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The employment rate of people with disabilities continues to
be grim. More than two thirds of men and women with disabilities
(ages 16 - 64) are unemployed despite their overwhelming desire
to work, the passage of the "tech act" in 1988 and
the Americans
with Disabilities Act in 1990, improvements in employer
attitudes since the passage of the ADA, and the lowest unemployment
rates in history. There are many barriers to the employment
of adults who use AAC including poor preparation for the world
of work, limited employment-related vocabulary preprogrammed
into their communication devices, financial disincentives to
work, and limited opportunities for first job experiences as
young adults.
Technology has enabled many individuals with significant speech
disabilities to "gain a voice." More and more individuals
who rely on augmentative communication are comfortable and skillful
with computer technology. They routinely use dedicated talking
computers (augmentative communication devices), and use personal
computers for word processing and to access the Internet and
the World Wide Web. Several of the 300 subscribers to ACOLUG
have their own web
pages.
The potential of technology for supporting the communication
needs of people with significant communication disabilities
has already been demonstrated. This five-year project hopes
to demonstrate the potential of technology as one employment
solution for selected individuals who use AAC.
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ACETS 1999 included six participants. After completion of the
program, each participant was contacted bi-weekly by either
a face-to-face meeting, phone call, or e-mail. Each participant
was required to submit monthly timesheets to track their progress.
A final close out session and goal planning session was held,
with 5 of the 6 participants attending. They participated in
a focus group discussion and individual planning session, and
completed a post program survey. Follow up of ACETS 1999 participants
included technical assistance meetings, attending planning meeting
with OVR, arranging two technical assistance daylong workshops,
and collecting final data. One participant of ACETS 1999 secured
two part-time positions, one as a bookkeeper and one providing
AAC training to a young man who uses an AAC device. Additionally,
one ACETS 1999 participant has started his own business.
Two people attended ACETS 2000, which was four days longer
than ACETS 1999 to provide the opportunity for additional technical
training. Follow up activities included technical assistance
visits, visits to train facilitators, and attending planning
meetings with the participant's OVR counselors. One participant
secured halftime employment as a trainer at Philadelphia's Center
for Independent living, which later became a full-time position.
ACETS has provided numerous technical assistance visits to ensure
that the proper accommodations are in place for her to complete
her job responsibilities.
A draft curriculum and a research manuscript have emerged from
ACETS 1999 & 2000. Numerous papers were presented at national
and international conferences, a white paper on AAC and Web
access was disseminated via the web; and standards for web access
and AAC was presented to the W3C consortium. With the sudden
death of Dr. Leonard Kasday, Engineer, a graduate assistantship
in his memory to promote Web accessibility has been established.
In addition to ACETS, several related projects have emerged.
ACETS Employment Vocabulary
- A study
was conducted that looked at a variety of different vocabulary
systems to assess how well they meet the vocabulary requirements
of employment, as well as other topics critical of adult vocabulary.
The ACETS Employment Vocabulary was designed to provide quick
access to a wide range of words that will be useful in finding
and maintaining employment. It was also designed to bring more
attention to employment of augmented communicators, those who
they communicate with, and anyone who either manufactures or
programs AAC devices. The ACETS Employment vocabulary is currently
available in several downloadable formats with more to follow
soon. Please visit the ACETS
Employment Vocabulary web page for more information.
SSIBenny - SSIBenny.com
is an online disabilities benefit calculator. Benny is a joint
project of the Institute
on Disabilities and Matrix Research Institute
with funding from the RERC
on Communication Enhancement, NIDDR,
and The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Benny was developed to be a simple and user-friendly tool for
individuals to figure out how earning money from employment
will impact their disability benefits. SSI Benny currently calculates
benefits for the State of Pennsylvania, however we plan to extend
its capabilities to more states soon.
Job-Related Social Networks
- From the work of ACETS emerged the need to study another aspect
of the low employment of people who use AAC. There is no research
on the job-related social networks of people who use AAC. However,
there is much research for typical populations and other marginalized
populations to suggest that human capital (e.g., skills) is
not sufficient for employment. Social capital (e.g., rich, diverse
social networks) is critical. The research that is being conducted
on job-related social networks is in two phases. Phase I (near
completion) looks at the scope, depth, and effectiveness of
social networks among 40 persons who use AAC (some employed,
some not; some college educated, some not: and a small sample
of non-disabled counterparts). The role that technology plays
in these job-related social networks is also being studied.
Phase II will investigate the roles of human capital, especially
related to technology, and social capital needed for employment
from an employer's perspective. Results from these two studies
should inform vocational rehabilitation professionals, AAC consumers,
and AAC manufacturers about skills and technology needed to
improve employment outcomes for people who use AAC.
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