Absence of conflict of interest.
Highlights
- The study's objective was to examine the impact of a vocational rehabilitation agency-sponsored summer work experience program for transition-age youth with blind or low vision (B/LV) on competitive employment, hours worked, and hourly earnings.
- Using Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services administrative case records, the authors conducted a non-experimental study using propensity score matching to compare competitive employment, hours worked, and hourly earnings at vocational rehabilitation case closure for transition-age B/LV youth in the summer work experience program to a matched comparison group.
- The study found that the summer work experience program participants had significantly higher competitive employment rates at vocational rehabilitation case closure than the matched comparison group.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this report is moderate because it was based on a well-implemented non-experimental design. This means we are somewhat confident that the estimated effects are attributable to the summer work experience program, but other factors might also have contributed.
Intervention Examined
Features of the Intervention
The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services' Blind and Deaf Services Division began offering the summer work experience program in 2005 to students at the Alabama School for the Blind. Through the summer work experience program, high school and college-aged B/LV youth can work for an employer in a community-based job for six weeks. Participants can work full time, up to 240 hours, and receive minimum wage paid by the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services. Participants start with an orientation that covers job skills training and program expectations before working with local community rehabilitation providers to find employer placements. Participants can also access job coaching and SSI or SSDI benefits assistance as needed.
Features of the Study
The study conducted a non-experimental study using propensity score matching to examine the impact of the summer work experience program for transition-age youth with B/LV on competitive employment, hours worked, and hourly earnings. The authors used de-identified Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services administrative case records. The study sample included 838 youth with a primary or secondary disability of blindness, visual impairment, or deaf-blindness who had signed up for vocational rehabilitation services with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services between 2008 and 2020. Study youth were aged 14 to 24, had an Individualized Plan for Employment, and had their case closed by April 2021.
The treatment group included 151 study youth who participated in the summer work experience program. The comparison group included study youth who did not participate in the Summer Work Experience program. The authors matched each youth from the treatment group with one from the comparison group on key participant characteristics using a one-to-one match ratio, creating a matched comparison group of 151 youth. The authors used a statistical model to compare competitive employment, hours worked, and hourly earnings at vocational rehabilitation case closure for the treatment group to the matched comparison group.
Findings
Employment
- The study found a positive statistically significant relationship between the summer work experience program and competitive employment rates at vocational rehabilitation case closure. The odds of finding competitive employment were 1.85 times greater for the intervention group than the matched comparison group.
- The study did not find a relationship between the summer work experience program and hours worked.
Earnings
- The study did not find a relationship between the summer work experience program and hourly earnings.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
Although the summer work experience program lasted only six weeks, the average case length for receiving vocational rehabilitation services through the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services was 5.73 years. During this time, participants received numerous additional vocational rehabilitation services, which could also have influenced their outcomes.
Causal Evidence Rating
Research Guidelines
Review Protocol: Living Systematic Annual Search and Review Protocol
Review Guidelines: Causal Evidence Guidelines