2000 VALPAR Outstanding Special Needs Program Awards

ACTE - Association for Career and Technical Education

Special Needs Division

Bill Boyer, Welding Instructor	Al Babich, Vocational Resource Educator, accepting the award for the school.

William Boyer has been the welding instructor for six years at NCC and is dedicated to helping students with disabilities. He designs curriculum to meet the individual needs of his students. A total of 56% of the students in this program are Special Population students. This successful program has made a positive impact in the lives of many students and has added credibility in area industry for the Career Center and the welding program.

The award criteria consider completers of the program, dropouts, and related placements in welding with letters of recommendation from counselors, students and instructors. The program was cited for excellence due to the impressive student outcomes in completion rate, placement, and academic achievement.

A referring high school counselor wrote, "Mr. Boyer has such a great reputation that I have freshmen asking me how to get into the welding program at the Northland Career Centeer. As a school counselor, I am thankful to have a program that helps students achieve their career goals and has a teacher who is supportive and caring about all students." One student wrote, "I like this class and am doing well because of the atmosphere and the teacher. Mr. Boyer is good at showing and explaining so that we can all understand."

The welding program is an American Welding Society certified program. Mr. Boyer is a Skills USA/VICA sponsor. Mr. Boyer's welding student Nick Domann, a Platte County R-III High School student, won first place in the state welding skills contest as a junior and competed at the national Skills USA/VICA at Bartle Hall last summer.

Margo Stokes (right), School-to-Careers Coordinator, accepting the award from Millie Parker, ACTE Special Needs Division President.

This program is unique because it targets the parents of vocational students with disabilities. It was designed to increase the number of students continuing their education from high school to a post-secondary school by disseminating more detailed transition information to the students and their parents. This successful program has provided the valuable link between secondary and post-secondary education that is often missing.

Features of the Program:

• Develops and delivers workshops for parents of students with disabilities about high-skill, high-wage careers in assistive technology (AT) and other high-tech careers.
• Schedules home visits to parents of students with disabilities and delivers information/training about high-skill, high-wage careers in assistive technology and high-tech careers.
• Provides technical assitance to parents about how their children can access employment services for persons with disabilities.
• Provides information/training to parents about how their children can access career awareness and exploration services for students with disabilities. Including services through the School-to-Careers and Perkins grants.
• Provides information/training to parents and students about the AT Centrum services and Casper College services to students with disabilities. Provides information/training about access to assistive technology like Braille readers, printers, and specialized software programs. Provides information/training about services like tutors and readers.
• Assists in establishing transition teams where none already exist. Provides technical support for new and existing transition teams and for vocational programs leading to high-skills, high-wage employment.
• Recruits students with disabilities to enter vocational programs at post-secondary level. Using a network of parents, teachers, counselors, and career specialists, identifies these students and contacts them with information/training about high technology careers.
• Hosts tours of AT Centrum for parents, career specialists, vocational educators, counselors and professionals who work with individuals with disabilities.
• Collaborates with parent information organizations, vocational educators/counselors, and career specialists to track high school graduations and enrollments in post-secondary institutions for students with disabilities. Enters the information in the database established by this project.

  Valpar 1999 Awardees

  

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