Scenario Synopsis
This series of videos is of a meeting between a VR counselor and his supervisor to discuss some questions the supervisor has about a service request for training for a client. The supervisor is deaf and speaks for herself, so the interpreter is interpreting what the VR counselor says so it is accessible for the supervisor.
Credits for this Video
This video was originally created by the National Consortium of Interpreter Education Centers as part of the Interpreting in Vocational Rehabilitation Settings series. For more information, visit: http://www.interpretereducation.org/tim/video-series/interpreting-in-vocational-rehabilitation-settings/
Note: The VR supervisor introduces herself in ASL here. During the meeting, she speaks for herself in English.
Transcript for Meeting
Timestamps are included to allow you to navigate the text.
00:00
Kelly: Steven, I know you’ve sent me a service request on Kim,
00:04
in regards to training, to Eagle Gate College.
00:10
And there were some questions I had in regards to the training.
00:14
And I’ve made a copy of the printout
00:16
just to kind of help us go over the service request,
00:19
just to kind of clarify what I was asking for.
00:24
Umm – there were some questions I had,
00:29
kind of a more detailed breakdown of the cost of training,
00:32
because I know you’ve talked about the general training
00:36
and you’ve prorated it for 11 months of the 18-month program.
00:40
I want to make sure she has been receiving training
00:44
already prior to your service request, right?
00:46
Steven: She has.
00:48
Kelly: Okay. Now, when you say an 18-month program,
00:58
she’s gone seven months?
01:00
Steven: Yes, she’s in her seventh month.
01:02
Kelly: Okay. Now what has she,
01:04
what has her progress been during that time frame?
01:07
Steven: She has made really good progress.
01:10
She’s been able to keep the straight A’s in her program.
01:16
But she attributes it to the one-on-one attention,
01:23
the help that they’ve been giving her one-on-one
01:26
through Eagle Gate College.
01:28
Kelly: Okay. So is she getting that one-on-one attention in the classroom,
01:34
or after the classroom?
01:37
Steven: Both. They have small enough classes
01:39
that she’s been getting the one-on-one attention.
01:43
Kelly: I noticed that when you did a vocational evaluation,
01:54
her overall grade was like a 5th grade level.
01:57
And I’m a little bit concerned.
02:00
But like you say, she kind of proved it, she’s had all As,
02:04
she’s been able to make it this far,
02:06
she hasn’t had any difficulty in any of her coursework or anything,
02:10
other than trying to maintain that A grade level.
02:13
Is that correct?
02:14
Steven: That’s correct.
02:15
Actually, it was by, because of her low academic level of performance
02:26
she chose Eagle Gate College.
02:29
And it has turned out to be working for her.
02:34
But she has actually not been able to make the minimum monthly payment
02:41
that they require for her to be able to continue there successfully.
02:46
Even though she was approved for the Pell Grant
02:49
and has been able to maintain the Pell acceptable level of performance there.
02:56
Kelly: Okay, okay.
02:58
What is their Pell level, acceptable level of performance?
03:02
Steven: She would lose her Pell if she fell below a 2.0 GPA
03:08
or does not show the proper attendance or progress.
03:13
Kelly: Okay, okay. Okay.
03:18
Now, um, and I know that you kind of answered
03:22
some of the questions regards to Kim’s progress.
03:28
So the program cost, I know you wrote down the program cost here,
03:36
hopefully from, so you’re requesting approval for assistance from October on
03:42
if we can get the approval taken care of
03:45
by our district director level of approval.
03:48
Is this that district director level of approval?
03:51
Steven: Yes, it is. And this was in response
03:56
to one of your first questions where you had appended.
04:00
You were asking for further clarification,
04:03
and so I saw where that needed to be added,
04:08
explaining how the $5,500 payments would be made.
04:14
So it is by the quarter,
04:16
and we’ve added in their first, second, third and fourth payments
04:20
and the quarter that they correspond with.
04:23
Kelly: That’s really critical.
04:26
I know that sometimes we want to hurry up
04:28
and rush our service requests.
04:31
We want to make sure we’re able to break it down
04:33
so we have a better understanding of what the costs involved,
04:38
and how many payments we’re looking at and for how long.
04:41
So that’s kind of what we’re looking at.
