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Project SEARCH UK: evaluating its employment outcomes
- Author:
- KAEHNE Axel
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 29(6), 2016, pp.519-530.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: The study reports the findings of an evaluation of Project SEARCH UK. The programme develops internships for young people with intellectual disabilities who are about to leave school or college. The aim of the evaluation was to investigate at what rate Project SEARCH provided employment opportunities to participants. Methods: The evaluation obtained data from all sites operational in the UK at the time of evaluation (n = 17) and analysed employment outcomes. Results: Data were available for 315 young people (n = 315) in the programme and pay and other employment related data were available for a subsample. The results of the analysis suggest that Project SEARCH achieves on average employment rates of around 50 per cent. Conclusion: Project SEARCH UK represents a valuable addition to the supported employment provision in the UK. Its unique model should inform discussions around best practice in supported employment. Implications for other supported employment programmes are discussed. (Publisher abstract)
Employing people with disabilities: a preliminary assessment of a start-up Initiative
- Authors:
- YAMATANI Hide, TEIXEIRA Samantha, McDONOUGH Kathleen
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 25(8), 2015, pp.830-842.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
A major city in Pennsylvania initiated the Career Transition Liaison Project, the first of its kind in the region. Based on a mixed method evaluation design, the pilot study findings show that employing youth with disabilities requires certain accommodations and an initial investment in training, but these investments pay off for the employer. (Publisher abstract)
Feasibility of the Participatory Experience Survey and the Setting Affordances Survey for use in evaluation of programmes serving youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Authors:
- LILJENQUIST K., et al
- Journal article citation:
- Child: Care, Health and Development, 43(4), 2017, pp.511-517.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Participation by youth with disabilities in recreational activities has been shown to promote the development of important skills needed for transition to adulthood. The Participatory Experience Survey (PES) and the Setting Affordances Survey (SAS) were developed for use by recreational programmes serving youth with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities (SIDD) to assess participant experiences and ensure that participants are afforded optimal opportunities to develop these skills. This paper presents a feasibility evaluation to determine the appropriateness of the PES and the SAS for use in a programme evaluation context. Method: The PES and the SAS were used to evaluate a programme serving youth with SIDD in the greater northwest region of the United States. Three recreational activities were evaluated: an art project, trip to a zoo and a track practice. Programme volunteers used the SAS to assess opportunities and affordances offered within each activity. The PES was then given to 10 young people in each activity to capture their experiences. It was hypothesised that each setting would afford different experiences and developmental opportunities because of the differing nature of the activities. Results: The PES and SAS were found to be feasible for conducting a programme evaluation. All three settings offered varying types of experiences and affordances. Notably, as measured by the SAS, opportunity for skill development was greater in more structured activities; the zoo had the fewest opportunities for skill development and the art project had the most skill development opportunities. Youth answered ‘no’ most often to ‘asking for help’ and ‘helping a kid’, suggesting changes to offer more opportunities to develop these skills would be beneficial in all three activities. Conclusion: These new instruments offer programmes a means to more fully include young people with disabilities during programme evaluations, leading to better-structured, more supportive programmes. (Edited publisher abstract)
Supported internship trial for 16 to 24 year old learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities: an evaluation: research report
- Authors:
- COOPERGIBSON RESEARCH, DISABILITY RIGHTS UK
- Publisher:
- Great Britain. Department for Education
- Publication year:
- 2013
- Pagination:
- 149
- Place of publication:
- Sheffield
One of the initiatives proposed in the 2011 special educational needs (SEN) green paper ‘Support and aspiration: a new approach to special educational needs and disability’ was supported internship, providing structured study programme for students aged 16 to 24 with a learning difficulty assessment (LDA). The Department for Education commissioned CooperGibson Research, in partnership with Disability Rights UK, to undertake an evaluation of the trial to determine whether the supported internship trial had been effective in enabling colleges to support young people with different learning difficulties and/or disabilities to progress into sustainable employment. The evaluation also examined how the initiative had been delivered and any lessons learned from the set-up, design and delivery; also, whether the initiative provided value-for-money. Of the 190 young people who completed a supported internship, 36% gained paid employment, including apprenticeships (5%); 26% gained voluntary work; 4% were progressing to further education or training (or in a small number of cases continuing their internship); and 25% had no employment, paid or unpaid, or plans for further education or training. This report describes the methodology, the different approaches to setting up trials (including 10 case studies), and the perceived benefits of the trials, employment, education, other outcomes, and how the key principles of supported internships have been managed and met. It makes recommendations regarding: publicity and raising awareness; eligibility criteria; employer engagement; and supporting interns. (Edited publisher abstract)
Sexuality, education and adolescents with developmental disabilities: assessment, policy and advocacy
- Authors:
- TICE Carolyn J., HARNEK HALL Diane M.
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 7(1), 2008, pp.47-62.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This paper begins with an overview of US policies relating to sex education for adolescents with disabilities, and argues that the issue of sexuality can usefully be viewed from a strengths perspective. It then describes the Tice-Hall Sexuality Education Assessment (which is also reproduced in an appendix), an instrument designed to evaluate the efficacy, in strengths-based terms, of educational materials developed for developmentally disabled adolescents. The domains and items of the instrument suggest that advocacy is needed to ensure that the stereotyped views so often held about the sexuality of these young people are challenged by sex education programmes. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre, Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580).
