The "PET-D" Program at San Diego State University
The "Post-Employment Training Administration of Programs Serving Consumers who are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing" (PET-D) program provides leadership and administrative training to those who serve consumers who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing. PET-D training is provided through a two-step, 21-unit post-baccalaureate certificate in Rehabilitation Administration.
Curriculum
The first step of training consists of completing 9 units during a four-week, on-campus training session during summer, 2007 at SDSU. This four-week session will begin on June 18TH and end on July 13TH. The curriculum includes:
… Organization Development
… Policy Development/Implementation
… Program Evaluation
… State/Federal/Legislative Issues
… Grant Proposal Development
… Personnel & Fiscal Management
… Leadership Development
… Consumer/Provider Collaboration
… Consumer-Based Organizations and Strategies
… Political/Ethical Issues
… Collaboration Between Agencies and Partners
…
The second step commences upon completion of the 9-unit summer program. The trainees return to their home agencies to complete an additional 12 units consisting of an advanced seminar (3 units), special study (3 units) and internship (six units). The projects completed through these three courses are pre-approved under an agreement between the PET-D trainees, their home agency supervisors, and the SDSU faculty. These projects are specifically designed to improve or expand services delivered in the trainees' agencies and programs.
Course Descriptions; On-Campus phase (9 Units):
ARP 610: Seminar in Education Leadership (3 units).
This course is designed to prepare individuals to serve as leaders in human service organizations. The course objectives and learning experiences are intended to provide students with the knowledge base, skills, and competencies to meet the performance expectations set for leaders in human service organizations. The underlying philosophy of this course is that human service leaders must possess knowledge of self, others, organizations, and society necessary to perform creatively and effectively in diverse environments. Leaders engage people in identifying and working toward the accomplishment of a shared vision for the organization. Leaders incorporate the ideas, values, and experiences reflective of a diverse society and promote continuous learning.
ARP 680: Seminar in Rehabilitation Administration (3units).
This course is taught in short modules by the project director and training consultants. The content of the modules reflect the topics given highest priority for rehabilitation practices with Deaf and hard-of-hearing clients. Examples of modules include: Programs and services for Deaf consumers who are described as "low functioning"; programs and services for individuals who are late-deafened and hard-of-hearing; and funding sources to establish and improve programs and services.
ARP 710A: Seminar in Organization Diagnosis and Development (3 units).
This course provides the trainee an overview of the administrative, fiscal, legal and developmental aspects of rehabilitation organizations. Trainees receive information related to program evaluation and human resource management through a "systems" approach to rehabilitation.
Course Descriptions; On-SIte phase (12 Units, Via Distance):
ARP 740: Advanced Seminar in Rehabilitation (3 units).
Trainees utilize the concepts covered in ARP 710A to develop a proposal to analyze and establish programs and operations within their respective agencies. The proposal will incorporate input from each student's agency supervisor and will focus upon a high priority agency need. The proposal elements will include: evidence of need/desirability for the proposed project; expected benefits to agency/consumers; proposed objectives of project; proposed work plan to meet project objectives; and proposed plan of evaluation. Upon the Project Director's review and approval of the proposal, the trainee will then commence the "internship" and "special study" course work.
ARP 745: "Internship" (6 units).
The internship activities for each trainee will be dictated by the work plan proposed and approved in the ARP740 seminar course. The work plan will result in a specific innovation or modification of a program or service provided in the trainee's agency.
ARP 798: "Special Study" (3 units).
The special study project serves to assess the impact of the Internship project upon the trainee's agency and clients served. It includes: An overview of the issue targeted in the Internship assignment; the research/program evaluation methodology used; the targeted individuals; instrumentation and data collection procedures; results of data analysis; and a report of findings.
Fellowships
Eight fellowships per year are made available through a training grant from the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). These fellowships pay for graduate tuition and fees for the 21-unit certificate as well as lodging and round trip transportation between the trainee's home agency and SDSU. In addition, each trainee receives a per diem allowance for meals and incidental expenses while attending the four-week summer program.
Application and Selection Process
Applicants who receive the highest priority are those individuals who have earned a masters degree in Rehabilitation with an emphasis in Deafness or a graduate degree in a closely related field. Additionally, applicants who have several years of career experience subsequent to earning the masters degree have top priority. We focus recruitment on individuals who have five or more years of program administration or coordination experience. In addition to these factors, we recruit individuals who are currently employed in programs and agencies that are actively providing rehabilitation services to individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing.
We frequently receive inquiries from individuals who do not meet the specific requirements described above. For example, individuals with an excess of 15 years of career experience in Deafness rehabilitation but no graduate education frequently express interest. We also receive inquiries from individuals not employed in the Federal/State rehabilitation system, but are employed in areas where rehabilitation services are provided, such as post-secondary programs and community-based agencies. We are definitely interested in further exploring the qualifications of such individuals and giving strong consideration to their admission to the PET-D program. Factors that always influence our admissions decision relate to the applicant's personal awareness and experience with rehabilitation and disability as well as their leadership attributes.
Demographics of Past Participants
Since the PET-D program's inception in 1987, over 90% of the participants have entered the program with a masters degree in Rehabilitation/Deafness or a closely related field. The average number of years of post-masters career experience for this group is 12 years. They average six years of administration/program coordination experience. Subsequent to their training, many participants have been either promoted in their present positions, or moved on to other management positions. Additionally, the PET-D Program has been fortunate to recruit excellent trainers who encompass a wealth of experience in the field
Deadline for Application
There is no specific deadline for application submission. However, we are limited to providing RSA fellowship support to 8 applicants each year. Early application is therefore suggested. If you are interested in attending, or would like more details about our program, please submit a statement of interest and current resume to:
