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Preparing for |
BackgroundResults of annual surveys conducted by the Berks County Transition Coordinating Council (BCTCC) demonstrate that the Transition House Program fills a unique need in Berks County. The surveys revealed that, during the last few years, students with high employment outcomes have been lacking independent-living skills and adult service provider support as compared to students with lower employment outcomes who had received support in those areas. |
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“One of the primary reasons that students with disabilities do not maintain competitive employment is that they do not have necessary work-related and social skills,” reports Lynn Zale, vocational rehabilitation counselor with the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) in Reading. “The Transition House Program will provide opportunities for students to acquire critical employment skills, such as arriving on time, following company policy and procedures, and performing one’s job to an employer’s expectations.”
The program is the result of collaborative efforts by BCIU, OVR, and BCTCC. All three local agencies have been interested in developing community-based transition services for high school students with mild-to-moderate disabilities for some time. A one-year OVR grant of $50,000 enabled the program to officially begin on August 31, 2004. The program’s financial goal is to find other funding sources after the OVR seed money has been spent. The house has been furnished through the generous donations of local individuals.
For information, please contact Brian Hocking, program administrator at 610-987-8504 or brihoc@berksiu.org.
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