Digital Commons Network^™

First National Study Of People With Disabilities Who Are Self-Employed, Nancy Arnold Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

In the last twelve years, interest has steadily grown in self-employment for people with disabilities. In part, this is due to research showing that people with disabilities report self-employment at a higher rate than the general population, and that 20-25 percent of participants in special “Choices” demonstration projects funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration were interested in starting businesses. In light of persistently high unemployment rates among people with disabilities, it appears that many have chosen to pursue self-employment. RTC: Rural researchers exploring self-employment as a rural employment option frequently field questions about business owners with disabilities: How many people …

Client Perspectives On The Use Of Telecommunications To Deliver Vr Services, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

Evidence shows that rural clients receive fewer Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services than their urban counterparts (Ipsen, Rigles, Arnold, & Seekins, 2010; Johnstone, Price, Bounds, Schopp, Schootman, & Schumate, 2003). One explanation for this discrepancy is that travel to provide services to rural clients is costly and difficult to deliver on an as-needed basis. In fact, the costs associated with rural service delivery among 1,187 counselors amounted to $1.2 million in gas costs and represented 51,000 hours of staff time (Ipsen, et al., 2010). Increased use of telecommunications is one strategy to boost client and counselor contact during the VR process, …

A National Report On The Use Of Telecommunications To Deliver Vr Services, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

It can be difficult for VR counselors to provide face-to-face services to rural clients. Large caseloads reduce counselors’ available travel time to travel to outlying rural communities, and rising fuel costs make such trips expensive (Metzel & Giordano, 2007; Riemer-Reiss, 2000). Telecommunications can increase counselor-client accessibility and provide flexibility to supplement face-to-face services. Telecommunications refers to a variety of information technology (IT) that allows people in different locations to engage with one another, while reducing boundaries of time, distance, and location. Access to telecommunication services, however, may be limited. For instance, people living in rural areas may lack access to …

Why Some Vocational Rehabilitation Clients Leave The System Early, Bethany Rigles, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

Almost half of Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) clients leave the system before completing services. This situation, called “premature exit,” includes cases when clients refuse to continue services or fail to cooperate, as well as when VR loses touch with clients because of inaccurate contact information. Premature exits are a problem for both clients and agencies. Clients who prematurely exit the system experience worse economic outcomes than clients who stay and become employed (Hayward & Schmidt-Davis, 2003). For agencies, premature exits translate into significant costs without positive employment outcomes. In 2006 alone, VR spent more than $207.5 million on cases closed as …

Evaluating Social Work Students’ Attitudes Toward Physical Disability, Rachael A. Haskell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Given the social work profession's commitment to serving individuals with disabilities and cultural competence, the promotion of favorable attitudes toward persons with disabilities within social work education is critical. This study examined the question: "what are the attitudes of undergraduate social work students at three universities toward individuals with physical disabilities as measured by responses on the Attitudes Toward Disabled Persons Scale Form B (ATDP-Form B; Yuker et al., 1960, 1966) and Interactions with Disabled Persons Scale (Gething, 1991)?" It explored the following hypotheses, that participants who: 1) have had prior positive contact with persons with physical disabilities; 2) have …

The Impact Of The Physical Environment On The Social Integration Of Individuals With Disabilities In Community, Keith M. Christensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Social integration in community is especially important for individuals with disabilities well-being. Although individuals with disabilities reside within the community's physical environment, they are often marginalized in the social environment. This may be the result of individuals with disabilities residing in physical environments that negatively affect opportunities for integration in the social environment. However, there has been little investigation to understand the impact of the physical environment on the social integration of individuals with disabilities in community.

The purpose of this investigation was to (a) examine the current body of evidence concerning the impact of a community's physical environment on …

Community Needs Assessment Of Native Americans And One Year Follow-Up Evaluation, Chung-Fan Ni, Felicia Wilkins-Turner, Valerie Ellien, Corinne Harrington, Diane E. Liebert

NERA Conference Proceedings 2009

Using participatory action research, Native American research technicians conducted screening interviews to identify tribal members with disabilities and community needs. Participants received a Resource Guide manual at the conclusion of the community needs assessment, and were encouraged to contact appropriate health care agencies for services. The results of needs assessment include the incidence of disability, major types of disabilities, limitations and needs, employment status, and consumer concerns and barriers for Native Americans with disabilities. Also one year follow-up evaluation is discussed regarding the improvement on knowledge about resources for people with disabilities

Workplace Discrimination And Learning Disability: The National Eeoc Ada Research Project, Joseph Conway

Theses and Dissertations

Using the Integrated Mission System of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the employment discrimination experience of Americans with Learning Disabilities (SLD) is documented for Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The study examines demographic characteristics of the charging parties and the industry of the responding employer against whom complaints are filed. It establishes the nature of the discriminatory act, specifically, pin-points the issue(s) that predicated the allegation, and shows the final outcome or resolution of these complaints. Key dimensions of workplace discrimination as experienced by individuals with LD are detected using two Tests of Proportion. The first …

