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Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who attend inclusive postsecondary education (IPSE) programs gain many new and beneficial skills, including independent living, social, and employability skills. Another skill set that may be strengthened by attending an IPSE program is self-determination. There is limited research available identifying the impact of IPSE programs on self-determination growth. We addressed this gap by using a longitudinal study designed to examine the changes in self-determination levels of students with IDD across 3 years in an IPSE program. Data collected from 23 students with IDD at 4 points of time within 3 years showed that there was an increasing trend in students' self-determination levels at the end of each year. The difference was highly significant between the baseline and the end of the third year. This suggests that IPSE programs can play a critical role in the improvement of the self-determination levels in students with IDD. Implications and future research are discussed.

Adults with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) increasingly are accessing inclusive college programs to gain academic and employment preparation for future community living. Decision-making and self-determination are two inter-related skills taught in these programs. In this study, we investigated an intervention that combined remote audio coaching (RAC) and a mnemonic strategy to teach employment decision-making skills to three college students with IDD. We evaluated the intervention using the range-bound changing criterion design to assess students' stepwise progress. All students substantially increased their employment decision-making skills, generalized those skills to a novel job coach who was not part of the intervention, and maintained the skills after the intervention was removed. We discuss implications of the procedures and results of this decision-making intervention, as well as the goodness-of-fit of the experimental design for evaluating controlled, gradual skill increases.

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are more frequently unemployed or under-employed than individuals without disabilities. Job search skills are one of the most direct ways to counter unemployment. Remote audio coaching (RAC) has shown to be an effective, remote method for teaching skills to adults with IDD. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for flexible intervention delivery options, we explored the effectiveness of using RAC to teach job search skills to college students with IDD. A multiple probe design across students was used to examine the impact of RAC on increasing job search skills. Results demonstrated that RAC was effective at increasing this skill. All students maintained the skill upon removal of the intervention. Implications and future research are discussed.

College students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face challenges searching for jobs, often lacking communication and social skills needed during formal interviews. The COVID-19 pandemic complicates interviews, forcing students to search online and attend virtual interviews. This study used a multiple probe design across participants to examine the acquisition of literacy-based behavioral interventions (LBBIs) on virtual job interviews. Using a video conference platform, students answered interview questions from researchers acting as employers. LBBIs were customized, incorporating students' input. Results indicated that LBBIs were effective for teaching and maintaining virtual job interview skills, and across novel employers. The findings have implications for using LBBIs to teach virtual job interview skills to students with IDD, and for researchers including these students in remote instruction.

BACKGROUND: College students with Intellectual Disability (ID) are afforded many educational opportunities through Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) programs, including employment training. Competitive employment can contribute to a rich independent life, thus more employment training opportunities can be beneficial. Low employment rates for adults with ID have motivated these efforts to develop proper employment training. In the past, on-the-job (OTJ) training with a job coach was one of the only supports for adults with ID in the workplace. Now, there are a variety of evidence-based strategies that can be used in the workplace or in other community settings, such as Covert Audio Coaching (CAC), to teach adults with ID the skills they need to maintain a job. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine if CAC would increase on-topic workplace communication skills for college students with ID. METHODS: This study used a multiple probe design to examine the effects of CAC on teaching workplace communication skills to college students with ID in a real-world setting. In this study, students interned in an office setting and spoke to a co-worker at their work setting while the interventionist used a two-way radio system to provide coaching statements to the student during their conversations. RESULTS: All students in this study increased their on-topic communication exchanges and these results demonstrate that CAC is an effective intervention for this population. CONCLUSION: CAC can be used as an employment support for adults with ID, specifically in the community setting. Limitations and implications of this study were further described at the end of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational rehabilitation (VR) engagement is a vital component for successful rehabilitation outcomes. The purpose of this study is threefold: First, we investigated the item clarity of the Vocational Rehabilitation Engagement Scale (VRES); second, we explored the factorial structure; third, we examined the measurement invariance of the VRES across gender and education level for culturally diverse and bilingual clients in public VR program (i.e., clients speak English as a second language). Given the positive effects of client engagement in health and rehabilitative care on outcomes, it is important to validate this brief instrument to measure VR engagement for culturally diverse and bilingual clients. Data, collected from 16 VR clients who completed the original VRES in the focus group, were subjected to content analysis, and data, collected from 264 clients who completed the eight-item VRES and Working Alliance Inventory Short Form (WAI-S), were subjected to confirmatory and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA). Based on the feedback from the focus group, the first item was revised to increase clarity. However, the preliminary results indicated that the revised item had very low community value, and therefore, we removed the item from the subsequent analysis. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results provided support for a unidimensional structure for the eight-item VRES. Measurement invariance across gender and education level was achieved after correlating error terms. The scale had strong reliability, and scores from the VRES were significantly moderately correlated with working alliance. The eight-item VRES is a reliable and valid measurement tool to use with culturally diverse and multilingual participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The current study investigated the relationships between demographic variables, cash benefits, vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, and employment outcomes of Asian Americans VR clients. Methods: The data were extracted from the most recent Rehabilitation Service Administration database (RSA‐911). Among 17,278 case services records, 5784 clients met the inclusion criteria. Chi‐square automatic interaction detector and logistic regression analyses were employed to investigate the employment outcomes. Results: The results indicated that Asian American clients who have completed a bachelor's degree or more do not receive disability‐related benefits, and those who received more VR services were more likely to achieve competitive integrated employment (CIE). In addition, VR counseling and job placement services were significant predictors of employment outcomes. Conclusions: These findings provide valuable insights into the factors influencing CIE among Asian American VR clients with disabilities. The results further underscore the importance of VR professionals possessing cultural competence to effectively serve a diverse clientele. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To understand the level of acceptance of disability by veterans and rehabilitation counselor's role in that acceptance. Method: The Acceptance of Disability Scale-Revised was given to 117 veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq who acquired disabilities. Their experiences working with certified rehabilitation counselors was also examined. Results: Results indicate that veterans overall are at a lower acceptance of their disability than other groups. Veterans with the most severe disabilities and lower acceptance scores are more likely to seek assistance from certified rehabilitation counselors. Conclusion: Veterans with disabilities need to have early and proper interventions from qualified counselors to best transition into civilian life. Knowledge of the stages of disability and steps to acceptance by counselors can aid veterans navigating this process.

Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) often have deficits in interpersonal skills due to limited social-communication opportunities. Knowing how to engage in "small talk" or simple social conversational exchanges can be beneficial in postsecondary schooling, employment sites, community environments, and social gatherings. Recently, covert audio coaching (CAC) showed a positive impact on increasing conversational exchanges. As the COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for remote delivery tools, we explored the effectiveness of remote audio coaching (RAC) to teach this skill to college students with IDD. We used a multiple baseline design across participants to examine whether RAC might increase on-topic, small talk conversational exchanges. Results demonstrated that RAC effectively increased small talk skills between participants and a confederate. Upon removal of RAC, all participants still performed above their baselines, with two participants maintaining near mastery levels 2 weeks after the intervention was removed. Limitations and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational rehabilitation services for transition students have been highlighted and expanded in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The need for understanding how to best assist transition students with disabilities in their career development has never been greater. The goals of this article are to (a) highlight the changes in current legislation related to transition students with disabilities, (b) discuss the essential role of vocational evaluation in transition plans and programming transition students with disabilities and (c) provide recommendations for future vocational evaluators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]