Male &amp; Female

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Case reports

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Characteristics and experiences of Youth who are Deaf-Blind

Authors:

McGilloway, S., & Donnelly, M.

Year Published:

2017

Pages:

1-38

Publisher:

The NRTC on Blindness & Low Vision

Background:

According to the National Center on Deaf-Blindness' (NCDB) there have been 8,937 individuals from age 3 to 21, identified with deaf-blindness. Approximately two thirds of transition-age youth with deaf-blindness have participated in state vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. However, very limited research exists that gives an accurate depiction of the deaf-blind community's experience.

Purpose:

This report describes deaf-blind youth in a sample from 2001 to 2009 and examines the population's characteristics, secondary school experiences, academic achievements, postsecondary school attendance, and employment experiences. The perspective of this report is from that of parents/guardians, youth, and teachers.

Setting:

Data for this report come from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) from 2001 to 2009. Data for this sample were collected via mail surveys and interviews of youth and their parents/guardians, surveys of school personnel, and district assessments.

Sample:

Participants included young adults who identified as having visual and auditory loss as a primary disability.

Data Collection:

Data collection used in this NLTS2 sample were conducted every two years with a total of five waves from 2001 to 2009 with the largest sample size occurring during Wave 1 (170).

Intervention:

There was no intervention.

Control:

There was no control group.

Findings:

A detailed description of the school and employment experience of young adults who are deaf-blind is included in this report. However several commonalities presented themselves within this sample including that the majority of respondents (92% or more), lived with their parent(s) or other relatives, received transition planning for adult life, received special services from their school, and most had one or more accommodation identified on their individualized education program (IEP).

Conclusions:

Although this dataset has been used to represent transition aged youth with disabilities in the past, this report is the first for young adults who are deaf-blind in the United States at a national level. These data are somewhat dated and it would be beneficial to continue this research with a more recent sample.

URL:

http://www.blind.msstate.edu/docs/characteristicsAndExperiencesOfYouthWhoAreDeafBlind.pdf

Disabilities:

Hearing impairments

Visual impairments

Populations:

Transition-age youth (14 - 24)

NIDILRR Funded:

Yes

Research Design:

Observational

Peer Reviewed:

Attachment and Employment Outcomes for People With Spinal Cord Injury: The Intermediary Role of Hope

Authors:

Blonk, R. W., Brenninkmeijer, V., Lagerveld, S. E., & Houtman, I. L.

Year Published:

2017

Publication:

Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin

Volume:

Number:

Pages:

77-87

Publisher:

SAGE

Background:

Compared to people without disabilities, people with spinal cord injury (SCI) have significantly lower employment rates. There are approximately 270,000 people in the United States living with a SCI. Recently, industrial/organizational (I/O) psychology has focused on adopting positive psychological approaches to work related behaviors. Positive organizational behavior (POB) and I/O psychology findings indicate that attachment and hope are related to important vocational variables.

Purpose:

This study explores the relevance of attachment and hope for vocational rehabilitation (VR), in relation to full time employment, for individuals with SCI. More specifically, this study aims to a) examine the relationship between attachment, hope, and full-time employment for individuals with SCI, and b) to examine the mediation effect of hope on the relationships between attachment and full-time employment for individuals with SCI.

Setting:

Participants were recruited from SCI advocacy organizations, specifically through newsletters. Data were collected via an anonymous online survey.

Sample:

Participants (N =84) ranged from 21 to 64 years of age (M= 47.05,SD= 10.72). There were 57 males, and 26 females in the sample, with one participant not responding to the gender question. Participants were predominantly Caucasian (88.1%), with 48 participants reporting being unemployed (57.2%) and 23 participants reporting full-time employment (27.4%). A large majority of participants (85.5%) reported completing some post-secondary education.

Data Collection:

Employment was coded as binary, employed full time or not employed full-time. The Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ, Feeney, Noller, & Hanrahan, 1994) was used to measure attachment. The Trait Hope Scale (THS; Snyder et al., 1991) was developed as a 12-item instrument to score total hope, pathways thoughts, and agency thoughts.

Intervention:

There was no intervention.

Control:

There was no control group.

Findings:

Results indicate that attachment and hope were significantly related and predictive of full-time employment. Hope was also a significant mediator between attachment and full-time employment.

Conclusions:

Vocational rehabilitation counselors should strive to maintain and enhance positive time perspective for individuals with secure attachment. Individuals with low agency/low pathways experience increased barriers to the goal pursuit process and would benefit from increased direction.

