Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cle Promising Practices: Using Staff Networks To Build Community Membership, Oliver Lyons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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LOQW (Learning Opportunities/Quality Works) is a community skills training, service coordination, and employment services provider in northeast Missouri. LOQW operates several satellite offices in addition to its main office in Monroe City, MO. One of these satellite offices is located in Hannibal, MO, a city with a population of less than 18,000. But being located in a small city does have its advantages. One advantage is that a majority of the Hannibal staff has lived there for their entire lives, and they have countless connections in the area. Staff often use their own networks to bring people they support into …

Data Note: Time From Vr Application To Closure In Employment For Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, Uchenna Nwangwu, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Getting a job as soon as possible after applying for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services is important for job seekers with intellectual disabilities. This DataNote describes how long it takes for job seekers with intellectual disabilities to go through the steps from application for VR services to determination of eligibility, completion of an individual employment plan, and closure into integrated employment.

Data Note: Reasons For Exiting Vr Services Without Employment, Alberto Migliore, Cady Landa, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Only 23% of adults with intellectual disabilities work, compared to 73% of people without disabilities (statedata.info). To bridge this gap, the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program offers valuable services including assessment, job search assistance, and counseling. In FY 2014, over 46,000 adults with intellectual disabilities exited the national VR program. About 38% of them reported an employment outcome. However, a large proportion of them exited without employment, and were reported as either having lost interest in receiving services (29%), or unable to be located by VR staff (17%). These two reasons combined represented 46% of the total number of case closures …

What Is The Relationship Between Gender And Employment Status For Individuals With Idd? Findings From The National Core Indicators Adult Consumer Survey (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 9), Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Caro Narby, Sandra Pettingell, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Gender-based discrimination is a persistent problem in the workforce. Like their peers without disabilities, women with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often have less opportunity to achieve employment outcomes as compared to their male counterparts.

Analysis of data from the 2012–2013 National Core Indicators (NCI) Adult Consumer Survey shows a disparity in access to community jobs between men and women. These data show that women are significantly less likely than men to have a paid job in the community. Among the sample of respondents who worked in a community setting, only about one third were women.

Cle Promising Practices: Flexible Scheduling And Creative Staffing, Heike Boeltzig-Brown, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Headquartered in a small rural town in northern Maine, Katahdin Friends, Inc. (KFI) provides community employment and life engagement supports, as well as home supports, to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). A flexible approach to staffing and support scheduling helps KFI ensure customized daily support schedules that meet individual goals. This approach also allows individuals to interact with a variety of direct support professionals, which is important for having a more engaged and meaningful life in the community.

Cle Promising Practices: Using Mobile Communication Technology, Oliver Lyons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

SEEC (Seeking Equality, Empowerment, and Community) is a Maryland-based provider of employment, community living, and community development supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Because SEEC has no central facility, having ways to maintain contact between staff and management is paramount. From prepaid cell phones in 2005 to outfitting every staff member with a tablet or a laptop today, SEEC has embraced mobile communication since it started its conversion. By pursuing non- disability-specific grants and reallocating resources, SEEC is able to maintain a mobile organization.

Cle Promising Practices: A Staffing Approach Based On Client Relationships, Heike Boeltzig-Brown, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Avenues Supported Living Services of Valencia, California was founded in 1997 by a husband- and-wife team, Scott and Lori Shepard. The agency provides supported living and community life engagement (CLE) services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Key to Avenues’ success is a staffing approach that is grounded in client relationships.

How Is Guardianship Status Related To Employment Status For People With Idd? Findings From The National Core Indicators Adult Consumer Survey (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 10), Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Caro Narby, Sandra Pettingell, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, have a legal guardian who assists them in making life decisions about housing, health, and employment. A recent analysis of data from the National Core Indicators (NCI) Adult Consumer Survey has found that people with IDD who were represented by a legal guardian were less likely to have paid employment than people who were their own legal guardians.

This finding may help us understand the role that legal guardians play in access to employment. If guardianship is a potential barrier to community-based work, then guardians need to be directly engaged in …

Cle Promising Practices: Braiding Community Employment And Life Engagement Services, Heike Boeltzig-Brown, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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WorkLink is a program that braids community employment and life engagement services. The goal is to enable individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to work while receiving wrap-around day supports, as needed. Started in 1996, WorkLink is a program of TransCen, Inc. and is based in San Francisco.

