Affiliations: The Ivymount School, Inc., Rockville, MD, USA
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Eve Müller, The Ivymount School, Inc., 11614 Seven Locks Road, Rockville, MD 20854, USA. Tel.: +1 301 779 5171; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: BACKGROUND:“Communication Stories” provide individualized, electronic examples of how transition-aged students communicate. Intended to promote self-advocacy and improved workplace interactions, they are created and shared by students with supervisors about the specific communication strategies they use. OBJECTIVE:This pilot study evaluated the perceived impact of Communication Stories on participants, their job coaches, and workplace supervisors using a combination of quantitative/qualitative methods. METHODS:Using their personal iDevices, stories were created with input from nine participants with intellectual disabilities and/or autism and concomitant language impairments. Job coaches self-assessed their knowledge of participants’ communication strategies before and after viewing the stories, and job coaches and workplace supervisors were interviewed about the perceived impact of the stories on workplace interactions. RESULTS:Following viewing of stories, job coaches reported significant increases in knowledge of participants’ communication strategies and confidence supporting their workplace communication. Stakeholder feedback also revealed themes including: (1) participants’ “taking charge” of sharing their stories appeared to strengthen their self-esteem and relationships with their supervisors, and (2) viewing stories appeared to have a positive impact on the communication behaviors of job coaches and workplace supervisors. CONCLUSIONS:Stakeholders, including participants and their families, were very enthusiastic about Communication Stories and recommended their expanded use across settings and conversation partners.
