Education Commons^™

Effects Of A Video Based Intervention On Job Interview Skills Of Youth With Autism, Kelsey T. Dunn

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I conducted a multiple-probe-across-participants design to examine the impact of a video-based intervention on interview skills of youth with autism. First, I conducted a systematic literature review of interview interventions. Results were used to guide the development of this study’s measure and procedures. Finding that previous literature relied on rubric measures to rate interview skill behaviors, I developed and piloted a primary measure for examining direct speech production. Using transcripts and video analysis, this study captures the construct of interview skills using both quantity (frequency of relevant/irrelevant c-units) and quality (interview skills rubric score). The intervention consisted …

The Percentage Of People Who Receive Vr Services Varies Greatly Across States, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Receiving vocational rehabilitation services is a key step toward employment. However, the percentage of job seekers with intellectual disabilities who receive #VocRehab services varies greatly across states, from 93% in Vermont to 34% in Nebraska. Check out this new DataNote to see how your state compares

Community Conversations: Finding Solutions To Increase Employment For Individuals With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, James Sinclair, Kyle Reardon, Katherine W. Bromley, Christen Knowles, Dana Cohen Lissman, Megan Kunze

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

This study describes the implementation and findings of a pilot community conversations event in the state of Oregon to identify innovative solutions to under- and unemployment experienced by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The event was facilitated in partnership with the University of Oregon UCEDD, local Arc chapter, and other relevant community stakeholders. A total of 36 diverse individuals (e.g., school personnel, business owners, individuals with IDD, and caregivers of individuals with IDD) participated in a two-hour community conversations event about how to improve employment opportunities for those experiencing IDD. Participants engaged in discussions about solutions to employment …

Teachers’ Views On Preparation For Employment Of Young Autistic People, Biranavan Thavapalan, Emanuele Maria Merlo

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Background. Contemporary literature indicates that there is significant support and assistance provided by schools for young autistic people, which has had a positive impact on the accessibility of jobs. Nevertheless, the employment rate of autistic people is unacceptably low in the UK. The current study investigated teachers’ views on the preparation for employment of young autistic people in the UK. Methods. Interviews were conducted with individuals from the educational field and thematic analysis was used to explore the teachers’ views regarding the factors that have an impact on the preparation for employment of young autistic people. Results. …

Pre-Employment Transition Services For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Who Applied For Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Alberto Migliore, John Butterworth

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This data note addresses participation in Pre-ETS for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) who applied for VR services. Of the 45,110 people with ID who exited the VR program in 2018, a total of 8,809 (18%) were students who applied for Pre-ETS. Of these, 1,712 (21%) received Pre-ETS and of those who received Pre-ETS, 744 (43%) gained employment.

Workout Routine, Valeria Sofia Maynez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Hope Services is an agency that focuses on supporting the community of adults with developmental disabilities. The work there focuses on finding employment avenues for the clients. This population faces difficulty in finding employment opportunities on their own and rely on these services for these resources. Everyone deserves the right to build an income and experience working in their lives. A disability or any obstacle shouldn’t prohibit a person of this opportunity. Due to an overdue stigma towards this group, they have to constantly prove they are fit to work and be productive assets in the workforce. This leads to …

Cognitive Disability And Postsecondary Education: A National Study On Earnings, John M. Andresen, Derek Nord

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Postsecondary education provides an opportunity to increase the economic potential of individuals. Earnings for individuals with cognitive disabilities are a major concern, as occupational outcomes are often dire. The prevalence of individuals with cognitive disabilities in postsecondary education settings is increasing, but little is known about how postsecondary attendance may relate to post-graduation earnings for this population. This article presents findings from the 2017 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey on the prevalence of individuals with cognitive disabilities who have attended various levels of postsecondary education and a series of linear regressions identifies the relationship between varying degrees and earnings …

Employment First In A Time Of Pandemic, Julie J. Christensen Phd, Msw

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Post-Secondary Employment And Education Outcomes Of Young Adults Reporting Both Vision And Hearing Impairments In The High School Longitudinal Study Of 2009, Emily M. Lund

JADARA

This article reports the post-secondary education and work activities of 43 young adults who reported a history of both hearing and vision disabilities (i.e., deafblindness [DB] in Wave 4 of the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Most of the sample reported having worked, attended post-secondary education, or both since completing secondary education. Approximately half of the sample still lived with their parents, and most reported receiving financial support from their parents. Thus, although engagement in work and education was relatively high, most participants had not achieved financial independence.

A Comprehensive Model Of Employment Support, Alberto Migliore, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This brief describes a model of employment supports centered around achieving quality job matches and based on five key elements: building trust, getting to know job seekers, support planning, finding jobs, and support after hire.

Support After Hire, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Employment support doesn’t end when a job seeker finds work. This brief shares strategies for supporting an individual after hire.

Finding Tasks And Jobs, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Finding tasks and jobs is a core element of the comprehensive model of employment supports. Learn more about how to make this happen.

