National Capacity Building Institute 
Proceedings

"Professional Employment for Individuals with Disabilities: Issues of Preparation and Transition."
 
February 12-13, 2003, Sheraton Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii

Sponsored by the National Center on 
Secondary Education and Transition 
(NCSET), University of Minnesota, and 
the National Center for the Study of 
Postsecondary Educational Supports 
(NCSPES), University of Hawaii. 
Co-sponsored by the Real Choices Project, 
the Center for the Study of Cultural and 
Linguistic Diversity and Disability 
(CLD), and the Hawaii Imua Project. 

CBI 2003 
Professional Employment

Introduction: page 3 
February 12-13th Capacity Building Institute Agenda: page 5 
Speaker Key Points: page 7 
Discussion Group Key Points: page 11 
Excerpts from the Online Discussion: page 14 
Participants: page 16

Introduction

Aloha and welcome to the Proceedings document for the National Capacity Building Institute, 
Professional Employment for Individuals with Disabilities: Issues of Preparation and Transition. The Institute 
was held in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 12-13, 2003, and was co-sponsored by the National Center 
on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) and the National Center for the Study of 
Postsecondary Educational Supports (NCSPES). 
The Institute consisted of several components: 
(1) Online readings and discussion with authors & researchers. Approximately a month prior to 
the Institute in Hawaii, participants were given the opportunity to read papers authored by the 
presenters. A rich on-line discussion evolved from these readings, with participants expressing 
their views about the goals of the rehabilitation system, the role of self-determination, the need 
for access to technology and access to postsecondary education, and general strategies for 
improving employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. 
(2) Intensive presentations and discussions in Honolulu, Hawaii. Participants came to Honolulu, 
Hawaii for a two-day workshop in collaboration with the Pacific Rim Conference on Disabilities. 
Speakers presented current information on topics including the need to expand opportunities for 
professional employment, the Glass Ceiling Effect, health and safety in the workplace, standardsbased 
testing, international and cultural perspectives on employment, resource mapping, and 
collaborating with the Vocational Rehabilitation system. The discussion groups that followed 
were focused around six areas of participant interest, including (a) technology, (b) cognitive 
disability, (c) coordination of services, (d) the rehabilitation system, (e) cultural diversity, and (f ) 
self-determination. These discussions exposed participants to a variety of perspectives, and 
provided them with the opportunity to share their views and link each presentation with the real 
world of disability through the development of recommendations for policy, practice and 
research. 
(3) Follow-up discussion surrounding next steps and the implementation of new knowledge and 
skills. Participants were given the opportunity to continue the discussion around professional 
employment by participating in the post-Institute online discussion. 
We would like to highlight the experience of one participant, Stephanie Burch, a high-school student 
who attended the event with her local Special Education Director: 

УThe conference was a learning experience for me. I learned many different things about the services that are 
out there. I learned that if you have a learning disability you can pursue anything if you want to. I also 
learned that there are programs out there at the schools to help people with these kinds of disabilities. From the 
conference I gained a lot more power to go to college and achieve my goals. Even though I am only a student I 
enjoyed the conference a lot. I would like to be a social worker, a school counselor, or a substance abuse 
counselor. In ten years [I know that] I will love my careerЕ Self-determination means that I need to stay 
headstrong and be all that I can be. When I feel like there is no hope I just need to tell myself that I can and 
think of all the times people told me that I canТt make it. But I canЕФ 

We hope that these Proceedings reflect the diversity of perspectives represented by participants and 
presenters. Thank you to all who participated! Please look for future Institutes on related transition and 
post-outcomes topics. To access these Proceedings online, or for more information about future 
Institutes or about the Post-Outcomes Network of the National Center on Secondary Education and 
Transition, please go to the web at www.ncset.hawaii.edu. To obtain alternative formats of these 
Proceedings or to obtain copies of speaker papers, please contact Velina Sugiyama, Administrative 
Assistant, Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1776 University Avenue, UA 4- 
6, Honolulu, HI 96822. Tel. 808-956-5688. Email: velina@hawaii.edu. 

