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Challenges in Employee Training for Disabled Workers

Training Disabled Workers

Verma Pinkney

University of Memphis

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Summary of the Project

Organizations must ensure that Americans with disabilities have equal access to job

opportunities. When these organizations employ persons with disabilities, they are upholding

equal opportunities for everyone. They are also contributing to the elimination of discrimination

in employment. Today, Americans with disabilities are facing disproportionately high rates of

unemployment compared to those Americans without disabilities. The following table shows the

rate of employment status by disability status for the labor force in Shelby County, Tennessee.

Shelby County, Tennessee

Estimate Margin of Error

Total: 584,419 +/-888In the labor force: 447,534 +/-3,462

Employed: 394,091 +/-3,411With a disability: 19,626 +/-1,333

With a hearing difficulty 5,245 +/-708With a vision difficulty 5,092 +/-797With a cognitive difficulty 3,987 +/-450With an ambulatory difficulty 8,288 +/-900With a self-care difficulty 1,212 +/-304With an independent living difficulty 2,808 +/-555

No disability 374,465 +/-3,463Unemployed: 53,443 +/-2,193

With a disability: 5,585 +/-703With a hearing difficulty 853 +/-291With a vision difficulty 1,235 +/-317With a cognitive difficulty 2,788 +/-531With an ambulatory difficulty 2,004 +/-418With a self-care difficulty 504 +/-170With an independent living difficulty 1,286 +/-302

No disability 47,858 +/-2,108Not in labor force: 136,885 +/-3,483

With a disability: 39,173 +/-1,775With a hearing difficulty 5,295 +/-665With a vision difficulty 8,438 +/-953With a cognitive difficulty 18,979 +/-1,347With an ambulatory difficulty 23,689 +/-1,382With a self-care difficulty 9,327 +/-1,056With an independent living difficulty 19,141 +/-1,332

No disability 97,712 +/-3,445

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2012 American Community Survey

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Introduction

Training managers face many obstacles in the real world given the speed of change in

information technology. Advancing employment opportunities for people with disabilities makes

good sense because individuals with disabilities are a valuable asset for business. There are

business models throughout the United States with proven results. For instance, hiring disabled

workers enables society to benefit from the skills and talents of individuals with disabilities, and

allows us all to gain from their increased purchasing power and ability to use it.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate programs by tracing the development of programs that enable

disabled workers to be productive in the workplace.

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Outline

I. Development of Organizational TrainingA. Computer Based TrainingB. Mobile LearningC. Online Learning

II. Knowledge Challenges of the Organization A. National Development Programs

1. Reinforcement of Knowledge Basisa) Analyze Learners and Contextsb) Conduct Instructional Analysis

2. Harmonious Development of Organizational Traininga) Write Performance Objectivesb) Develop Assessment Instruments

B. Introduction1. Best Practices

a) Identify Instructional Goal(s) b) Develop Instructional Strategyc) Develop and Select Instructional Materials d) Design and Conduct Formative Evaluation of Instruction e) Revise Instruction f) Design and Conduct Summative Evaluation

2. Fundamental Conceptsa) Mutual Interactionb) Reactive Learning

C. Properly Planning1. Deciding on the Structure

a) Needs Assessment b) Evaluation of the Processes

2. Provisionsa) Flexibility and Availabilityb) Technologyc) Revising Methods of Traditional Educationd) Self-Education

D. Conclusion

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Development of Organizational Training

Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek (2009) noted that adult learners

have little patience for irrelevant information or activities that do not lead

them to their intended outcomes. Coursework should be relevant, and

content should relate to real life situations with students. This keeps

learners motivated. This is also true for disabled workers.

The Chicago Lighthouse’s Work Adjustment Program provides training

opportunities for people who are blind, visually impaired or multi-disabled.

This best practice is supported by research, including findings presented by

Bailey & Card (2009), who posit that instructors identified effective

communication and engagement as vital to learning. Types of learning used

to accomplish this include: 1. Computer Based Training, 2. Mobile Learning

and 3. Online Learning

Based on the characteristics of the disabled learners, the online training

module will be developed in the English language. The instructional module

will contain language which is both gender-neutral and easy to comprehend.

Based on the need for accommodating learner time constraints, the

instructional module will be delivered in an online, self-paced format.

Computer Based Training

The first step in beginning computer based training is for students to familiarize themselves

with the layout of the course and to review all course documentation.

