Assessing the Need for a Job Coaching Curriculum in the Baltimore-Washington Area

The trend to move consumers from sheltered workshop settings into community employment has created new career paths for rehabilitation professionals. One of these career paths is that of a Job Coach. Currently, in the Baltimore-Washington area, there are no formal programs preparing college students to enter this emerging profession. A survey was conducted in the Baltimore-Washington area, and a subsequent review of the literature was performed to determine if there was a need for a college level curriculum to prepare individuals to become Job Coaches to work with consumers who are deaf. The results of the survey and review of the literature are included. Based on the results of the survey, a suggested course outline, as the beginning of a curriculum, is described