Welcome to School to Work
(Ages 18 - 21 years-old)
Curriculum: Unique Curriculum and Expanded Core Curriculum for students with Visual Impairment (ECC)
Innovative, important, and hard-working superheroes can be found every day in the School to Work Program.
Students in this program come from both the Overbrook School for the Blind’s High School Program and from traditional public school programs after completing 12th grade. This program teaches the skills students need to have to thrive in college, career, and community ready. The mission of the School to Work Program is to prepare students to lead productive and satisfying adult lives.
The School to Work Program utilizes the Expanded Core Curriculum for the Visually Impaired (ECC), which covers instruction in the unique set of skills needed for students with blindness or visual impairments, such compensatory skills including braille, independent living skills, orientation and mobility, social interaction skills, career education, recreation and leisure, assistive technology, sensory efficiency skills, and self-determination. These skills are essential for anyone with a visual impairment to be successful. The curriculum supports each student’s individual IEP goals and transition plans.
Students in the School to Work Program may take classes at a community college, distance learning classes, work in the community or on campus or focus on further developing skills in daily living including cooking, doing the dishes, cleaning an apartment, and doing laundry. Students take part in a variety of sensory experiences to assist them with understanding and navigating their environment as independently as possible. They may learn to travel to and from their home, how to travel within the community, to use community resources to purchase materials for class activities, go out to lunch, access recreational activities and to improve their communication and social skills. Students have the opportunity to participate in sports and music programs with other visually impaired students. Athletes can even compete against students from other schools for the visually impaired along the East Coast.
In the School to Work Program, we partner with students, their families, school districts and other adult-based agencies to provide a complete education for every student.
Overbrook School for the Blind serves children who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind or visually impaired with additional disabilities in every program. Every student regardless of their ability level has an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) developed to meet their specific needs. Each program is aligned with the PA core standards and the Expanded Core Curriculum for students who are blind, visually impaired, deafblind or visually impaired with additional disabilities. Overbrook’s teachers are highly qualified Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments and our therapists have a wealth of experience and professional development working with students with visual impairments. Our cutting-edge educational programs use low and high tech assistive technology to support our students. Staff receives on-going professional development in all areas of visual impairment including Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) as well as in other specialty areas, state-mandated training, and core subjects. Our staff shares their expertise presenting at state and national conferences.
For more information on the School to Work Program contact the Program Coordinator, Susan Vaughan .
| 
