Needs Assessment for Students with Sensory Disabilities in Transition

 

 

Karen Shrawder

Susan Berkeley

Anne Marie McDonnell

E. Joe Sizemore

 

ARP740

 

Special Topics

San Diego State University

May 28, 2007

 

Overview

The transition planning process outlined in a student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) and enshrined by the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) and other legislation has the overall objective of preparing students to function effectively in society following graduation from secondary education. A student’s transition needs must be assessed on an individual basis in a holistic manner with respect to the student’s own personal interests and preferences. The ethos surrounding the IEP team should be to facilitate the development of each student’s goals  and provide support in planning and making decisions around his/her present and future needs and aspirations.  Throughout transition planning, the secondary education student is to be the center of its development and accomplishment.

Sopko  (2003) outlined transition services to include “instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post school adult living objectives and where appropriate, acquisitions of daily living skills and functional vocational skills” p 20.  In the same study Sopko (2003) identified research, which indicates US states have failed to achieve minimal compliance with transition elements of the IEP set out in the legislation. Reasons for that discrepancy include the relevant personnel not being present to discuss transition, participants not receiving sufficient advance notice of meetings, and IEPs not including statements of transition services required by students. Recommendations for transition elements of the IEP include:

The goal of this needs assessment is to identify gaps in the current provision of transition services for students with sensory disabilities. The accomplishment of that goal began with the authors engaging in research and identifying that effective transition programme planning is essential to meet the needs of students with sensory disabilities that will be exiting secondary education and transitioning into the adult world of post-secondary education and/or employment.  Other results of the recently conducted literature review provided indications that the outcomes of inadequate services are young people with significant visual and/or hearing impairments leaving secondary education without the basic skills they need to be successful in the adult world.  The products of that lack of preparation are older adolescents that are not ready to take on major life responsibilities and remain dependent on public and private support systems as adults.

The authors believe that the subjects of our literature review and statistical survey have a right to receive comparable transition services during their secondary education years that other students are provided.  That is because the national legislation that establishes and funds transition services makes no distinction among students with disabilities

There are several areas in which the literature review indicated particular training inadequacies for students with sensory impairments.  Those major areas are:

v     The abilities to use assistive technology (A.T.)

v     Independent living—cooking, cleaning, etc.

v     Self-advocacy in any life situation

v     Work readiness skills for entry into employment

Each one of them is a major life area for students that have hearing and/or visual disabilities and necessary for them to be successful adults.

It is the belief of the authors that a significant improvement in the preparation of young people with sensory impairments for transition into the adult responsibilities of post-secondary education and/or employment would help to reduce the numbers of those same persons that receive public and private benefit programs and help them to become contributors to rather than recipients of the social welfare system. We also proposed that improvements in transition services to meet the needs identified (deficits in assistive technology (A.T.) training, independent living skills, abilities to self-advocate and work readiness skills would decrease the college drop-out rates of students with sensory disabilities.  As a result, improvements for each individual equate to benefits for the entire social system.

Method

In order to develop a broader perspective on the hypothesis that students with significant sensory impairments are not receiving the transition services they need, the authors determined to expand the research.  Based on the gaps in services we identified through the literature review, we decided to survey students in our target population for their opinions about their experiences with transition services in secondary education.   A survey was developed using statements followed by Likert Scales and other items with predetermined choices for answers (see Appendix A). The selection of a survey was used as the authors determined it to be “a cost-effective means of collecting information from a large number of individuals with little assistance given to participants when responding” (Soriano, 1995) and in large part due to the geographical spread of the target population in Arizona, California and Ireland. Soriano (1995) also noted the relative ease and speed with which surveys can be used to generate results that provide numerical and quantitative data.  To make the survey readily available to potential subjects, the survey instrument was distributed by mail, on a webpage through the Internet, over the telephone, and face-to-face interviews.  Those means allowed the authors to ascertain pertinent information in a timely manner.

            The target population for the survey consisted of individuals who graduated or exited secondary (second level) school from 1996 through 2006.  Those individuals were either deaf/hard of hearing, and/or blind/visually impaired.  Approximately 1,495 surveys were made accessible for this target population, enabling them to share their experiences in their transition programs.   

