Allison R. Fleming

The Role of Postsecondary Education in the Path From High School to Work for Youth With Disabilities

Youth with disabilities lag behind their peers in participating in postsecondary education, which adversely affects employment options and career earnings. Yet little is known about factors affecting participation. Particularly problematic is the relative importance of disability-related factors—the primary focus of special education and services—and traditional predictors of college going, such as parental education, economic resources, and academic achievement in high school. This study found that for youth with disabilities, the traditional predictors of college going are more important than disability-related factors for enrolling in universities; disability-related factors are slightly more important for enrolling in postsecondary vocational education. A discussion of implications for service planning and implementation is presented.

Best Practice Models of Effective Vocational Rehabilitation Service Delivery in the Public Rehabilitation Program A Review and Synthesis of the Empirical Literature

Rehabilitation counselors and practitioners are under increased pressure to adopt and pursue evidenced-based practices, and the rehabilitation counseling literature has been criticized for a lack of empirical work providing support for individual-level interventions. The purpose of this literature review was to examine the last 25 years of rehabilitation research with specific attention to empirical studies related to active employment-focused interventions and present models of best practices that already exist within the literature. Findings indicated that 35 empirical studies met the search criteria of presenting services or models with initial evidence of supporting employment outcomes. In the review process, studies were classified into seven categories based on topic, including interagency collaboration, counselor education and customer outcomes, services to a targeted group, supported employment and evidence-based practice (EBP), empowerment and customer self-concept, essential elements of service delivery, and miscellaneous vocational rehabilitation services and outcomes. A review and synthesis of studies within these topical areas are presented, along with implications within the context of the critical need for EBPs in rehabilitation counseling.

Quality of Life As a Potential Rehabilitation Service Outcome The Relationship Between Employment, Quality of Life, and Other Life Areas

Vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies, as well as other service providers, are under increased pressure to provide evidence of the effectiveness of services. The primary metric for evaluating services in the VR program is short-term employment outcomes. Although employment outcomes are crucial, they may serve as a poor proxy for the ultimate intended goal of services, namely, improved quality of life (QOL). In this study, a comprehensive framework (the International Classification of Functioning [ICF]) is used to assess QOL in two samples of adults with disabilities receiving educational and vocational services. The relationship between difficulty with work and daily living activities with QOL was compared with a more complex assessment based on the ICF framework, including other life areas such as social relationships and inclusion and environmental factors. Results indicated that the additional information provided by the ICF model substantially increases the prediction of QOL relative to the more traditional VR measures. Within-groups analysis provided more information specific to each sample.

Differences in Service Delivery Between Transition VR Counselors and General VR Counselors

Rehabilitation counselors are critical service providers for young adults with disabilities transitioning from high school to adult environments. However, the investigation of whether rehabilitation counselors in the state–federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) program are providing maximum services deserves more attention. Current literature suggests that there have been high levels of variability in how counselors in the state VR system are providing services to transition-age youth. In this study, we examined the relationship between primary job role (i.e., transition-focused or general caseload) and the counselors’ perceptions of the importance of, frequency of, and preparation for providing a set of transition activities. The results indicated that there were significant differences between groups in their ratings of the importance, their preparedness for, and the frequency of with which they engaged in the transition activities. The most notable between-group differences related to the frequency of engagement. Implications for counselor training and service provisions are discussed.

Work-related social skills: Definitions and interventions in public vocational rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVEnSocial skills play an important role in employment. This study provides a qualitative analysis of salient work related social skills and interventions for addressing social skills in public vocational rehabilitation (VR).nnnRESEARCH DESIGNnA modified consensual qualitative research (CQR) approach was taken to understand the elements and influence of work related social skills in public VR. Thirty-five counselors, supervisors, and administrators participated in semistructured interviews to provide their perspectives of work related social skills and the interventions they use for addressing these skills.nnnRESULTSnMultiple aspects of work-related social skills were described as being important for VR consumer success. The most common work related social skills across all participants were nonverbal communication and the ability to connect with others. Primary social interventions included informal social skills training (SST), systems collaboration, and creating an appropriate job match.nnnCONCLUSIONSnPublic rehabilitation agency staff, constantly faced with addressing work related social skills, possess many insights about salient skills and interventions that can benefit future research and practice. Agencies currently address social skills deficits by providing interventions to both person and environment. The research provides directions for future research related to identification of social skills and interventions to address related deficits.

A Qualitative Study of Job Placement Provider Decisions in Vocational Rehabilitation

A modified consensual qualitative research approach was taken to determine factors that influence job placement services in selected state Vocational Rehabilitation agencies. Thirty-five counselors, supervisors, and administrators participated in semistructured interviews on job placement and how they determine whether the counselor or another professional (e.g., in-house placement specialist, community rehabilitation provider) provides the direct service. Results indicated that several factors were noted by at least half of the participants, including anticipated intensity of services needed by the client, counselor caseload size/available time, existing employer relationships, availability of a placement service provider, and placement skills. Results highlight the impact of consistently high client volume on placement services, particularly for individuals with the most significant disabilities. Implications related to the current state of policy and practice for placement services, as well as potential future directions, are discussed.

