Improving the Career Decisions of Deaf Seniors in Residential and Day High Schools

Career development interventions can have positive effects on the career decisions that deaf seniors make before graduating from high school. Interviews with 189 seniors from 16 residential and day high schools revealed their career decisions and their experiences with career development activities. School staff evaluated the seniors' career decisions, career decision-making skills, and probable post-high school placements. The results indicated that seniors who had vocational training were more knowledgeable about their vocational aptitudes than were seniors who had no vocational training. Seniors with vocational training were also more likely to have considered other careers prior to making career decisions. Seniors who had received career counseling were more knowledgeable than those who had not about the skills needed to enter their chosen careers and were more interested in their career choices. More importantly, the amount of interest in one's career choice was determined to be related to ratings of motivation, readiness, and prospects for completing the postsecondary placement. The implications of these results are discussed below for professionals in education and rehabilitation.