Cahit Kaya

Vocational rehabilitation services and outcomes for transition-age youth with traumatic brain injuries

Objective:This study examined data provided by the US Department of Educations Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in an effort to evaluate the relationship between (a) demographic variables and vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and (b) the employment outcomes of transition-age youth with traumatic brain injuries. Setting:Not applicable. Participants: Data for 1546 transition-age youth (ie, 16-25 years of age) with traumatic brain injuries were examined. Design:Purposeful selection of multivariate logistic regression was employed to analyze the data. Main Measures:Not applicable. Results:Receipt of more VR services at higher expenditure levels over shorter periods of time was related to case closure in successful competitive employment status. Also, higher levels of education at the time of enrollment in the VR program (ie, bachelors degrees or higher); nonreceipt of social security disability benefits at the time of enrollment in the VR program; and receipt of VR services such as occupational/vocational training, job search, job placement, on-the-job support, maintenance, and information/referral were associated with competitive employment outcomes. Conclusion:Client demographic and VR service–related variables significantly predict competitive employment outcomes for transition-age youth with traumatic brain injuries. Vocational rehabilitation services should focus on the specific interventions that are most closely associated with successful rehabilitation.

Peer-mediated interventions with elementary and secondary school students with emotional and behavioural disorders: a literature review

Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) have been shown to be effective for increasing adaptive social and academic behaviours of children and youth. Although PMI efficacy is generally well supported, there have been relatively few published intervention studies that focus on elementary, middle and high school students with emotional and behavioural disorders (EBD). The present review examines selected empirical literature in order to identify characteristics and relative efficacy of PMI. Findings of 12 peer-reviewed journal papers including research designs and outcomes were examined. Results provide support for the efficacy of PMI for improving behavioural and social skills of students with EBD. Recommendations include further research on PMI for high school students and longitudinal research of PMI.

Psychometric Validation of the Brief Resilience Scale in a Sample of Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers

Existing research has indicated an association between resilience and psychosocial adjustment to disability. The purpose of this study was to validate the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) in a sample of vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumers. Participants were 277 individuals with disabilities receiving state VR services. Findings support the identification of two factors in the BRS, labeled succumbing and resilience by the researchers. The succumbing factor was positively associated with reporting of depression while the resilience factor was associated with well-being. Implications for practice in state VR agencies are provided.

Differential Vocational Rehabilitation Service Patterns Related to the Job Retention and Job-Seeking Needs of Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis.

The experience of living with multiple sclerosis (MS) can have a profound effect on employment. The impact of MS is a complex interaction of personal, medical, functional, financial, and psychosocial variables that ultimately results in up to 80% of persons with MS leaving their jobs within 10 years of their diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the employment status of applicants with MS who were seeking services from state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies could be classified based on the type of services provided. A quantitative descriptive research design employing discriminant analysis (DA) was used to determine differential services received by employed and unemployed applicants with MS. Findings indicate that persons with MS who were employed at application were more likely to receive services geared toward career stabilization (i.e., assistive technology/accommodation services, counseling and guidance, and cognitive retraining-type rehabilitative services). Conversely, the unemployed applicant group had a higher propensity to receive services focused on job placement (i.e., job readiness, job seeking, and job placement services). Although a disparity persisted between the average worker in the United States and the outcomes achieved by VR service recipients regarding weekly wages and hours, services provided by the state-federal VR program reduce this disparity. In addition, the return on investment (ROI) associated with providing services to persons with MS was calculated as providing an

Vocational rehabilitation services and outcomes for transition-age youth with visual impairments and blindness

8 return for every dollar spent. Persons with MS employed at application had an ROI of more than

Assessing Vocational Rehabilitation Engagement of People With Disabilities: A Factor-Analytic Approach

10 for every dollar spent. Implications for persons with MS, rehabilitation counselors, health care professionals, and policymakers are provided.

Social-Cognitive Career Theory predictors of STEM career interests and goal persistence in minority college students with disabilities: A path analysis

OBJECTIVE: This study examined data provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) in an effort to evaluate the impact of demographic variables, vocational rehabilitation services, and agency characteristics on the employment outcomes obtained by transition-age youth (i.e., 16 to 25 years old) with visual impairments and blindness. RESULTS: Results indicated that young adults who were male, Hispanic, between the ages of 23 and 25, not receiving Social Security disability benefits, and diagnosed with less severe visual impairments were more likely to become employed than younger, female, Caucasian young adults with more severe visual impairments who were receiving Social Security disability benefits. Receiving reader and assistive technology services also predicted successful employment outcomes. CONCLUSION: Results of this investigation document the importance of individualized VR services that promote long-term career success for transition-age youth with visual impairments and blindness.

Psychometric evaluation of Turkish version of the Perceived Stress Scale with Turkish college students

The purpose of this study was to validate the Vocational Rehabilitation Engagement Scale (VRES) in a sample of state vocational rehabilitation (VR) service consumers. A total of 277 individuals with disabilities were recruited from Alaska, Kentucky, Florida, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, and Wisconsin. The measurement structure of the VRES was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Exploratory factor analysis results support a one-factor measurement structure of the VRES. Confirmatory factor analysis results also indicated a good model fit for the one-factor measurement model. Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s α) for the scores on the VRES was computed to be .94. VR engagement was found to be associated with working alliance, vocational self-efficacy, internal motivation, and VR outcome expectancy in the expected direction. The VRES is a brief, reliable, and valid instrument for assessing VR engagement and contributes to the use of self-determination as a paradigm for improving motivation and engagement of people with disabilities receiving services from state VR agencies.

Validating a Lifestyle Physical Activity Measure for People with Serious Mental Illness.

OBJECTIVE: To test the Social-Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) as a STEM career interests and goal persistence model for minority college students with disabilities. METHODS: A quantitative descriptive research design using path analysis. Participants included 115 minority college students with disabilities from the Minority Disability Alliance in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (MIND Alliance) project. The results indicated that the SCCT causal model fits the data very well, with χ 2 /df = 1.15; CFI = 0.99; and RMSEA = 0.04. SCCT constructs accounted for 16% of the variance in STEM career interest and 48% of the variance in STEM goal persistence. CONCLUSION: The SCCT model provides useful guidance for designing postsecondary education interventions for minority students with disabilities in STEM education to help crystalize their career interest and increase goal persistence.

Vocational rehabilitation services and competitive employment for transition-age youth with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract Background: The Turkish version of the Perceived Stress Scale (T-PSS-10) measures the extent to which situations in one’s life are appraised as stressful. Aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement structure of T-PSS-10. Method: Two-hundred and thirty-five Turkish university students (93 men and 142 women) completed the T-PSS-10, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the General Anxiety Disorder 7-Item Scale (GAD-7), and the Inventory of Common Problems (ICP). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that a one-factor model did not fit the data, whereas a two-factor correlated model (stress related self-efficacy beliefs, stress related feelings of helplessness) provided a better fit between the model and the data. Significant moderate correlations were found for the stress-related self-efficacy beliefs and stress-related feelings of helplessness factors with depression, anxiety, academic difficulty, relationship problems and health problems. The internal consistency reliability coefficients for the stress-related self-efficacy beliefs and stress-related feelings of helplessness factors were 0.68 and 0.85, respectively. Conclusions: This study provided support for the reliability and validity of T-PSS-10 suggesting that it can be used as a screening instrument by health professionals working with Turkish college students.