Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti pengetahuan, sikap dan persepsi masyarakat terhadap kanak-kanak Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Reka bentuk kajian ini adalah kaedah tinjauan dengan menggunakan soal selidik sebagai instrumen untuk mengumpul data kajian. Kajian ini melibatkan seramai 100 orang responden yang terdiri daripada guru, ibu bapa dan penjaga. Data bagi kajian ini telah dianalisis secara deskriptif dan inferensi. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan tahap pengetahuan, sikap dan persepsi masyarakat tentang kanak-kanak ASD adalah tinggi. Kajian juga menunjukkan tidak terdapat perbezaan pengetahuan, sikap, dan persepsi masyarakat tentang kanakkanak ASD mengikut jantina. Pengkaji juga mendapati pengetahuan dan persepsi masyarakat tentang kanakkanak ASD adalah berbeza mengikut tahap pendidikan, manakala sikap masyarakat tentang kanak-kanak ASD adalah tidak berbeza mengikut tahap pendidikan. Selain itu, dapatan menunjukkan terdapat hubungan kolerasi positif yang sederhana antara pengetahuan dengan sikap dan persepsi masyarakat tentang kanak-kanak ASD. Dapatan kajian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi panduan dalam memberikan input kepada para pengkaji dan pihak berkenaan bagi memastikan kanak-kanak ASD ini diterima oleh masyarakat dengan baik.

An industrial training program for schools by the Malaysian Ministry of Education has been in place since 2017. The Upper Secondary Industry Apprenticeship program [PIMA] was implemented in vocational schools in 2010 as an extension to the industrial apprenticeship program. This industrial training is a career transition to prepare students for the workforce. In the context of special education students, they are also required to seek relevant knowledge and training so that they could acquire a career. Industrial training should provide an equal opportunity of education for diverse students as stipulated in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013 to 2025. Industrial training plays an important role in enhancing students’ career well-being and helps develop their potential, interests, and skills. The purpose of this paper is to assess the implementation of industrial training for students with disabilities. It is also designed to examine the role of adaptability in enhancing their workplace well-being. The results and implications were discussed critically.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the practitioner and author of this practice in action took the initiative to carry out a piece of action research, by running a bakery sales project with Semai indigenous students. She found that running this project online and remotely was less successful than anticipated, due to the lack of physical proximity and issues with internet connectivity. Thus, in this practice in action, the resulting action research is discussed qualitatively and narratively, asking the following question: how can the practitioner enhance her practice as a special education teacher of Specific Vocational Skills (Bread Making), to improve the employability of Semai indigenous students through a bakery sales project? The bakery sales project not only exposed students to the work environment, but also enabled the practitioner to improve her content knowledge and pedagogy, especially with regard to developing meaningful lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic.