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National Federation of the Blind Chapter Home Page.

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Initiative Home

Students

Parents, Employers,
Teachers

Workshop Modules

  1. Information Technology Career Opportunities
  2. “Hands On” Beginner Programming
  3. Introduction to the Internet
  4. Email and Mailing Lists
  5. Information Resources of the Internet
  6. Computer Tools (Word, Excel)

 

A Place to Start for the Future
- Career Roadmap

Career Planning
Pre College
College-Undergraduate
College-MIS Degree
Gaining Experience
Internships
Apprenticeships
Mentored
Getting Employed

Career Planning

  • The University of Illinois at Urabana has a great career planning site.
  • eSight.org offers career management guidance geared toward those with disabilities.
  • The U.S. Labor department has a web site careervoyages.gov which describes the education options required for an IT career.

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Pre college

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College

Undergraduate Degrees

  • Computer Science

Post Graduate - MIS Degree

The MIS program is an interdisciplinary program designed to give you the skills in information technologies to prepare you for careers in such fields as information management, systems analysis, information brokerage, competitive intelligence and database development. The program emphasizes the human context of current and future technology.

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Gaining Experience

Internships

Internships offer a real opportunity to develop experience and also to prove to an employer an opportunity to see your level of competence.It can genuinely be a "Foot in the door" for employment. Internships can be paid or unpaid. In either case it can be an excellent opportunity to "show your stuff".

Texas state University-San Marcos has an internship program which florida could well emulate.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeship is a great way to get hands-on experience while earning credit for certification for a career. There is an increasing number of apprenticeship opportunities available in high growth industries, many of which are technology-based fields. To learn more, check out these apprenticeship sites.

Student Jobs – This site is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Personnel Management, and offers links to a variety of sites with information on apprenticeship opportunities, many in high tech fields.

Apprentice and Intern Training & Certification

National IT Apprenticeship System – Sponsored by CompTIA, this site provides great information on a variety of apprenticeship opportunities in Information Technology. This is primarily an employer site; but,

Although NITAS has been developed for employers and training providers, individuals looking to pursue a career in IT can utilize a number of CompTIA tools start learning about various job-roles, training options and credentialing.

Mentored

You will be matched with a workplace Mentor in your desired career field. As part of your Mentoring experience, you will have the opportunity visit your Mentor's job site and learn about his or her day-to-day job experiences in an effort to better prepare yourself and target your skills for that particular career path.

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Getting Employed

  • PACER Center (Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights) has a web site that gives Employment Strategies for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities.
  • RecruitABILITY offers resume posting, job posting, and resume searching free of charge to individuals and corporations.
  • Studentjobs.gov Provides information on federal government job opportunities for students.

IT Job Listing for the Blind/VI

The NFB does not endorse or recommend any of these organizations. These organizations, like Lift Inc. act as an employment agency in partnership with commercial businesses to train/hire the bind/VI.

National Library Service( NLS) Reference Circulars
Employment of People with Disabilities: A Resource Guide

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