Robert A. Stodden, Ph.D., Director, Center on Disability Studies 
National Center for the Study of Postsecondary Educational Supports, University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Megan A. Conway, Ph.D., Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Post-Outcomes Network 
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition, University of Hawaii at Manoa site
 
February 12-13th
Capacity Building Institute Agenda

Sheraton Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii 

Wednesday, February 12, 2003

Molokai Ballroom 
6:45 Ц 7:45am Experiencing the Great Hawaiian Morning Ц (optional) Tai Chi, Meet at 6:45 in 
the Niihau room 
Registration, Continental Breakfast and Introductions 8:30 Ц 9:00 
David Johnson, Welcome and Introduction to NCSET 9:00 Ц 9:15 
9:15 Ц 10:00 Robert Stodden and Megan Conway, УProfessional Employment 
for Individuals with Disabilities: Issues of Preparation, Transition and ParticipationФ 
Lex Frieden УThe Glass Ceiling EffectФ 10:00 Ц 10:30 
Small Groups - Introductions and Plan 10:30 Ц 11:00 
Glen White УHealth and Safety in the WorkplaceФ 11:00 Ц 12:00pm 
12:00 Ц 1:00 Lunch (provided in the Niihau Room) 
Sheryl Burgstahler, УRole of Technology in Preparation for EmploymentФ 1:00 Ц 2:00 
2:00 Ц 3:00 Martha Thurlow, УThe Promise of Standards-Based Secondary Education and 
Transition to Professional EmploymentФ 
Richard Radtke, Reaction 3:00 Ц 3:15 
Break 3:15 Ц 3:30 
3:30 Ц 5:00 Small Group Work 
Molokai Room, Kona and Kohala Rooms

Thursday, February 13, 2003

Oahu/Waialua Room
6:45 Ц 7:45am Experiencing the Great Hawaiian Morning Ц (optional) Canoe Paddle Activity, 
Meet at 6:45 by the Sheraton Swimming Pool
8:30 Ц 9:00 Kathy Martinez, УInternational Perspective on EmploymentФ 
9:00 Ц 10:00 Mary Mack and Kelli Crane, УResource Mapping as the Pathway for Youth with 
Disabilities in the Transition to Professional EmploymentФ 
10:00 Ц 11:00 
Peg Lamb and Cynthia Wright, УSupporting Transition to Employment Through 
A Collaborative Relationship with Vocational RehabilitationФ
11:00 Ц 12:00 pm Lunch (provided in the Niihau Room) 
12:00 Ц 1:00 Small Group Work
1:00 Ц 3:00 Oahu/Waialua Room, Kona and Kohala Rooms 
3:00 Ц 3:30 Break
3:30 Ц 4:30 Group Presentations and Recommendations for Next Steps 
 
Speaker Key Points

Robert Stodden and Megan Conway

Х There is a need for development in the areas of self-determination and self-advocacy skills, the 
role of technology, and the coordination of services and supports across different agencies. 
Х Youth with disabilities often lack the academic skills required in postsecondary education. 
Therefore, there is a need to develop high expectations and entry access to postsecondary schools 
for youth with disabilities. We need to develop a higher level of expectations that youth will 
learn the skills to go on to postsecondary education and professional employment. 
Х There is a great need to move forward to meet the challenges of the changing world of work. 
Х Advancement within a professional career needs to be a possibility for everybody. 
Х Youth with disabilities need to have a greater Уsense of opportunityФ about their postsecondary 
and career options. 
Х Opportunities and attitudes of others in secondary school are critical to a studentТs sense of 
opportunity. 
Х Access to career development and life-long learning needs to be considered when planning 
accommodations and supports throughout secondary education. 
Х Individuals with disabilities should have choices. The opinions of others about what is realistic 
should not dictate their choices. 
Х There is a need for collaboration between career counselors and special education teachers. 

Lex Frieden

Х The Уglass ceiling effectФ is a real barrier for people with disabilities. 
Х Most vocational counselors will not serve a person who is already employed. 
Х Schools are good at providing supports at a basic level, but not when it comes to issues of 
advancement in employment. 
Х Policy makers and researchers need to collaborate to provide data to support policy change. 
Х People with disabilities usually make decisions based on what is accessible, rather than on 
preferences or interest. 
 
Glen White

Х Comprehensive Plans of Disaster Preparation enable people with disabilities to escape disaster 
during emergencies. 
Х More than 50% of people with disabilities do not know whom to contact about emergency plans 
in their community. 
Х Safety accommodations include a buddy system, practical procedures, emergency apparatus for 
stairways, and infrared systems. 
Х There is a need to develop drills on safety measures to serve people with and without disabilities 
in the workforce. 
 