Mobile Learning

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As such, a variety of technologies to facilitate ongoing communication with disabled students

and their parents should be used to help identify their significance in the instructional design

process. Merrill (2003) emphasizes the importance of developing rich, achievable and

measurable learning objectives, and then creating engaging, authentic learning events with

relevant tasks that help learners achieve the objectives. However, individuals with disabilities

need specialized software programs in order to make it possible for them to perform jobs that

would otherwise be difficult.

Training and development materials for disabled individuals should be designed to address

training and development needs that may be typical within an organization or industry.

According to Janet P. Szlyk, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Chicago Lighthouse, when

considering the uses and efficacy of training materials you must consider:

Cost Objectives Uses/application Strengths Weaknesses Technology required Adult learning principles involved Ease of customization Year of development

Online Learning

Davidson-Shivers (2006) use a table that gives the following information for activities and

strategies that can be used for managing the WBI and the Website. 1. Keep documentation and

design specifications up to date. 2. Back up servers and other storage devices. 3. Create new

multimedia for new versions of browsers or plug-ins, when new versions are released. 3. Work

closely with network administrators to ascertain how server upgrades will influence site. 4.

Schedule server maintenance and upgrades when WBI is not active. 5. Test site with new

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browsers and state minimum browser requirements. 6. Upgrade browsers and test WBI between

course offerings. 7. Correct links, remove links, and find new appropriate resources. 8. Keep

files in central location for easy access. 9. Appoint an individual to be responsible for

monitoring content changes.

Brad Chacos discusses five useful applications that may allow disabled workers to thrive that

include:

1. Built-in accessibility software: Both Macintosh and Windows PCs now feature a host of accessibility tools built into their operating systems. For example, each OS can magnify images onscreen and speak text out loud. Sticky Keys in Windows helps less-dexterous users to enter commands with a sequence of keystrokes that would otherwise require pressing multiple buttons on the keyboard.

2. Pointing Magnifier (Windows; free): Windows offers a basic cursor-magnifier function, but the Pointing Magnifier tool developed by researchers at the University of Washington is a big improvement over the baked-in utility. Pointer Magnifier zooms in on the portion of the screen surrounding your cursor. To make a selection, you simply click your mouse to lock the circle in place; you may then move the cursor around inside the locked, enlarged circle.

3. Dragon NaturallySpeaking (Windows; $99.99 and up): Dragon’s voice-to-text conversion software is universally regarded as the cream of the crop. Our experiences with the software have been nothing short of excellent, delivering virtually flawless translations even when words were uttered in heavy New England or Southern accents. Editing commands are a breeze, and you can give voice instructions to handle certain tasks, such as opening your web browser and launching a specific website. Nuance, the maker of the Dragon line, offers various voice-recognition apps to fit your particular business needs, but they aren’t cheap: A Mac version, Dragon Dictate, is available for $200.

4. Windows Speech Recognition (Windows 7 and Vista; free): Do you already use Windows 7 or Vista? Before you buy Dragon NaturallySpeaking, we recommend trying the Windows Speech Recognition utility that’s built into your PC’s operating system. The utility is highly polished and intuitive, and its accuracy almost rivaled Dragon’s in our tests. That said, once you’ve used Dragon, the handful of voice-to-text errors introduced by this tool can be frustrating, even though they’re still a statistically small number. WSR also supports voice navigation commands, which work best with Microsoft programs.

5. Proloquo2Go (iOS; $189.99): The massive devices that speak typed thoughts aloud for people with speech impairments cost thousands of dollars. This iOS app provides users with a voice for a fraction of the cost. The intuitive, icon-based sentence-construction system works well for communicating basic thoughts, but some users complain that it’s too simplistic for workplace use. That being said, Proloquo2Go allows users to input custom commands and

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frequently used sentences that can then be spoken out loud, which give it more capabilities than are visible at first.

National Development Programs

Reinforcement of Knowledge Basis

Reinforcement theory emphasizes that people are motivated to perform or avoid certain

behaviors because of past outcomes that have resulted from those behaviors. Skinner (1953).

Instructional designers can use action learning, modeling and shaping in interesting ways

whereby learners are able to obtain benefits from participating in a course. Modeling involves

having students who have already mastered the learning outcomes demonstrate them for other

students. Discussion boards can be used to allow students to post past accomplishments so that

other students will be motivated by the confidence and success of their successful peers.

