Calendar

ACCESS Success! (Attaining College or Careers to Explore Skills and Strengths) - October 16-17, 2020

Friday, October 16 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and
Saturday, October 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Accessing Advocacy: Creativity, Improvisation, and Acting

In observance of blindness awareness and employment activities in October, this month’s 2-day ACCESS Success session will emphasize the important concept of advocacy and inform choice. You will hear from a panel of peer advocates as well as speak with professionals working in the advocacy space. We  will explore all thing advocacy from speaking up for yourself to broad actions such as accessible voting. Do not miss the perfect opportunity for you to get all things advocacy related answered! In addition, you will also apply advocacy concepts in interactive improvisation scenarios. The cohort experience allows transitional age youth to support one another as you explore your strengths, identify interests, discover resources, and  develop your identities to cultivate informed choice around attainment of post-secondary outcomes.

The ACCESS Success  (Attaining College or Careers to Explore Skills and Strengths) workshops provide a platform for transition-age youth (ages 14-24)  to investigate employment and post-secondary topics in-depth both as a cohort experience and with individualized support. The ACCESS Workshops provide a platform for you to further explore a specific independent living, post-secondary, or employment topic in-depth from Friday-Saturday as well as meet new friends, blind/low vision mentors, and stay connected! The ACCESS Success pre-employment transition skills curricula and learning outcomes are intentionally designed to focus on the five (5) required pre-employment transition skills activities (DOR student services) under the national Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.  You can join using your phone, tablet, or computer. The entire weekend module is 8 hours in length and held on Friday evening and Saturday

Learning Objectives:

1. Youth will receive job exploration counseling and be aware of different careers which incorporates advocacy as a key component of the job role.
2. Participants will practice critical  work-readiness training to develop soft skills including advocacy, communication, collaboration and public speaking as students work with one another during interactive activities.
3. Students will receive instruction in self-advocacy refinement and increase connection to positive blind and low vision mentors during Mentor Spotlight sessions.
4. Youth will learn and about various ways to discover and identify their voice from self-advocacy to accessible voting.
5. The interactive and group-based structure nature of the ACCESS Success workshop provide opportunities for students to refine their workplace readiness soft skills including effective social and professional communication and emotional well-being all while building community with their blind and low vision peers.
6. Youth will continue to refine and receive support around critical Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) concepts including assistive technology use and independent living skills throughout the ACCESS Success sessions.

If you or anyone you know is interested in joining us for ACCESS Success, please:

1. Contact your Department of Rehabilitation counselor to discuss workshop attendance and authorization.
2. Confirm attendance with Ann Wai-Yee Kwong, Transition Program Specialist, by email at youth@lighthouse-sf.org or by phone at 415-484-8377.

If you have any questions or would like to join the workshop, please contact youth@lighthouse-sf.org.  NOTE, workshop attendance must be confirmed one week prior and Zoom information will be sent out before the session.