Perception Of Students With Disabilities: An Assessment Of Attitudes Held By Pre-Service Teachers., Suzanne Gosden Kitchen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study explored the attitudes pre-service teachers held toward people with disabilities. The researcher conducted a survey methodology study via questionnaire of repeated measures design, using the respondents as their own controls. The goal of this study was to find out if pre-service teachers attitudes toward people with disabilities were affected by descriptive labels such as physicaldisability or mental disability. In other words, did the type of disability affect the pre-service teachers attitudes toward that person? Findings revealed that pre-service teachers had a more negative attitude toward people labeled with mental disabilities, and a more positive attitude toward people labeled …

People With Disabilities On Tribal Lands: Education, Health Care, Vocational Rehabilitation, And Independent Living, A. Kauffman, M. Whelshula, V. Paternoster, T. Spellman, W. Thompson, A. Walline

Native Health Database Full Text

This project examined research on health, rehabilitation, independent living, and education issues that affect people with disabilities living in Indian Country. The report discusses views and perspectives of American Indialaska Native people with disabilities, tribal leaders, and federal agency representatives identified as productive in meeting the needs of people with disabilities residing in tribal lands. This report also assesses and recommends government-to-government (state to sovereign tribal to U.S. government) improvements in relationships needed for effective coordination across existing federally funded projects/programs. In addition, a Toolkit guide providing resource information was developed for use by consumers, tribal communities, and people at …

State Self-Employment Policies: A Decade Of Change Final Report, Nancy Arnold Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

In 1991-92, the Research and Training Center on Rural Rehabilitation (RTC: Rural) evaluated 45 state Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies’ policies and procedures regarding self-employment for people with disabilities. Based on this analysis, researchers developed and broadly disseminated a model VR self-employment policy (Arnold & Seekins, 1994) and were successful in their efforts to have self-employment included as an employment outcome in the 1998 Reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act. In 2002, RTC: Rural investigated state policies again to see how they had changed and what trends had developed over the intervening decade. Researchers requested a copy of state self-employment policies and …

Rural Community Economic Leadership By People With Disabilities, Tom Seekins Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

The lack of employment opportunities for people with disabilities is a major problem according to vocational rehabilitation (VR) service providers, American Indian Section 121 employment programs, and people with disabilities (Arnold, Seekins, & Nelson, 1997). This is particularly true in rural areas where local businesses struggle to create enough quality jobs for community members, including people with disabilities. In the face of this challenge, rural residents with and without disabilities frequently opt to pursue self-employment. Yet, VR and Section 121 programs are often confused about existing business opportunities and their potential for success. There are established procedures to analyze markets …

A Tutorial: Use Of The Who Icidh-2 For Determining Aural Rehabilitation Goals, Nancy Muscato Patterson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to implement the newly revised International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICIDH-2) developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), to establish specific aural rehabilitation goals. Five graduate clinicians in speech language pathology and audiology interviewed ten participants with adult onset hearing loss. A modified version of the General Questions for Participation and Activities (i.e., a structured interview technique) from the ICIDH-2 Checklist, was developed. Prior to completing this checklist, the students attended a brief training session to become familiar with the major components of the ICIDH-2, specifically the ICIDH-2 Checklist. Completion of the …

Attributional Style And Disability Outcome, Craig Ravesloot Ph.D., Quincy-Robyn Young, Tom Seekins Ph.D., Ann Szalda-Petree Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Health and Wellness

Disability is both a very personal and social issue. In 1999, The World Health Organization (WHO) published their latest revisions to the ICIDH-2. This document includes the latest conceptual developments in understanding the structure and process of disabling conditions. The document highlights that disability outcome occurs within a dynamic system characterized by the impairment itself, environmental and personal factors (World Health Organization, 1999).

Vocational Rehabilitation: Policy And Practice At The Wcb Of British Columbia: Final Report, H. Allan Hunt, Michael J. Leahy

Reports

No abstract provided.

Self-Employment In Vocational Rehabilitation Building On Lessons From Rural America, Nancy Arnold Ph.D., University Of Montana Rural Institute

Employment

With this document, the Research and Training Center on Rural Rehabilitation Services prompts us to think anew about the possibilities of self-employment. Self-employment is a part of the American dream. People are drawn to the notion of working for themselves in a way they are not attracted to working for someone else. Americans think of self-employment as a way to control their own futures and to make work more fulfilling. Self-employment is individualistic, but also has a strong connection to the cultural make-up of the country. It stresses independence and self-sufficiency, but is also believed to promote economic vitality for …

The "Presence Is An Essential Function" Myth: The Ada's Trapdoor For The Chronically Ill, Audrey E. Smith

Seattle University Law Review

In nearly all cases, long-term chronic illnesses satisfy the ADA's broad definition of disability. However, when these illnesses begin to cause absenteeism, the "presence is an essential function" rule effectively denies protection to the victims of these illnesses, as they are no longer "qualified individuals" under the ADA regardless of whether they satisfy the technical requirements for a position. The idea that "presence is an essential function" is a myth because (1) it erroneously assumes that most jobs can be performed only at the worksite, and (2) virtually all employers are able to, and do, accommodate some degree of employee …