Shaping involves giving feedback to allow the learner to adapt responses to be more appropriate.

Feedback also provides information about the incentives that may result from performance.

Cognitive theory emphasizes using meaningful material to enhance storage and recall of

instructional content. Cognitive theory is useful in online learning environments, as well as in

traditional environments. When assignments relate to student experiences and lives, students

learn more. Constructivism is the third branch of learning theory, and addresses the social

context of learning. According to Simonson, the constructivist believes that the individual gives

meaning to the world through experience. Ideally, it is a process of personal and cooperative

experimentation, questioning, and problem solving through which meaning can be constructed.

Simonson (2009).

Noe (2008) suggests: “Behavior modification is a training method that is primarily based on

reinforcement theory. For example, a training program in a bakery focused on eliminating

unsafe behavior such as climbing over conveyor belts (rather than walking around them) and

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sticking hands into equipment to dislodge jammed materials without turning off the equipment.

In this example, data of safe behavior is posted in certain work areas so the employees and their

supervisors can see positive reinforcers. (See Appendix A)

Analyze Learners and Contexts

“A needs assessment is used to identify gaps in performance and then

determine if the gap is worth addressing” (Morrison, Ross, & Kemp, 2007). I

will describe training currently in place and how it needs upgrade, and then

describe the instructional module. “To serve either a training group or an

academic classroom, the instructional designer must obtain information

about the capabilities, needs, and interests of the learners” (Morrison et al,

2007).

Conduct Instructional Analysis

Due to the ever changing and competitive nature of the modern world, successful

organizations develop strategies that are consistent through innovation and learning. Therefore,

innovation and learning are closely tied together. According to Dr. Bligh, “in order for

organizations to remain competitive, organizational leaders must work to develop a culture that

fosters innovation”. Organizations that fail to recognize and eliminate obstacles to learning will

be unable to make the changes necessary to keep themselves competitive”. Parental involvement

within the State of Tennessee will foster interaction using various resources. Beginning in the

early 2000s, a new generation of web applications emerged, tools that are highly participatory

and promote collaboration, networking, sharing, and the widespread generation of content, and

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the editing and mixing of content from diverse sources for new purposes through a model called

mash-up, by both groups and disabled individuals.

Harmonious Development of Organizational Training

Meeting the Needs of the Participants

Before getting too far along the path of determining learning objectives, it is important to

have a very good understanding of the disabled learner. Using a profile tool will help you get a

better grip on the intended target audience, and help ensure that the program is designed to

appropriately meet the needs of the audience. The Chicago Lighthouse is a nonprofit that

provides resources for disabled individuals who are blind or visually impaired. This organization

stands out as a model agency because it understands that in order to meet performance objectives

in the workplace; the organization must address capabilities, needs, and interests of the

participants through training. The Chicago Lighthouse offers a wide range of educational

programs for its participants that include:

Birth to Three Early Intervention Program

Chicago Lighthouse Children's Development Center

Chicago Ready to Learn. Preschool for ALL!

Illinois Instructional Materials Center

The Chicago Lighthouse Scholarship Program

Youth Transition Services

The Chicago Lighthouse adheres to laws governing the education of students with disabilities:

the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-446)

(http://idea.ed.gov/). IDEA is the federal law that guarantees a free and appropriate public

education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment for every person with a

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http://chicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/educational-services/youth-transition-services-0

http://chicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/youth-transition-services/-chicago-lighthouse-scholarship-program

http://www.thechicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/educational-services/illinois-instructional-materials-center-iimc

http://chicagolighthouse.org/preschool

http://chicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/educational-services/chicago-lighthouse-development-center-children-who-are-bl


disability. As with every initiative taken by governmental programs, it is critical to affirm that

the information services being provided to users help them meet objectives. Training should

require or make sure that these initiatives yield the maximum impact and benefit to the

organization and the participant. This means that any student enrolled in public school, should

receive an education appropriate for his/her age, ability and developmental level

(http://idea.ed.gov).

One of the goals of The Chicago Lighthouse is to equip trainees to more effectively reach

their employment objectives through utilization of the following:

Chicago Lighthouse Communications Center

Chicago Lighthouse Industries

Customer Service Training Program

Job Readiness and Placement Program

Job Retention Program

Office Skills Training Program

Recipient Identification Number (RIN) Program

Contract Management Service (CMS) Program

Work Adjustment Training Program

Develop Assessment Instruments

Performing a Training Needs Assessment or Training Audit for disabled learners will help

with developing an overall plan and program to meet the needs of the disabled participants.