Sheryl Burgstahler

Х For people with disabilities, technology can maximize independence, productivity, and 
participation in pre-college education, postsecondary education, and employment. 
Х Computer technology can help maximize independence, success, productivity, and the ability to 
move on in ones life and career. 
Х Technology is available, but people with disabilities need to be trained to use it. 

Martha Thurlow

Х It is necessary to incorporate rich context-based teaching and not to worry about comparing 
students with disabilities with a test. 
Х Students have great skills, but because of their disabilities, they cannot demonstrate their skills on 
paper and pencil tests. 
Х Having high expectations for academic achievement will expand the types of careers students will 
have an opportunity to pursue. 
Х Self-determination in the curriculum helps students with disabilities to set high goals and 
expectations. 

Kathy Martinez

Х Shame is a big major barrier to people with disabilities, especially in minority cultures. 
Х In countries outside the United States, the Disability Rights Movement is fighting for 
community-based rehabilitation, family business, and working from home as part of independent 
living. 
Х There is a movement to have the United Nations ratify a convention declaring the human rights 
of people with disabilities. 

Mark Mack and Kelli Crane

Х Resource mapping is a pathway to linking community resources to build a system to assist people 
with disabilities in the transition to professional employment. 
Х About 45% of employers cite lack of related experience, skills and training as a major barrier to 
employing people with disabilities. 
Х Resource mapping is a great strategy for problem solving that involves different people with 
different backgrounds and experiences to collaborate in setting visions, goals, objectives and a 
plan of action. 
Х It is important to make sure that people who are receiving services are included in the mapping 
process. 

Peg Lamb and Cynthia Wright

Х Counselors need to be encouraged to get to know their clients and to learn more about their 
strengths and abilities. 
Х Counselors need to be encouraged to take the initiative in contacting students and providing 
them with support. 
Х Counselors can serve as a resource to teachers and students, and foster self-determination and 
self-advocacy skills. 
Х There is a need to examine the rules of measurement in determining rehabilitation counselorsТ 
success in serving clients. 
Х Universities need to offer joint training of special education teachers, administrators, and 
rehabilitation counselors to develop greater understanding of the roles and responsibilities of 
these professional and to foster more collaborative relationships.

Discussion Group Key Points

Individuals with Severe and Cognitive Disabilities

It was generally agreed that the issues concerning individuals with severe and cognitive impairments are 
similar to those for all individuals with disabilities. The implications and recommendations developed by this 
group were therefore quite general, and are integrated into the other topic areas presented below. 
 
Self-Determination

Implications 
Х Students are not always aware of their own strengths, needs, and rights. 
Х Students are not always involved in their individualized education program (IEP). 
Х There is a need for more opportunities for students with disabilities to learn how to make choices 
and to experience the consequences of those choices in career exploration and educational 
settings. 
Х Many teachers do not know how to integrate the skills needed for transition into the general 
curricula. 

Practice Recommendations 
Х Involve students in the planning, development and evaluation of the education and transition 
process so that they can learn to be self-determined. 
Х Start transition planning as early as middle school. 
Х Teach students about disability issues and laws so they can self-advocate for their own needs. 
Х Create opportunities for students to make choices related to personal, educational and career 
development throughout the K-12 system and beyond. 
Х Integrate the skills needed for self-determination, career development and transition into the 
general curricula so that students learn professional skills. 
Х Provide mentors to model positive behaviors, increasing studentsТ sense of opportunity. 

Research Recommendations 
Х Identify components of self-determination within IEP and transition plans and the relationship 
of those components to student outcomes. 
Х Explore the effects of teacher expectations on self-esteem, sense of opportunity, and achievement. 
Х Identify the role of school counselors and disability service providers in fostering selfdetermination, 
and the specific strategies they use to do so. 
Policy Recommendations 
Х Identify policies that foster or impede self-determination across elementary, secondary, and 
postsecondary education sectors. 
Х Fund arts, sports and other extracurricular activities at the State level so that students have 
opportunities to explore their strengths and interests and increase self-esteem. 
 
