NORTHRIDGE : CSUN Program Places Disabled in Job Settings

Bob Casper, a Cal State Northridge junior, wants to be a television and film producer. An internship he secured through a year-old program at CSUN may help him meet his goals.

Casper is one of 16 students employed through CSUN’s Students With Disabilities Internship Project--the only one of its kind at a California university or community college.

The program, funded by the federal Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, provides on-the-job experience for students with disabilities and training for both students and employers covered by the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act.

Approximately 80 students participate in CSUN’s program, program coordinator Terri Goldstein said. The campus is noted for its innovative work with deaf students and those with other disabilities. Casper, 25, has struggled with mild dyslexia, which was diagnosed in the fourth grade.

Casper works for Four Point Entertainment, a production company currently in partnership with the Samuel Goldwyn Co. to produce an upcoming television show. He’s involved with “breaking down the script” for the show.

Casper’s job is to read a script and determine how many actors are needed to make the show, how many and what kind of props are needed in each scene and what sets need to be designed.

“I’m very proud that my (supervisor) felt comfortable to ask me to do that,” Casper said.

Carla Kurachi, 40, secured an internship as a librarian in CSUN’s career center and later as a career counselor.

Kurachi has a master’s degree in counseling from CSUN. Last fall she enrolled in a certificate program for career counseling and needed an internship as part of her program. She learned about the program for students with disabilities from a campus flyer.

Kurachi, a quadriplegic who suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident, said her employers have made her work environment accessible.

“They have ensured that I can reach all the book cases, and the placement of furniture is where I can maneuver my wheelchair around,” Kurachi said.

On June 16, Goldstein will teach employers about their responsibilities and rights when providing special accommodations for employees with disabilities.

Goldstein said many employers think accommodations mean big expenses, but that is not necessarily the case.

“If you have a copier that enlarges and you have an employee who needs to read large print, then you’ve already solved your problem,” she said.

Goldstein said some companies are more receptive than others to working with employees with disabilities. She recalled one employer who told her there were no jobs for disabled people in her company.

“She had actually interviewed and wanted to hire someone with a disability who chose not to disclose their disability,” Goldstein said. “She was just so close-minded.”