USING MULTIMEDIA TO ENHANCE EDUCATIONAL AND CAREER PLANNING BY ADOLESCENTS WITH DISABILITIES

UNEMPLOYMENT AND LIMITED PARTICPATION IN POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION ARE COMMON AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. SPECIALIZED TRANSITION SERVICES ARE LIMITED IN AVAILABILITY, AND REGULAR SCHOOL GUIDANCE COUNSELORS PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN HELPING DISABLED STUDENTS PLAN FOR EMPLOYMENT AND POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION. YET THESE COUNSELORS OFTEN LACK THE SKILLS AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO ADEQUATELY GUIDE STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES. TECHNOLOGIES USED IN SCHOOLS, ESPECIALLY INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES, COULD ASSIST THESE PROFESSIONALS, PROVIDED THAT APPROPRIATE PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE. MACRO PROPOSES TO INVESTIGATE THE FEASIBILITY OF DEVELOPING AN INTERACTIVE MULTIMEDIA PROGRAM FOR USE IN SECONDARY SCHOOL GUIDANCE CENTERS. THIS PHASE I STUDY WILL: INVESTIGATE SPECIFIC INFORMATIONAL NEEDS OF ADOLESCENTS WITH DISABILITIES; DEVELOP A PRELIMINARY DESIGN FOR A MULTIMEDIA PROGRAM; DETERMINE APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGIES; AND DEVELOP A FINAL DESIGN DOCUMENT TO GUIDE PHASE II DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. SPECIAL ATTENTION WILL BE PAID TO: IDENTIFYING CRITICAL CONTENT AND SPECIFIC APPROACHES TO EFFECTIVELY CONVEY THAT CONTENT; DEFINING THE TARGET AUDIENCE(S) FOR THE PROGRAM AND ENSURING THAT THE DESIGN MEETS THEIR NEEDS; INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY OF CREATING A PROGRAM COMPONENT USEFUL TO PARENTS; AND EVALUATING TECHNOLOGIES IN LIGHT OF BOTH ABILITY TO SUPPORT THE PROGRAM DESIGN AND LIKELY AVAILABILITY IN SCHOOLS IN THE NEAR FUTURE.