:

Assessment of equipment and accommodations (if any) needed by employee
Guidelines on cost of equipment/accommodations (e.g., BBVS partnership)
Technical support of equipment once in use
Full support of h/r staff in resolving any impairment-related or personal employee issues that could include:
- – Travel or internal mobility issues
- – Guide dog issues
- – Workplace conduct issues
- – Answering “how do I talk to a blind person” questions

Gather end-of-work-period evaluations from both employee and employer and issue an Evaluation Report to the employer and sponsoring agency.