This chapter discusses the two issues relating to services for deaf and hard of hearing high school students. These are issues two and three of the resolution:

"(2) An identification of the number of deaf and hard of hearing high school students ages 16 and older who will be referred for services from the Vocational Rehabilitation and Services to the Blind Division; and

(3) An identification of the gaps in services for deaf and hard of hearing students and ways to fill those gaps, such as having a transition program/counselor at the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind, underemployment, and support services on the job."

Unless otherwise indicated, quoted material is attributed to the respective respondent group.

Issue Two: Number of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students to be Referred for Services from the Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind Division (DVR)

Issue two seeks data on the number of deaf or hard of hearing high school students aged 16 and older who will be referred to the DVR for vocational rehabilitation services. For the most part, these will be students from the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind (HCDB). Survey groups other than the DVR do not have relevant data to respond to this issue. Thus, only the DVR's response is presented here. However, the HCDB was also asked to furnish data on student referrals.

Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind -- Background Information: The HCDB is Hawaii's center-based school for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, blind with multiple disabilities, and deaf with multiple disabilities. The center offers consultation and technical assistance to districts where disabled students attend local schools. The HCDB provides a day program for Oahu students and a combined day and residential program for students from the neighbor islands. Students benefit from diagnostic services including an initial and triennial evaluations. In addition, the HCDB provides adaptive materials such as books in braille to enable students and teachers throughout the State to participate in regular education.

DVR Response: Although it is not possible to predict exactly how many will be referred, the pattern of student referrals in the past may offer a hint. According to the DVR, four deaf or hard of hearing high school students were referred for vocational rehabilitation services in each of calendar years 1993, 1994, and 1995. Its best estimate of the pattern of future student referrals over the next 1-year, 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods is from six to ten students per year, only a slight increase from current levels. The DVR does not feel that this number is excessive for the division to handle.

Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind Response: According to the HCDB, there are currently 62 students in the center of which 53 are deaf or hard of hearing. For the 1993-1994, 1994-1995, and 1995-1996 school years, four, six, and nine students aged 16 or older (excluding the two deaf-blind students) were referred for DVR services. Of the HCDB's deaf students, 12 are now aged 16 or older; of the hard of hearing students, only one is now aged 16 or older. The HCDB estimates that the pattern of future referrals will increase in the next 1-year period but will stay the same for the next 3-year, 5-year, and 10-year periods. It does not have data on referrals from district schools for DVR services.

Issue Three: Gaps in Services for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students and Ways to Fill Those Gaps

With reference to providing missing services that may fill these gaps, issue three of the resolution mentions ". . . a transition program/counselor at the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind, underemployment, and support services on the job." Although the lack of a transition program and inadequate support services can readily be seen as possible service gaps, it is unclear how "underemployment" can be a service that is lacking. The best interpretation is that underemployment is a symptom that needs to be remedied by services that are lacking. In any case, all groups were asked to provide input on this issue. In general, responses uniformly cited the lack of a transition program and transition counselor or coordinator at the HCDB.

DVR Response: According to the DVR, the gap in services lies in the lack of a transition counselor at the HCDB. The HCDB is operated by the Department of Education for deaf and blind students up to age 20 in a dormitory setting. The DVR believes that, although certain activities are coordinated in schools to help prepare blind and deaf or hard of hearing students for the transition to a work society, a gap exists in that the HCDB does not have a transition counselor or a work experience coordinator and:⁽¹⁾

"Deaf and hard of hearing students are not exposed to work, careers, and vocational exploration. When they graduate from high school, they are not prepared to make vocational/career choices. . . [To remedy this situation, the] HCDB [should] have a coordinated plan for all deaf and hard of hearing students to participate in. More effective services need to be provided. . . . The [HCDB] is a center and not a school within a district. Because of this, they do not always access services in the school district. One problem is transition services at HCDB. Students have been graduating without effective transition services. Students are not always referred to VR from HCDB prior to graduation."

