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Lesson 3: Dream Bigā€”but Be Realistic

Note to professionals: if the family does not have access to a computer, you will need to use the information you collected from Lesson 1 to print out the O*Net research for the family’s use.

Dear Family,

Not only is it important for your child’s team to understand what his plans are for his future, but it is also important to reflect on your teen’s skills and abilities to determine if the route he has chosen is one in which he can be successful. For instance, if your teen would like to be an accountant but is not performing well in his standard math classes, accounting may not be an appropriate path for him to pursue.

I hope you encourage your teen to dream big. However, if his goals are unrealistic or not aligned with his abilities he will not have a satisfying career. Teens with vision loss have typically been exposed to fewer jobs than their sighted peers due to the fact many jobs in the world can be visually observed on a casual and incidental basis. Therefore, it is important that we work together, through career exploration and planning, to assist your teen in pursuing a realistic and meaningful option for after high school. As we collaborate to help your teen clarify his goals for after school, remind your teen he can change his direction as he learns more about himself and the option he will succeed at. While working in partnership, we can oversee your teen sets his expectations high while keeping within the reality of his abilities.

Sincerely,
(Teacher Name/Contact information)

Activities

Directions

Complete the activities and return your responses to your teen’s professional for review and response.

Activity 1: O*Net Research

In Lesson 1, Activity 2, you identified one or more jobs your teen would like to hold now for part-time employment and in the future as a long term occupation. Navigate to the O*Net website (an online tool for job exploration). Type a job your teen is interested in into the occupation search box. As you read the summary report for the occupation, pay attention to the tasks associated with the job, the tools and technology needed to perform the duties of the job, and the social skills expected of someone in the position. Answer the following questions:

  1. Which job(s) did you research?
  2. Is your teen developing the skills required for his job(s) of interest?
  3. If not, what skills should he begin to learn?
  4. What abilities are needed for this job?
  5. Does your teen possess these abilities?
  6. What is the work context of the job?
  7. What are the education requirements for this job?
  8. Is your teen headed towards a realistic path or does he need to further explore career options based on his abilities and interests?

Reflection

From completing this activity, I learnedā€¦.
I would like more information onā€¦.
I have the following questions for my teen’s professionalā€¦.
I am going to do the following things to prepare my teen for transitionā€¦.