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ERIC Number: EJ765550
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2007-May
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-482X
EISSN: N/A
Effectiveness of the Ticket to Work Program for Beneficiaries Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision: Comparisons with Other Beneficiaries
Capella-McDonnall, Michele
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, v101 n5 p296-301 May 2007
The Ticket to Work (TTW) program is a federally funded program meant to assist persons who receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) in obtaining employment, with the ultimate goal of terminating SSA benefits and thereby providing a cost savings for the government. With its focus on employment, the TTW program would seem to be an excellent opportunity for beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision, since lower levels of employment are a well-known problem for them compared to persons without disabilities and persons with most other types of disabilities. However, the manner in which the program has been implemented has caused professionals in the field of blindness rehabilitation to voice concerns about whether the program is effective with beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision. To evaluate the effectiveness of the TTW program with beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision, the author compares the use of tickets and preliminary outcomes for these beneficiaries and those with other disabilities. Results indicate that beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision have been more likely than have those with other disabilities to assign their tickets under the TTW program. This may be indicative of the greater difficulties that these persons face in navigating the labor market and obtaining employment. Even though persons in these groups are more likely to use their tickets, they are less likely to assign their tickets to employment networks, which indicates that the program has not been as effective in providing a choice of service providers for beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision. The finding that those with other disabilities were 1.35 to 1.5 times more likely to stop cash benefits because of earnings indicates that the program has also not been as effective for beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision in obtaining employment with a high level of earnings as compared to beneficiaries with other disabilities. Although not definitive, these results provide some support for the concerns expressed by professionals in the blindness field that the TTW program has not been as effective with beneficiaries who are blind or have low vision compared to beneficiaries with other disabilities. (Contains 1 table.)
American Foundation for the Blind. 11 Penn Plaza Suite 300, New York, NY 10001. Tel: 800-232-5463; Tel: 212-502-7600; e-mail: afbinfo@afb.net; Web site: http://www.afb.org/store
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Social Security
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A