Hawaii State Coordinating Council on Deafness Survey Response: The HSCCD feels that there are service gaps and suggests that they can ". . . be filled with an increase of trained personnel, more extensive staff development, and better coordination and articulation among state agencies, i.e., DOE and DHS." Presumably, the references are to the HCDB and other schools that have deaf or hard of hearing students, and the DVR. In elaboration, the HSCCD proposed that:⁽²⁾

". . . a transition program or counselor(s) [be established] at HCBD in order to assist students with transition between school and work world. Work experience and job search skills need to be introduced to the students so that they are better prepared for the working world. Revise order of selection process for the hard-of-hearing students, so that they can receive services before graduation. Continue the priority order process for the deaf students to ensure they get needed services in a timely fashion, before entering college or the working world." Hawaii Services on Deafness Response: The HSOD identified as a service gap the need for more extensive career and higher educational counseling for deaf and hard of hearing high school students in order to broaden their career horizons and to encourage them to higher educational goals. In line with this, the HSOD reported that it is planning a career/higher education workshop series at the HCDB that will be open to deaf and hard of hearing students at the HCDB and in other schools on Oahu. Eventually, the HSOD plans to expand the workshops to the neighbor islands. The HSOD also indicated a need for more funding for transitional programs for the HSOD.⁽³⁾

Specifically commenting on the remark made in H.C.R. No. 157, HD1 regarding the lack of a transition program/counselor at the HCDB, the HSOD stated that:⁽⁴⁾

"A transition program/counselor at the Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind would be valuable to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing students with the same kinds of career/higher education counseling offered to most hearing students at the high school level. There should be a focus on expanding the educational and career horizons of the deaf and hard-of-hearing, based on individual talents and interests. With increased awareness of and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and new technologies, including widespread use of the computer and more advanced telecommunications devices and services, many more career opportunities may be made available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. Extensive community education is necessary to make both the deaf and hard-of-hearing and the hearing communities aware of the greater opportunities, and the broad range of skills and talents of the deaf and hard-of-hearing."

Goodwill Industries of Honolulu, Inc. Response: Goodwill notes that its participation in the deaf community is relatively new. However, it believes that its experience thus far indicates that, with reference to services gaps for deaf and hard of hearing high school students, there is a need to move individuals from a school or educational model into an employment model. According to Goodwill, students need to be better prepared in order to make the transition into the world of employment.

Commenting specifically on the lack of a transition program/counselor at the HCDB, Goodwill states that:⁽⁵⁾

"We have identified the need for students to have additional knowledge in adaptive equipment, assistive technology, and reasonable accommodations that are their right to access. This would help students learn that more opportunities are available and prevent discouragement in making the transition to [the] adult workforce.

We have identified that an additional need is for inclusion of presenters who are Deaf to vocational exploration classes. This would enable students to see Deaf individuals who are successful in their chosen professions. Role models can be of great benefit in providing the motivation to obtain a quality job.

We have identified that the addition of personnel specifically trained to address issues of transition from school to work, underemployment, and provide supports on the job would be of great benefit. This would provide for a smaller [student to] teacher ratio and more individualized attention. Counseling, and providing on the job supports are already available in the community through private service providers on a referral basis. [P]erhaps one way to strengthen these services would be to institute a referral service to outside community providers at an earlier stage -- perhaps [at the] sophomore level in high school. [T]his would ensure that experiences are found in real work settings

outside the school environment." Ohana Kokua Ano Kuli Response: The OKAK agreed that services to students can be improved through better academic and vocational training, through the provision of transitional services, and overall better coordination of vocational rehabilitation services to this group. Commenting specifically on the lack of a transition program/counselor at the HCDB, the OKAK maintains that:⁽⁶⁾

"First, there is no transition coordinator at HCDB -- there needs to be one. Second, statistics on unemployment and underemployment of Hawaii's deaf and hard of hearing need to be gathered and reported. This will support the need for [the transition counselor at the HCDB]."

Aloha State Association of the Deaf Response: According to the ASAD, the lack of a transition program/counselor at the HCDB requires an increase in staffing from one part-time and two full-time positions to four full-time positions. It also advocates for a separate branch for the deaf and hard of hearing within the DHS similar to the Ho'opono program for blind clients as a means of improving services for all deaf and hard of hearing clients including high school students.

The ASAD offers that the HCDB does not have a transition program because, being a center, it is independent of the departmental school district in which it is located. The implication is that coordination between the HCDB and the Department of Education could be improved. According to the ASAD, between 1975 and 1980, a vocational experience program was operated under a grant that helped deaf and hard of hearing students find opportunities to work part-time and develop their career goals. It sees this type of career development program as being very critical for HCDB students because it feels these students are now unprepared to take on jobs upon graduation. As a result, the ASAD believes that many deaf people in Hawaii are underemployed because, not having been prepared for higher-level jobs, they tend to accept lower-paying ones and are just grateful not to lose them.

