Designed to help special needs students develop an awareness of their own individual characteristics, values, interests, aptitudes, abilities, and personality, this self-inventory is the first unit in a nine-unit secondary level careers course intended to provide handicapped students with the knowledge and tools necessary to succeed in the world of work. The first section on assessing one's personallty type contains eleven self-assessment activities including defining one's idea of happiness; speculating on one's future life style; assesing one's personal habits, strenghths, personality traits and type, interests, and weaknesses; and isolating positive and negative personality traits in a group of fictitious persons. In section 2 students are required to assign numerical ratings to various personal values and goals. After an initial discussion of the terms aptitude and ability, the third section contains five activities designed to measure student aptitudes (instructions for taking the COPS inventory, a skills ability inventory, a work and study preference inventory, follow-up activities to the GATB test, and practice in using the Occupational Outlook Handbook). A career profile posttest concludes this unit. (The other eight course units which include activities on job applications, interviews, and changes as well as budgeting are available separately--see note.) (MN)