URL:

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0034355215621036

Disabilities:

Orthopedic impairments

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Working with schools: What employment providers need to know for successful collaboration

Authors:

Grunert, B. K., Smucker, M. R., Weis, J. M., & Rusch, M. D.

Year Published:

2016

Publication:

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

Volume:

Pages:

355-359

Publisher:

IOS Press

Background:

In 2004, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandated that transition services focus on improving academic and functional achievement of students with disabilities. In 2008 report from the National Council on Disability (NCD) highlighted that outcomes were not being accessed in regards to the benefits being provided to youth with disabilities. Additionally, in 2014 the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, addressed the role of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, that were being provided through the states, in relation to supporting youth with disabilities and transition services.

Purpose:

This paper examines a collaborative transition model and preliminary results of a 5-year study. The study evaluated the effects of embedded employment resources in schools, the impact on agency connections, employment outcomes, and lessons learned. These results were then used as the basis for the National Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE) Conference and associated workshop. There were three questions that guided the workshop discussions.

Setting:

One example that was provided looked at the Indiana School-to-Work Collaborative. IN*SOURCE is a parent training and information center in Indiana that provides information to families.

Sample:

Students with a disability who had difficulties meeting diploma requirements and were hoping to enter the workforce where the primary target of the Collaborative. There were 208 Experimental Sites and 66 Control Sites. Examples of Agencies involved included Vocational Rehabilitation, Employment Providers, Case Management Providers and several others.

Data Collection:

Implementation and data collection occurred over three years. Metrics measured included number of internships obtained, employment rate for students, and pay.

Intervention:

There were 7 aspects of the Collaborative that focused on integrating services for students. Some examples include having a single-point-of-contact, participating in internships through the school, and having Benefits Information Network (BIN) liaisons available for students and families.

Control:

The control sites included districts that did not have employment resources embedded into schools.

Findings:

Students were more likely to be connected to vocational services when they are embedded within schools.

Conclusions:

Schools and employment supports should be integrated to offer students with disabilities the most opportunities for success.

URL:

https://content.iospress.com/download/journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation/jvr872?id=journal-of-vocational-rehabilitation%2Fjvr872

Disabilities:

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Intellectual disabilities

Specific learning disabilities

Populations:

Transition-age youth (14 - 24)

Outcomes:

Increase in hours worked

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Barriers to and Facilitators of Employment among Americans with Multiple Sclerosis: Results of a Qualitative Focus Group Study

Authors:

Bolton, B. F., Bellini, J. L., & Brookings, J. B.

Year Published:

2016

Publication:

Journal of Rehabilitation

Volume:

Number:

Pages:

59-69

Publisher:

National Rehabilitation Association

Background:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex and chronic neurological disease. There are approximately 450, 000 people living in the United States who have been diagnosed with MS. These people can experience a wide variety of symptoms including fatigue, mobility problems, visual impairments and much more. Due to these symptoms employment retention and acquisition can be challenging.

Purpose:

This research focuses on two primary questions. One, what are the most commonly reported barriers and facilitators to employment that are identified by people with MS? Two, what are the most commonly reported employment information and resource needs reported by people with MS?

Setting:

Participants were recruited from five stakeholder groups of people with physical disabilities. These groups included the National MS Society, United Spinal Cord Injury Association, World Institute on Disability, United Cerebral Palsy, and National Centers for Independent Living.

Sample:

Participants in this study were 25 predominantly Caucasian (n=18, 72%) females (n=19, 76%) between 18 and 64 years of age.

Data Collection:

Telephone focus groups were conducted and provided transcripts for the research team to analyze using NVivo 10 using a conventional qualitative content analysis approach.

Intervention:

The research team developed a focus group protocol for this study that was delivered over the phone.

Control:

There was no control group.

Findings:

There were three main themes (and additional sub-themes) as a result of this research. Participants reported facing future uncertainty, feeling a sense of loss, and discussed issues related to navigating the workplace.

Conclusions:

Vocational Rehabilitation counselors would benefit by increased knowledge around the issues that people with MS face in the workplace, especially in the area if disclosure.

URL:

http://www.worksupport.com/documents/116767876.pdf

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Implementation of supported employment for homeless veterans with psychiatric or addiction disorders: Two-Year outcomes

Authors:

Rosenthal, D. A., Dalton, J. A. & Gervey, R.

