Seven research projects in progress at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC), Mississippi State University, focus on services and outcome-related issues pertaining to the education and employment of blind and severely visually impaired individuals. (SEW)

This article discusses the need for a computerized information system to assist people with visual impairments in the United Kingdom in the job search process. Factors for consideration in designing such a database are discussed, and a program for development, evaluation, and implementation is proposed. (Author/DB)

Many older job seekers are victims of prejudice, workers in declining industries or areas, workers with out-of-date skills, poorly educated, or handicapped by attitudinal problems. Careful publicity helps make jobs available and aids in adjustment for older workers. The older worker should be offered special employment services only when he cannot…

This organizational vignette is the first in a multi-part series highlighting community service providers. This particular issue focuses on Mass Bay Employment Services (MBES) located in Boston, Massachusetts, that works with people with serious mental illness and has moved from a non-employment oriented day program to one that has employment as…

Disparities in proportions of competitive job placements and provision of vocational rehabilitation services by level of mental retardation were identified for 28,565 individuals. Chi-square results reveal that consumers with mild mental retardation are significantly more likely to achieve competitive jobs compared to those with more severe…

Services provided to migratory agricultural workers and their families through governmental and non-governmental agencies in North Carolina are described in this second annual report of the State Advisory Committee on Services to Migrants. Program descriptions are grouped by agency and include eligibility requirements and names of contact persons.…

This report discusses the findings of a survey of 45 supported employment providers that sought to identify potential barriers to supported employment services for persons with severe physical disabilities. Results are compared with survey results from 50 state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. Key findings from the survey include: (1) the…

This monograph summarizes national and state level changes in employment patterns for individuals with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities. It presents longitudinal data from state mental retardation/developmental disability (MR/DD) agencies covering 8 years between FY88 and FY96, and for federal/state vocational rehabilitation…

This article describes the activities of two consortia that consist of individuals who assist people who are blind and visually impaired to secure employment. Consortia members are direct service employment specialists who focus on five critical activities: preparing consumers for job seeking, job development, placement, follow-up, and job…

The Enabling Practices Scale was developed to measure the level of empowering practices used by employment organizations serving individuals with disabilities and was tested with 127 Australian parents who have adult children with intellectual disability. Factor analysis revealed three factors: comfort with parent-staff relationship,…

This document focuses on employer/employment services in vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. Vocational rehabilitation is undergoing transformation in employment services to respond to redefined priorities, diverse populations, changing labor markets, state-of-the-art technologies, legislative mandates, and economic factors. Changes in…

Interagency relationships have an important bearing upon the effectiveness with which public services are provided to disadvantaged populations. The present study examines interagency interactions and service delivery to the disadvantaged from both an empirical and a theoretical perspective. The findings may be helpful both in the formulation of…

The project was designed to test the feasibility of a variety of service techniques to assist chronically unemployed older workers in obtaining employment. Individuals between the ages of 45-65 who were unemployed for at least 15 months were eligible for the project. The clients were assigned to three basic groupings: (1) a rehabilitation workshop…

A community rehabilitation program (CRP) that focuses on employment services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing can best provide a full range of customized services by working collaboratively with other local agencies. Pooling resources, whether financial or staffing, is an efficient way for collaborative agencies to assist both employers…

This organizational vignette is the second in a multi-part series highlighting community rehabilitation providers. This particular issue focuses on Columbia MetroWest Human Services of Ashland, Massachusetts, an organization that works with people with developmental disabilities and has undergone major transformation resulting in greatly expanded…