Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation - Volume 32, issue 1

Authors: Kiernan, William E. | Hoff, David

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: On July 16, 2009, Dr. William E. Kiernan provided testimony to the U.S. Senate HELP Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety addressing ‘Modernizing the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 to Help Workers and Employers Meet the Changing Demands of a Global Market’. The purpose of the hearing was to investigate how best to streamline a decision-making process that respects the necessary and complementary roles of the state, local areas, state legislatures and the federal government, and encourage regional arrangements: to explore how to ensure a dual customer approach that supports the needs of workers, jobseekers and employers; to discuss …how to fully engage education partners, including community colleges and community-based organizations; and to explore the need for professional development for workforce system staff and partners. The panel was asked to address what works and should be preserved and refined in the current workforce system and what should be eliminated and, second, what innovative policy recommendations would modernize WIA. His testimony is provided in its entirety. Show more

Keywords: Workforce Investment Act, modernizing WIA hearing

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-2010-0490

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 1-14, 2010

Authors: Siu, Phoebe S.K. | Tsang, Hector W.H. | Bond, Gary R.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This study focuses primarily on the non-vocational outcomes and the changes in psychosocial functioning of individuals with severe mental illness through competitive employment. Thirteen out of 56 participants in the Individual Placement & Support (IPS) group who were competitively employed were recruited from two community based mental health settings for the first interview. Eight of them who met the selection criteria for the second interview were interviewed again for comparison. Data were collected through a tailor-made interview guide during their third and sixth months of employment and were analyzed through an inductive process. Data analyses indicated that the employed participants …in the IPS group showed positive outcomes in both personal well-being and self-efficacy after three months of employment, while positive and negative impacts were obtained after six months of employment. A dynamic model was suggested based on the findings to explain the job tenure of participants. Further integration of this model to the existing supported employment model is explored. Show more

Keywords: Mental illness, nonvocational outcomes, employment for individuals with disabilities in Hong Kong

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-2010-0491

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 15-24, 2010

Authors: Gao, Ni | Gill, Kenneth J. | Schmidt, Lisa T. | Pratt, Carlos W.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Human Capital Theory posits that investment in education and job training increase employability among the general labor force. This study examined the applicability of Human Capital Theory to an explanation of employment outcomes of individuals with psychiatric illness. The employment rates of participants with mental illness and participants with equivalent human capital but not disability were compared. The study also explored whether human capital variables predicted employability. The study found that participants with mental illness achieved similar re-employment rates within six-months of becoming unemployed when compared to their counterparts with no reported disability. Additionally, later onset of mental illness predicted …higher employment rates. Severity of psychiatric symptoms was not predictive of employment rates. These findings suggest that human capital variables are correlated with employment outcomes among persons with mental illness. They also suggest that assisting mental health consumers in the pursuit of education and job training may improve their employability which can lead to financial independence and community integration. The findings also support the development and implementation of Supported Education to assist consumers to succeed in education and job training. Show more

Keywords: Mental illness, human capital theory, employment for individuals with disabilities

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-2010-0492

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 25-33, 2010

Authors: Xu, Yonghong Jade | Martz, Erin

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The Rehabilitation Services Administration commissioned the Longitudinal Study of the Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program (LSVRSP) to study the effectiveness of the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) programs in the U.S. The purpose of this exploratory research was to examine the LSVRSP data by using Bayesian Network (BN) analysis, in order to determine the most effective predictors of employment among individuals with disabilities who had a case-closed status in the U.S.’s VR system. The results indicated that of the person-related variables that were studied, three demographic and disability-related variables (age, age of disability-onset, and type of disability) and two employment-related variables (employed at …the time of applying for VR services and number of jobs since onset of disability) were strong predictors of employment at case closure. In view that work experience improves the accuracy of predicting employment among this sample and is a factor that can be modified, implications of the findings are briefly proposed for rehabilitation counselors. Show more

Keywords: Disability, employment, work experience

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-2010-0493

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 35-45, 2010

Authors: Gold, Jerry

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: This expository paper describes an innovative Scripps designed supported employment program, using an evidence-based practice model based on recovery by Scripps Behavioral Health Services staff to fill a gap in the continuum of care for Behavioral Health Services. The A-Visions Program was also developed to increase offerings to mental health consumers (typically those with serious and persistent mental illness) struggling to find help in an under funded, fragmented mental health system of care. The program has grown since its inception and has received commendations from external stakeholders. This paper reviews the prevalence of mental illness in the United States, a …review of the classic and recent evidence-based literature, a comprehensive description of the program (including analyses of outcome measures), a plan to spread this innovation across the Scripps enterprise, and conclusions. Due to the success of the program in providing essential services to individuals with serious mental illness, the authors recommend replication in other Scripps facilities. The author makes a strong case for the spread of this innovation, as these services typically are not a part of the mental health care continuum. These program development strategies are replicable in other mental health programs. Show more

Keywords: Supported employment, performance measures, evidence-based, program evaluation

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-2010-0494

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 47-59, 2010

Authors: Stapleton, David | Honeycutt, Todd | Schechter, Bruce

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Despite the important role that state vocational rehabilitation (VR)agencies play in promoting employment for people with disabilities,little is known about how their exits after service receipt vary withindividual characteristics and across states compared to the general population with disabilities. We used fiscal year 2007 RSA administrative data and American Community Survey public use files to calculate the ratio of the number of individuals exiting VR after service receipt to the estimated number of working-age people with disabilities in 2007 at the national and state levels and the ratios for demographic, educational, and disability subgroups. Our results show that 1.3 of …every 100 working-age adults with a disability in the household population exited a VR agency after receiving services, with state variation ranging from 0.6 percent in Washington and Puerto Rico to 4.0 percent in Vermont. We also found large differences across subgroups – differences that are much larger in some states than in others. These disparities raise questions about why some groups are more likely to complete VR services than others and whether VR agencies should systematically target more resources to certain groups. Further research is needed to better understand how well people with disabilities complete VR agency services. Show more

Keywords: State vocational rehabilitation agencies, working-age people with disabilities, disability prevalence for demographic groups, vocational rehabilitation service closures for demographic groups

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-2010-0495

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 61-76, 2010