Unlikely Interns: Students with Disabilities Services and Interns

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Unlikely Interns: Meaningful Work Paid or unpaid? Graduate or undergraduate? Length of time? Institutional procedures for hiring/volunteering? Mutual goals and expectations Would a full or part time staff member be doing similar work? Opportunities to integrate interns into existing work and structures Staff meetings/case reviews Committees Outreach events Student interactions Standard processes (exams, assistive technology, faculty relations, scribing, reading)

Unlikely Interns: Recruiting Focus on key skills rather than “ideal fit” Is there a reason that someone who studies physics can’t be a great intern in an SDS office? Advertise with colleges, deans, faculty, career services, student news sources, social media Host or attend internship fairs Strive for wide representation of university departments/backgrounds Partner with Career Services and or neighboring institutions

Unlikely Interns: Equity Balance too much vs. too little work Breadth rather than depth may be the goal Model professional communications How/when to raise concerns How/when to expect and provide feedback Refer to interns by name (not by “intern title”) Include interns in staff meetings, retreats, appreciation events Ensure that interns and professionals are asked to do work of similar importance

Unlikely Interns: Exit Survey Questions 1-5 What is your major at USF? What is your Role here at SDS? What did you hope to gain at SDS, and do you feel you were able to achieve this?  What types of opportunities were made available to you at SDS? What new skills were you able to acquire working at SDS?

Unlikely Interns: Exit Survey Questions 5-9 What other partnerships on campus were you able to obtain through SDS? What challenges have you encountered at SDS?  What are your future goals/work related plans? How do you plan on applying what you learned at SDS in these endeavors? What do you feel was your biggest achievement working at SDS?

Unlikely Interns: Group Brainstorm Identify three unlikely intern sources at your institution. What potential internship collaborations exist in the following areas? Student Outreach Career Development Disability Awareness Exam Administration Case Review Assistive Technology Captions and Transcriptions What other areas offer opportunities for unlikely interns?