Development of the Survey Instrument

            The responses included in the first section of the survey are according to an ordinal  five-point Likert Scale with attributes on a level of agreement from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree. The fixed choice responses (yes/no) outlined in section 2 of the survey allow the data to be tabulated quickly as opposed to open-ended questions, which require strict coding schemes to capture the range of possible answers. Finally, demographic information was included in the survey to ascertain the population area with the greatest need.

Limitation of the Survey Instrument

According to the 1999-2000 Regional and National Summary, the Gallaudet Research Institute reported a total of 43,861 students between the ages of 3 and 18 years with hearing loss in the United States (http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Demographics /2000_National_Summary.pdf). Of this total population of youth with hearing loss, the summary documented 11,091 students between the ages of 14 and 17 years old.  Despite studies on our target population, educators do not know how many of these students have received proper education and career development because there is no such record.

Due to lack of collaboration between high school special education programs and the Department of Rehabilitation, our target population of deaf and hard of hearing transition partnership plan (TPP) high school students for this survey is not easily located. We did not send the survey to this population; rather, we sent surveys to deaf and hard of hearing clients of the Department of Rehabilitation who exited high school. None of these surveys were returned in the time allocated.  In retrospect, creating another version of the survey with the same basic questions as in the original survey for deaf and hard of hearing high school students was necessary. The revised survey would use simple English vocabulary and short sentences in order to ascertain information from the target population. This issue became apparent in administering the survey; Because American Sign Language is not a written language, and because ASL may be the individuals’ first language, English is actually their second language.  This makes the survey the authors created challenging for some individuals who are deaf.  Besides that, deaf and hard of hearing high school students’ average reading levels range between the 1st and 4th grades; the reading level of the distributed survey is higher than that. Consequently, these high school students would need assistance with answering the original survey questions or our team needs to design a survey geared toward the target population, written in simple English with easily understood questions. Therefore, at this point, no significant statistical information can be ascertained regarding the transition needs specifically for deaf and hard of hearing individuals. It is a recommendation of the authors that further research be conducted in this area. 

Survey Goals

The primary goal of the survey was to gather information on student’s needs related to skills in assistive technology, independent living, self-advocacy and vocational readiness before high school graduation. This information would then be used to provide useful data for special education teachers, parents, and vocational rehabilitation counselors, and the students as the latter  embark on the transition phase from secondary education into adult life. The survey could also be used as a tool to increase collaboration between schools and state departments of rehabilitation services for working with young adults that have sensory disabilities during this vital stage of their career exploration. Another goal of the survey’s outcomes  would be to provide evidence that the networking of such professionals on behalf of transition students would translate into young adults being well prepared for independent living and career development before leaving secondary education.  Those goals gave this survey the potential to become a valuable transition planning resource.

The Survey Results

All total, 1495 surveys were distributed.  Of that number, 42 surveys were completed and returned (38 by mail and 4 from the web page survey).  From those returns, 8 were disqualified for not meeting the criterion of having left/graduated/completed secondary education from 1996 through 2006.  As a result, 34 (n=34) were included in this analysis.  That is a return rate of 2.27%.  Of the 34 qualified responses, 7 (20.58%) were from Ireland, 18 (52.94%) were from Arizona, and 9 (26.47%) were from California.  Among the respondents were 19 (55.88%) females and 15 (44.17%) males.

 

Graph #1 – Corresponding to Section 3 of Survey (Demographics)

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graph #2 – Corresponding to Section 3 of Survey (Demographics)

 

 

 

Graph #3 – Corresponding to Section 3 of Survey (Demographics)

 

 

33 (86.84%) of the total respondents had either graduated high school or completed the Leaving Certificate in second level education.  1 person in the U.S. obtained a GED.

26 (96.29%) of the U.S. respondents graduated from high school and 7 (100%) of the Irish respondents completed the Leaving Certificate in second level education. 

29 (85.29%) of respondents noted that they had been mainstreamed in high school/second level education, 3 attended a school for the blind (8.82%), and one took classes at an institution for the deaf/blind. 

