LET’S GIVE THEM A CHANCE: TEACHING JOB SKILLS TO STUDENTS WITH

DISABILITIES

Zhanna Preston, Ed. D.Veronica Gallegos

Cynthia Vargas, Esq.

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ABOUT US

o Introductiono Legal Frameworko Review of Literatureo Purposeo Methodologyo Data Collectiono Resultso Implications for Implementationo Study Limitationso Recommendations for Future

Research3

DISCUSSION POINTS

In my role as the Director of Special Education . . .

In my role as an Adult Transition Plan Teacher . . .

In my role as an attorney who specializes in special education . . .

We together felt like this was an area that needed further understanding to ensure that we are preparing our young adults with moderate level disabilities.

o Independence o Level of self realization o Quality of life o Better use of resources - future drain on society

4Why Are We Here?

Introduction

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6

Legal Framework

of LawOf LAW

ADA

IDEA

7Legal Protections

Congress recognized that a physical or mental disability in no way diminishes a

person’s right to fully participate in all aspects of society.

Despite some improvements through the years:

Historically in our society, we tended to isolate persons with disabilities and exclude them from such basic rights as housing, employment, public accommodations and education.

This lead us to:

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 Also known as (A.K.A.) the ADA

Title 42 U.S.C. Sections 12101 Et. Al.

Legal Framework

Legal Protections

From the ADA we developed:

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 A.K.A. Section 504 (Title 34 C.F.R. Sections 104.31 et.al.)

Purpose:

It is a nondiscrimination on the basis of handicap in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance

Subpart D applies specifically to preschools, elementary and secondary educational programs, including adult education

programs - private educational programs

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Legal Framework

Legal Protections

From Section 504 we developed:

Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act A.K.A. the IDEA

(Title 20 U.S.C. Sections 1400 et. al.) Previously referred to as the Education of Handicapped Act

Purpose:

To ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a FAPE that emphasizes special education and related services

designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living

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Legal Framework

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THE PROBLEM

• People with disabilities have historically experienced:

○ Isolation from society ○ Significant challenges related to obtaining and maintaining employment ○ Continued dependence upon others○ Low self–esteem

○ What we have experienced is continuously increasing costs required to support non-working individuals

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THE PROBLEM

Despite the legal protections

Mindset○ Employers ○ Teachers○ Parents○ Individuals

themselves

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THE PROBLEM

Career Readiness Programs

○ Transition curriculum○ Employment

experiences ○ Community supports

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LITERATURE REVIEW

Literature Review

U.S. Education

Employment of Adults with Mild

Intellectual Disabilities

Education Legal Mandates

Education Research Methods Employment

Education /Transition Services

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PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

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To identify the most critical job-related skills to be taught in

schools to best prepare adults with mild intellectual disabilities

for employment

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

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Methodology

o A group-oriented communication process aiming at a convergence of opinions on a specific real-world issue

o Consensus-building through a series of questionnaires to collect data from a panel of selected subjects

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Methodology

The Delphi Method

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Methodology

The Delphi Study Model

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Data Collection

Identified teachers of high school adults

with intellectual disabilities employed by local businesses

Each teacher requested

employers to participate in the

studyCollected a pilot

study panel

Selected a mid-sized school district

in Southern California

Developed survey questions in

consultation with the pilot study panel

Formed the expert panel

Analyzed data, developed

conclusions, and questions for future

research

Implement recommendations/

evaluate

“An individual with mild intellectual disability has an IQ of about 50-70 (Hallahan & Kauffman, 2006) and experiences delays in the following areas: oConceptual skills (language, literacy, money, time, number concepts,

self-direction); oSocial skills (interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility,

naïveté, social problem solving, the ability to follow rules/obey laws and to

avoid being victimized); o Practical skills (activities of daily living, personal care, occupational skills,

healthcare, travel/transportation, schedules/routines, safety, use of the

telephone). (AADD, 2014)”

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DATA COLLECTION

Survey Definition of Mild Intellectual Disability (Hallahan & Kauffman, 2006; American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD website, 2014)

Survey Round One

o Review the definition of mild intellectual disability

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DATA COLLECTION

1. WHAT ARE THE DRAWBACKS OF HIRING INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES WHO HAVE COMPLETED HIGH SCHOOL?

2. WHAT TYPES OF DUTIES WOULD YOU EXPECT INDIVIDUALS WITH MILD INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES TO PERFORM IN YOUR COMPANY?

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DATA COLLECTION

Survey Round TWO

Please list job related skills that increase the likelihood of a young adult with a mild intellectual disability to obtain

employment in a company.

A young adult with a mild intellectual disability has been hired to perform a job in a local company. As a job coach you provide supports to assist with job related skills to this

young adult. After he or she starts working, the company realizes that he or she lacks critical skills or attributes required for the job and decide to terminate his or her

employment. Please list the critical job skills or attributes the lack of which may lead to terminating a person's employment.

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DATA COLLECTION

Survey Round Three

Data from Rounds One & Two was analyzed and categorized to form 10 job-related skills that served as the foundation of Round Three

o Social skills o Mobility o Time management o Independence o Following directions

o Being a team player o Money skills o Professional

appearance o Basic cleaning and

organization skills o Self-advocacy

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DATA COLLECTION

Survey Round Three

Please review the list of job skills that should be taught to individuals with mild intellectual disabilities to increase their

likelihood to obtain and maintain employment.

Please rate the job skills using a Likert Scale from one to five (1 being not important, 2 being somewhat important, 3 being

important, 4 being very important, and 5 being most important).

