Jennifer Bose

Promoting successful diabetes management in the workplace

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to learn from participants about their experiences managing type 1 and type 2 diabetes at work. Design/methodology/approach – Longitudinal, qualitative interviews with 45 individuals three times per year over three years focussed on views about disclosure; how they found or created support to manage their diabetes at work; and how they experienced the relationship between health and productivity. Findings – Among participants, the presence of secondary conditions, such as fibromyalgia or vision loss, typically overshadowed the effect of diabetes at work. These conditions were often mentioned as the reason why a participant changed jobs, stopped working, or decreased work hours. Perspectives on disclosure were affected by the perception of stigma and discrimination, as well as the need for workplace accommodations. Overall, participants believed that the routine of a job and feeling useful benefited their health. Research limitations/implications – The nature of the r...

A Continuum of Services Guided and Self-Directed Approaches to Service Delivery

This article focuses on the characteristics of effective employment services at the system level and is based on the experiences of individuals with disabilities who were successful in finding employment. We conducted interviews with 17 adults with disabilities who used a state agency to find employment and examined experiences with employment services, including job search and job entry experiences, strategies that facilitated involvement, supports provided, and barriers experienced. Findings showed that agency services varied from providing a guided approach to requiring a high level of self-direction. Job seekers shaped their experiences with agencies to find an effective place on the continuum between the 2 approaches. Findings also showed the advantages and limitations of each approach. This article also presents strategies for tailoring supports to meet the unique needs of each consumer along this spectrum.

Knowledge translation in job development: strategies for involving families.

BACKGROUND Although United States employment policies have increased support for people with disabilities working in community settings, the unemployment rate for this population remains very high, particularly for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Research shows that job developers (direct support professionals who assist people with disabilities to secure, maintain, and advance in employment) are critical to achieving quality employment outcomes. However, the extent to which job developers use practices that are considered promising in their field (such as engaging families) is not well known. METHODS This brief report summarizes findings from a qualitative study about the extent to which job developers use the recommended promising practices when working with individuals and family members. RESULTS Qualitative analysis identified the following themes among job developers: factors affecting family involvement, perceptions of family involvement, and the influence of expectation on strategies. CONCLUSIONS The field of job development faces a challenge common to many professions: translating research on best practices to those who need this knowledge the most and can use it to greatest effect. Future research should address how community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) communicate about and instill best practices, including effective family engagement, within their organizations.

From Research to Practice: Knowledge Translation in Job Development

Abstract Researchers consider job developers key to the successful negotiation of the complex factors that people with intellectual disability face when pursuing employment. Unfortunately, knowledge about the characteristics and their use of research tested strategies in job development is limited. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the practices and attitudes of job developers and the implementation of best practices as described in the literature. The current study is an outgrowth of a large online survey of job development practices (Migliore, Hall, Butterworth, & Winsor, 2010). Researchers reached out to a subset of survey participants via telephone and conducted qualitative interviews with eight job developers. Findings from this study further explain the conclusions of Migliore et al. (2010) regarding the gap between the literature and field. Findings from the study also indicate that the issues, challenges, and strategies that job developers use with each customer group (famil...

Gaining Insight from Innovation: Promising Practices that Promote Integrated Employment by State IDD Agencies

Abstract State employment agency policies and practices vary widely in their level of commitment to improving access to integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). State IDD agencies are charged to seek creative approaches to policy formation, organizational change, and service provision that directly influence the development of employment opportunities. The goal of this study was to understand the promising practices and strategies being used by state intellectual and developmental disabilities agencies in order to understand what factors make these strategies successful, the lessons learned from implementation, and how the themes derived from this analysis can help to further articulate integrated employment as the preferred outcome for individuals with IDD. Semistructured, one-on-one telephone interviews with key state IDD agency personnel revealed six themes that were common across 30 state agency practices. These were (a) identifying barriers, (b) forming...