"Is it Saturday?": a play and recreational programme for children and young people with moderate learning difficulties
- Authors:
- KILPATRICK Rosemary, MCCLINTON Janet
- Publisher:
- Queen's University Belfast. Institute of Child Care Research
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 44p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Belfast
A group of eleven children aged 8-12 years were involved in the project, all of whom attended a special school for children with moderate learning difficulties in Belfast. Needs were identified by means of focus groups and one-to-one interviews with the children and their parents. On the basis of this information a programme for 'Is it Saturday?' was developed in collaboration with voluntary agencies and professionals willing to have an input to the project, which took place over a ten week period between September and December 1998. A group of twelve volunteers were trained and nine of this group worked with the project worker in delivering the programme. Five years after the programme had been introduced the young people, who were now reaching school-leaving age, were invited to a review session to explore what play and recreational facilities were available to them at this stage in their lives. An independent researcher conducted the evaluation of the project by means of focus groups and/or questionnaires with the project worker, the parents, the children, the volunteers and the teachers in the school.
Promoting equal opportunities for leisure: an evaluation of the barriers to leisure opportunities for young people with learning disabilities
- Author:
- COOPER Simon
- Publisher:
- University of Warwick; Social Care Association
- Publication year:
- 2003
- Pagination:
- 48p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- Coventry
Literature review and evaluation of the barriers to leisure opportunities for young people with learning disabilities. Also summary of legal and practice issues.
Enhancing social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review of original empirical studies
- Authors:
- LOUW Julia S., KIRKPATRICK Bernadette, LEADER Geraldine
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 33(5), 2020, pp.793-807.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: Social inclusion is regarded as an important determinant of health, particularly for young adults with intellectual disabilities. However, only a limited number of reviews report on the findings of original empirical studies on social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. This review provides a succinct synopsis of original empirical studies on social inclusion among young adults with intellectual disabilities for the period between January 2013 and January 2019. Methods: Studies were drawn from three electronic databases: ScienceDirect, PubMed and PsycINFO. In addition, hand searches were carried out in several international journals focusing on intellectual disability research. The review included both qualitative and quantitative studies. In all, 24 key studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The Methodological Quality Checklist developed by Downs and Black (Journal of Epidemiology Community Health, 1998, 52, 377) was used to independently assess study quality, and the Cochrane Collaboration Intervention Clinical Appraisal Form was used to extract data and outcome measures for each study. Results: Among the key findings, structured and organized social inclusion interventions were reported to create better opportunities to engage in social interactions and improve social skills. Moreover, evaluating outcomes on the two core quality‐of‐life domains, that of interpersonal relationships and community participation, were reported to facilitate positive outcomes for social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities. Conclusion: There is a need to do an in‐depth exploration of the potential impact of facilitators that promote social inclusion of young adults with intellectual disabilities, by conducting rigorous empirical investigations. (Edited publisher abstract)
An intervention using the Parenting Toolkit “Children - What does it involve?” and the Real‐Care‐Baby simulator among students with intellectual disability: a feasibility study
- Authors:
- JANESLATT Gunnel, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 32(2), 2019, pp.380-389.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Background: There is limited knowledge about how young people with intellectual disability can be facilitated in their process of deciding about parenthood. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of an upcoming trial to evaluate an intervention using the Toolkit “Children—what does it involve?” and the “Real‐Care‐Baby” (RCB) simulator among students with intellectual disability. Methods: Six students with intellectual disability participated in an intervention with eight educational sessions and a 3‐day caring session with the RCB simulator. Data were collected with questionnaires and interviews. Results: The study showed that it is possible to evaluate an intervention using these instruments among students with intellectual disability in order to provide them with further insights about parenthood. Conclusion: It is feasible to evaluate the Toolkit and the RCB in a cluster‐randomized study and that such a study could add to our knowledge about possible intervention strategies regarding reproduction and parenting among students with intellectual disability. (Edited publisher abstract)
Project SEARCH: a new model of supported employment?
- Author:
- KAEHNE Axel
- Journal article citation:
- Learning Disability Today, 15(1), January 2015, pp.22-24.
- Publisher:
- Pavilion
- Place of publication:
- Hove
Reports on the evaluation of Project SEARCH UK programme, an intern-based supported employment programme originally devised in the USA. The evaluation examined employment outcome data from 17 participating sites in the South West of England. In the programme a business, often a hospital, takes the lead in developing the internships. It also commits to take on 60 per cent of its interns after graduation for full time employment. The programme is primarily open to young people with learning disabilities and autistic spectrum conditions who are in their last year of school or college. Outcomes found that Project SEARCH graduates had a significantly higher rate of finding employment than in other supported employment programmes. It was also successful in offering opportunities to people with a range of learning disabilities. Interns also found work in a variety of roles. The evaluation demonstrates that Project Search is a valuable addition to supported employment programmes in the UK. (Edited publisher abstract)