Project Description:
***Rationale***
Employment is a central aspect of the well-being for people with disabilities. Studies have shown that employment has positive impacts on social interactions, living arrangements, self- perspectives and self-esteem, economic safety, and productivity (Priebe, Warner, Jubschmid, and Eckle, 1998; Butterworth & Gilmore, 2000; Stephens, Collins, & Dodder, 2005). However, individuals with disabilities have achieved poorer employment outcomes compared to people without disabilities. According to a recent progress report (2011) from the National Council on Disability (NCD), individuals with disabilities continue to encounter employment problems such as lower employment rates and lower annual earnings. These include lower employment rates, lower income, and lack of support in the workplace (Deleire, 2000). The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics reported there is only 17.9% of people with disabilities were employed compared to 65.3% of those without disabilities. The median income for the former group is much lower than that of the latter group (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015 & 2017). In a recent study, Ju, Kortering, Osmani, & Zhang (2015) analyzed vocational rehabilitation data from one state and found that, although over 94% of the individuals are employed in integrated settings, the average weekly wage is only $9.39.
One of the major obstacles that impedes people with disabilities obtaining employment is the lack of employability skills. Employability skills refer to general and nontechnical competencies required for performing all jobs, regardless of types or levels of jobs. They are not job specific, but are considered attributes of employees that make them an asset to employers (Buck & Barrick, 1987), and are skills which cut horizontally across all industries and vertically across all jobs from entry level to chief executive officer (Sherer & Eadie, 1987, p. 16). Studies revealed that employers expressed concerns on whether people with disabilities have necessary work-related skills and personality attributes (Johnson, Greenwood, & Schriner, 1988). Unemployment and job loss are associated with concerns on inadequate work skills, poor attendance, work behaviors, ability to follow instruction, communication, personal appearance, and safety (Blanck, 1998; Chadsey & Beyer, 2001; Olson, Cioffi, Yovanoff, & Mank, 2001).
Employability skills are important for job search and retention. Employers negative attitudes and stereotypes towards the employability for people without disabilities often become a barrier of hiring. Ju and colleagues (2012) developed an instrument of the employability rating scale (ERS) to investigate employers expectations on employability skills for entry-level employees with and without disabilities. They identified five domains of employability skills, including Basic Skills, Higher Order Thinking Skills, Basic Work Skills, Social Skills, and Personal Traits.
Not surprisingly, employers indicated higher expectations for people without disabilities than those for people with disabilities in all five domains. There is an increasing attention to promote employment outcomes for people with disabilities in order to improve their overall well-being and reduce the high poverty rates around the globe. Research shows that employers like to hire individuals who have adequate employability skills. Employers who self-reported as not actively recruiting employees with disabilities cited a lack of employability skills and experiences as the major reason for not hiring them (Domzal, Houtenville, and Sharma (2008). Inadequate work skills, poor attendance, abusive behaviors, refusing to accept instructions, tardy, appearance, and safety have been associated with job loss for individuals with disabilities (Blanck, 1998; Chadsey & Beyer, 2001; Olson, Cioffi, Yovanoff, & Mank, 2001).
However, there is no existing curriculum that is specifically designed to teach employability skills to students with disabilities, especially a curriculum to meet the needs of high school students with disabilities in Texas. Hence, there is a need to develop a Pre-ETS Elective Course for high school students to learn these important skills before transitioning out of high school and prepared for employment after high school graduation.
***Project Goal***
The goal of the project is to develop Basic Employability Skills Training (BEST), an innovative curriculum for employability skills training based on research evidences. The curriculum can be used in Texas high schools for teaching employability skills to high school juniors and seniors who are eligible for pre-ETS services with the potential to gain employment. The curriculum can be a Pre-ETS Elective Course. Some major objectives of the project include:
a. Identify from the literature and our own research important employability skills for students with disabilities
b. Identify curriculum components that help students develop employability skills
c. Develop lessons of the Basic Employability Skills Training (BEST)
d. Gather feedback from stakeholders and subsequent revisions
e. Field-test the Basic Employability Skills Training (BEST) and subsequent revisions
f. Finalize the Basic Employability Skills Training (BEST)