04:45
Now, tell me more about the labor market.
04:51
I know you’ve kind of answered some of it.
04:54
Tell me more about the requirements,
04:56
and what have you and Kim done to research labor market information
05:02
in regards to her becoming a graphic designer.
05:05
Steven: Well, we did look into that together,
05:09
well we actually had 2 or 3 separate planning appointments
05:14
as we prepared this
05:18
And one of them was devoted to this question,
05:24
because I knew it needed to be addressed in this service request.
05:28
And that question is, what’s the demand for graphic designers?
05:36
Because what I’d heard is it’s kind of hard to get in
05:41
especially in Utah in this area for graphic design.
05:44
So we did kind of scrutinize it.
05:47
And she and I did come up with the fact that there is,
05:54
it is a one-star rating occupation,
05:58
but I went over her with this that what this means
06:01
is there is a strong demand for graphic designers even here in Utah,
06:08
and we did it specific to the Ogden-Clearfield Statistical Area, MSA,
06:15
and the wage was good,
06:19
the explanation that was given on the website about the labor demand
06:24
is that it would come not from new job openings,
06:30
but mostly there would be a lot of job openings of existing jobs.
06:36
So I would assume that’s from retirements and those types of things,
06:42
that they are anticipating a lot of openings between now and 2018
06:47
is what the projection was from the Economic Data Viewer.
06:57
Kelly: Have you looked at other websites, DWS websites,
07:03
for availabilities of jobs or have you looked at workability.gov
07:10
and looked up at their website and what their job listings are like?
07:16
I know that we get a ton of email with different job listings
07:21
that come out nationwide.
07:23
We try to keep it within the state
07:26
but I also know that they expand it out of state.
07:32
So what have you looked at for employment out of state?
07:38
Steven: We did, we looked at this.
07:40
Um now there are a lot of websites you can look to for this information,
07:46
but I thought it was really interesting.
07:49
My own preconceived notion of graphic designers is
07:53
I thought it was a lower-paying job,
07:57
but and so instead it’s showing a strong employment outlook,
08:01
now it does say with a relatively low wage through 2018 here in Utah.
08:08
But when we got looking at it, the prevailing Utah wage
08:11
is $14.04 for inexperienced in this area, in Ogden.
08:19
Then if you compare that to the United States though,
08:23
the inexperienced starting wage was almost 21 dollars per hour.
08:30
So it almost seems like there’s a greater demand in other states
08:37
as compared to Utah, but here even in Utah,
08:41
a beginning wage of $14.04 was something that was appealing to Kim.
08:49
Kelly: Um, what kind of a program is she wanting to train for
08:56
through the Eagle Gate College?
08:58
Steven: Graphic design.
09:00
Kelly: But at what level, what training are we looking at?
09:03
Steven: It’s requiring a bachelor’s degree.
09:06
Kelly: So we are requiring a bachelor’s degree.
09:09
Well I know that at the beginning, you’re asking for assistance
09:13
for completing her graphic design associate’s degree.
09:17
So how does that work?
09:19
Steven: And that is right. I apologize.
09:22
It is for the associate’s degree.
09:25
And the total cost for the program is $35,000.
09:29
Kelly: Okay. Just for the associate’s level?
09:34
So you are asking –
09:36
tell me about her employment history?
09:40
Steven: Uh, let’s see.
09:43
Kelly: Is this the only job she’s ever had?
09:48
Steven: No, previously she went, before she came to Voc Rehab,
09:54
she was working for the Schools for the Deaf and Blind,
09:57
she was working as a bus driver making $10 per hour.
10:01
And I’ll have to refer to the notes on the application
10:05
as to the reason that –
10:07
Kelly: But, just based on your memory, you have other knowledge,
10:12
just based off the top of your head,
10:13
you do know she has worked other positions.
10:15
Steven: Yes.
10:16
Kelly: In another capacity.
10:17
Steven: Yes.
10:18
Kelly: Now, tell me about her disability issue.
10:21
Steven: Well, with her – I probably should have brought my copy here, huh?
10:28
Kelly: That’s okay.
10:29
Steven: For this. With the employment, let’s see, we’re looking for –
10:33
Kelly: It’s probably at the beginning here.