Objectives range from: 1) understanding how the training will be applied by users to 2)

determining current skill levels to 3) learning users’ expectations of training outcomes. This

knowledge will enable trainees to define attributes of the program that meet specific needs of the

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http://www.thechicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/programs/work-adjustment-training-program

http://chicagolighthouse.org/Programs+and+Services/Programs/Contract+Management+Service+(CMS)+Program

http://www.thechicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/programs/recipient-identification-number-rin

http://www.thechicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/programs/office-skills-training-program

http://www.thechicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/programs/job-retention-program

http://chicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/programs/job-readiness-and-placement-program

http://chicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/programs/customer-service-training-program

http://chicagolighthouse.org/chicago-lighthouse-industries

http://chicagolighthouse.org/programs-and-services/employment-services/chicago-lighthouse-communications-center


disabled learner. Dabbagh et al. (2005) references a set of principles established by

Pennsylvania State University for learner assessment in online learning or distance education

courses. These principles include:

1. Assessment instruments and activities should be congruent with the learning goals and

skills required of the disabled learner throughout a distance education program or course.

2. Assessment and measurement strategies should be integral parts of the learning

experience –enabling disabled learners to assess their progress, to identify areas for

review, and to reestablish immediate learning or lesson goals.

3. Assessment and measurement strategies should accommodate the special needs,

characteristics, and situations of the distance learner.

4. Distance disabled learners should be given ample opportunities and accessible methods

for providing feedback regarding the instructional design of the distance education

program. (See Appendix B)

Best Practices

Identify Instructional Goal(s)

From a training perspective, reinforcement theory suggests that for learners to acquire

knowledge, change behavior, or modify skills, the trainer needs to identify what outcomes the

learner finds most positive (and negative). The effectiveness of learning depends on the pattern

or schedule for providing these reinforcers or benefits. A benefit may include learning an easier

or more interesting way to perform a job related task. The effectiveness of learning depends on

the pattern or schedule for providing these reinforcers or benefits.

Develop Instructional Strategy

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The instructional materials should be organized in a manner that allows the disabled learner to

find similarities and themes in the program’s materials. The disabled learner should be shown

how to relate these materials to other, more familiar knowledge, skills, or behaviors. The

disabled learner will use a combination of these strategies to learn. It is important for

instructional designers to keep in mind prior knowledge and content relevance, to help ensure

that learner needs and objectives are at the forefront of instructional design. Instructional

sequencing delivery must be designed to effectively address different ways that disabled learners

use written language. It also has to address how accurately a person can solve problems and the

reasoning ability that one has to invent solutions to problems.

Develop and Select Instructional Materials

Design and Conduct Formative Evaluation of Instruction

London (2003) believes employees can gather, accept, and use meaningful performance

information from appraisals, surveys, and informal discussions to change their own behavior.

Using Kirkpatrick’s levels of evaluation, reaction outcomes are level 1 (reaction) criteria in

Kirkpatrick’s framework. Reaction outcomes will be collected via a questionnaire completed by

parents. A reaction measure includes questions related to parents’ satisfaction with the

instructor, training materials, and training administration as well as the clarity of course

objectives and usefulness of the training content. (See Appendix C).

Revise Instruction

Design and Conduct Summative Evaluation

Continuing to use multiple methods and eclectic approaches to achieve the many different

purposes of an evaluation will help an evaluator be successful (Fitzpatrick et al., 2010). Keeping

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in mind that every evaluation has its own obstacles to overcome, will help an evaluator continue

to learn and apply knowledge in various ways to meet the needs of the evaluation. Sticking close

to a standardized evaluation plan can be disastrous when a new approach would be more

appropriate. This means that an evaluator will spend more time maintaining collaborative

relationships (Fetterman 2001). It will require more work but it will make program evaluations

more enriching, meaningful, and productive. Using qualitative and quantitative methods can

help ensure effective evaluations. Staying in the habit of using both types of data will create

more comprehensive and complete data sets. Collecting information at several points throughout

the evaluation can help when triangulating data. Meta-evaluation is a good practice that guards

against shoddy practices by allowing other professionals to review the work (Worthen, 2001).

