Breakout Session, 1:00 - 2:00 pm

Moving Career Readiness Training Online: Lessons Learned from COVID-19

Session Overview

During a pandemic, how do you safely teach young people with disabilities career readiness skills? This was the question Partners for Youth with Disabilities' staff was abruptly confronted with in early 2020, and it led to us transitioning our Career Readiness program to an online-only delivery. Since moving our program online, we have learned many lessons about the strengths and challenges that come with delivering work readiness training virtually. In this session, we'll discuss things like: adaptations and techniques for delivering virtual programming, common challenges encountered, and how businesses can continue to support the employment of young people with disabilities during this time and as we look toward the future.

Objectives

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify common barriers students with disabilities face in virtual career readiness trainings
  2. Identify common barriers individuals with disabilities face when entering the workforce or starting a new job
  3. Identify key ways businesses can support the employment of young people with disabilities right now
  4. Identify and understand at least 3 of the most important areas to focus on when attempting to make your organization more inclusive (I.e. hiring process, accommodations/support process, and marketing)

Presenters

Lindsay AlperinLindsay Alperin

Career Readiness Program Director, Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD)

Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Health Science Studies and a Master of Occupational Therapy. She has valuable experience working with individuals across the lifespan with a variety of disabilities for over 6 years as a registered and licensed Occupational Therapist. Specifically, she has worked with youth with disabilities of all ages and delivered the Career Readiness Curriculum to Boston Public School students. Lindsay has valuable experience adapting and delivering the Career Readiness Curriculum and providing accommodations and resources to meet various learner needs. She has trained over 20 special education teachers to utilize the curriculum with their students reaching over an additional 100 students per year. Lindsay provides general program administration, fosters partnerships with the local business community, and trains and supervises the staff providing the Career Readiness Program.

Steve SlowinskiSteve Slowinski

National Inclusion Manager & IT Quality Administrator, Partners for Youth with Disabilities

Steve Slowinski has been working at PYD since early 2012. He has a B.A. from Gettysburg College in a self-created major focusing on child development and disability, and a Masters in Nonprofit Leadership from the Questrom School of Business at Boston University.

Steve had a form of cancer while growing up, and that experience having a temporary disability instilled in him the desire to be an advocate and ally to the disability community. He has worked with people with disabilities for the past 13+ years.

In college, he spent a semester in Denmark studying their child care practices for children with disabilities. He has also interned with the child life team at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, and has volunteered for many years as a camp counselor and mentor to youth with disabilities.