Supports Planning, Alberto Migliore

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Supports planning is one of the five elements of the comprehensive model of employment supports. Learn exactly what it means and how to do it.

Tailoring Higher Education Instruction For Students With Asd To Transition To Employment : Employer Perspectives, Hillary M. Adams

Hillary M. Adams

This study explores the need for tailored higher education curricula for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition from college to employment. I t is estimated that 50,000 individuals diagnosed with ASD turn eighteen each year (Autism Speaks, 2012), and one in three of those individuals are entering higher education ( Roux , Shattuck, Rast, Rava, & Anderson, 2015) . Individuals with ASD face poor outcomes in the workforce; 75- 85% of adults with ASD do not have full -time employment (Scheiner, 2013). Lack of employment opportunities derive from impairments in social skills, be haviors, theory of mind, …

Affirming The Purpose Of Affirmative Action: Understanding A Policy Of The Past To Move Towards A More Informed Future, Meagan Schantz

Writing Across the Curriculum

Affirmative action, a program started in the 1960s to address discrimination in employment, has always been controversial. Vigorous debate in the last several years has occurred over the application of affirmative action in higher education admissions. Recently, some of the country’s most elite institutions, including Harvard University and Yale University, have been the targets of lawsuits and intense public scrutiny. The purpose of this paper is to examine the origin and evolution of this scrutinized policy to better comprehend its current value. Overall, at the heart of its intended purpose, affirmative action is a critical and necessary policy; however, to …

Tailoring Higher Education Instruction For Students With Asd To Transition To Employment : Employer Perspectives, Hillary M. Adams

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explores the need for tailored higher education curricula for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as they transition from college to employment. I t is estimated that 50,000 individuals diagnosed with ASD turn eighteen each year (Autism Speaks, 2012), and one in three of those individuals are entering higher education ( Roux , Shattuck, Rast, Rava, & Anderson, 2015) . Individuals with ASD face poor outcomes in the workforce; 75- 85% of adults with ASD do not have full -time employment (Scheiner, 2013). Lack of employment opportunities derive from impairments in social skills, be haviors, theory of mind, …

Provider Organizational Transformation And Integrated Employment, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Wally Tablit, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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This webinar was so popular, we decided to run it again! Provider agencies across the country are transitioning from segregated “sheltered” workshop options to supporting integrated community careers for people with disabilities. This process of organizational transformation can be both exciting and challenging for provider staff and the people they serve. In this webinar, ICI researcher Jaimie Timmons shared findings from the RRTC on Advancing Employment for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Jaimie shared the results of a Delphi panel of experts who examined 6 characteristics considered essential for provider transformation. Wally Tablit from AtWork in Washington state co-presented …

Verbal Behaviors During Employment Interviews Of College Students With And Without Asd, Dennis James Bublitz, Katherine Fitzgerald, Maria Alarcon, Joanne D'Onofrio, Kristen Gillespie-Lynch

Publications and Research

BACKGROUND: Even well-educated people with ASD struggle with obtaining employment, partially due to social difficulties during interviews. Although increasing numbers of individuals with ASD are entering college, little research focuses on this population. Particularly little is known about how to help college students with ASD obtain jobs.

OBJECTIVE: This study attempts to identify challenges with verbal communication during employment interviews that are specific to college students with ASD.

METHODS: We administered mock employment interviews to 16 college students with ASD and 14 college students without disabilities. Responses to interview questions were coded for content and timing.

RESULTS: Students with ASD …

Work And Community Engagement: Shifting Services And Supports To Help Individuals Have The Lives They Want, Cindy Thomas, Amie Lulinski, Jennifer Sulewski, Erin Leviton, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Significant change is underway to insure that services maximize opportunities for full engagement in the community. This session includes two projects, the RRTC on Advancing Employment for Individual with IDD and the Community Life Engagement Project and panelists from MA and DC to discuss the implications of research findings on service transformation and the integration of work and non-work supports to support individuals to have full and productive lives.

'New Conversations About Integrated Employment' Webinars Shine A Fresh Light On Issues In Our Field, Melanie Jordan, Allison Cohen Hall, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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This poster session highlights creative thinking about employment supports. The RRTC on Advancing Employment for Individuals with IDD has launched an interactive and dynamic webinar series with a twist ? to expose participants to new ideas, provoke reactions, and inspire them to think differently about such topics as Employment Professionals as Leaders for Change; the Real Meaning of Informed Choice; and Reframing the Benefits Conversation Around Financial Well-Being.

Provider Transformation And Integrated Employment, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Hall, Tom Heinz

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No abstract provided.

