• At Georgia Academy for the Blind, the primary goal of our CTAE program is to ensure that our graduates will be employed and post-secondary ready as tracked by checklists, job attainment, vocational rehabilitation programs, and enrollment in college.  Through planning and student input, students are encouraged to declare their career pathway once they enter middle school.

    We continuously strive to increase our CTAE offerings through our partnership with Hutchings Career Academy and our Work-Based Learning opportunities. Our belief is that when given the right tools, all students can succeed.

    The CTAE and Transition opportunities offered at Georgia Academy for the Blind include:

    CTAE

    • Agriculture
    • Business, Management, and Administration

    Central Georgia Technical College – Hutchings College and Career Academy

    • The CTAE pathway of Banking & Finance is provided through Central Georgia Technical College held on the campus of Hutchings College & Career Academy.

    Transition

    • Project SEARCH transition program through our partnership with Atrium Health Navicent
      • Purpose: Project SEARCH is our elite, a nine-month internship program supported by our community partners at Atrium Health and designed to provide students with disabilities the skills needed for competitive employment.

     

    • Participants: To be eligible for Project SEARCH, the intern must have completed all requirements for graduation while still having eligibility to attend Georgia Academy for the Blind. Participants are also expected to be independent travelers, self-starters, and motivated to meet the rigor and challenges this program presents.

     

    • Work-Based Learning (WBL): The WBL program has been a successful part of the GAB curriculum since 2010-2011. Thanks to amazing community partners, GAB has students getting work experience at Goodwill Stores, Kroger Supermarket, Macon Outreach & Paula’s Closet (both are a part of Mulberry Street United Methodist Church’s community outreach program), Courtyard by Marriott, and the GAB Rolling Café. The students work about 2 hours each day, 4 days per week. 

     

    • Purpose: For a student to be placed at a WBL jobsite / CWAT training site is a highpoint of a student’s career-related education (CRE). To enroll in the WBL program is an extension of the student’s career pathway, and the student can earn credit toward graduation.

     

    • Participants: To qualify, the student should be at least 16 years old, and have completed one course in their CTAE pathway coursework. Through Pre ETS training and WBL studies, the students will engage in CRE activities such as employability skills training, self-advocacy training, mock interviews, resume development, field trips, and job fairs. Successful participation in WBL can lead students to acquire skills for employment positions beyond high school.

     

    • Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre ETS): Through the Georgia Vocational Rehabilitation Agency, (GVRA), the Pre ETS training, orientation, and other job skills training along with the job coaches at each jobsite are provided by either Easterseals of Middle Georgia or The Rehab Center. Additionally, the training manager for Easterseals & The Rehab Center helped to develop the jobsites for the GAB students. All students who participate in WBL / CWAT are on the GVRA case load.

     

    • Ready for the World (RFTW):

     

    • Purpose: Our RFTW program affords our students to take a deeper dive into the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC). The Expanded Core Curriculum empowers students with disabilities to access their education and to also gain independence in life.

     

    • Participants: Each Friday, all students at GAB participate in our RFTW program. The classes we offer during RFTW are based on the student’s ECC Needs Assessment which requires input from our students, their teachers, parents/guardians, and residential advisors if they live in our Learning and Living Centers during the week.

     

     

    For general information about these programs, contact:

    Alicia M. Jackson

    Career and Technical Administrator

    2895 Vineville Avenue

    Macon, Georgia 31204

    478-751-6083 x1100

    ajackson@doe.k12.ga.us

     

    Inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies should be directed to:

    Dr. Cassandra Matthews, Title II Coordinator

    Division of State Schools

    Georgia Dept of Education

    20th Floor Twin Towers East

    205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30334

    678.807.8765

    camatthews@doe.k12.ga.us

     

    Lou Erste, Title IX Coordinator

    Division of State Schools

    Georgia Dept of Education

    20th Floor Twin Towers East

    205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30334

    404.326.3663

    lerste@doe.k12.ga.us

     

    Ms. Jan Stevenson, Special Education Coordinator

    Division of State Schools

    Georgia Dept of Education

    20th Floor Twin Towers East

    205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30334

    470.263.9731

    jstevenson@doe.k12.ga.us

     

    All career and technical education programs follow the system’s policies of nondiscrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, and disability in all programs, services, activities, and employment. In addition, arrangements can be made to ensure that the lack of English language proficiency is not a barrier to admission or participation.

    Georgia Academy for the Blind, State Schools, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs, activities, or employment practices.