Cynthia N. Schloss

Financial Implications of Half- and Full-Time Employment for Persons with Disabilities:

Increased financial well-being is often assumed to be a benefit of full-time employment for handicapped individuals. However, there is some evidence that this is not true. In this study a balance sheet approach was utilized to examine the financial implications of part-time and full-time employment for persons with handicaps. Balance sheets (income versus expenses) were developed for three income levels: no earned income, income from a part-time (20 hours a week) job, and income from a full-time (40 hours a week) job. The results indicated that net disposable income was comparable for individuals working part time when compared to individuals working full time. In either case, the net disposable income is no more than

Empirical analysis of a card game designed to promote consumer-related social competence among hearing-impaired youth

3,000 over the net disposable income for an unemployed person. This provides evidence that there is an absence of financial incentives for full-time employment and suggests that persons with disabilities should carefully consider the financial effects of potential employment.

Analysis of Application Forms Used by Special Needs Youths Applying for Entry-Level Jobs.

A number of authors have noted the high incidence of social skill deficiencies associated with hearing-impaired learners. Although the literature frequently includes information regarding the proportions of the problem, there is a notable absence of empirical demonstrations that facilitate the development of prosocial responses. The present study investigated the efficacy of a social skill training program designed to enhance four consumer-related interpersonal skills. Program components included a card game, modeling, feedback, contingent reinforcement, and behavior rehearsal. A multiple-baseline-across-subjects research design was used to demonstrate the effect of these procedures on trained and untrained responses for four hearing-impaired adolescents. In addition, data from covert natural environment assessment suggested that newly acquired skills generalized outside the training setting.

Location of Questions and Highlights on the Same Page or a Following Page as a Variable in Computer Assisted Instruction.

According to Smith (1968), &dquo;a great deal hinges on the first impression made on the personnel officer dealing with a youth’s application&dquo; (p. 235). The ability to complete application forms accurately and completely may be a skill in which many special needs youths leave an initial negative impression (Joynes, McCormick, & Heward, 1980). Despite a strong emphasis on the importance of these skills (Brolin, 1977; Miller & Schloss, 1982; Weisberger, Dahl, & Appleby, 1981), little applied research has been conducted to validate associated materials or procedures (Sabatino, 1982). In a notable exception, Clark, Boyd, and Macrae (1975) used modeling, feedback, and token reinforcement to teach six mentally retarded and disadvantaged youths to complete job application forms. The training program increased the participants’ abilities to provide telephone number, date of birth, address, name, signature, reference name, occupation, and address. The program, however, was limited in that the youths were unable to provide information that was not included on the training forms. Therefore, the report suggested that special needs adolescents may be taught to accurately complete sample application forms but may not be able to complete forms with questions or vocabulary not encountered during training. Hupp and Mervis (1981) proposed a strategy that may be effective in enhancing the transfer of skills from one application form to the domain of forms. They demonstrated that teaching component skills with multiple elements in common with the domain of skills will lead to more accurate

Using Changing-Criterion Methodology to Enhance the Vocational Performance of a Developmentally Disabled Adult: A Home-Based Demonstration.

AbstractThis study contrasted the effectiveness of four CAI modules used with college students. The modules differed in the location of the questions or highlights. In the question condition, the first module had one question at the bottom of each of the 90 screens of information. The second module had one question on a separate screen following each information screen. In the highlights condition, the first module had the highlights on the same screen as the relevant text while the second had the highlights on the following screen. An analyis of objective test results and student opinion surveys taken after completion of the module indicated that questions were superior to highlights for objective test items that matched the questions used in the module. The same effect was not found for items testing concepts in the module but not used directly as CAI questions. Also, modules with questions and highlights on the following page were signficantly better than those with questions and highlights on the same...

Effects of feedback and self-monitoring on head trauma youths' conversation skills.

JAMES W. HALLE is Associate Professor with the Department of Special Education, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; PATRICK J. SCHLOSS is Professor and Chair with the Department of Special Education, University of Missouri-Columbia; and CYNTHIA N. ScHLOss is Director of the Missouri Protection and Advocacy Commission, Jenerson, MO. TASK ANALYSIS, verbal instructions, modeling, and reinforcement have been used alone and in combination to teach a wide variety of vocational skills to learners