 

Graph # 4 – Corresponding to Section 2 of Survey Question 4, 5 & 6

Graph # 5 – Corresponding to Section 1 – Question 1

 

*     In regards to item 7 in section 2, “I attended transition classes during high school”, 15 (44.17%) selected yes and 18 52.94 chose no, while 1 expressed no opinion.

Graph # 6 – Corresponding to Section 2 – Question 7

Interpretation:

The majority of former secondary education students did not participate in transition services.  That is also what our literature review suggested we would find.  However, that majority includes 7 responses from Ireland where transition services are still in the development stages.  Among the U.S. respondents, there were the 15 that participated in transition training and 11 that did not; that shifts the majority to a more favourable perspective, but also denotes that significant improvement can still be made in that area.   

18 of the respondents indicated that they were attending a college or university and of that number only 4 indicated that they had received any transition training that had benefited them.  Otherwise, the other 14 had not participated in any transition services.

Graph # 7 – Corresponding to Section 2 – Question 9

 

 

Interpretation:

There were more than three-quarters (77.77%) of the respondents that are attending a college or university that indicated they did not receive any transition instruction that benefited them.  Such a result probably portends the need for incorporating post-secondary academic skills training in the preparation of students with sensory impairments in order for them to be successful.  If that result is true for the larger population, it is a strong support for our findings in the literature review and our recommendations for resolving such issues.

While the percentages are more closely divided between favourable and unfavourable answers, that number of positive responses about having received transitional training continues the pattern of replies that do not indicate strong support for our hypothesis, but, at the same time, do not connote that secondary education instruction in the area is providing for a large part of that need.

        30 (88.23%) left/graduated high school or left/completed second level education during or since 2000, 3 (8.82%) during 1998, and 1 received a GED.

18 (52.94%) of the responses indicated that the individual believed that he/she “was ready to go to work or to college, as an adult when I left high school/second level education.  Of the remainder, 14 (41.17%)either disagreed or disagreed strongly with that statement and 2 indicated no opinion.

Graph # 8 – Corresponding to Section 1 – Question 2

Interpretation:

Once again, the percentages seem to indicate a favorable response to people believing that they benefited from their secondary education experiences in regards to the skills they learned.  Still, there is the question about the 16 (47.05%) that were not positively impressed with the instruction or its absence.  This appears to be another implication of the gap in services that our literature review pointed out and a need to increase transition services for all students in high school or second level education.

Graph #9  – Corresponding to Section 1 – Question 3

Interpretation:

47.05% of respondents chose less than favorable selections about the current usefulness of the transition training they received or that was not available to them.  While that amount does not take into account the ability of those persons to learn or retain the information, it may also point to one of the gaps identified by this survey if it were applied to the total population.  Like many other results that were analysed, it does connote the need for more study in the area of the effectiveness of transition services.

13 (38.2%) did not agree that “The teachers in my transition classes did a good job teaching students with visual impairments” and 5 (14.70%) had no opinion.  16 (47.05%) indicated some form of agreement with their former teachers competency.

Interpretation:

It would be difficult to judge the implication of this result, as it is not known how many of the respondents had the same instructors.  However, it might be said that the higher number of persons in agreement with the item may indicate that the instructor or teaching method may not be so much the problem as the type or availability of topics or materials

21 (61.76%) chose disagree or disagree strongly concerning “I learned independent living skills, such as how to cook and clean, while I was in high school/secondary level education.  Only 9 (26.47%) made favorable indications about their experience and 4 (11.76) had no opinion.

Graph # 10 – Corresponding to Section 1 – Question 13

Interpretation:

This outcome represents nearly two-thirds of the responses and begins to resemble the results of our literature review.  It would seem to indicate that this important part of transition learning was not available to the survey respondents.  We strongly believe that independent living skills are necessary for anyone to be successful in post-secondary education or the world of work.  Without such skills as cooking, cleaning, and other self- and home-care abilities, people with visual and/or hearing impairments are very likely to remain dependent on their support systems to provide for many of their personal and social needs after leaving or completing secondary education.

