FAGA’ALU, American Samoa - Compliant with the Governor’s Capacity Building Initiative for all government employees, the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, a line agency under the Governor’s Office’s Administrative umbrella hosted its third series of capacity building training endeavors focusing on Pre-Employment Transition Services for students with disabilities.

 

Fortuitously, through the partnership fashioned by the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) with the National Technical Assistance Center for Transition (NTACT) out of Idaho, consultant Dr. Alison Lowenthal conducted training on island for the employees of OVR and Special Education Division of the Department of Education. This training endeavor was provided by NTACT free of charge and it was for five (5) days starting on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 and ended Monday, September 8, 2025.

 

Dr. Alison Lowenthal is a senior faculty specialist at the Center for Transition and Career Innovation at the University of Maryland. In her role, she supports schools, communities, and government agencies by providing expert guidance to help improve the transition from school to work or further education for students with different abilities. Dr. Alison Lowenthal has over 25 years of experience working in special education, transition planning, and vocational rehabilitation- with a strong focus on helping young people with differing abilities.

 

Before joining the University of Maryland, Dr. Lowenthal served as the state transition manager at the Idaho division of Vocational Rehabilitation. She also worked with the Departments of Education in both Idaho and Colorado, helping to coordinate services that support students as they move from school to adult life.

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The ultimate goal of the training effort is to improve the abilities of employees involved with the delivery of pre-employment transition services to students with disabilities. The challenges being faced by students with disabilities are formidable and systemic in nature given the narrowness of the territory’s economic base, limiting the number of available jobs for both able-bodied and those with disabilities. The disproportionate and lopsided distribution of available jobs favoring able-bodied individuals continues with no end in sight.

 

The above undesirable situation compels investment in building the skills of employees of OVR and Special Education Division of the Department of Education who work with students enrolled in the Pre-Employment Transition Service Program to ensure that the students with disabilities are well prepared and accorded every advantage to improve their chances in securing employment. This training initiative focused on empowering employees with skills and abilities to guarantee the delivery of the best quality Pre-Employment Transition Services possible to students with disabilities.

 

The training was very successful evidenced by the engaging and lively exchanges which transpired during the five (5) days of intense training. Executive Director Adrian Vasai extends her profound gratitude and deep appreciation to Dr. Alison Lowenthal for electing to travel to American Samoa to facilitate this critical training. She was accompanied by her daughter Ashlyn Lowenthal.

 

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