Disabled students transition from university to workplace: the experience of a training program

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The transition from university to work tends to be a critical stage, as students find themselves between two different worlds. This creates a complex and unstable situation, and in the case of disabled persons the difficulty is even greater. This article briefly presents a training program put in place to facilitate the employment of disabled university students. The main objective of the activity was to provide information and develop job searching skills in a group of university students with physical and/or sensory disabilities and who were enrolled in the School of Education at the University of Granada, Spain. A practical approach was taken to the subject, in the form of a course using new information technologies. The course was designed to enhance the students' acquisition of the necessary knowledge and skills for finding the most suitable job for their personal and professional characteristics, thus helping them set up a systematic and effective job search The results of the programme evaluation indicate that the initiative was interesting and useful to the participants. The students emphasised the quantity and variety of the information obtained and that their participation in the program was a valuable experience.