Work-Related Resilience: Deaf Professionals’ Perspectives, Kim B. Kurz, Peter C. Hauser, Jason D. Listman

JADARA

Ten Deaf professionals were interviewed about their perspectives on resilience risk and protective factors that affect career success. Thematic analysis revealed four main risk factors, all related to inequalities: (a) audism and linguistism; (b) networking challenges; (c) working harder than hearing peers; and, (d) promotion limitations. The Deaf community was described as a resilience protective factor that counters the work-related risk factors because it provides: (a) social support; (b) role models; and, (c) “Deaf can” optimism. The results have important implications for vocational rehabilitation, education and counseling programs as they highlight the protective factors Deaf employees need for work-related resilience.

Bridges To Employment For College: Graduates With Disabilities, Elizabeth E. Brake

Graduate Education Student Scholarship

This evidence-based, qualitative study explored the experiences of college graduates with disabilities who are employed. The study used criterion-based analysis and examined the ways these graduates participated in internships, communicated, and the navigations in general that led directly to employment success. Data was collected from programs that resulted in successfully employed college graduates with disabilities, empirical studies, and case studies. The study ends with a consideration of the findings in light of theory and implications to practice. Suggestions for future research are also made pointing to the immense gaps in the literature pertaining to the process of becoming a successfully …

The Art Of Managing Expectations: Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors As Mediators Of Expectations Between Clients Who Are Deaf And Potential Employers, Stephanie W. Cawthon, Rachel Leppo, Duncan Dickson, Sarah Schoffstall, Erica Wendel

JADARA

Services for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) often include tailored strategies for successful employment placement. Using Oliver’s (1980) Expectation Confirmation Theory, this study utilized exploratory and confirmatory analyses of semi-structured interviews of 10 VR professionals to examine their view of the role expectations play in their assessment of important factors that lead to successful outcomes for DHH clients. Analysis revealed a complex, multilevel system in which VRCs operate as active mediators of the expectations of both clients who are DHH and their potential employers.

High-Quality Community Life Engagement Supports: Four Guideposts For Success (Engage: A Brief Look At Community Engagement, Issue No. 3, 2016), Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Community Life Engagement refers to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to access and participate in their communities outside of employment as part of a meaningful day. States and providers report growing numbers of individuals with IDD in Community Life Engagement, yet the role of services related to engagement and participation in community life has to date been largely undefined.

Furthermore, the Department of Justice’s guidance around the provision of day and employment supports in integrated settings (U.S. Department of Justice, 2014; United States v. State of Rhode Island, 2014) has illustrated the need to define and provide …

Policy And State-Level Strategies To Promote Employment (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 3), Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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At the national level, integrated employment has become an important policy priority. Greater expectations are being placed on those charged with delivering employment supports, and disability systems are responding. However, the promise of integrated employment has yet to be realized for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The number of individuals supported in integrated employment by state IDD agencies has remained the same since 2000, participation in non-work services has grown rapidly, and promising practices for employment supports identified in the research are not widely implemented. What are the state-level strategies that can change this trajectory?

This brief: Describes …

Organizational Transformation: Guiding Principles For Community Providers (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 6), Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Amie Lulinski, Cindy Thomas, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

A key area of focus for our Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) is organizational transformation, leading to improved employment outcomes for those served by community provider organizations. Community provider organizations and their staff are the primary source of day and employment supports for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). Among this large provider community, variation of services and employment philosophies exists. Many believe that facility-based programs are essential for individuals with disabilities who are having difficulty getting or maintaining competitive work in the labor force, and have limited plans to expand competitive integrated employment. Others believe that all …

Who Are Employment Consultants? Characteristics Of The Workforce That Connects Job Seekers With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities To Employment (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 7), Oliver Lyons, Alberto Migliore, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Derek Nord, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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In 1987, the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston began a series of surveys aimed at providing a longitudinal description of the characteristics and service delivery provided by Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs)(Domin & Butterworth, 2012). Despite direct support staff comprising one of the nation’s largest labor market segments, there has been very little research into the wages and stability of that workforce (Bogenschutz, Hewitt, Nord, & Hepperlen, 2014). Additionally, most of the literature regarding employment consultants has focused on service outcomes of the individuals served. However, according to Luecking, Fabian, and Tilson (2004), “…Regardless of …

Achieving Best Practice In Employment Supports: Defining Measures Of Effectiveness (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 4), Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are among the most likely Americans to be unemployed, live in poverty, or rely on public programs. In 2013, only 23% of working-age people with cognitive disabilities—a broad demographic category that includes individuals with IDD—were employed, compared to 72% of people without disabilities. While over 30 states have adopted an Employment First policy (a declaration that employment is the priority outcome for people with disabilities), a key challenge is ensuring that supports meet the standards for best practice. Employment supports are delivered by what we refer to as “employment consultants.” We use this …

Knowledge Translation And Support For Individuals And Families (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 5), Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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With the persistently low competitive employment rate for working-age people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), a main focus area for the field of disability research has been on the interaction between the individual and the service system. Yet we know much less about the interaction between systems and families around employment. Family engagement is key to successful employment and life planning, often leading individuals with disabilities on the path to employment when family members serve as role models for work ethic and behavior. Family members may also provide logistical support, including coaching and advice, help with planning and organizing …