Making it a common practice to have other evaluators determine the strengths and weaknesses of

your evaluations will increase the overall quality.

Fundamental Concepts

Mutual Interaction

Wang, et al. (2006) point out that although standardization is essential to ensure content

portability and reusability across systems, a course management system should also allow course

designers to customize the user interface to a certain extent. Different subject domains may have

different requirements for content structuring and the navigation scheme. Course designers and

instructors may have different needs and preferences for content organization and presentation.

Reactive Learning

According to Wang, et al. (2006), instructional content should be adaptive. For the disabled

learner, the quality of an adaptive instructional program is a function that includes several steps,

including how to:

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1. Determine what we know about the information processing needs for a given learning task.

2. Determine how well the course will address learner needs and possible performance variations.

3. Determine how much software authoring expertise is available for developing the course.

Properly Planning

Deciding on the Structure

It is important to remember that instructional design content for the disabled learner cannot be

to taken from a traditional classroom and dumped into a course management system (CMS) or

learning management system (LMS). When creating instruction for the disabled learner, links

can be made to prior knowledge and learners can be directed to share experiences and

perceptions (Davidson-Shivers, et al., 2006). Presently, cognitive skills, such as study strategies,

problem solving, and higher-order and critical thinking, are receiving increased attention because

of their importance in a technological society.

Needs Assessment

According to Noe (2008), “The evaluation process should begin with determining training

needs. Needs assessment helps identify what knowledge, skills, behavior, or other learned

capabilities are needed.” Needs Assessment also helps identify where the training is expected to

have impact. An organization must measure the degree to which trainees are using content on

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the job. The evaluation process includes the following:

Source: Based on D. A. Grove and C. Ostroff, “Program Evaluation” in Developing Human Resources, ed.

Evaluation of the Processes

Moreover, the systematic process of instructional design, sometimes referred to as the

ADDIE model, involves analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.

According to Noe (2006) in organizations, the training design process rarely follows the neat,

orderly, step-by-step approach of this model. Rather, good instructional design for the disabled

learner requires an iterative process of design, execution, evaluation, and reconsideration of the

needs that the program was designed to meet and all the other activities of an instructional design

process.

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Conduct a Needs Analysis

Develop Measurable Learning Outcomes

Develop Outcome Measures

Choose an Evaluation Strategy

Plan and Execute the Evaluation


To evaluate the online training module, I used a participant-oriented approach for the disabled

learner; supported with program-oriented research highlights (via video clips from dignitaries

addressing the issue) to substantiate the validity of the evaluation's focus. The focus of the

evaluation was to provide a summative assessment of the curriculum's effect on participant

attitudes and behaviors directly related to the parent engagement component of the curriculum.

Trainees provided feedback concerning the instructional module by completing an embedded

survey at the end of the instructional module. Please see the image below of the Likert scale

used, the results, and recommendations that follow.

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Likert Scale

Likert Scale Results

All participants gave all items a score of 5, except Mrs. Murrell, whose only exception was a

score of 4 for the first item. She indicated verbally that she did not understand that all

information tabs in the training had to be clicked in order to advance forward, which created a

minimum amount of navigational difficulty.

Recommendation: Plan to spend a significant amount of time improving audio instructions to

specifically explain tab navigation.

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In addition to completing a Likert scale survey, participants responded to a scenario (shown

below). Participants received immediate feedback for each response item, and their final

responses were captured online for both the Likert survey and the scenario-based item to provide

feedback to the client. Because the survey items were linked directly with the module’s goals

and objectives, this provided useful data for reporting outcomes to the client. Linking

assessments (in this case, survey items) directly to goals and objectives is paramount to

establishing effective evaluation items online (Oosterhof et al, 2008). Please see the Scenario

images below, showing immediate feedback for each response, participant response data, and

recommendations that follow.

If the first erroneous response was selected, the participant received the following prompt:

If the second erroneous response was selected, the participant received the following prompt:

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Choosing the correct response resulted in the following feedback:

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Scenario Results: All five participants responded correctly to the scenario, whether on the first

or subsequent attempt. The scenario was designed to encourage reflection about the sometimes

delicate nature of communication between parents, teachers, and students. Specifically, the

design allowed participants multiple attempts, with a thumbnail refresher on the topic, as well as

tips embedded within all responses.

Recommendations: Keep the current formatting, and possibly add another scenario that allows

participants further reflection on perhaps a different area of parent engagement.

