Employment Outcomes and Job Quality of Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers With Deaf-Blindness

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

2019

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of survey-based research on predictors or correlates of employment outcomes for individuals with visual impairments (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision). Methods: We used a three-pronged systematic search process to identify quantitative, English, peer-reviewed articles published from 1990 to August 2018 that included analyses of factors related to employment in American adults with visual impairments. We coded all included articles for sample parameters, participant characteristics, quality indicators (QIs), and study outcomes. Results: Thirteen articles were included in the review. The majority of studies met few, if any, QIs. Education level, braille reading medium, and attending integrated or public schools were significantly associated with employment outcomes in most analyses in which those variables were included. Other demographic and disability-related variables were generally not associated with employment or yielded inconsistent results across studies. Psychosocial, service, and miscellaneous variables were included less frequently and were generally not associated with employment or yielded mixed results, with a few exceptions. Discussion: Based on our quality indicator ratings, there were consistent methodological weaknesses in this body of literature. Small samples ( N = 200 or fewer) were prevalent across studies, which limits both generalizability and statistical power. Use of nonrepresentative and nonnational samples further limits generalizability of the results, and a lack of longitudinal studies hinders our ability to draw causal inferences. More high-quality employment research is needed, particularly in the areas of braille, transportation self-efficacy, and other psychosocial factors. Implications for practitioners: Despite the methodological issues identified in the included studies, results support findings from other systematic reviews regarding the importance of educational advancement for individuals with visual impairments. Practitioners should encourage individuals with visual impairments who do not have college degrees to explore options for postsecondary education.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

A Systematic Review of Factors Related to Employment Outcomes for Adults with Visual Impairments

Lund

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

2019

“…Gender also had a significant association with job quality in both models, with males having higher job quality than females. Similar findings regarding gender and job quality have been documented in the general population (Brucker & Henly, 2019) and other populations of VR consumers (Chan et al, 2016;Cimera et al, 2015;McDonnall & Cmar, 2019;McDonnall et al, 2020). White race was associated with higher job quality in other populations (Brucker & Henly, 2019;Rothwell & Crabtree, 2019), but only African American consumers had significantly lower job quality than consumers of other races in our models, and the effect size was very small.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 86%

“…Another service difference was the value of receiving disability-related skills training and rehabilitation technology: These services were significantly associated with higher job quality only for consumers who were employed at application. Neither of these services was a significant predictor of job quality in prior studies of subpopulations of consumers with B/LV, which included all consumers (those who came in with employment and those who did not) in one model (McDonnall & Cmar, 2019;McDonnall et al, 2020). Individuals who have a job at application may be seeking VR services for different reasons than those who are not employed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other states have one combined agency that serves all consumers in that state. Although findings regarding agency type have varied (Lund & Cmar, 2019b), receiving services from a separate agency (compared with a general or combined agency) was associated with better employment outcomes in some studies (e.g., Giesen & Cavenaugh, 2013; Giesen & Lang, 2018; McDonnall & Cmar, 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

What Predicts Job Quality of Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision?

McDonnall

Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin

McKnight

2021

Self Cite

The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act emphasizes promoting high-quality, competitive employment for people served by vocational rehabilitation (VR), but few studies have assessed VR consumers’ job quality. The purpose of this study was to investigate job quality and factors that predict the job quality of VR consumers with blindness or low vision (B/LV), taking into consideration their employment status at application. We utilized RSA-911 data of VR consumers with B/LV who were closed in competitive employment during 2015, creating two separate hierarchical linear models to predict job quality for VR consumers (a) who were employed at application and (b) who were not employed at application. We investigated individual-level (consumer personal characteristics and VR services) and state/agency-level predictors. Job quality and some predictors of job quality differed by employment status at application, although the strongest predictors (education level at application, gender, benefit receipt at application, receipt of a bachelor’s or higher degree) were consistent across the models. While several additional individual-level variables were significantly associated with job quality, their effect sizes were very small. With the exception of advancing education to a bachelor’s degree or higher while receiving services, consumer characteristics at application were the primary determinants of their job quality.

“…Researchers should examine factors that pre dict not only employment but also earnings, especially in more recent data sets. Addition ally, researchers could expand this area of analysis by creating composite outcome vari ables, such as job quality indices (e.g., Cimera, Rumrill, Chan, Kaya, & Bezyak, 2015;McDonnall & Cmar, 2018), to better understand the quality and nature of employ ment outcomes. Fourth, the RSA-911 data ends at case closure, making it difficult to track longitudinal outcomes, such as job retention among consumers with a competi tive employment closure.…”

Section: Limitations Of the Literature And Implications For Future Re...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Related to Employment Outcomes for Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers with Visual Impairments: A Systematic Review

Lund

Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

2019

Introduction:The purpose of this article was to conduct a systematic review of peer-reviewed studies on factors related to employment in consumers who are visually impaired using Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) Case Service Report data.Methods:We used database, hand, and ancestral search strategies to systematically identify peer-reviewed studies published between 1990 and August 2018 where researchers used RSA-911 data to address the target question. All included articles were coded by two reviewers for study and participant characteristics, quality indicators, and outcomes.Results:Nine articles consisting of 14 analyses were included. Twelve analyses concerned employment outcomes; two concerned earnings. Researchers in most studies used large samples of 3,000 or more consumers and used multivariable analyses, most commonly multilevel logistic regression. Factors that consistently predicted lower employment across studies included presence of a secondary disability and legal blindness; higher education level consistently predicted higher employment, as did earnings and self-support at vocational rehabilitation application. Few analyses included state- or agency-level variables or specific vocational rehabilitation services.Discussion:These results indicate that certain groups of vocational rehabilitation consumers with visual impairments may be at greater risk of unsuccessful closures; researchers should examine specific strategies that may improve outcomes in these groups. These results also highlight the importance of education in securing employment among people with visual impairments. Researchers should examine state- and agency-level variables that may affect outcomes as well as the effects of specific services on outcomes. Additionally, researchers should analyze factors that may affect employment quality as well as employment outcomes.Implications for practitioners:Practitioners who are working with visually impaired people who do not have a postsecondary degree should encourage and assist their clients in obtaining one; practitioners may also wish to provide more targeted support for consumers from potentially high-risk subpopulations.