Technology

Implications 
Х Assistive technology (AT) can help to increase employment outcomes. 
Х The availability of technology should promote and support high expectations for children with 
disabilities and their families. 

Practice Recommendations 
Х Support students in a gradual process towards taking responsibility for the selection of 
Х Cover assistive technology and technology applications for students with disabilities in pre- 
Х Improve ongoing awareness and training for VR counselors on AT as a postsecondary and 
Х Improve collaboration between non-technical support people and technical personnel for a more 
technology and other accommodations and supports to meet their individual needs. 
service teacher training. 
employment support. 
seamless transition and higher expectations. 

Research Recommendations 
Х Study the extent to which the application of universal design principles reduces the need to 
provide students with special technology-related accommodations. 
Х Explore the relationship between degree of choice and degree of prescription or availability and 
effective use of technology for people with disabilities. 
Х Identify exemplary practices that increase collaboration among stakeholders to provide students 
with an integrated and seamless system of technology supports that facilitate transition to 
postsecondary and career settings. 

Policy Recommendations 
Х Promote seamless transitions, where technology is very pragmatic and grows with the child from 
secondary education through postsecondary education and careers. 
Х Provide funds to implement or integrate assistive technology early in the curriculum. 

Cultural and Linguistic Diversity

Implications 
Х There is a lack of awareness and understanding of how cultural and linguistic diversity effects 
employment for individuals with disabilities. 
Х There are not enough resources and training about the interplay of disabilities and cultural and 
linguistic diversity. 

Practice Recommendations 
Х Establish an agency to sponsor programs to address the issue of cultural and linguistic diversity. 
Х Develop teams comprised of individuals from different cultural backgrounds or who have 
disabilities to develop programs within the context of their own cultures. 
Х Improve cultural networking to promote understanding of diversities. 
Х Provide more training on cultural and linguistic diversity issues. 

Research Recommendations 
Х Conduct research on how cultural issues influence the families of people with disabilities in terms 
of access to services, the delivery of services, and the use of advocacy. 
Х Include Participatory Action Research when exploring other cultures. 
Х Identify cultural factors that contribute to successful outcomes. 
Х Include interviews of people from different cultures when doing research on self-determination 
to find out how different groups view and use self- determination. 

Policy Recommendations 
Х Federally support research on cross-cultural issues on disability. 
Х Perpetuate efforts for exploring cross-cultural issues on disability, such as those of the National 
Council on Disability. 

Vocational Rehabilitation

Implications 
Х Because of the shift in emphasis away from school-to-work activities and toward testing, students 
will be coming to VR with less or no vocational preparation. 
Х Safety issues should be an important part of any VR placement. 
Х There is tremendous variation between states regarding the resources and practices of VR systems.
Х Low expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy and lower employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
Х Current policy and practice for measuring the success of VR counselors is restrictive and limits 
customersТ opportunities to achieve professional employment. 

Practice Recommendations 
Х Develop a wide range of vendor opportunities to improve services for people with disabilities at the State level. 
Х Review brochures, videos, and other VR media to make sure they incorporate high expectations for people with disabilities.
Х Integrate more input from clientsЧe.g., through customer satisfaction surveysЧinto the effectiveness of services.
Х Promote postsecondary education. VR data shows that individuals with some college experience 
have better career outcomes and life satisfaction. 

Research Recommendations 
Х Identify and share best practices of vocational rehabilitation. 
Х Review the VR system to determine its applicability to youth. 
Х Look at outcome measures based on career paths, not just on one job for life. 
Х Develop research to indicate the importance and relevance of postsecondary education for people 
with disabilities. 

Policy Recommendations 
Х Include transition in No Child Left Behind legislation. 
Х Require VR counselors to incorporate safety issues into placement activities. 
Х Create multiple measures of the success of rehabilitation counselors other than rehabilitation 
closures alone. 

Implications 
Х Service providers are unaware of the resources and support options that are available, and 
underutilize them. 
Х Belief in the value of services leads to sense of opportunity, which leads to positive coordination 
of services. 
Х There needs to be an increase in awareness that transition services are part of a life-long process. 

Practice Recommendations 
Х Share resources, staffing, and expertise across agencies to address individual needs, improve 
communication, implementation and services. 
Х Include more service providers in the IEP meeting to help the students and other IEP members 
understand what is available and to build relationships. 
Х Involve the community in identifying employment needs and how to meet them. 
Х Train teachers about how to provide accommodations and modifications. 

