He also happens to be legally blind and has been since birth, due to congenital coloboma, a rare birth defect. His vision is 20/200 in his left eye and 'count fingers' at three feet in his right. However, Michael has never allowed his visual situation to slow him down. He has had a very active adolescence participating in activities such as football, wrestling, and baseball. He is involved in many school clubs and organizations and has attained his Eagle Scout. Michael handles everything that comes his way, including 200-pound onrushing varsity defensive linemen. Despite his 4.0 GPA, his previous work experience on his family's farm, and his success as a member of the Lawson state quarterfinalist football team, he recently faced a challenge in which he needed some assistance.
When Michael turned 16, like other mainstreamed students with vision impairment who turn 16, he saw his peers begin to drive and work - opportunities that were not available for him - Alphapointe's Summer Transitional Employment Program was able to assist.
STEP was created in 1995 and is an eight-week program for blind and visually impaired adolescents. This program provides students with a foundation for the school-to-work transition. Students are placed in competitive work and go through the regular interviewing procedures of their employers. The students receive a competitive wage and job coaching from Alphapointe staff. Involvement in this program is intended to increase the students' career awareness, build work skills, and support a healthy self-image.
Michael had some pre-program work experience in farm labor and maintenance work, which is different from most STEP participants. He worked on his family farm in summers prior and like many ambitious teens, he set high career goals for himself. Michael was referred to STEP to gain work experience in a professional environment. Michael wants to be a lawyer and could benefit from some "white collar" experience. He expressed interest in working in a law office or banking as he plans a business or pre-law focus in college. Michael plans to attend one of several colleges in the Midwest in 2007 and study pre-law.
One job was not enough for Michael's over-achieving personality, he had two. His rural home location offered transportation challenges. However, opportunities were found in Liberty, an accessible location. When Michael was approached with the idea of juggling two jobs, he readily accepted the challenge. He became the assistant to the Executive Director at Hillcrest Transitional Housing of MidAmerica, where he routinely worked at the Liberty location but also had responsibilities in Jackson, Platte, and Wyandotte county offices. He was also offered a position at the law office of Withers, Brant, Igoe, & Mullennix, P.C. He became their "runner" and performed light clerical duties and walked documents to the courthouse. He reported that, "the law office also trusted me to lock up the doors at night."
Like all of Alphapointe's Rehabilitation programs, Michael's program had specific goals: increasing knowledge of the work environments, including dress, behavior, procedures and communication channel; individualized goals that also addressed attitude, confidence, interpersonal communication, assertiveness, self-advocacy and self-marketing. Michael successfully completed all goals and stated that "tying a tie is a skill I learned from working at the law office." He was asked to assist in the future at both locations and continued part-time in the afternoons at the law office right up until school started.
Michael's program and all STEP programs are successful in part to the efforts of the employers. Both of these employers went to great efforts to ensure a meaningful experience for the participant and they increased their awareness about blindness at the same time. Michael reports that employees from both places said that if I ever need a reference they would be more than happy to accommodate".
With STEP completed, Michael is more confident and more prepared for the future. His mother, Bonnie C commented on how he "has matured and grown with the opportunities" that STEP afforded him. Michael returned to Lawson High school for his senior year and is making plans to attend college next year. He has also returned to his starting tackle position on the field, looking to help his team best their undefeated conference and state quarterfinal run in 2005.
