1. Deaf Adults in New England; An Exploratory Service Program.
- Author
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Morgan Memorial, Inc., Boston, MA., Lawrence, Clifford A., and Vescovi, Geno M.
- Abstract
To provide deaf adults with services they had not previously received and to demonstrate the efficacy of providing these services in a setting with hearing clients, the Deaf Adult Project was developed. During 1965, 10 clients were served; staff members were recruited and added during the next two years; and over a 3-year period 194 clients were referred and 126 were served. The core service was rehabilitation counseling; other services included psychological and psychiatric evaluation and testing, social work services, and ancillary services. The majority of the 126 clients were young; 51.6% were between 15 and 24 years of age; males outnumbered females 87 to 39; 73.81% were prelingually deafened; and illiteracy represented the most frequent vocational handicap with 46.8% of the 126 clients unable to read at the fourth grade level. Seventy-seven clients were either employed or in academic or vocational programs after leaving the project. Conclusions were as follows: there is a continuing need for services for deaf adults; there was a direct relationship between availability of staff and the ability to develop a caseload and provide services; lack of staff hampered stimulation of referrals; there was a major failing of educational methods with the clients, many of whom were normal or above in intelligence; and more services were needed. Implications for the future and recommendations are reported. (RJ)
- Published
- 1967