Research Recommendations 
Х Explore how services coordinated in high school carry over for students going to college. 
Х Look at ways to generate money (e.g., employment networks). 
Х Examine processes within lives and not just outcomes. 
Х Take a comprehensive look at the processes involved in programs and pinpoint where activities 
fall through or fail to deliver. 

Policy Recommendations 
Х Align supports and services at the state level. 
Х Mandate resource mapping in federal laws such as the IDEA, the Workforce Investment Act, and 
the Perkins Act, so that resources are mapped at the state level and local teams have an idea of the 
resources they need.

Excerpts from the Online Discussion

Q: I have heard somewhere that employersТ attitudes toward people with disabilities have become more 
positive since the ADA was authorized. Do you think that is true? 

A: Generally most studies indicate that when appropriate supports were provided, employer attitudes toward 
workers with disabilities improved, and that employers with prior positive contact held more favorable 
attitudes toward workers with disabilities. 

Q: Is the language reasonable accommodation and meaningful accommodation contained in Title II of the 
ADA? Administrators in some schools defer to the phrase meaningful accommodation (which connotes 
an optional service) when students try for accommodations that will assist them in their studies. 

A: The phrase Уmeaningful accommodationФ is not found in the ADA or Title II regulations. УReasonable 
accommodations,Ф on the other hand, is often used in the ADA, as well as in the Rehabilitation Act 
regulations. An accommodation is УunreasonableФ if it causes Уundue hardshipФ for the organizationЕ The 
problem is that many employers, administrators, etc. do not understand that most accommodations are 
reasonable. 

Q: I donТt think anyone would argue [about the fact] that access to electronic and information technology 
can help individuals with disabilities secure and succeed in employment. However, I regularly encounter 
students with disabilities at the high school and college levels who do not have access to these 
empowering tools. What do you think are the major challenges to assuring that students with disabilities 
have access to the technology that can help them succeed in high school, college and careers? 

A: One issue of access for students in high school is the lack of funds to provide these technologies. However, that is 
not the major barrier, because even when the technology is available it is difficult to find the professional 
development time to train teachers and paraprofessionals. 

Q: I think itТs interesting how we talk about Rehab counselors and career counselors giving clients a Уreality 
checkФ and at the same time we are supposed to think in terms of having high expectations for people. 
How can I, as a counselor, know what a student can and cannot do? 

A: In transition planning, [we should make] sure the student who states an interest in the medical field has access 
to information/classes in biology, child development etc. Even a student that has low academics should be 
exposed to [opportunities that will help them] make determinations as to their interest and desire for a career 
in the helping professions. 

Q: There will be many students who will not, under any circumstances, meet the standards being tested. 
These students will therefore not receive a diploma and, under current regulations, will not be admitted 
to post secondary education. What do you suggest to support such students [continue into] higher 
education? 

A: I believe that it is very important to have the system accountable first. If one is in a high stakes for students 
assessment system, it is critical that good decisions are being made about accommodations, that accommodation 
policies are well thought out and defined, and that there are alternative ways to show knowledge and skills. 
Ideally, these assessments should be better linked to what matters in post-school success and tied to important 
content standards. 

Q: What did you come away with from the Institute? 

A: I think what I came away with is the importance of Post Secondary Education in some form or other for a 
better job outcome. [We should] encourage and empower people with disabilities to think higher than just 
getting a meaningful job, looking at that job as a stepping-stone to a possible career. 

Participants

Anthony Apolloni 
Associate VP of Research & Sponsored Programs 
Sonoma State University 

Tafaevalu Aumoeualogo 
Assistant Director of SPED 
Samoa DOE 

Meiko Arai 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Pauline Arakaki 
Windward Supervisor 
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation 

David Baldwin 
Youth Counselor 
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation 

Chantelle Belay 
Goodwill Industries of Hawaii 

Fio Bianco 
Case Manager 
Spectrum Health Services Systems, Inc. 