Year Published:

2007

Publication:

Psychiatric Services

Volume:

Number:

Pages:

325-333

Publisher:

American Psychiatric Association

Background:

Experimental studies have robustly demonstrated the effectiveness of the Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment services for people with severe mental illness, and several studies of real-world implementation have shown significant cross-sectional correlations between employment success and fidelity to the IPS model. Experiences with IPS programs have stimulated broad efforts to disseminate evidence-based practices. Although multiple dissemination efforts are underway, analyses on the benefits of efforts to disseminate IPS have been on cross-sectional and site-level data, rather than on longitudinal information on individual clients. To implement IPS in health care systems with limited previous experience, sustained and individualized training programs may be needed to realize potential client benefits. Few studies have demonstrated that IPS, or other evidence-based practices for that matter, can both be implemented in a system that lacks prior experience with the model and yield outcomes for comparable cohorts that are superior, over several years, to those of a comparison group for which this intervention was not available.

Purpose:

This study examined a low-intensity training approach for implementing the individual placement and support (IPS) model at nine Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs and compared client outcomes before (phase 1) and after (phase 2) the program was implemented (phase 1).

Setting:

The setting included 9 Veterans Administration Programs for Homeless Veterans.

Sample:

A total of 308 veterans were recruited during phase 1, starting in January 2001, when IPS was still unavailable anywhere in the VA. An additional 321 veterans were recruited in phase 2, starting in July 2001, after the IPS employment specialist had been hired and trained, and were invited to participate in IPS for at least two years. Follow-up data collection continued through March 2005.

Data Collection:

Participants in phase 1 were compared with participants in phase 2 on baseline characteristics by using chi square tests and t tests. All available participants were included in all analyses whether or not they were currently participating in IPS. Mixed models were then used to compare outcomes between the phases over the two-year follow-up period, controlling for baseline differences, using the MIXED procedure of SAS, with the alpha set at <.05.

Intervention:

Training began with a one-day, on-site, face-to-face orientation for both employment specialists and other VA mental health staff that was led by a social worker with experience training IPS specialists and conducting IPS fidelity ratings. For the duration of the project regular teleconferences continued providing weekly individual case reviews for the first three months, monthly individual case review conferences, and monthly conference calls with all nine employment specialists jointly. A review of ratings of model fidelity at six, 12, and 18 months after program implementation was also performed with a modified version of the IPS fidelity scale. Training was provided by a social worker with extensive experience disseminating the IPS model in other research projects. He was assisted by a VA occupational therapist with experience in supported employment. Monthly conference calls were also held with administrators responsible for program implementation at each site.

Control:

Phase 1 control group did not receive IPS services. Comparison was made with Phase 2 group who did receive IPS services.

Findings:

Measures of both client-level service delivery and site-level fidelity to IPS suggest that implementation was successful at most, but not all, sites. Overall, compared with veterans in the phase 1 group, those in the phase 2 group had a better long-term work history at the time of program entry. When the analyses controlled for baseline differences, the mean number of competitive employment days per month over the two-year follow-up period was 15% higher for veterans in phase 2 (8.4 days compared with 7.3 days; p<.001) and the mean number of days housed during follow-up was also higher in phase 2 (34.1 days compared with 29.8 days; p=.04), but there were no differences for other outcome measures. (Psychiatric Services 58:325‚Äî333, 2007)

Conclusions:

A sustained training program can be used to implement IPS in systems that have had little past experience with this approach. This effort was associated with improved employment outcomes and more rapid housing placement.

URL:

http://www.nchv.org/images/uploads/Implementation_of_Supported_Employment_for_Homeless_Veterans_With_Psychiatric_or_Addiction_Disorders-Two-Year_Outcomes.pdf

Disabilities:

Populations:

Asian

Black / African American

Outcomes:

Intellectual disabilities

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Mixed methods

Quasi-experimental

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Factors affecting the likelihood that people with intellectual disabilities will gain employment

Authors:

Rosenheck, R. A. & Mare, A. S.

Year Published:

2005

Publication:

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities

Volume:

Number:

Pages:

9-23

Publisher:

Sage

Background:

People with intellectual disabilities have the lowest employment rates in society. (p. 9) There are many barriers both social and psychological that impact access to employment.

Purpose:

The study's purpose was to identify factors that may affect "the likelihood that people with intellectual disabilities will find employment through a supported employment agency". (p 9)

Setting:

The setting was a Supported Employment Agency in a large British city.