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Final Summary of Proposed Revisions

1) Use participant essay excerpts to promote the module to others. Participants shared a

variety of positive personal experiences related to parent engagement in general as well

as specific comments regarding the training itself. Such affective domain comments

reflect attitudes and values (Morrison, 2007), and can be instrumental in influencing

potential learners. Using the training participants’ voices to reach out to potential

trainees might help address the underlying issue of low participation, which posed an

implementation challenge.

2) Should the disabled learner request additional instruction or reflection activities, I suggest

expanding the scenario-based problem to include additional questions related to parent

engagement. Boettcher & Conrad (2010) suggest that meaningful learning involves

incorporating problem solving that is authentic or based on the real world. They also

assert that designing learning experiences using scenarios increases engagement with

course content.

3) Improve audio instructions to specifically explain tab navigation for the disabled learner.

One participant reported slight confusion regarding having to click all tabs before

advancing through the section on goals and objectives. Because tabs were used liberally

throughout the training, this learning structure should have been crystal clear, as should

any element of the learning environment. Boettcher & Conrad (2010) include the

environment as one of four distinct areas requiring particular attention in all phases of

online learning, with the other three areas being the learner; the faculty-mentor; and

content knowledge.

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In the higher education setting, for example, solid instructional design helps to build a sense

of community amongst the students and the instructor. This involves having ice breaker

activities at the beginning of coursework, whereby learners get to know each other and activities

throughout the various phases of the course that gradually move the learner toward greater

ownership of the learning process. The learner’s role involves authentic activities, such as

examining case studies and synthesizing concepts learned from week to week.

Provisions

Flexibility and Availability

When disabled learners engage in learning tasks, they demonstrate continued behavioral

involvement accompanied by a positive attitude. As such, these learners are characteristically

focused, directed, goal oriented, and relentless during their interactions with learning material.

Furthermore, learners who engage in dynamic, interactive instruction are “organically” involved

in their instructional experience. Thus we can argue that learning environments that employ

stimulating and intriguing learning strategies that are flexible and available are more likely to

engage learners than passive instructional strategies (Merrill, 2002).

Technology

Because of new technology, trainers, and developers are being challenged to find new ways to

design instruction for online learning for the disabled learner. Hollnagel (2004) argues that the

rapid introduction of highly sophisticated computers, (telecommunication, service, and

manufacturing systems, is causing a major shift in the way people use technology and work with

it. According to Dabbagh (2005), additional research shows that the influence of learners’ prior

knowledge and goals is important to consider when instructors use hypertext for learning.

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Dabbagh states that hypertext stores and interconnects information on the Web, allowing learners

to determine what is critical to review and in what sequence. Studies have shown that students

who had prior knowledge of the content area and strong academic goals, related exploring the

content for answers to specific questions and easily navigated the content, located relevant

information, and filled in their knowledge gaps. In contrast, disabled learners with little prior

knowledge were generally unsuccessful at locating answers. Distance education instructors need

to be aware that similar to traditional students, disabled learners are different and some need

more direction and structure than others.

Revising Methods of Traditional Education

The greatest challenge that I see is being able to tailor learning for disabled learners with best

practices while encouraging students to connect what they are learning to their prior knowledge

and to current issues. I think that the influence of disabled learners’ prior knowledge and goals is

important to consider when instructors design online courses. Studies have shown that students

who had prior knowledge of the content area and strong academic goals, related exploring the

content for answers to specific questions, and easily navigated the content, located relevant

information, and filled in their knowledge gaps. Also, Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek

(2009) noted that adult learners have, “little patience for irrelevant information or activities that

do not lead them to their intended outcomes.”

Self-Education

Action learning gives students an actual problem, has them work on solving it and committing

to an action plan, and then holds them accountable for carrying out the plan. Dotlich (1998).

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Application of Learning

Data and Methods

This research paper addresses the challenges disabled workplace professionals face in

accomplishing their responsibilities. Several strategies and tactics must be offered to organize the

roles and responsibilities of their training function. Authoritative advice can be used to manage

the training function including staff management, communicating expectations, setting the

learning agenda, coaching subject matter experts, hiring consultants and vendors, managing

content, working with learning portals, setting up and managing a learning resource center,

marketing and building internal support for training, and integrating learning into the business. In

addition to using the major components that are common to all instructional design models

(Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation), the Systems Approach

Model is used for this research paper.