Roberta Bishop 
Educational Specialist 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Stephanie Burch 
Student 
Castle High School 

Sheryl Burgstahler 
Project Director 
DO-IT Project, University of Washington 

Chuan Chang 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Kelly Chang 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Margarita Cholymay 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Thomas Christ 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Fran Colwell 
Technical Assistant for Transition/Vocation 
Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization 

Megan Conway 
Assistant Professor and Coordinator 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Carmen Craig 
Special Education Director 
Castle High School 

Kelli Crane 
Program Manager 
TransCen, Inc. 

Jacque Dacay 
Youth Planner 
Oahu Workforce Investment Board 

Jill Davis 
Executive Director 
Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition 

Anne Eastham 
Job Placement Specialist 
Goodwill Industries Hawaii 

Sam Edwards 
Job Coach 
Employment Works Vocational Rehabilitation

Barbara Fischlowitz-Leong 
Executive Director 
Assistive Technology Resource Centers of Hawaii 

Jerry Ford 
Faculty of Health Sciences 
Flinders University of South Australia 

Christine Ford 
Interwork 
South Australia 

Lex Frieden 
Director, National Council on Disability 
Professor, Baylor College of Medicine 

Lisa Galloway 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

William Grier 
Employment Counselor 
Work Wise 

Madeline Harcourt 
Leadership Trainee 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Debra Hart 
Education Coordinator 
University of Massachusetts Boston 

Diane Hino 
National Network Coordinator, AAPI-TA Project 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Edith Ignacio 
Employment Counselor 
Work Wise 

Marcia Iraha 
Counselor 
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Central 

Margo Izzo 
Principle Investigator 
Ohio State University 

David Johnson 
Director 
Institute on Community Integration, University 
of Minnesota 

Thomas Eric Johnson 
IMUA Project 
University of Hawaii 

Karen Kane 
Counselor 
HawaiТi Community College 

Ginet Kepa 
Employment Counselor 
Employment Works Vocational Rehabilitation 

Mark Kepilino 
Employment Counselor 
Honolulu Community Action Program 

Susan Kinnevy 
Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition 

Joy Lacanienta 
Project Coordinator 
IMUA Project, University of Hawaii 

Teresa LaGrave 
Employment/Educational Specialist 
Winners at Work 

Peg Lamb 
Director 
Bridges Project, Holt Public Schools 

Lunetha Lancaster 
President, Oasis Club 
City College of New York 

David Leake 
Project Coordinator 
University of Hawaii 

Mary Mack 
Associate Project Director 
University of Minnesota

Sean Makaiau 
Program Counselor 
Kahuku High School, Step Ahead Program 

Kathy Martinez 
Deputy Director 
World Institute on Disability 

Fiona McNeill 
Counselor 
Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Central 

Sibel Mestanova 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Kate Moran 
Program Coordinator 
American Samoa Projects 

Kawehi Napeahi 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Sally Nhomi 
Center on Disability Studies 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Donna Okita 
Special Education Teacher 
Castle High School 

Laura Olson 
Research Assistant 
Pacific Basin Research & Rehabilitation Training 
Center 

Kelly Otake 
Program Coordinator 
Employment Works Vocational Rehabilitation 

Rebecca Ozaki 
Project Coordinator 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Sandy Peck 
Director of Transition 
Michigan Rehabilitation Services 

Tammie Picklesimer 
Graduate Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Janice Rogers 
Special Education Teacher 
Aiea High School 

Richard Radtke 
Professor 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Darby Schultz 
Employment Counselor 
Employment Works Vocational Rehabilitation 

Cindi Sherman 
Editor 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Robert Stodden 
Professor and Director 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Juana Tabali Weir 
Administrative Assistant 
University of HawaiТi at Manoa 

Martha Thurlow 
Project Director 
University of Minnesota 

Angelica Toliro 
Student 
Castle High School 

Timothy Trout 
South Central Foundation 
The Pathway Home 

Buz Vasper 
Special Education Transition Teacher 
Aiea High School

Pedro Velasco, Jr. 
Program Coordinator 
Susannah Wesley Community Center 

Gillian Wells 
Transition Director 
Nevada PEP 

Teresa Whelley 
Coordinator of Research 
University of Hawaii at Manoa 

Glen W. White 
Professor and Director 
University of Kansas 

Cynthia Wright 
Rehabilitation Counselor 
Michigan Rehabilitation Services 

Rona Yagi 
Assistant Director of Programs 
Winners at Work 
Melody Yeganeh 
Research Assistant 
University of Hawaii at Manoa