Hawaii Center for the Deaf and the Blind Response: The HCDB reports that its graduates tend to be underemployed. Because of the lack of opportunities and support in Hawaii -- as well as the relatively high cost of living -- many have moved to the mainland. Other service gaps, according to the HCDB, include insufficient support services due to the scarcity of qualified interpreters. Employers are reluctant to pay interpreter fees even when they are available. If the gap in support services can be filled, the HCDB feels that deaf persons can get and maintain gainful employment much more smoothly. The HCDB lays partial responsibility for the exodus of deaf persons to the mainland on the lack of a cohesive transition mechanism that would support skill development and opportunities to use those skills at gainful employment.

According to the HCDB, there is a counselor but no transition teacher at the HCDB -- the latter position having been eliminated several years ago. The school counselor has been handling all counseling needs, including pre-vocational liaison with the DVR. However, other duties necessarily dilute services provided through this counselor position. In partial mitigation, Honolulu District's Occupational Skills program, which is currently housed on the HCDB campus, can be accessed by HCDB students who qualify for the program.

However, the HCDB envisions the role of a dedicated transition counselor position -- one specifically designed to serve transition and pre-vocational needs of students -- to be the following:

• "Develop and implement an SE-VR⁽⁷⁾ work-study program within the HCDB high school curriculum
• Determine which of previously available prevocational services and programs are still accessible and "reconnect" HCDB students with the services, for example:
• Career Information Center
• Career Kokua
• Community Resource Program
• Career Opportunities Program
• Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Occupational Skills Program
• SE-VR/Work Study Program
• Reconnect and re-activate community contacts for job sites for our students, such as:
• McDonald's
• Hakuyosha Cleaners
• Hawaii Hotel Association Adopt-A-School Program
• Marriott-Food Service
• Honolulu Community College
• Kapiolani Community College
• Honolulu Zoo
• State Library System
• Create and maintain student vocational file[s] for each student, and facilitate students' completion of necessary forms and applications for transitional activities
• Provide initial job coaching as needed on limited basis for each student
• Teach prevocational skills as needed, and coordinate other personnel teaching prevocational skills [regarding] established curriculum."

The HCDB agrees fully that a transition program would be of great benefit. The Center believes that, at minimum, a vocational counselor would be needed. In addition, a transition class teacher would be needed at the high school level to ensure the classroom portion of skill development was available to support the program. The Center feels that two individuals currently at the HCDB are qualified to fill the counselor position. However, it believes that no staff are currently available to fill the transition teacher position (assuming the position were to be created) and personnel would most likely need to be recruited from the mainland. In addition, the HCDB points out the need for more funding for transportation of students to and from work sites, for subsidized work experience, for materials and supplies, staff travel expenses, etc.

The HCDB reports that there is no systematic coordination between the center and other public school programs regarding prevocational needs of deaf and hard of hearing students due to staffing constraints. According to the HCDB, although "every attempt is made for smooth coordination between HCDB and [the] DVR, . . . both are short of staff in this area." It also reported that an in-house plan has been proposed to "re-instate a position that would allow us to perform these vital activities on behalf of students, but that [the plan] is in its initial stages and the details are not clearly defined at present."

Finally, the HCDB cautions that the small number of students at the Center may seem to justify cuts in services and staff. It cites the elimination of the prior transition position as a result of this misperception. The Center points out that, because the needs of its students are complex and intensive, requiring intensive support, the numbers are deceptive.

1. Information is from the DVR survey responses of July 15 and August 19, 1996 and from the DVR interview of July 2, 1996 with Neil Shim, administrator, and Carol Young, program coordinator.

2. Hawaii State Coordinating Council on Deafness survey response received on July 31, 1996.

3. Hawaii Services on Deafness survey response received October 7, 1996.

4. Hawaii Services on Deafness survey response received on August 29, 1996.

5. Goodwill Industries of Honolulu, Inc. survey response received on August 14, 1996.

6. Ohana Kokua Ano Kuli survey response received on August 19, 1996.

7. "SE-VR" means special education-vocational rehabilitation.

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