16 (47.05%) indicated that they had learned job-seeking skills during secondary education, while 14 (41.17%) disagreed or disagreed strongly that they had obtained those skills and 4 (11.76%) had no opinion.

Graph # 11 – Corresponding to Section 1 – Question 15

 

Interpretation:

Once again, the majority did not make favorable choices about their experiences with learning job-seeking skills.  As an adult activity, knowing how to find jobs and obtain them is essential to one’s success in the world of work.  This can be even more so for people that have the sensory disabilities we included in our target population and for whom stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice among employers may confront them in the pursuit of employment.  It is therefore very important that skills such as resume writing and interviewing be included in their job seeking tool kits.

Graph # 11 – Corresponding to Section 1 – Question 14

 

            In regards to the former students feeling included in the planning for their education: 24 (70.58%) agreed or agreed strongly, 8 (23.52%) disagreed or disagreed strongly, and 2 (5.8%) expressed no opinion.

For the item: “I was the leader in some of my Individualized Education Plan meetings”, 24 (70.58%) disagreed or disagreed strongly, 7 (20.58%) agreed, and 3 (8.82%) indicated no opinion.

 

Selections for “I was able to make important decisions during my Individualized Education Plan” were: 17 (50%) disagreed or disagreed strongly, 12 (35.29%) agreed or strongly agreed, and 5 (14.70%) chose no opinion.

21 (61.76%) indicated they agreed or strongly agreed that “I was encouraged to advocate for myself in my high school/second level education classes”, only 4 (11.76%) disagreed (0 disagreed strongly) and 9 (26.47) chose no opinion.

Interpretation:

Student participation in IEP meetings in the U.S. appears encouraging with over two-thirds indicating that they were involved in those gatherings.  Of that number, 50% (12:24) did indicate that they had made important decisions during the IEP sessions.  We believe that student inclusion in IEP meetings is important because involvement in each part of the educational process provides young people with a sense of their centrality in its accomplishment.  That participation can also provide them with the beginnings for understanding informed decision-making that is also important to other choices throughout life.  Still, the responses from Ireland were rather discouraging because none (0:7) of the former students agreed that they participated in IEP meetings and as a result they expressed their disagreement about being able to make any decisions about their educational plans through such personal involvement in the process.

Student involvement and leadership in their IEP development meetings can also be integral to their formation of self-advocacy skills.  It was in regards to that particular ability that we received a negative response from the majority of the participants.  We believe that if young people are going to succeed in making the transition into the responsibilities of adult life, they will need to know how to be the proponents of and negotiators for their personal, educational, employment, and other social interests.

(29.41%) of the respondents (5 Arizona, 1 California, and 4 Ireland) indicated that they were currently employed.

Interpretation:

The less than one-third of respondents currently being employed is indicative of U.S. statistics regarding people with disabilities that are working.  It can also be an incentive for us as VR professionals to provide more out-reach to the secondary school systems in an attempt to involve more students in the services that are available to them and to try to improve their possibilities for success in their adult lives.  The next results from the survey provide some evidence of what we discovered about that matter.

 16 (47.05%) of the U.S. respondents began receiving VR services during their high school years and the other 18 participants (52.9%) in the survey did not. None of the  Irish students were participating with the National Training and Employment Agency (Fas). 

16 (47.05%) indicated they are receiving VR services, and 18 (52.9%) are not.

 Interpretation:

All but two (7:9) of the respondents from California began receiving VR services while in high school and so did half (9:18) of the Arizonans surveyed.  This may provide some indication that state VR services such as the Transition Plan Program in California, and Arizona’s Youth Transition or Transition to Work programs are reaching out to students with sensory disabilities.  Of those 16 that began VR services in high school, 12 are continuing to participate in them at the time they responded to the survey. No students in Ireland interacted or began utilising the support of Fas (Ireland’s National Training and Employment Agency) while in second level education. As with the student population in Arizona and California it would suggest that there is a need for the Department of Education and the Department of Enterprise Trade and Development in Ireland  (under the aegis of Fas) to forge links to support students in the transition phase and explore supports, grants and incentives available to students considering academic studies or employment.

