Introduction: We examined four sources of data to evaluate the employment status of people with visual impairments, including their current status and a comparison with previous years. Methods: Data from the American Community Survey (ACS) and three other nationally representative surveys were utilized to determine employment and unemployment rates for people with visual impairments and to determine whether employment rates have changed over time. Data from ACS were used to compare this population’s employment and unemployment rates to people without disabilities and to people with other types of disabilities. Results: Unemployment rates for people with visual impairments ranged from a low of 4% (in 1994–1995) to a high of 19.8% (in 2011). Employment rates ranged from a low of 36.3% (in 2011) to a high of 44.2% (in 2017), based on ACS estimates. Estimates from all other data sources fall within this range. Based on ACS estimates, employment rates for people with visual impairments have not significantly increased over time. Large gaps in the employment and unemployment rates of people with visual impairments and those without disabilities exist, but these gap have significantly decreased over time. The smaller gaps in these rates for people with visual impairments and those with other disabilities have significantly increased over time. Discussion: These results indicate consistent employment rates for people with visual impairments across time and across different measurement methods and questions. The lowest employment rate, and highest unemployment rate, were recorded following the great recession, and these rates have been improving since 2012. Information for practitioners: Approximately 44% of the U.S. population with a visual impairment is employed, while 10% of people with a visual impairment (who are in the labor force) are unemployed. The remaining 50.9% of the U.S. population with visual impairments are not in the labor force.
Introduction Recent U.S. legislation supports vocational rehabilitation efforts to maximize employment and community integration of persons with disabilities by providing job retention and career advancement services. The study presented here investigated employed persons with visual disabilities who applied for vocational rehabilitation services. Methods The sample included 4,499 competitively employed vocational rehabilitation applicants from the FY2015 RSA-911 report. Logistic regression was used to identify consumer characteristics and vocational rehabilitation services associated with losing competitive employment. Results Employed applicants tended to receive assessment, counseling and guidance, diagnosis and treatment, and rehabilitation technology. Characteristics that put employed applicants at increased risk of losing their jobs included being female, having a secondary disability, working fewer hours, having less education, or having a previous unsuccessful vocational rehabilitation employment outcome. There was a significant interaction between vocational rehabilitation case length and age: those served for longer periods were more likely to lose employment, particularly older consumers. Consumers who received short-term on-the-job support, diagnosis and treatment of impairments, or rehabilitation technology services were more likely to retain competitive employment. Discussion When developing rehabilitation plans for employed applicants, counselors may identify and attempt to provide services to address factors that put consumers at an increased risk of losing employment. Part-time employment at application is one risk factor that requires increased attention. Implications for practitioners Prompt service delivery is an important factor in facilitating job retention. Increased efforts to maintain consumer contact and motivation may influence the likelihood of job retention among employed applicants.
The passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act has placed increased emphasis on business engagement for vocational rehabilitation agencies, yet many rehabilitation counselors are not prepared to work with businesses. The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the initial effectiveness of a business development training for rehabilitation counselors who work with consumers who are blind or visually impaired. A secondary purpose was to report on the sample’s pretraining status on variables associated with business development. Participants were 80 counselors and counselor supervisors employed by four separate agencies who completed the 19-h in-person training. Data were collected from participants prior to and immediately following the training. Outcome variables were self-perceived knowledge, skills, and comfort level with business development activities and measured business development knowledge and self-efficacy. Prior to the training, participants recognized the importance of, and a personal need for training in, business development and perceived moderate levels of comfort, knowledge, and skills. Participants demonstrated statistically significant increases on all outcome measures, with effect sizes ranging from medium to large. These results provide support for the effectiveness of the training in improving business development outcomes in the short term. Additional research is needed to evaluate its long-term effectiveness.
Introduction: Employed applicants for vocational rehabilitation need timely services to improve the likelihood of their successful job retention or career advancement. Little research exists that examines timeliness of services among employed applicants, particularly for applicants with visual disabilities. This study investigated time from vocational rehabilitation application to a signed Individualized Plan for Emplolyment (IPE) for employed applicants with visual disabilities. Method: The sample of 5,096 competitively employed vocational rehabilitation applicants from the FY2015 RSA-911 report was combined with survey responses from 51 vocational rehabilitation agencies about services to persons with visual disabilities. Multilevel modeling was used to examine effects of state-level and individual-level characteristics and cross-level interactions on the length of waiting time from vocational rehabilitation application to signed IPE. Results: The time from application to IPE was shorter for employed applicants with visual disabilities who received services from separate vocational rehabilitation agencies compared to that of combined vocational rehabilitation agencies. Employed vocational rehabilitation applicants with visual disabilities waited longer if they were younger, non-White, or received disability benefits. Official job-retention policies in state vocational rehabilitation agencies appeared to reduce the delay of IPE implementation for persons with secondary disabilities, for applicants who received disability benefits, and for persons who worked more hours per week. Discussion: Additional research to determine how vocational rehabilitation can provide services to employed persons as soon as possible after application is indicated, particularly for persons applying to combined agencies. Implications for practitioners: Vocational rehabilitation providers should explore ways to expedite service delivery, particularly for persons who are younger, non-White, or receiving disability benefits. Implementing official vocational rehabilitation policies for addressing job-retention and career-advancement cases may be one avenue to expedite services to some employed applicants.
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