1. Career Placement Project: A Career
Readiness Program for Community
College Students With Disabilities
SUSAN CROY NORTON
KAY F. FIELD
This study examines the effect of a Career Placement Project using enhanced
career services specifically designed for community college students with dis-
abilities. The 4 areas of services provided by the project were career explora-
tion, job readiness, job-seeking skills, and job shadowing. A pretest-posttest
design using a participant group and a control group measured change in ca-
reer readiness. Based on the data, it seems that the Career Placement Project
was effective in increasing the career preparedness of participating students
with disabilities.
Passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 emd Public Law 94-142,
The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, opened the doors
of America's universities to individuals with disabilities (McLoughlin,
1982). The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) expands the Re-
habilitation Act of 1973 £Lnd forbids discrimination in employment
(Wilson, 1992). As a result of these new opportunities, colleges have
seen an ever increasing enrollment of students with disabilities on
their campuses.
Community colleges are seeing an especially dramatic increase in
the number of students with disabilities who enroll. Two-year col-
leges have been the fastest growing postsecondaiy institutions en-
rolling students with special needs (Bamett, 1990). Their open
admission policies and the special support services they offer have
made them attractive to a large number of students with disabilities
as well as to other at-risk groups. Community colleges have a re-
sponsibility that goes beyond helping students with disabilities re-
ceive services and perform academically. They have a responsibility
to assist them in developing their own independence. This is espe-
Susan Croy Norton is an assistant professor in the Department of Counseling and
Human Development at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Edinboro. Kay F, Field
is the director of employment and career services at North Iowa Area Community
CoUege, Mason City, Iowa. Correspondence regarding this article should be sent to
Susan Croy Norton, 133 Butterfield Hall, Edinboro University of Pennsulvania
Edinboro, PA 16444.
40 JOURNALOFEMPLOYMENTCOUNSELING/MARCH1998/VOL35

2. dally crucial since the passage of the ADA. More opportunities are
opening up for qualified individuals with disabilities. However, these
graduates will need the ability and skills to self-advocate in order to
obtain Jobs and receive the accommodations they require (Brown &
Brooks, 1990).
Graduates with disabilities have traditionally required a signifi-
cjmtly longer time to locate employment, and the unemployment
rate of graduates with disabilities is higher than the rate of gradu-
ates without disabilities (Frank, Kartst, & Boles, 1989; Thompson &
Hutto, 1992). This is partly because people with disabilities have
not had employment opportunities equal to those of people without
disabilities (Frank et al., 1989). Lack of knowledge and skills in how
to sell themselves in an interview, discomfort with self-advocating
for accommodations, and the inability to perceive what behaviors
are necessary for Job retention are also factors.
To be responsive to the needs of this growing population, commu-
nity colleges should offer assistance in preparing students to be
self-advocates and in the successful transition from school to work.
One form of assistance is offering enhanced career services specifi-
cally designed for students with disabilities.
A Career Placement Project was developed by a rural community
college in the Midwest to assist students with disabilities in prepar-
ing for successful careers. The four areas of placement services iden-
tified for inclusion in the project were (a) career exploration, (b) Job
readiness, (c) Job-seeking skills, and (d) Job shadowing. The pur-
pose of this study was to determine the effect of the Career Place-
ment Project on preparation for successful transition to the world of
work.
METHOD
During the 3-year period of the study, 295 eligible students with
disabilities were identified and referred to the Career Placement
Project. Students were invited by personal letter to participate in
the project. Twenty-five students chose to participate. Students with
disabilities were offered services in the four areas of (a) career ex-
ploration, (b) Job readiness, (c) Job-seeking skills, and (d) Job shad-
owing. Specific activities included individual career counseling,
computerized career exploration, a 10-session Job readiness semi-
nar, a 15-session Job-seeking skills class. Job shadowing, and coop-
erative education opportunities.
A pretest-posttest design was used to measure change during the
project. A 16-question instrument was developed to refiect the ap-
plication of skills in the four areas of placement services provided.
JOURNALOFEMPLOYMENTCOUNSELINQ/MARCH1998/VOL.35 41