The training I developed was an online Parent Engagement module. The client’s primary

training concern consisted of reinforcing two focused objectives, 1) A renewed commitment to

parent engagement for helping the disabled learner; and 2) A renewed commitment to the

organization’s mission, which itself is based on parent engagement. It was determined that

having these two objectives at the core of the online module provided the best complement to

any combination of the remaining modules completed by the disabled learners.

Distance learning, described as the disabled learner and instructor being separated in both

time and space throughout the majority of the instruction, has become a popular method for

delivering instruction (Morrison et al, 2007). The key strength of this module’s implementation

was its convenience, allowing the busy parent to complete the module at a time that best fit his or

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her schedule. Survey results indicate the most popular time frame in which the module was

completed was during the evening, typically when many working parents are off work.

In addition, the Parent Engagement instructional module was self-paced. Evidence

suggests that when the disabled learner is actively involved in the learning process, as well as is

able to work at his/her own pace, optimum learning can be achieved (Morrison et al, 2007). The

carefully designed learning activities to address objectives appeared successful in reinforcing

participants’ commitments to parent engagement. Participants shared their personal experiences

related to parent engagement and solved a scenario-based problem involving parent-teacher-

student communication.

Conclusion

Unfamiliar expressions or foreign language terms should be avoided during training

for disabled workers. Students are likely to dismiss distractors with unfamiliar terms as

incorrect when assessments are administered. According to Kandlbinder, “In the

process of assessing students, clear messages are sent about what is valued in a course”

(Kandlbinder 2003). Human factors and ergonomics provide researchers and

practitioners a platform where important issues and related changes for

instruction for disabled workers can be discussed. Methods and

recommendations can be presented for ensuring that emerging technologies

provide increased productivity, quality, satisfaction, safety, and health in the

new workplace and the “Information Society” for all workers.

As more technology appears in training programs, training for disabled

workers must address topics such as database management, geographic

information systems, and Internet technologies.

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practical pedagogical tips (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Chacos, B. (2012, June 28). Re: 5 Software Programs That Enable Disabled Employees. Retried

from http://blog.intuit.com/employees/5-software-programs-that-enable-disabled-

employees/#ixzz2kpoiMKvE.

Davidson-Shivers, G & Rasmussen, K. (2006). Web-based learning: Design, implementation,

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Appendix A

Schedules of Reinforcement

Type of Schedule Description Effectiveness

Ratio Schedules

Fixed-Ratio Reinforcement whenever target behavior Rapid learning, frequent instances ofSchedule has taken place a given number of times target behavior, rapid extinction

Continuous Reinforcement after each occurrence of Same direction of behavior as with fixed-Reinforcement target behavior ration schedules but more extreme

Variable-Ratio Reinforcement after several occurrences Target behavior less susceptible toSchedule of target behavior; number of extinction than with fixed-ratio

occurrences before reinforcement may schedulesdiffer each time

Interval Schedules

Fixed-Interval Reinforcement at a given time interval Lower performance target behaviorSchedule after performance of target behavior than with ratio schedules; lower

effectiveness if time interval is long

Variable-interval Reinforcement occurring periodically Target behavior less susceptible toSchedule after performance of target behavior, extinction than with fixed-interval

time intervals may differ each time schedules; lower performance of targetbehavior than with ratio schedules

Source: P. Wright and R. A. Noe, Management of Organizations (Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 1996).

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Appendix B

Likert Scale

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Appendix C

The following reaction measure contains questions about training

content.

Read each statement below.

Indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each statement using the scale below.

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neither Agree Strongly Agree 1 2 3 4 5 1. I had the knowledge and skills needed to learn in this

course.2. The facilities and equipment made it easy to learn.3. The course met all of the stated objectives.4. I clearly understood the course objectives.5. The way the course was delivered was an effective way to

learn.6. The materials I received during the course were useful.7. The course content was logically organized.8. There was enough time to learn the course content.9. I felt that the instructor wanted us to learn.10. I was comfortable asking the instructor questions.11. The instructor was prepared.12. The instructor was knowledgeable about the course content.13. I learned a lot from this course.14. What I learned in this course is useful for training for

family engagement.15. The information I received about the course was accurate.16. Overall, I was satisfied with the instructor.17. Overall, I was satisfied with the course.

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Approved by the Project Sponsor:

___________________________________________ Date:____________________

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