The Profile is the document in which the information gathered during Discovery is recorded. Vocational Profiles are an alternative to standardized vocational evaluations (Callahan & Garner, 1997; Rogan, Grossi & Gajewski, 2002). The benefit of using the Vocational Profile for a student with a more significant disability is that it provides concrete direction towards employment and provides a picture of the ideal conditions needed in an employment setting for the student to be successful. The Profile also provides information and examples of supports, accommodations or adaptations that a student currently uses to be successful within their environment. The Profile differs from a traditional vocational evaluation in that is does not numerically measure skills or abilities, compare the individual student’s performance against some standardized norm, or attempt to predict success or failure in regard to employment. Instead, the Profile describes a student’s performance and the supports that they need or use within familiar environments. This alternative assessment process does not weed students out of employment…it leads to the customization of their employment opportunities, which enables them to be successful. The ability to work in the community is presumed given the supports that the individual needs are in place.

The Profile and the IEP
The Individual Career Planning Model time lines suggest completing the Vocational Profile for students beginning at age 14 in order to use this information to guide transition planning, career exploration and vocational preparation. The information from the Vocational Profile compliments the IEP process in that strengths, preferences and interests are identified and support needs and successful accommodations are described. Through the Discovery and Profile process, the skills that a student needs to learn or become more proficient in within their home, community, recreation and leisure activities and employment are identified and thus form the goals for Transition Planning. Additionally, the Profile provides rich description of a student’s present levels of performance in relation to the environments and activities which are relevant in their lives. Some schools have begun substituting the Vocational Profile for some of the assessments which they had traditionally used to measure students' capabilities because they have found that the Profile provides more meaningful information and a better indication of skills that a student needs to learn.

The Vocational Profile and the Profile Meeting
Using Discovery and the Vocational Profile Strategy
Profiles: Capturing the Information of Discovery Manual (purchasing information from Marc Gold & Associates)
Profile Forms, Samples and Guides from Marc Gold & Associates

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