WorkLink clients do not have to give up day supports when deciding to pursue work. In addition to helping individuals establish and maintain meaningful community relationships, day supports are used to discover and explore vocational goals and job options. This information then helps guide individuals’ employment planning process.

Engaging Families Effectively: Results From A Forums And Facebook Group Qualitative Research Study, John Kramer, Jennifer Bose, Eric Mcvay, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Attendees learned how families have modeled employment and advocated for their children to have early work experiences similar to those of their peers without disabilities. Attendees heard how the service system and families have tried to engage across language barriers and socioeconomic differences. The strategies that currently exist to inform families about transition and employment will be discussed, and juxtaposed to the common themes found throughout focus groups and interviews around what they proposed would be the best timing of engaging families about transition services, the best methods of disseminating transition process knowledge, the knowledge gaps, and the strategies that …

Partnerships In Employment: State Self-Assessment Toolkit For Systems Change In The Transition Of Youth And Young Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities From High School, Cady Landa, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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This self-assessment tool was developed for those who wish to embark on state-wide governmental systems change to improve high school transition and employment outcomes for youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Its purpose is to aid in the development of a work plan that is based on a review of the state policies, practices, and strategies that impact transition from school and opportunities for competitive integrated employment of youth and young adults with IDD.

This tool incorporates research identifying elements of state government that support high rates of participation in integrated employment (Hall et al., 2007), …

Despite Some Gains, Social Security Administration Data Show A Low Level Of Workforce Participation Among Ssi Recipients, Daria Domin, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

Data Note Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), a total of 4,961,659 blind and disabled recipients1 between the ages of 18 and 64 received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits in 2015. Out of the almost 5 million individuals receiving SSI benefits, only 6.3% worked (n=311,922).

Adults with disabilities between the ages of 40 and 64 were a significant demographic of people who receive SSI, constituting almost two thirds of recipients in 2015 (64%; n=3,167,307). However, only 3.5% (n=111,762) of SSI recipients with disabilities in this age group worked.

In comparison, younger SSI recipients (ages 18–39) constituted 36% (n=1,794,352) of the …

Beyond Training: Engaging Families In The Transition To Employment (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 12), John Kramer, Jennifer Bose, John Shepard, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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We conducted an extended search of trainings provided by state agencies and service providers that are targeted towards families. Trainings in the form of written material (handbooks, brochures and computer-based courses) or given in person by service professionals, peers and others have been found to raise expectations that family members with IDD can become employed in their communities. While an extensive review of these materials is beyond the scope of this brief, we surmise that they continue to be useful in changing families’ level of knowledge about employment possibilities, job search strategies, job accommodations, and benefits planning. However, training on …

From Sheltered Work To Competitive Integrated Employment: Lessons From The Field (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 11), Amie Lulinski, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Stephane Leblois, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Community providers across the nation are embracing the transformation from facility-based employment supports to competitive integrated employment. While many providers believe in inclusion and Employment First for the individuals they support, some struggle to make their vision a reality. The process of organizational transformation can seem daunting without an understanding of the full range of tactics and approaches available.

The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI), in conjunction with The Arc of the United States, is conducting research to better understand the transformation process and to guide the development of tools and resources for providers seeking to transform their services. As …

Assisting Job Seekers With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities: A Guide For Employment Consultants (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 13), John Butterworth, Alberto Migliore, Jennifer Bose, Oliver Lyons, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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Interviews with employment consultants reveal 5 key elements for supporting job seekers with disabilities. This brief describes 5 key elements for supporting job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities in finding individual paid employment:

1. Building trust
2. Getting to know the job seeker
3. Addressing supports planning
4. Finding tasks/jobs
5. Providing support after hire

A checklist organized around these 5 key elements makes it easier for employment consultants to understand and implement these support practices.

Cle Promising Practices: Using Human And Social Capital To Decrease Dependence On Paid Supports, Jennifer Sulewski, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

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SEEC (Seeking Equality, Empowerment, and Community) is a Maryland-based provider of employment, community living, and community development supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Like many providers of individualized supports, SEEC has had to find creative ways to individualize supports even though its funding structures do not support 1:1 staffing. One way they do this is by deliberately building both human capital (community living skills) and social capital (relationships in the community). As skills and relationships are built, paid supports can be faded, thus making more efficient use of resources in the longer term.