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Social Skills

Mobility

Time Management

Independence

Following Directions

Being a Team Player

Money Skills

Professional Appearance

Basic cleaning and organizing

Self-advocacy

3.4 3.6 3.8 4 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.8

Series1

RESULTS

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VERBAL COMMUNI CATI ON

1 Able to express your ideas clearly and confidently in speech

TEAMWORK

2 Work confidently within a group

COMMERCI AL AWARENESS

3 Understand the commercial realities affecting the organization.

ANALYSI NG & I NVESTI GATI NG

4 Gather information systematically to establish facts & principles. Problem solving.

I NI TIATI VE/ SELF MOTI VATI ON

5 Able to act on initiative, identify opportunities & proactive in putting forward ideas & solutions

DRI VE 6 Determination to get things done. Make things happen & constantly looking for better ways of doing things.

WRI TTEN COMMUNI CATI ON

7 Able to express yourself clearly in writing

PLANNING & ORGANI SI NG

8 Able to plan activities & carry them through effectively

FLEXI BI LI TY

9 Adapt successfully to changing situations & environments

TI ME MANAGEMENT 10 Manage time effectively, prioritising tasks and able to work to deadlines.

Other skills that were also seen as important

GLOBAL SKI LLS Able to speak and understand other languages. Appreciation of other cultures. See

Study and work placements outside the UK Working Abroad

From the University of Kent available at http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/top-ten-skills.htm

Comparison with Other Studies/Sources

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Other skills that were also seen as important

GLOBAL SKILLS Able to speak and understand other languages. Appreciation of other cultures. See

Study and work placements outside the UK Working Abroad

NEGOTIATI NG & PERSUADI NG

Able to influence and convince others, to discuss and reach agreement.

LEADERSHI P

Able to motivate and direct others

NUMERACY

Multiply & divide accurately, calculate percentages, use statistics & a calculator, interpret graphs & tables.

COMPUTING SKI LLS Word-processing, using databases, spreadsheets, the Internet & email, designing web pages etc.

SELF AWARENESS Awareness of achievements, abilities, values & weaknesses & what you want out of life.

PERSONAL I MPACT/ CONFIDENCE

Presents a strong, professional, positive image to others which inspires confidence & commands respect.

LIFELONG LEARNI NG Continues to learn throughout life. Develops the competencies needed for current & future roles

Comparison with Other Studies/Sources

•Networking

•Dressing properly for the work setting

•Arriving on time and staying productive until end of shift/work day

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Comparison with Other Studies/Sources

http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/essential_job_skills.pdf

• Focus on work

Turning cell phone ringers off while at work and returning phone calls and text messages while on breaks or after work hours • Using computers, if you have access to them, only for work-related tasks

• Professionalism

Speaking in a respectful manner with supervisors, peers, and customers or clients and remaining professional during lunch break/off duty

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Comparison with Other Studies/Sources

http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/essential_job_skills.pdf

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• Communication Sample instructional script:

Skills Communicating ideas in the workplace is different than in an academic setting. In a classroom, the instructor usually leads group discussions or assigns written homework, and students respond or ask questions when directed to do so. In the workplace, however, the format for interaction varies. Sometimes your supervisors may specifically ask you for your opinion or ask you to express that opinion in writing. More often than not, however, they assume that if they need to know something, you will bring it to their attention. The challenge of communicating in the workplace is learning how and when to share your ideas or concerns.

Comparison with Other Studies/Sources

http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/essential_job_skills.pdf

•Listening

Sample instructional script:

One way to improve your listening comprehension skills is to ask questions. Other tactics include restating what you thought you heard to confirm you understood correctly, and taking notes.

•Teamwork

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Comparison with Other Studies/Sources

http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/essential_job_skills.pdf

Critical Thinking

Problem solving and critical thinking refers to the ability to use knowledge, facts, and data to effectively solve workplace problems. As a new employee, you may question why an organization follows certain steps to complete a task. It may seem to you that one of the steps could be eliminated saving time, effort, and money. But you may be hesitant to voice your opinion

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Comparison with Other Studies/Sources

http://www.dol.gov/odep/documents/essential_job_skills.pdf

Use of the information to better develop educational plans

– Develop research-based transition curriculum

– Annual goals •Use the skills as a springboard•Scaffold down to the ability levels of the adult

– Determine necessary supports

– Identify services required to assist the student to achieve the goals and obtain the skills

•Using the skills identified to assist students to recognize obtainable post secondary goals

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IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

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IMPLICATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

o Develop training for students, teachers, job coaches, employers, and parents on the most critical job-related skills

o Provide information to local city authorities for community awareness

o Provide information to the Regional Centers for the development of community supports

o Develop curriculum focused on the most critical job-related skills

o Develop a bank of Individual Transition Plan goals, services, and direct instruction activities in the area of employment

•Focus on students with mild-intellectual disabilities

•Suburban middle-class city in Southern California

•Retail and Restaurants

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STUDY LIMITATIONS

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RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

Large cities in the U.S?

Cities in the other parts of the world?

Students with other disabilities?

What are the most common incidents that get people with disabilities fired?

Students without disabilities?

What are the least disruptive supports/accommodations in the work place?

What are the perceptions of customers?

What are the perceptions of co-workers without disabilities regarding

their colleagues with disabilities?

What do employers know about disabilities?

Fears about hiring people with disabilities?

Is there a relationship between sales and employment of people with disabilities?

Textbook authors?

What are the perceptions of people with disabilities about

the most critical skills employers are looking for in the work

place?

Perceptions of parents?

38YOUR QUESTIONS

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