10:35
Steven: Uh, yep. What came back with her is
10:38
she is a person living with major depressive disorder,
10:42
generalized anxiety disorder, mathematics disorder
10:46
and avoidant personality disorders.
10:48
Kelly: Okay. So is she currently going through treatment
10:51
to take care of that, or counseling –
10:53
Steven: She is. That’s one thing that we felt really good about
10:58
was the one-on-one treatment, er, attention
11:06
she is receiving from Eagle Gate.
11:09
She said that is the key to her being able
11:11
to overcome the developmental disorder that she is living with.
11:17
Kelly: Okay, okay.
11:19
Steven: And she is receiving the restoration services
11:22
for each other disorders that we identified.
11:26
Kelly: Where is she getting the counseling?
11:29
Steven: I believe that’s through Health Clinics of Utah
11:33
and what we’re doing is APRN and doctor visits
11:37
and medication management and follow up.
11:40
Kelly: And we’re helping her with that, as well?
11:44
Steven: Yes.
11:45
Kelly: Okay. Now, on the service request, I’m trying to remember here,
11:53
the total amount of the training, like you said, was $5,000.
12:02
Now she has the Pell grant, she qualifies,
12:07
I guess it’s a two-year thing she qualifies for.
12:12
Steven: Yes. The total Pell approval is $9,250.
12:19
And subtracting that, if she is able to receive approval
12:25
for her service request for Eagle Gate of $5,500,
12:30
it would still leave her a balance owing of $20,250.
12:36
And I discussed with her what that means,
12:41
if she is going to, at six months usually after you graduate,
12:48
that you are expected to start making a repayment on your student loans.
12:53
Kelly: Right, right. Okay.
12:55
So what is the approval level for district director, the $5,500 correct?
13:00
Steven: Yeah.
13:01
Kelly: That’s all that should be approved on that.
13:04
Steven: Yes, that was the prorated amount,
13:08
let’s see, district director level,
13:11
I wish I would have put the 18-month amount.
13:18
$5,500 is the prorated amount based on the 11 months remaining in the program.
13:29
Kelly: So basically Kim is asking for $5,500. That’s what she’s asking.
13:35
Steven: Yes.
13:36
Kelly: Okay. I assume you have copies of
13:39
at least her transcript up to this point.
13:42
Steven: Yes, her cumulative GPA is 3.0.
13:45
Kelly: Okay.
13:47
Steven: But it is coming up. It’s actually going in the right direction.
13:53
And it was amazing to me to get that back
13:57
for the documentation for the file.
14:01
The Level III that you mentioned, the Vocational Evaluation,
14:06
came back with a grade equivalent of the fifth grade.
14:10
But she has successfully been bringing her GPA up
14:16
and right now the cumulative GPA is 3.0
14:22
Kelly: Okay, okay. Between your discussion with Kim and yourself,
14:29
do you feel, you and Kim have kind of talked about you know,
14:35
the progress that she’s made,
14:38
and she is doing fairly well in her training
14:42
and you’re confident she would be successful in this training program
14:47
and be able to obtain employment in the future, right?
14:50
Steven: I do. She has provided a lot of documentation
14:55
with regards to her vocational goal.
14:58
We did a lot of vocational planning and exploration
15:02
prior to the writing of this service request.
15:09
And we still are meeting to add some more information to it
15:13
as you have asked for.
15:16
Kelly: Right, and I noticed that you have,
15:18
and I do appreciate that information.
15:20
So what I’ll do is I’ll go over the service request,
15:24
review it again, and provide anything feedback,
15:29
and let you know.
15:30
I appreciate you explaining a little bit more
15:33
and clarifying what we’re talking about here.
15:36
Steven: You bet.
15:37
Kelly: Thanks.
15:37
Steven: Well, thank you Kelly. I appreciate it.
15:39
Kelly: Thanks.
The video uses split screen to show multiple people involved.
On the right side of the video screen, the VR supervisor, Kelly, is a white woman with wavy brown hair that is shoulder length. She is wearing glasses and leopard-print blouse. On the left is Steven, the VR counselor, who is a white man with short black hair and is wearing a dark green and white plaid shirt. Next to him is Michelle, the interpreter, who is a white woman with dark shoulder length hair, wearing glasses, and a dark blouse with dark blue cardigan sweater. They are all seated around a table.