Meaning In Life As A Moderator Of Resilience And Traumatic Stress: A Study Of Protective Factors And Sex Differences In A Sample Of Mississippi Coastal Residents Seeking Mental Health Services After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Bethany Jane Aiena

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded, releasing millions of barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico, becoming the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Disasters often lead to a decrease in psychological well-being for those affected by the disaster. Positive psychological constructs such as resilience and perceived meaning in life have been shown to be significant protective factors against the negative psychological effects of a disaster. Utilizing a sample of 1119 adults seeking mental health services along the coast of Mississippi after the spill, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between these …

Sex-Related Alcohol Expectancies And Perceptions Of Sexual Assault: Recognition Response Latency And Blame Attribution, Walter Thomas Rueff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use has often been linked with sexual violence. Pumphrey-Gordon and Gross (2007) note that “among the numerous factors that have been associated with the occurrence of sexual assault, the use of alcohol is the most reliable” (p. 476). Novel autonomy places undergraduates at a nexus alcohol use and sexual experiences, as well as the potential negative consequences of both. This confluence of factors contributes to proportionally higher rates of risky sexual behaviors and sexual assaults among undergraduates. Alcohol expectancies, beliefs about the outcomes and consequence of drinking alcohol, have been shown to influence drinking behaviors, which have, in turn, …

On The Relationship Between Meaning And Prejudice: Examining Self-Transcendence And Value-Behavior Consistency In A Sample Of College Students, Ivonne Andrea Florez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examined whether the value of self-transcendence and the degree to which individuals report behaving consistently with their values (value-behavior consistency) impact the association of meaning and racial prejudice against White and Black individuals. The study was conducted with a college population from a university located in the southern United States. The final sample was composed of 362 people, 281 females and 81 males, with a majority of participants self-identifying as White (73.8%). To assess meaning, the Purpose in Life test – Short Form (PIL-SF) and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire Presence subscale (MLQ-Presence) were administered. Social judgment …

Native Speaker Stance-Taking In A Multinational Conference Call, Vanessa Cristina Revheim Cunha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study examines the stance-taking measures of a native speaker director in a conference call, focusing on social contexts where foreign speakers are also involved. The transcript used in this study is comprised of a global departmental team meeting call from a multinational company based in Austin, TX. Subjects are native and nonnative co-workers or specialists in the field of home vacation rental and a native director. The analysis aims at finding what different stance-taking measures are enacted by the director throughout this conference call, what linguistic strategies are used to claim authority, and whether different strategies or stances …

Sicilians In Detroit: How Do They Speak?, Giovanna Brunetti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study focuses on the linguistic analysis of the varieties of the Sicilian dialect spoken in the city of Detroit, Michigan. The city has witnessed, starting from the early 19th century, a steady process of immigration and settlement involving speakers mainly arriving from the two Sicilian coastal towns of Terrasini and Cinisi. The varieties they speak appear to have never been the subject of systematic observation. The present study, thus, focuses on the preservation, attrition and/or loss of the phonological features of the Sicilian dialect spoken by a community of Sicilian immigrants of different generations living in Detroit. Native …

Sherds With Style: A Ceramic Analysis From A Protohistoric Site In Oktibbeha County, Mississippi., Allison Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A key part of understanding the lesser known contact period in the Southeastern United States is studying the effects of contact on Mississippian chiefdoms and their descendant population. The Starkville Archaeological Complex is an archaeological pattern of a distinct clustering of contact-era sites in the Blackland Prairie physiographic district of northeast Mississippi. Atkinson (1979) defined these sites as a dispersed settlement pattern with distinct ceramic assemblages associated with European metal. The ceramics are characterized as sandy historic Chickasaw pastes with Mississippian-like distinct curvilinear or angular surface decorations. This thesis is an analysis of the ceramic assemblage excavated in 2016 from …

Investigating The Glass Ceiling: How Women In Top Media Management Shattered The Glass Ceiling, Jessica Frenshea Love

