Abstract

A young woman’s face was severely disfigured when she was caught in an explosion as a child. The explosion also left the young woman with a hearing impairment and missing fingers on each of her hands; however, the disfigurement of the woman’s face has been the cause of adverse reactions from many persons. For instance, she is unable to get a job because of her facial disfigurement. The embarrassment and humiliation the woman experiences regarding her disfigurement plays a major role in the vocational goal she has chosen for herself. 

The woman has opted for the Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS), a program offered through the Social Security Administration. The goal she has chosen for herself is to become self-employed by means of processing medical claims on a personal computer and she plans to do this job at home. The woman currently resides with her parents who will help her with her monthly expenses until the completion of her PASS plan. Vocational Rehabilitation Services will cover the cost of the computer training course she is taking and school grants will pay for her books, supplies, a printer, and a computer. The young woman will take the computer training course at a community college. The PASS plan is set to begin in December 2000 and is scheduled to end by July 2001.

Developed as a class requirement for the Academic Certificate Program in Community Employment Services: all rights reserved.

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