The fair, facilitated through the Gallia-Vinton Education Service Center (ESC) and provided through a Ohio Secondary Transition Improvement Grant (OSTIG), allowed junior and senior high school students with disabilities to learn more about the options available to them post high school.
According OSTIG Southeast Quadrant Coordinator Karen Johnson of Gallia-Vinton ESC, the OSTIG grant came through a portion of a four-year federal grant provided through the Ohio Rehabilitative Services Commission and the Ohio Department of Education. Friday’s program, according to Johnson, is a way to get state and local agencies to work together to provide the best services for area high school students.
“The whole idea was to get agencies and the department of education to work together to provide the best services that we can for kids with disabilites that are graduating from high school and are either going on to college or going into some form of employment,” she said.
The program, according to Johnson, organized by the Gallia-Vinton-Jackson Transition Council, a committee formed as a portion of the OSTIG grant, gave students the opportunity to speak with prospective employers and representatives of higher learning institutions. Additionally, the fair allowed students to attend sessions concerning college expectations, career building and resume writing, assistive technology, health and nutrition and self-advocacy. Parents could also get involved and attended sessions about financial aid and expectations and transitioning for their children post graduation.
Post a Comment