Sample:

The study sample was the files of 200 clients who had received services and most recently exited the agency.

Data Collection:

Routinely collected data was collected from the review of client records. Written descriptions of motivation when a client entered and left the agency were assessed and entered into a five-point motivation scale.

Intervention:

The intervention was Supported Employment services for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

Control:

There was no comparison or control group.

Findings:

When clients entered services, motivations levels averaged 3.8 based on the scale developed by the researchers. The average motivation when leaving the agency was 2.88. Clients who found employment had motivation levels of 3 or above when leaving the agency. There was a "significant association between motivation and outcome, referrer and outcome, and punctuality and outcome". (p. 19)

Conclusions:

The higher the initial motivation, the more likely the client was to gain employment.

URL:

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1744629505049725

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Observational

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

What are the benefits of evidence-based supported employment for patients with first-episode psychosis?

Authors:

Rose J., Saunders K., Hensel, E., & Kroese, B. S.

Year Published:

2004

Publication:

Psychiatric Bulletin

Volume:

Number:

Pages:

281-284

Publisher:

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Background:

Early intervention services provide community-based treatment and support to young people with psychosis and their families, with an emphasis on maintaining normal social roles. The experience of psychosis can exclude a young person from a sense of autonomy, employment and youth culture. Young people aspire to social roles and goals: employment and education provide social identity and status, social contacts and support, a means of structuring and occupying time, activity and involvement, and a sense of personal. Quite apart from the money that can be earned, work tells us who we are and enables us to tell others who we are.

Purpose:

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of integrating evidence-based supported employment into an early intervention service for young people with first-episode psychosis. Demographic, clinical and vocational data were collected over a 12-month period to evaluate the effect on vocational outcomes at 6 months and 12 months of the employment of a vocational specialist, and to assess model fidelity.

Setting:

The Early Treatment and Home-based Outreach Service (ETHOS) is an early intervention service that has been in operation within South West London and St George‚ Mental Health National Health Service (NHS) Trust since June 2001. It provides a comprehensive package of community-based care for a maximum of 2 years to young people (aged 17-30 years) with a first episode of psychosis.

Sample:

The vocational specialist worked with all 40 patients within the service; 35 had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and 5 had diagnoses of other psychoses. The median age was 21 years with a range of 18-32 years.

Data Collection:

Data were collected from November 2001 to November 2002 for all patients who received vocational input. This information included:
‚Ä¢ demographic variables: age, gender, ethnicity;
‚Ä¢ clinical variables: primary diagnosis, duration of contact with the team, discipline of care coordinator.
Information on vocational status was collected on first contact with each patient and thereafter on a monthly basis.

Intervention:

A half-time vocational specialist was integrated into the ETHOS team to address the vocational needs of patients within the service. This specialist (K.M.) was an integral member of the multidisciplinary team but did not carry out care coordinator tasks. She coordinated all the vocational plans with the team, and worked directly with patients and their care coordinators to ensure that vocational goals were given a high priority. Direct client interventions included engagement, assessing vocational need, proactively helping patients to find (and keep) jobs and attend education courses, providing welfare benefits advice, addressing support needs and ensuring adjustments to enable patients to keep their jobs or remain in education. All patients within the service (n=40) received an intervention for 6 months, and 22 clients received it for 12 months.

Control:

There was no control or comparison condition.

Findings:

Following vocational profiling and input from the vocational specialist and the team, there were significant increases in the proportion of clients engaged in work or educational activity over the first 6 months of the intervention, and in a subsample over a second 6-month period. The evidence-based Supported Employment Fidelity Scale was used to measure the degree of implementation, which scored 71, signifying good implementation

Conclusions:

The results suggest that implementing evidence-based supported employment within an early intervention service increases employment and education opportunities for patients within the service. These results lend support for an evidence-based supported employment approach where vocational rehabilitation is integrated into the clinical team, to help people with severe mental health problems gain and retain employment and education. There is a national commitment to the development of early intervention services, and consideration needs to be given to the successful engagement and outcomes of young people with first-episode psychosis within services. If these young people aspire to social roles and goals, then helping them to gain and retain employment and education should not only improve longer-term outcomes but also provide a potential key to engagement.

