| INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS Names: Caren Sax & Fred McFarlane Faculty/Rank: Professors Department: Administration, Rehabilitation, & Postsecondary Education College: Education Office phones: Sax- 47183; McFarlane-44228 E mail address: csax@mail.sdsu.edu; fmcfarla@mail.sdsu.edu Proposal title: Institutionalizing internships for rehabilitation counseling graduate students in Ireland Country/ies visited: Dublin, Ireland; Brussels, Belgium Institution visited: National Learning Network (Ireland): European Platform on Rehabilitation (Belgium) Dates of travel: 9/26/05 – 10/05/05 Number of student participants: One graduate student currently completing internship at NLN for fall semester, one graduate student from Ireland currently enrolled in the MS in Rehabilitation Counseling (via distance) Previous IP proposals submitted and grants awarded: none Other funding for this activity available/applied for: none
The Rehabilitation Counseling Program (RCP) within SDSU’s Department of Administration, Rehabilitation, and Postsecondary requires that all students complete at least 700 hours of clinical experience to attain the Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling, in accordance with the Council on Rehabilitation Education’s accreditation standards. The primary focus of career preparation in rehabilitation is developing counseling skills, acquiring knowledge of disabilities, knowledge of cultural diversity and its impact with persons with disabilities, and demonstrating respect and sensitivity for people with disabilities. Knowledge and practice of these principles in a model of full integration and inclusion, combined with a solid foundation of specialized education in the rehabilitation field, enable rehabilitation professionals to partner with individuals with disabilities to obtain gainful employment, pursue meaningful careers, and live independently. The culminating clinical internship experience (i.e., at least 450 hours of clinical experience) provides an essential opportunity to approach full-time work in a rehabilitation setting and to begin networking in the community of practice. Students complete the internship hours in such environments as: California Department of Rehabilitation; community rehabilitation programs (i.e., non-profit organizations); private rehabilitation agencies; institutions of higher education; and the public school system (i.e., addressing the needs of students with disabilities as they transition from school to adult life). These internship experiences are directly related to the student outcome assessment and graduation requirements for each student. Consistent with the university wide goal to create a “global
campus,” the intention of this travel was to expand internship opportunities
internationally for our graduate students. Specifically, Drs. Sax and
McFarlane set up meetings with the management team from the National Learning
Network (NLN), based in Dublin, Ireland to institutionalize an international
internship through a cooperative agreement. NLN partners with Institutes
of Further Education and Institutes of Technology in order to provide
supports to students with disabilities enrolled at these institutions
and offers specific programs aimed at preparing students for progression
to jobs, further education, or higher training.
Dr. McFarlane has a long-standing relationship with the NLN, due to his involvement with the European Platform on Rehabilitation. Dr. Sax has been involved in training and collaboration with NLN in the past few years. Members of the NLN management team have visited SDSU and have expressed interest in formalizing the collaboration. The planning for the RCP graduate student, Heather Wilson, to complete her internship experience in Ireland began in 2004, by exploring possibilities for clinical experiences that would enhance her skills and knowledge as a rehabilitation counselor. After the details were finalized, Heather traveled to Dublin with Ms. Dawn Duffin of the National Learning Network in August 2005 to begin the fall semester. Ms. Duffin is serving as Heather’s on-site supervisor, providing her with support, training, mentoring, and supervision for the semester. Dr. Sax worked closely with Ms. Duffin in organizing the itinerary for the travel to include the following: observations of Heather at several educational sites; meetings with the NLN management team, including the CEO; meetings with the Rehab Group’s Director of Research and Innovation; and meetings with representatives from various NLN divisions. The National Learning Network provides training, education, enterprise development and job placement services for more than 4,500 people at 50 locations nationwide.
As described earlier, the contacts are through the National Learning Network. NLN partners with the City of Dublin Vocational Educational Committee (CDVEC) to offer a wide range of supports to students with disabilities in eight VEC Colleges of Further Education in Dublin. These colleges include: Ballyfermot College of Further Education; Pearse College of Further Education; Inchicore College of Further Education; Colaiste Dhulaigh College of Further Education; Colaiste Ide College of Further Education; Plunkett College; Whitehall College of Further Education and Killester College of Further Education. Through another unique partnership, NLN created the BUA Center with the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB) and the Dyscovery Centre in Cardiff (Wales) to provide assessment and support for adolescents and adults with disabilities. Visits were arranged to Plunkett College and ITB during this trip. In addition, a meeting was held with engineering faculty from the Dublin Institute of Technology regarding possible collaboration in developing specific modules related to the topics of disability and assistive technology for a new masters degree in the area of informational technology that will include applications of assistive technology. IV. Conclusion, recommendation, and next step? Collaboration with NLN and with their partnering institutions provides opportunities for RCP graduate students in many relevant areas, including: assessing the learning styles of students with disabilities; designing and delivering supports for students to be effective and successful learners; providing support and training for faculty in meeting the needs of diverse learners; meeting individual needs of students to achieve their vocational goals at their own pace and within a lifelong learning framework; and promoting disability awareness throughout the campuses and in communities. Another development in collaborating with NLN is in the area of distance education. The first NLN staff member has enrolled as a graduate student in RCP distance education courses at SDSU. Supplementary materials are being designed to include European and Irish content related to course topics, i.e., historical context for disability-related issues, legislation and social policy development, service delivery systems, etc. Opportunities for developing similar content for other European members of the EPR are being explored via the Cooperative Agreement with the EPR, as described earlier. Enrolling international students in our distance education program offers many opportunities for collaboration with on-campus students for joint research and clinical internship exchange projects. Drs. Sax and McFarlane have received the signed EPR document
and are drafting a new Cooperative Agreement with NLN, with sub-agreements
to address the specific areas described in this report, including establishing
annual student internship placements; exploring joint funding opportunities;
and enhancing curriculum materials with international content.
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