Certainly, it is through interventions such as those in the recommendations section of this needs assessment that VR services can improve the opportunities for secondary education students that are and are not receiving school transition services.  Those interventions will be designed to improve the student’s skills and abilities in four major areas: independent living, assistive technology, employment, and self-advocacy.

Conclusion

If students with sensory impairments of vision and/or hearing are not provided with the techniques and skills they need, they will not be well prepared for success as adults.  As a result, they will be poorly trained to exercise the independent daily living techniques that are needed for good self-care.  To add to that, without the college survival skills needed to fully and actively take part in the post-secondary education environment, it is not likely that those same young people will be able to take full advantage of that learning experience and personally benefit from it.  Also, persons that have left or graduated secondary education but not been prepared to participate in the labour market will have little chance of obtaining employment or advancing beyond entry-level jobs.  The overall outcome for the young people with hearing and vision disabilities that are the product of inadequate transition services will most likely be a future of psychosocial and financial dependency on public/private social service programs and their personal support systems.  As a result, those outcomes will not allow adolescents with vision and hearing disabilities to have similar life opportunities as their non-disabled peers or permit them to fulfil the personal and social obligations they will encounter as adults.

            Such dismal outcomes will have further negative personal and social impacts.  In such an environment of dependency as has been presented, the subjects of this study that become young adults after secondary education will probably have low self-esteem because of their inabilities to incorporate independent living techniques in their lives.  Their struggles in post-secondary school will be compounded by their lack of personal abilities to obtain and use information in the academic world of higher education, and they will need and even demand greater supports from college accommodation providers.  Employers will also have little reason to be favourably impressed with such ill-prepared job seekers that do not have the resume writing and interviewing skills needed to gain entry into the labour market.  Those problems as separate elements or as combined ingredients will not help to resolve personal and social issues of negative stereotypes, low expectations, or other personal and public prejudicial regard for dependency and inability.  Those are the likely results for exiting secondary education students that are not prepared for adult life by transition services.

Recommendations

After completing our literature review and conducting this needs assessment, the authors have several recommendations for changes that need to be made to transition services provided to students with sensory impairments while they are in high school/secondary education.  As previously stated, the IEP is the document that guides the transition team as they provide services to the individual student.  Therefore, changes must begin with the IEP itself. Sometimes an added ITP (Individualized Transition Plan) is created as a part of the IEP.  This allows elements of the transition plan to be documented and signed by staff members, parents/guardians, and, most important, the student.  Recommendations for transition elements of the IEP include:

It is also recommended that other agencies, such as the Department of Rehabilitation, be involved in a student’s transition plan before that individual leaves high school/secondary education.  With a team of cooperative agencies involved, it is more likely that these gaps in transition services can and will be filled.  If agencies are involved who can provide additional services, such as training with a variety of assistive technology devices/aids, more independent living skills training, perhaps even in the high school student’s home environment, and vocational training to provide assistance with career development, interviewing skills, and resume writing, then those gaps may be eliminated.  However, this does not mean that the school districts are not responsible for these transition services, and they must be willing to take on these essential responsibilities while accepting the collaboration of other involved agencies.

It is also recommended that vocational rehabilitation counsellors, or other agencies, reach out to high school students who are deaf and hard of hearing and become involved in their transition programs.  They need to ensure that the deaf or hard of hearing individual has an IEP that agrees with their skills, abilities, interests, and their needs; transition services must be included in their IEP’s as well.  It is particularly necessary that they receive the communication skills they need as they transition into postsecondary education and/or employment.  They need the English and grammar skills that will allow them to effectively communicate with non-disabled individuals.  They also need training with assistive technology devices/aids that will improve their communication with others, enabling them to successfully transition into adult life.  It is necessary that the deaf and hard of hearing individuals have a team of supportive professionals to assist them in this transition process.

References

Sopko, K. (2003) “The IEP: A synthesis of current literature since 1997.” Prepared for Project FORUM, National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDSE): Alexandria, VA

Gallaudet Research Institute. (2007). Annual survey: 2004-2005 regional and national summary. Downloaded May 18, 2007 from http://gri.gallaudet.edu/Demographics/2000_National_Summary.pdf).