URL:

http://pb.rcpsych.org/content/28/8/281

Disabilities:

Populations:

Black / African American

White / Caucasian

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Mixed methods

Quasi-experimental

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Impact of public support payments, intensive psychiatric community care, and program fidelity on employment outcomes for people with severe mental illness

Authors:

Rinaldi, M., Mcneil, K., Firn, M., Koletsi, M., Perkins, R., & Singh, S. P.

Year Published:

2003

Publication:

The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

Volume:

191

Number:

Pages:

139-144

Publisher:

Lippincott, Williams and Wilkens

Background:

Supported employment is an evidenced based practice that assists individuals with mental illness with gaining and maintaining employment. One of the major barriers to work are disability payments offered by the Social Security Administration and the Veterans Administration. A few studies have shown that the amount of public income is negatively associated with employment, involvement with vocational rehabilitation services and income received from employment. There are no studies related to to the impact of disability benefits on employment of those individuals who receive intensive case management services.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between income from public support, participation in Intensive Psychiatric Community Care and employment among veterans with severe mental illness.

Sample:

The sample included 520 veterans with severe mental illness who were randomly assigned to either IPCC or standard care. Prior to entering the study the majority or 87.5% were receiving at least one form of public payment. The average amount was nine hundred and fifty five dollars.
At the 12 month follow up interview, most of the sample 91.2%) were classified as non workers. There were few differences on baseline and demographic and mental health status. There was a significant difference between workers and non-workers on the amount of public income received in the month prior to baseline assessment, with non workers receiving more money.

Data Collection:

Demographic and mental health status were obtained through participant interviews at baseline and one year out. Symptom severity was measured using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. Alcohol and drug use were examined using scores from the Addiction Severity Index. Functional status was assessed using the Global Assessment Scale. Fidelity to the IPCC Model was measured using the Dartmouth Assertive Community Treatment scale. A liberal measure was used to determine employment. In the data analysis, only composite scores were examined. Bivariate analyses were used to examine differences between demographic and mental health status variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to look at the contribution of the independent variable.

Intervention:

The intervention was Intensive Psychiatric Community Care (IPCC).

Control:

The control condition was standard care.

Findings:

Public support levels were inversely related to employment. Symptom severity did not appear to be an independent barrier to work.

Conclusions:

Previous analyses of this study did not look at infrequent outcomes like employment. However, there is value in doing so as the results revealed the impact of assertive case management on employment outcomes.

URL:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12637839

Disabilities:

Populations:

Black / African American

White / Caucasian

Veterans

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Quasi-experimental

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

The impact of employment counseling on substance user treatment participation and outcomes

Authors:

Resnick, S. G., Neale, M. S., & Rosenheck, R. A.

Year Published:

2004

Publication:

Substance Use & Misuse

Volume:

Number:

Pages:

2391-2424

Publisher:

Marcel Dekker

Background:

Employment Counseling (EC) is one of the more frequently received ancillary services in substance user treatment. Examining the impact of EC on treatment participation, post discharge abstinence and employment helps determine need for services and future study.

Purpose:

This article provides an analysis of the impact employment counseling has on individual‚ participation in treatment, post discharge abstinence and employment.

Setting:

The setting included various community mental health centers providing substance abuse counseling.

Sample:

A sub-sample of 988 adult clients discharged from 143 outpatient non- methadone substance abuse treatment facilities from the Alcohol and Drug Services Study was used.

Data Collection:

Data obtained from the treatment record abstracts and from interviews with the same clients were used in multivariate regressions that controlled for client demographic and background characteristics, facility characteristics, and characteristics of the sampled treatment episode. (pg. 2397)
Five dependent variables were examined: treatment participation, treatment duration, treatment completion, abstinence since discharge, and employment since discharge.

Intervention:

The intervention was substance abuse treatment with employment counseling as an ancillary service.

Control:

Clients were in two groups for comparison. One group had met-need for employment counseling. The second group had unmet need and did not participate in employment counseling.

Findings:

Clients with met need for employment counseling had longer treatment duration than those with unmet need (did not participate in employment counseling). There was no significant difference for treatment completion between the met-need and the unmet-need groups. Receipt of employment counseling has no impact on post discharge abstinence. Clients with met need for employment counseling were more than three times more likely to be employed at any time after discharge than clients with unmet needs. (p 2407)

Conclusions:

This study showed that clients who needed and received employment counseling have both better treatment participation and greater likelihood of employment after discharge than clients with unmet need. (p 2413)

URL:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15603009

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded: