Background Image Alternative Text: A woman who is blind using a laptop on a wooden desk. Beside her is a braille reader, tumbler, smartphone.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Employment Interventions for People who are B/LV

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the impact of several existing interventions, including a government program, on employment outcomes for people who are blind or have low vision (B/LV).

Research Questions

  1. Are transition-age youth with B/LV who participated in a work-based learning program more likely to obtain competitive employment at vocational rehabilitation (VR) case closure than a matched comparison sample of non-participants?
  2. Do legally blind participants in a federal entrepreneurial program have higher earnings and job quality at VR case closure than a matched comparison sample of non-participants?
  3. Are adults with B/LV who participated in a paid internship program more likely to obtain competitive employment at VR case closure than a matched comparison sample of non-participants?
  4. Are legally blind consumers who received braille services more likely to obtain competitive employment at VR case closure than legally blind consumers who were offered braille services but did not receive them?

Study Summary

VR agencies, private non-profit agencies, and other organizations offer various interventions to improve employment outcomes for people who are B/LV. Correlational and anecdotal evidence support the potential benefits of several types of interventions, but most interventions implemented in practice have not been rigorously evaluated for their effectiveness in improving employment outcomes.

This project uses a retrospective cohort design to conduct rigorous evaluations of four employment interventions. We will analyze administrative data to compare outcomes between people who received the interventions and similar people who did not, using an advanced statistical method called propensity score matching to create comparable groups.

Expected Outcomes and Benefits

This project will advance knowledge about effective interventions for improving employment outcomes of people who are B/LV. The findings can inform practice, guide policy decisions, and contribute to the identification and adoption of evidence-based practices.