Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation - Volume 46, issue 3

Authors: Christensen, Julie J. | Richardson, Kaitlyn

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Over recent years, New York State has engaged in efforts to transform the sheltered workshop system. Through this effort, a variety of innovative models have been piloted to assess effectiveness in supporting sheltered workshop participants to train for and transition to competitive employment in the community. One particular pilot program adapted the Project SEARCH high school transition model for this purpose. OBJECTIVE: As part of a larger evaluation effort, this project aimed to document the individual growth of program participants, as well as their self-perceived readiness for employment. METHODS: Ten individuals participated in a …12-month program, where they participated in up to four internships. Participants were interviewed multiple times, beginning at the start of the program, and again at the end of each internship. Interviews were video recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify common themes. RESULTS: The career discovery process of exposure to community-based work opportunities, included as part of the Project SEARCH program, led to to an increased ability to express vocational strengths and self-determined career goals. Participants articulated a readiness to enter the workforce and demonstrated a desire to take on more personal and financial responsibility. The program model was successful in transitioning 63% of participants into competitive employment. However, successful transition was not achieved by participants who had been in the workshop for more than 5 years prior to entering the program. CONCLUSION: Further research is needed to assess the appropriateness of the Project SEARCH model for those with the most significant disabilities who wish to transition from a workshop into competitive employment, particularly those individuals who have been in a workshop setting for an extended period of time. Show more

Keywords: Employment, sheltered workshop conversion, program evaluation, transition, developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, Project SEARCH

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-170871

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 341-354, 2017

Authors: Grossi, Teresa | Thomas, Faith

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: This APSE workshop shared one state approach to interagency collaboration for transition-age youth. The purpose of the workshop was to determine value-added by working collaboratively and share preliminary results of a school-to-work project. OBJECTIVE: Using a collaborative of employment providers embedded in schools to improve agency connections prior to leaving school and work experiences that lead to employment outcomes. METHOD: The goal of the Collaborative was to provide employment opportunities for transition-age youth by embedding employment resources into the school to focus on agency connections, employment outcomes and reduce or eliminate duplication of services. …Specifically, a provider employment specialist or Career Coach is embedded in the school to serve as a single point of contact to represent a “coalition” of providers serving on the Collaborative. The Collaborative also included Vocational Rehabilitation, schools, families and other agencies. RESULTS: Schools with an embedded Career Coach had students connected to Vocational Rehabilitation Services and other community agencies than the comparison sites. Students had more opportunities for work experiences, internships and paid employment prior to leaving school with the employment providers continuing services after school. CONCLUSIONS: By working together, schools and employment providers offer each other value in serving students and enhancing agency connections and employment outcomes. Show more

Keywords: Interagency collaboration, collaborative, school-to-work, transition-to-work

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-170872

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 355-359, 2017

Authors: Cullen, Jennifer M. | Alber-Morgan, Sheila R. | Simmons-Reed, Evette A. | Izzo, Margo V.

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities struggle to find integrated employment because of their challenges with vocational task acquisition and completion. Video-based self-directed prompts have been utilized on iPads, smartphones, and personal digital assistants (PDA’s) to overcome this challenge in acquiring and completing vocational tasks in integrated community-based employment settings. OBJECTIVE: In this study, self-directed video prompting on iPads was used with three male participants with intellectual and developmental disabilities in integrated community-based employment settings. METHODS: A multiple probe across tasks design was used to determine the effects of the intervention on the acquisition …and accurate completion of vocational tasks in integrated employment settings. Prior to intervention with self-directed video prompting in the integrated employment setting, a multiple probe across participants design was used to determine the effects of a training package for teaching iPad usage consisting of modeling and least-to-most prompting on a training task. RESULTS: All three participants acquired device usage in two to five trials. The participants all acquired three vocational tasks in the course of the study and demonstrated generalization to new materials, settings, or people in two of their three tasks. CONCLUSION: Video-based self-directed prompts promote improved performance in integrated community-based employment settings. Show more

Keywords: Self-prompting, assistive technology, employment, video prompting, intellectual disabilities, autism, self-management

