Resource 2: Cultural Competency in Working with Students and Employment: Implementation Support

This is a checklist of steps that supervisors can take to teach this Practice to their VR counselors*. The steps follow adult learning principles and are designed to support counselors in learning about and implementing this new practice.

  1. First, determine the learning goals related to this practice: What do you want VR counselors to know or know how to do with regards to this Practice?
  2. Adult learners need to 1) understand the content; 2) figure out how its relevant, useful, and feasible to apply; 3) identify the skills they will need to use; and 4) practice implementing it, ideally in their setting. Review the Practice with these questions:
    1. Knowledge: What is the best practice?
      Review the Case Example for Cultural Competency, or the Overview “Students with Disabilities and Employment”
    2. Attitudes: How possible is it to implement in our program? How will it help our clients? Review these requirements and discuss how feasible it is to implement.

      Setting requirements

      • N/A

      Other clients

      • N/A

      Other resources

      • Access to devices for text, email, phone communication with students and their families

      Barriers to implementation

      • Lack of communication channels that reach family members, e.g. no email or smart phone access
      • Counselor comfort with exploring student’s environmental and situational factors
      • Counselor comfort with communicating with familiesOpportunities for implementation
      • Regular appointments with clients that could include communication with family members
    3. Skills: What do will the counselors need to do?
      • Talk with students about their home and family situations to identify logistical challenges to employment
      • Talk with families to understand cross-cultural issues affecting their student’s employment
    4. Practice: How would we do it here? Talk through steps to implementation together, from identifying clients to conducting practice interviews.
      • Can you eliminate any of the barriers you identified above?
      • How will you or the counselor identify clients to engage with this practice?
      • What support does the counselor want in order to use this practice with his/her first client?
      • What does the counselor need to do next?
      • What do you need to do to provide support for your counselor?
      • What is a realistic timeline for engaging the first client in this newpractice?
      • How/when will you and the counselor continue to problem solve anyimplementation challenges?

*counselor can also mean vendor, as some sites may contract out for the services described

 

Next: Continue to Resource 3.