The Hiram G. Andrews Center - a Pennsylvania gem

One of the Northeast's best-kept secrets is the Hiram G. Andrews Center (HGA) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which for nearly 40 years has provided individualized educational and rehabilitation programs for students interested in postsecondary education.

HGA is the world's first "rehab" facility designed to provide comprehensive services under one roof, in this case, the 45-acre HGA campus in suburban Johnstown. Its mission is to provide career opportunities and teach independent life skills to the 500 plus students it serves, including nearly 80 deaf and hard-of-hearing students annually. It is managed by the Pennsylvania Office of Voca- tional Rehabilitation and relies on payment for services from the public and private sectors.

HGA's respected deaf services unit, which is managed by Lori Hutchison, NETAC's site coordinator for the state of Pennsylvania, combines the talents of interpreters, counselors, tutors, and other support service personnel. The diversity of the group, and its reputation for thorough advocacy on behalf of its students, makes HGA an attractive educational option for deaf students.

Daniel Piccerillo, who graduated from HGA's dental lab assistant program last August, concurs.

"The interpreters at HGA are all quite good, which allowed me to clearly understand my classwork. The whole deaf services unit was great... I had no problems at all."

Piccerillo, 42, chose HGA on the recommendation of his VR counselor. After completing high school, he did a variety of odd jobs before decid- ing that he wanted to "settle down and get an education." Four-year colleges were not appealing to him, because he didn't want to commit the amount of time needed. At HGA, he completed an associate degree as a dental lab assistant in 16 months and is awaiting responses to resumes he recently sent out.

He calls the dental program "tough" but realizes that "it will help me get an opportunity for a good job, with good pay."

At HGA, students like Piccerillo pursue vocational training that leads to either an associate degree in specialized technology or business, a diploma, or a certificate in nearly 30 career areas ranging from accounting to watch repair. The dental lab program, as well as the building maintenance, culinary arts, and materials management and distribution programs, are immensely popular with students who are deaf.

Students live on campus in regular or transitional living dormitories or may commute. They spend the majority of their time learning job skills in the classroom, but also enjoy support services such as counseling, vocational evalua- tion, career guidance, placement help, independent living skills, and deaf services.

Interpreting is provided in all classes in which students who are deaf are enrolled. Interpreting also is provided for extracurricular activities, such as student council, and notetakers can be arranged by request. Classroom interpreters also serve as tutors and are available by appointment.

HGA's interpreting staff wins rave reviews from students, including Lois Myers, a 30-year-old HGA student from Greencastle, Pennsylvania.

"I am so impressed with the interpreters at HGA," she says. "They are all well qualified and help us a lot by offering tutoring help as well as interpreting."

Myers is on track to receive her degree as a medical office as- sistant in 1999. With previous college experience at a Virginia uni- versity, from which she received a bachelor's degree in drama and art, Myers has an interesting perspective from which to evaluate her current educational experience at HGA.

She looked into HGA at the suggestion of her VR counselor, because she couldn't find a job after getting her first degree.

"Because I like to work with computers and like an office setting, I began in HGA's office clerk program,Ó she says. ÒWhen I did well, my counselor suggested I switch to the medical office assistant program, because I have the potential to earn more and get a better job."

To prepare Myers and her fellow classmates for the working world, formal "job readiness" training begins two months before graduation and is conducted in a group format that addresses issues related to job seeking, interviews, and resum² writing. Lots of role play gives students the confidence and experience to use an interpreter in a formal setting.

"One of the unique things about HGA is that it is an OVR education facility," says Hutchison. "This combination can provide opportunities for creative counselors and committed instructors to assist students in understanding work expectations."