Culinary Arts
for Students with Disabilities

Culinary arts education for students with disabilities provides a unique opportunity for innovation in the educational process. Through state-of-the-art assistive technology as well as common sense adaptations, barriers to employment have been overcome by people who at one time may have been thought to be unemployable. In fact, the food service industry is the United States' leading private sector employer, with job openings expected to increase through the year 2006. The projected growth of the food service industry and culinary arts is a good indicator of future employment trends and opportunities.

Institutions such as the Commonwealth Technical Institute, Pennsylvania offer a variety of comprehensive programs and services to people with disabilities for employment. Integrated education, counseling, evaluation, medical services and therapies prepare the worker with both technical skills and life skills. Nor is education confined to the classroom - while the majority of a student's time and attention focuses on education and training, job skills are only part of the learning experience.

A continuum of support services ranging from career exploration to independent living is combined to offer students the skills needed to live, work, and contribute to the community. Students taking part in culinary arts programs may have disabilities that include cerebral palsy, amputation, mental retardation, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, visual and hearing impairments, and learning and emotional disabilities. Each disability group is unique, therefore teaching strategies must be designed to meet the needs of each student. Learning styles are assessed to determine student need for academic remediation, individualized training, multi-media presentations, or additional training time. In addition, support services such as job coaching, counseling, tutoring, and interpreters for those who are deaf are available to students as needed.

Actual work experience is an asset to any person seeking employment. For people with disabilities, work experience is a major resource for initial employment. Before graduation, each student is encouraged to apply for a work/study experience, which can include internships, practicums, or on-the-job-training that allows the student to grow both academically and socially.

There are national lending libraries of adaptive and assistive equipment, such as that at the Hiram G. Andrews Center, Pennsylvania, enabling those with disabilities to borrow a variety of assistive devices or adaptive equipment to try them out for ease and efficiency of usage before purchasing.

The 'try before you buy' philosophy is economically efficient for both social service agencies and individuals with disabilities. Many adaptive devices commonly used are already standard equipment in any kitchen: food processors and dicing/slicing machines can enhance performance on the job and at home. Devices designed for specific disabilities include digital talking scales, knife guides, and color-coded cutting boards, the latter particularly helpful for those who have visual impairments by contrasting the color of the food from the colour of the board.

Common hand tools are adaptable by simply changing the grip with rubber bands or adapting a rolling pin to be used by one hand. As a result of support services and assistive technology, people with disabilities have a far better chance of succeeding in their chosen field.

Author
Noel B Graham
Culinary Arts Instructor
Commonwealth Technical Institute
Hiram G Andrews Center