Secondary Transition Personnel Preparation in Rehabilitation Counselor Education Programs.

Rehabilitation counselors are increasingly called on to provide services to transition-aged youth. However, preparation and training efforts are not sufficient to ensure that counselors have the required knowledge and skills to adequately serve these students and young adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate how secondary transition-content is infused in rehabilitation counseling programs. Specifically, (a) which transition-related competencies are considered to be most important; (b) how much instructional time is devoted to transition content; and (c) to what extent faculty believe that graduates of their program are prepared to serve transition-aged youth. Results indicated that transition issues are touched on in rehabilitation counselor preparation, but the extent to which this content is infused varies. Students are pursuing fieldwork and employment experiences serving transition youth, but educators reported varied perceptions on how prepared they are to do so. Finally, there were significant differences between the perception of importance and preparation of students regarding domains of knowledge in transition. Implications for counselor preparation and additional areas of research are presented.

Influence of Social Factors on Student Satisfaction Among College Students With Disabilities

A significant body of research on student retention reflects that social and environmental factors influence continued enrollment in postsecondary education and academic success. Yet, for students with disabilities, more emphasis is placed on accommodations, access, and support services without sufficient attention to the social aspect of the student experience. In this study, we investigated belonging as a primary contributor to student satisfaction and examined the degree to which other social factors modified this relationship among a sample of students with disabilities attending public, 4-year universities. A higher sense of belonging was associated with greater student satisfaction in our sample. Through multiple mediation modeling, we found that self-advocacy and perception of the campus climate toward students with disabilities independently modified the relationship between belonging and student satisfaction. These results have important implications for understanding the influence of belonging and student satisfaction, and supporting and retaining students with disabilities.

Mediators of disability and hope for people with spinal cord injury.

Abstract Purpose: To test potential strength-based mediators of functional disability and hope in adults with spinal cord injury. Method: Two hundred and forty-two participants with spinal cord injury were recruited for this study. The mean age of participants was 44.6 years (standard deviationu2009=u200913.2), and 66.1% were men. Participants completed a survey containing a demographic questionnaire, as well as measures of functional disability, hope, self-esteem, proactive coping, perceived social support and disability acceptance. Mediation analysis was conducted using a bootstrap test for multiple mediators. Results: Proactive coping, self-esteem and perceived social support significantly mediated the relationship between functional disability and hope, while disability acceptance did not. The combination of mediators resulted in functional disability no longer being a significant predictor of hope. Conclusions: The strength-based constructs of proactive coping, self-esteem and social support appear effective in predicting hope regardless of severity of spinal cord injury. Functional disability was no longer predictive of hope after controlling for these strength-based constructs. Disability acceptance did not significantly add to the mediation model. These results provide further evidence for strength-based interventions in rehabilitation. Implications for Rehabilitation Strength-based constructs of proactive coping, self-esteem and social support are important factors for addressing hope following spinal cord injury, regardless of level of severity. Rehabilitation services providers should focus efforts on supporting clients in the accurate appraisal of predictable stressors and then generate means for addressing them as a form of proactive coping. Rehabilitation services providers must be cautious when addressing self-esteem to focus on perceived competence and learning processes rather than self-esteem directly or through the accomplishment of goals that may not be achieved. Knowing that social supports are related to hope post-spinal cord injury, it is important for rehabilitation services providers to recognize potential social supports early in the rehabilitation process and involve those social supports in the rehabilitation process when possible.

Using the Delphi Method for Selecting Effective Rehabilitation Practices for Case Study Research: Methods, Challenges, and Solutions and Implications for Future Research

Purpose: We describe a modified Delphi method used to select effective state vocational rehabilitation agency practices to prioritize rehabilitation services for individuals with most significant disabilities within the context of Order of Selection, an area where there is little known and published. Specifically, we describe how we applied the Delphi method to case study selection, the methods challenges we faced, and how we addressed those issues. Implications for future research are also discussed. Method: We used a structured nomination process to identify potential practices. An expe.rt panel (N = 12) provided input on the development of indicators of effective rehabilitation practices and rated the nominated practices. Results: Selection of the practices for case study research was based on the ratings from the expert panel, including quantitative and qualitative feedback. Of the 10 practices considered by the panel, the 7 practices with the highest ratings were included in the sample. Conclusions: Using the collective expertise of panelists through a modified Delphi process to select the final case study sample was effective for this research. The panel provided an objective, group-level perspective on the merit of the practices as well as the fit with the goals of the case study.