3. The individual items were true-or-false questions. Items were scored
as correct or incorrect according to whether or not the responses
indicated those behaviors or skills needed for successful placement.
For example, for the item "I have prepared a resume that I am com-
fortable with in my job search." true was a correct response and
frilse was an incorrect response.
The pretest was administered to the participants at the beginning
of their involvement in the program. The identical test was adminis-
tered as a posttest at the end of the school year. A control group of
nonparticipating students with disabilities was administered the
same pretest and posttest using the same timeline as the one for
the participant group. Students were matched by age. sex. race,
disability, and college major. Possible scores ranged from 0 to 16.
Over a 3-year period. 25 students participated in the Career Place-
ment Project. Twenty-three of the participants completed both the
program pretests and the posttests. Eighteen of the 25 students in
the control group completed both the pretest and the posttest.
Mean scores were determined for the program participant and
control groups on the pretests Euid posttests. and scores were com-
pared for significant differences between the two groups. The find-
ings are presented in Table 1 by individual year pretest and posttest
mean scores as well as by 3-year aggregate pretest and posttest
mean scores. In addition, graduation rate and employment status
after graduation are discussed for both groups in the next section.
TABLE 1
Career Placement Project Program Results
Participant Group Control Group
Project n Af fi M P
1992-1993
Pretest 6 5.333 5 10.000 0.008
Posttest 4 13.250 5 12.800 0.822
1993-1994
Pretest 14 6.000 8 7.875 0.238
Posttest 14 10.571 8 10.373 0.874
1994-1995
Pretest 5 9.800 5 9.800 1.000
Posttest 5 10.000 5 8.800 0.737
Aggregate
Pretest 25 6.600 18 9.167 0.029
Posttest 23 10.913 18 10.611 0.794
42 JOURNALOFEMPLOYMENT COUNSELING/MARCH 1998/VOL 35

4. RESULTS
The program pretest and posttest means were calculated individu-
ally by the year in which services were provided. The pretest and
I>osttest means of the participant groups were compared using an
independent t test. Due to the small number of subjects involved in
this study, one must use caution in draAving conclusions.
Table 1 shows the results for the 1992-1993 school year, the 1993-
1994 school year, the 1994-1995 school year, and the 3-year aggre-
gate. There was a significant difference at the .05 level in the mean
scores of the participant and control groups on the pretest scores
for 1992-1993. There was no significant difference on the posttest
scores. The participant group had a mean score increase of almost
8 points between the pretest and posttest, whereas the control group
had a mean increase of less than 3 points. In 1993-1994 there was
no significant difference between groups on either the pretest or
the posttest scores. However, the gain scores were 4.5 for the par-
ticipants and only 2.5 for the control group. There was no signifi-
cant difference between the two groups on the pretest or the posttest
for the 1994-1995 school year. For the 3-year aggregate results, the
progrcun pretest mean score of the control group of 9.167 was sig-
nific£intly higher at the .05 level than that of the program partici-
pant group mean score of 6.600. There was no significant difference
in the posttest results. Gain scores were 4.3 for the participant group
and only 1.5 for the control group.
Over this 3-year period, 10 students with disabilities participating
in the Career Placement Program graduatedfi-omthe community col-
lege. Four of those students found employment 4 were continuing their
education, and 2 were unable to be located. Twelve students in the
control group graduated during this same time. Four of this group
found anployment, 1 was seeking employment at the time of the study,
6 were continuing their education, and 1 was unable to be located.
DISCUSSION
The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the Career
Placement Project on preparation for successful transitions to the
world of work for community college students with disabilities. This
project was designed to increase career preparedness in students
with disabilities over a 3-year period. The operational definition of
career preparedness used in this study is "a state of being prepared
to pursue an occupation by possessing knowledge in the areas of
career exploration. Job readiness. Job-seeking skills, and Job shad-
owing or work experience."
JOURNALOFEMPLOYMENTCOUNSELING/MARCH1998/VOL35 43

5. Based on the data, it seems that the Career Placement Project
was effective in increasing the career preparedness of students with
disabilities participating in the project. The data indicate a signifi-
cant difference (.05 level) between the 3-year aggregate program
pretest mean scores of the participant and the control groups. The
data also indicate no significant difference between the 3-year ag-
gregate posttest mean scores of the two groups. The participant group
scored significantly lower on the program pretests, but by the posttest
time the participant group scored as high or higher than the con-
trol group.
The difference between the pretest scores of the control and ex-
perimental groups was unexpected. A probable cause for the dis-
crepancy was selfrselection. Students who were not comfortable with
their career readiness were more likely to choose to participate in
the progrsmi. Those students who were comfortable did not choose
to participate. This is a reminder that we cannot group all students
with disabilities in the same class. Although many students with
disabilities have a need for this type of assistance, not all do.
The g£dns of the participant group were expected. By the end of
the program, students had caught up to their peers in career readi-
ness. The placement rates of the two groups were similar.
The results suggest that the Career Placement Project was a valu-
able tool for the assistance of some students with disabilities. There-
fore, it would behoove community colleges to offer such assistance
for those students who could benefit. It would not be advisable, how-
ever, to require the course for all students with disabilities, because
some have been able to obtain the skills in other ways.
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ed., pp. 1-12). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Frank, K., Kartst, R., & Boles, C. (1989). After graduation: The quest for em-
ployment by disabled college graduates. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation
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McLoughlln, W. (1982). Helping the physically disabled in higher education.
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44 JOURNALOF EMPLOYMENT COUNSELING/MARCH 1998/VOL 35