Catching Up with APH CareerConnect: We’re More Than Just a Website
Authors: Richard Rueda, APH CareerConnect Digital Content Manager
Keywords: APH CareerConnect, APH ConnectCenter, employment, advocacy, empowerment, career exploration, NSITE, Job Seeker’s Toolkit, Career Conversations, College Conversation, Transition Hub, Family Connect, VisionAware
Listen to the Article
The mission of the APH ConnectCenter is to empower people toward greater independence and lifelong success by providing curated information and resources to assist children, parents, job seekers, adults, and older people who are blind or visually impaired.
In 2018, CareerConnect and their catalog of web resources, including FamilyConnect and VisionAware, transitioned from the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) to the American Printing House for the Blind (APH). Currently staffed by a dozen dedicated, expert professionals, the APH ConnectCenter exists with a balance of peer and professionally vetted resources. Those resources include the Information and Referral Line and a Directory of Services.
Researching information on employment? Need to identify advocacy tools for your child’s IEP? Do you have an older friend or loved one in need of tips for living with changing vision? The APH ConnectCenter houses digital and hard copy tools that can offer life-changing solutions. Call toll-free at 800.232.5463 for information or email ConnectCenter@aph.org.
Diving into CareerConnect
Over the decades, APH CareerConnect has expanded and evolved to serve thousands of career curious explorers, working professionals, rehabilitation staff, teachers of students with visual impairments, and prospective employers. Visitors to APH CareerConnect have come to rely on the vast resources readily available including transition and career exploration tools for teachers and rehabilitation practitioners.
In 2022, APH CareerConnect continues to curate materials for job seekers of all ages as well as employers. From the moment you land on our homepage, you are greeted with featured blogs, stories of successful people at work who are blind or visually impaired, our new online Job Seekers Toolkit, video interviews, and more.
Job Seeker’s Toolkit
APH partnered with NSITE to update the long-loved Job Seeker’s Toolkit, an accessible, self-paced, free, online training course. It features five modules: Self-Awareness, Career Exploration: Methods & Resources, Finding Employment, The Interview, and Maintaining Employment—Advancing Your Career! It is ideal as a class assignment for high school students and consumers on your rehabilitation caseload. Explore the Job Seeker’s Toolkit by visiting: Jobseeker’s Toolkit – NSITE Talent Gateway . It was recently onboarded into a learning management system, so please let us hear from you and your students/clients as you’re interacting with the Job Seeker’s Toolkit.
CareerConversations and CollegeConversations
Also new this year is our CareerConversations series. On the first Thursday of the month, we bring on a working person who is blind or has low vision who shares with us in the span of one hour how they are thriving and succeeding in their career. We’ve met with blind lawyers, licensed psychologists, musicians, scientists, artists and many others. The idea behind CareerConversations is to promote informational interviewing and to practice networking. Within the first ten minutes of the call, we encourage viewers on this Zoom webinar to ask questions by way of the chat feature or to raise their hand to be acknowledged. Since January 2022, we have had over seven unique interviews. You can rewind back to our webinars page to view recent episodes and/or sign up for future conversations. To sign up for future CareerConversations, register here.
Similar in scope to CareerConversations, this past August we launched CollegeConversations. Working with our Student Advisory Committee, consisting of current and recent college graduates who are blind or visually impaired, we present conversations on how to prepare for college life on our webinar platform. Each CollegeConversation is built around a theme, and our panel of college student experts share their experiences. They provide authentic advice and tips as representatives of large universities, small private colleges, and community colleges. With a focus on advancing the dialogue on college and academic preparedness, CollegeConversations is geared for present day high school students, their families, and their support systems. Listening to and asking questions from our panel will no doubt have a positive influence on curious college-interested teens. To view the first CollegeConversation, go to our YouTube page.
Supporting our TVI and rehabilitation practitioners, most of our online webinars are eligible for ACVREP and CRCC credit. Refer to the webinar registration page for individual events for further details.
APH ConnectCenter Transition Hub
The APH ConnectCenterTransitionHub is also interactive and can act as a database for gathering transition resources nationwide. Both residential and nonresidential transition-ready programs are available from coast to coast. Learn about programs that await you in Florida, Michigan, California, Alaska and elsewhere. When your student is researching work experience, internships, and college, the APH ConnectCenterTransitionHub is the perfect choice for thoroughly reviewing nationwide programs offering skills for lifelong success.
APH CareerConnect is continuing to evolve in order to provide for the modern-day career explorers. We want to remain the go-to source for interested job seekers and family members seeking timely and reliable information.
We encourage and welcome calls and emails to the APH ConnectCenter. To reach our toll-free line, simply call 800.232.5463. You can also contact us via email at ConnectCenter@APH.org. As you browse APH CareerConnect, the APH ConnectCenter Transition Hub, and our family of APH ConnectCenter sites, please let us know what resonates with you.
We are here for you. We are also on social media, including Twitter and Facebook.
- Website: www.APHAPH CareerConnect.org
- Twitter: @APHConnect
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccforjobseekers