Unit 4: How do I adjust the demands of my career?

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Unit 4 is the pivot between career exploration (Units 1-3) and accommodations (Units 4-8). A longer clip of Dr. Rose’s TEDTalk is embedded to reveal the Air Force’s solution: Adjustable seats. This solution is now commonplace in all vehicles. It is also a metaphor for universal design. Universal design is a principle of design and architecture that seeks to meet the needs of all people, regardless of age, size, ability or disability. Universal design seeks to remove barriers to participation from the built environment. The principle of universal design comes from social understandings of disability. 

Universal design is the ideal. But it is not always available. People with disabilities, therefore, have to ask for individual accommodations. Individual accommodations are essentially a way to retrofit the environment. They provide access to environments that were not designed to meet the needs of all people. Individual accommodations, though, apply to more than just the built environment. They also apply to policies that change the rules. The familiar example of a policy change in education is extra time on tests. In the workplace, employers can allow similar policy accommodations, such as flexible work hours or changes to non-essential work expectations. The justification for individual accommodations after K12 is usually medical documentation. In K12, the IEP or 504 Plan contain the necessary justification and list of approved accommodations. 

Educational accommodations fall under specific categories. These categories are introduced in Section 2, which uses a student’s current IEP documentation as the basis for exploration and analysis. First, the student gathers their current list of educational accommodations. Next, the student begins to analyze the accommodations. Use a chart (template provided), students are guided to ask questions about their accommodations. Do they require a person or technology? Do they use it? Do they need it now? These questions set the stage for making decisions about the future. 

In the near future, the high school and transition students targeted by this curriculum are likely to pursue postsecondary education. Their current list of educational accommodations is most relevant for that setting, although they may change for a variety of reasons (Unit 6). However, a brief introduction to workplace accommodations is included in this unit to connect future planning to employment. 

• Before starting this course you must complete the required prerequisite course: Unit 3: How do I match up with my career profile?