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-170873

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 361-375, 2017

Authors: Dahl, Kathy | Larivière, Nadine | Corbière, Marc

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that work participation is the most impaired occupational domains of individuals with a borderline personality disorder (BPD). OBJECTIVE: This study identifies and describes barriers and facilitators to work participation of individuals with a BPD from both the individual’s and service provider’s perspectives. METHODS: We used a qualitative multiple case study design (Yin, 2009 ), with three contexts: 1) work (re) integration, 2) return to work (after a sick leave), and 3) job tenure. Within each context, we held individual interviews with three dyads, including an individual with BPD and their …service provider. RESULTS: Qualitative results (n  = 18) showed that individual factors (e.g., reaction to pressure and relationships at work, emotion regulation), and factors related to stakeholders and procedures from insurance, organizational and health systems (e.g., poor collaboration and communication between stakeholders, work accommodations and natural support in workplace) influenced work participation of individuals with BPD. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the specific challenges of work participation for individuals with BPD that involve several personal and environmental factors all stakeholders must consider. Current vocational rehabilitation programs must better address the work participation issues of individuals with BPD and ensure good coordination with current specialized psychotherapies. Show more

Keywords: Borderline personality disorder, work participation, work rehabilitation, case study

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-170874

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 377-388, 2017

Authors: Lombardi, Allison | Izzo, Margo V. | Gelbar, Nicholas | Murray, Alexa | Buck, Andrew | Johnson, Victor | Hsiao, Jay | Wei, Yan | Kowitt, Jennifer

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In the 21st century, information technology (IT) literacy is crucial for all students, and may better prepare students with disabilities for transition to postsecondary employment or education. OBJECTIVE: In this study, the potential of IT literacy embedded into an online transition curriculum is explored in the context of secondary special education. The curriculum aligns with Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts that are relevant to reading comprehension, writing, as well as searching for and analyzing sources of information online. METHODS: A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was utilized in six high schools. RESULTS: …Findings show that intervention group students improved in IT literacy; whereas, comparison group students did not make similar gains. CONCLUSION: Implications for embedding transition services into specific courses and curricula for secondary students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are discussed. Show more

Keywords: Transition, employment, vocational education, career readiness, technology

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-170875

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 389-397, 2017

Authors: Atal, Zara | Wang, Shu-wen | Biella-Battista, Roberto

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Contact has been shown to be one of the most effective methods to reduce mental illness stigma, but prior research on the contact hypothesis has been limited by reliance on retrospective data and forced, laboratory-based contact rather than in community settings. OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this prospective study was to use a vocational rehabilitation center to test the effect of naturally occurring brief indirect contact with a mentally ill sample on mental illness stigma. We also examined correlational patterns among participants’ perceptions about treatments for mental illness with mental illness stigma. METHODS: Data …were collected at an Italian vocational rehabilitation center using a repeated measures design. A total of 19 participants completed baseline surveys. A subset of 10 participants who also completed post-contact surveys was used to test the contact hypothesis. RESULTS: Analyses showed that positive affect increased from pre-contact (M = 3.87, SD = 1.10) to post-contact (M = 4.53, SD = 0.89; t(9) = –2.74, p  = 0.023), and negative affect decreased from pre-contact (M = 2.83, SD = 0.74) to post-contact (M = 2.23, SD = 0.70; t(9) = 3.25, p  = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Results show preliminary evidence that vocational rehabilitation center-based contact increased positive affect, and decreased negative affect, towards individuals with mental illnesses in community members. Show more

Keywords: Mental illness stigma, vocational rehabilitation, affect, social distance

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-170876

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 399-405, 2017

Authors: Oertle, Kathleen Marie | O’Leary, Stephanie

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: To address prevailing gaps in employment rates between working-age people with disabilities and those without, vocational rehabilitation professionals can use targeted career development initiatives for their consumers as they progress through school and into the professional world. With education at the core, vocational rehabilitation counselors are poised to collaborate with teachers, employers, and policymakers to promote work experience and self-advocacy among their transition-age consumers, which has been shown to increase employment rates. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article is to present a synthesis focusing on the intersection of the career development and secondary transition literature to …provide guidance for the evaluation and development of policy, to contribute to a needed area of knowledge generation in vocational rehabilitation, and to underscore the application of research-based practices in transition services. METHODS: The literature search, identification, and synthesis were guided by the overarching question, how can rehabilitation professionals use what is known about career development to assist with secondary transition preparation and planning through the services and resources they provide? RESULTS: The search resulted in the identification of 20 articles specific to the intersection of career development, secondary transition preparation and planning, and improving postsecondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Suggestions for practices and further research are presented in the context of U.S. national rehabilitation law, specifically the recent (2014) Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act. Show more

Keywords: Career development, rehabilitation, transition, employment, disability

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-170877

Citation: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 407-423, 2017