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper explores the successful experiences of women in top media management and their attitudes toward factors of the glass ceiling to identify which factors they perceive as most important, those that remain prominent, and other factors that may have aided in their success. The glass ceiling is the “unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements” (Cotter, Hermsen, Ovadia, & Vanneman, 2001). This ceiling persists for women in top media management, despite increased feminization in these fields. Previous studies conclude that family …

Short-Term Study Abroad And Dialect Acquisition: An Analysis Of The Acquisition Of The Ustedes-Vosotros Verbal Mixing By Study Abroad L2 Learners Of Spanish, Samuel Collins Hearn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Study abroad is often idealized as a panacea for language learning. The growth in the popularity of studying abroad has led to the proliferation of programs of various lengths, among which is the short-term study abroad program, typically lasting around one month. Much needed investigation remains regarding the effectiveness of short-term study abroad programs, and this study aims to understand the level of effectiveness through the lens of dialect feature acquisition. Specifically, in southwestern Andalucía, there exists a phenomenon in which local speakers of Spanish mix the pronoun ustedes with the verbal conjugation of the second person plural pronoun, vosotros. …

Citizen Security And Democratization In Latin America: Implications Of Law Enforcement Reforms And Demilitarization, Fernanda Andrea Gutierrez Merino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Latin American region has transitioned to democracy in the last forty-thirty years and along with many policy reforms, citizen security has not been left behind. As these changes evolve, the relationship between internal security and the development of a stable democracy has acquired a great importance in terms of the factors that contribute to a free world. The purpose of this research is to look at how security policy and policing in Argentina, Chile, el Salvador, and Mexico have contributed to the democratization process in regards to how the recent reforms in law enforcement in the region have created favorable …

Discreet Only: An Exploration Of Discreet Practices On Grindr In A Mississippi Town, Ian Michael Whalen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effective Case Management For Job Seekers, Caro Narby, Daria Domin, Lydia Landim

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Case management is the most central and crucial aspect of a disability resource coordinator's (DRC) role. Understanding how DRCs manage their caseload is an important step toward identifying best practices. In this brief, DRCs share some conclusions about the way case management functions in their roles.

Monitoring The Philippine Economy Year-End Report For 2016, Mitzie Irene P. Conchada, Regina S. Villasor

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Philippine economic growth topped regional performance for 2016. In line with election-year market expectations, annual growth accelerated to 6.9 percent from 6.0 percent in 2015, surpassing China (6.7%) and Vietnam (6.2%). Despite the global economic slowdown, Philippine growth has continuously improved since 2015, showing resilience to external shocks with manufacturing expansion. On the demand side, household consumption and investments flourished with modest inflation and strong imports. On the supply side, the industry sector led as the service sector slowed down. Meanwhile, the agriculture sector continues to contract with the onslaught of weather disruptions like typhoons Karen and Lawin.

“To Nurture Something That Nurtures You”: Care, Creativity, Class, And The Production Of Urban Environments In Deindustrial Michigan, Megan L. Maurer

Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology

In this dissertation I investigate how gardeners and beekeepers in a small, deindustrial city in Michigan used their activities to produce their environments. Drawing on fourteen months of ethnographic fieldwork, I consider what kind of labor gardening is. For residents of Elmwood, gardening was a way to care for households, communities, and ecosystems. Furthermore, this care was performed through a type of creative, material labor that served to address forms of alienation experienced by these individuals. While all sorts of Elmwoodites gardened, they did so in ways that were specific to their experiences of race and class. These experiences, in …

Pilgrims To Tourists: Evolution Of Travel In South Sinai In The 19th And 20th Century, Daniele Salvoldi Dr.

Faculty Journal Articles

Since Late Antiquity, South Sinai has been anattraction or travellers. For centuries, the fortune the region had laid in its holy character for both Christianity and Islam. It is only in the 19thcentury that other motivations arose and what wasa traditional pilgrimage turned often into leisure travel. In the words of Joseph Hobbs: “All who travelled overland to Mount Sinai emphasized the hazards along the way. From the early 19th century such obstacles became an attraction in themselves, a reason to travel.” 1 The main difference between pilgrims and travellers was the motivation: “Pilgrimage formost was necessity, penance, exile, suffering …