We were fortunate to meet with Sandy Inzinga, the Director of Adult Transition Services at ASD. Sandy introduced us to the transition process in which the students are exposed to numerous career fields on campus including, but not limited to, wood working, food service, computer programming and graphic design, and professional paper printing.
Beyond transitional training for high school students, ASD offers comprehensive training opportunities for adults with hearing loss. Services that ASD offers ranges from career preparation and on the job coaching for students and adults in training, to various employer support services such as communication faciliation and orientation to deafness. In addition, family support services are also offered to counsel and provide tutoring for students and their families.
We found that the centralized location of the campus in relationship to regional offices and human services organizations aimed to help transitioning adults is beneficial to the successes of many students. The collaboration and close working relationship between school, agency, and family is a model that should be replicated. Additionally, the communication access created by a signing staff in all aspects of academic and transitional instruction cannot be overlooked. We found the relationships between staff and students to be refreshing and inspiring.
We were also very impressed during our tour through the transistion facilities as we were able to witness students working hands on with heavy machinery with an end product or goal in mind. Students at ASD design their own year book during the school year through various computer editing programs. The year book goes through many drafts where students are expected to review and revise their work. When the book is completed, it is passed from the technology department to the printing and binding department. The finished product is a professional hard cover color year book that is completely student produced. Amazing!
