Intern Abilities Profile - Zoe W.

Intern Abilities Profile

Intern background / history:

Zoe is a senior in college who has cerebral palsy. She has good upper body strength, but limited fine motor skills. Manipulating small objects can be difficult. She uses a wheelchair and can also use crutches for shorter distances. Zoe is cooperative and very assertive in making her physical needs known and understood to her employers, co-workers, and instructors. She strives to make her work perfect. She tends to fatigue easily and experiences memory difficulties with complex tasks.

Task/Assignment:

Intern in the Finace Department of a large corporation.

Equipment: (Job equipment, protective clothing, chemicals)

Lab equipment should be adaptable to her crutches and wheelchair.

Environment: (fumes, odors, dust, temperature, noise, group-work)

Not applicable.

Physical Challenges

  1. Endurance and stamina
  2. Reaching equipment
  3. Finger manipulation, pinch, and grasp
  4. Standing
  5. Balance

Accommodations Needed

  • Provide a "grabber" device and surgical gloves to increase ability to grasp objects
  • Provide a work station that is low enough and accessible to a wheelchair

Options and Resources

  • Get information on accessible office/lab furniture from local vendor
  • Get information on accessible transportation to and from the worksite
  • Purchase adaptive technology for computer access (e.g. speech recognition, word prediction)

Sensory Challenges

Not applicable.

Accommodations Needed

Not applicable.

Options and Resources

Not applicable.

Cognitive Challenges

  1. Long term memory.

Accommodations Needed

  • Provide printed and tape-recorded job assignments.
  • Provide feedback on performance frequently.

Options and Resources

Not applicable.

Physical, Sensory, & Cognitive Issues and Challenges

Physical Issues

Think of the required physical aspects of the task. What will make the environment accessible, keep the student safe and allow them to be an active participant? What lab equipment must be manipulated?

Physical Challenges

  1. lift / carry
  2. stamina/ endurance
  3. push/pull
  4. Knee/squat
  5. reach
  6. repetitive tasks
  7. fine motor: pinch / grasp
  8. fine motor: manipulate/ maneuver
  9. gross motor
  10. sit in chair
  11. walk / stand
  12. balance
  13. bend / twist
  14. stoop / crouch
  15. other

Sensory Issues

Think of room temperature, noise, fumes, dust, odors, allergies. Also consider the ability to speak and/or communicate, and the visual aspects of task or assignments.

Sensory Challenges

  1. vision
  2. hearing
  3. touch
  4. smell
  5. taste
  6. oral communication
  7. temperature
  8. fumes
  9. external stimuli
  10. lighting
  11. other

Cognitive Issues

Is the assignment done with a group, partner or individually? What memory & communication skills are needed? What is the level of complexity of the task.

Cognitive Challenges

  1. short term memory
  2. long term memory
  3. task complexity
  4. reading
  5. writing
  6. spelling
  7. string of numbers (math)
  8. paying attention
  9. visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learner
  10. self-esteem / advocacy issues
  11. behavior issues / acting out
  12. other