Appendix 1

Transition Survey

 

The following survey on High School Transition is being conducted by several graduate students currently enrolled in a Master’s degree program, in Rehabilitation Counseling, at San Diego State University.   A review of current literature on high school transition has raised several questions about the quality of these transition classes.  Your answers to the following questions will help us obtain information about the experiences of students with hearing and/or visual disabilities in those transition classes.

 

If you are eighteen (18) years or older and left or completed high school/second level education from 1996 to 2006, we invite your participation in this survey. Your participation is completely voluntary.  Your answers will be confidential as no personal or other identifying information is included with your answers.  Please note there is no right or wrong answer to the items on this survey.  

This survey is available in an electronic format at WWW.The-FBC.Org/SDSU_Survey.  You may complete this survey on-line at that address rather than filling-out and returning this print survey.

 

Note:  Assistive Technology (A.T.) refers to any piece of equipment, or device that assists a person in completing tasks independently.  A.T. can range from very simple to very complex solutions.

 

 

Section One

 

In this section please circle the number that best applies to you using the scale provided below:

 

1= Strongly Agree     2= Agree         3= No Opinion           4= Disagree    5= Strongly Disagree

 

  1. I feel that I received the transition services I needed before leaving high school/second level education.

 

  1         2          3         4          5

 

  1. I was ready to go to work or to college, as an adult when I left high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I am currently using the A.T. skills I learned in high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I participated in my IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meetings during high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I was the leader in some of my IEP meetings.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I was able to make important decisions during my IEP meetings.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

 

  1. My parent(s) or guardian(s) wanted me to be in transition classes during high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. My parent(s) or guardian(s) made some decisions during IEP meetings.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I was encouraged to advocate for myself in my high school/second level education classes.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. An aide/personal assistant always helped me in my high school/second level education classes.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. The teachers in my transition classes did a good job teaching students with hearing impairments.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. The teachers in my transition classes did a good job teaching students with visual impairments.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I learned independent living skills, such as how to cook and clean, while I was in high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I didn’t receive enough training with communication devices/skills (TTY, Video Phone, Sidekick, writing skills, Braille, etc.) while in high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I learned job seeking skills in my transition classes in high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

  1. I was friends with my non-disabled peers in high school/second level education.

 

1          2          3          4          5

 

 

 

Section Two

 

The following statements require a YES or NO response.  Please circle the one that applies to you.

 

1.  I became a client of vocational rehabilitation services while in high school/second level education . 

YES          NO

 

2.  I am currently receiving vocational rehabilitation services.  YES         NO

Please identify those services ___________________________________________________________.

 

  1. On an average I see my vocational rehabilitation counselor/guidance officer at least once every two or three months.  YES  NO

 

4.  I went to a high school for the blind.    YES    NO

 

5.  I went to a high school for the deaf.     YES    NO

 

6.  I was mainstreamed and went to a public high school.     YES   NO

 

7.  I attended transition classes during high school.    YES     NO

 

8.  I am currently enrolled in a college or university.     YES     NO

 

9.  The skills I learned in my transition classes contributed to my success in college/university.  YES   NO

 

10. I currently have a job.   YES     NO   If not, are you currently looking for work?   YES   NO

 

11. The skills I learned in my transition classes prepared me for work.   YES    NO

 

12.  I was employed while in high school.   YES     NO

 

13. I took some college courses while in high school.   YES     NO

 

 

Section Three - Demographics

 

Please circle the response that best describes you:

 

1) Gender:    Male   Female                                        

2) I attend high school in:  Arizona   California

3) I graduated from high school:   YES   NO            

4) I received my GED:   YES   NO

5) I completed the Leaving Certificate in second level education:  YES   NO

6) I attended second level education in Ireland:   YES   NO

7) I left or graduated from high school in: ____________ (year).

8) I left or completed second level education in: ___________ (year).

 

Thank you for your participation in answering the items on this survey.  Information about the survey results will be posted on the website at www.the-fbc/sdsu-survey