Preliminary Results of an Employment Mentoring Program for

Legally Blind College StudentsJamie O’Mally, PhD

Overview

Purpose Employment Climate Importance of Mentoring Design & Procedures Sample Preliminary Results Future Analyses & Products Lessons Learned

Project Funding National Institute on Disability and

Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)• RRTC Improving Employment

Outcomes for Individuals who are Blind and Visually Impaired (2010-2015)

Mentoring is 1 of 6 projects

Purpose

• Does working closely with a mentor improve postgraduate employment outcomes for college students who are legally blind?

Employment Climate

Degree = JOB… Right??• Competitive job market

Disparities in Employment Rates• Transition youth with VI are justas likely to attend post-secondary schools but still less likely to be employed than youth in the general population.

• 72.6% without disabilities• 38.2% with VI (only ~1/3 full time)

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Students with Disabilities

Students who are blind have the highest rate of college attendance among students with disabilities, but many have difficulty finding employment after graduating.

Challenges? Think back to when you were

preparing to graduate and find a job. What were some of the challenges you faced?

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Students Who are Blind

May lack on-the-job experience May have inaccurate perception of what

specific careers require on a day-to-day basis

May lack a clear understanding of how blindness could impact job seeking activities and job performance

Mentoring Relationship

Mentors serve as a guide in a structured, one-on-one relationship with a younger adult who is preparing to graduate and enter the workforce.

Mentors Can Help…

Develop job search and interview skills

Provide information and advice

Serve as role models Increase student confidence Offer networking and job

shadowing opportunities

Design & ProceduresEligibilityConsent

Random AssignmentIntervention Group

Pre-Test6-MonthPost-Test

Paired with MentorOnline OrientationMentoring ManualMonthly Reports

Comparison GroupResource Sheet

Quarterly Reports

Recruitment

Students• Legally blind, living in the U.S.• Under age 35• Close to graduation• Seeking employment

Professionals• Legally blind, living in the U.S.• Currently employed or recently retired

Thanks to those who helped!!

Student & Mentor Benefits

One-on-one interactions Incentives for students Development of career

goals Access to career materials Assist with research that

seeks to benefit students who are blind

Mentor Matching

It’s not easy!! Database of mentors

• Profession & geographic location Networking (aka- Scrambling!)

• “Distance group”- subset

Participant Map

DemographicsStudents Mentors

N 51 (26 intervention, 25 Comparison)

25 (132 eligible)

Age 26.9, (20-36) 49.1, (27-64)

Gender 62.7% F, 37.3% M 64% F, 36% M

Status 72.5% undergrad27.5% grad

80% employed20% retired

Careers & Majors

Education Level of Mentors

What makes a good mentor?

Think of people in your life who may have served as a mentor to you, formally or informally.

Mentoring Manual Accommodation planning Blindness and low vision skills Disclosure Social skills Transportation Transfer of technology skills Career counseling Job shadowing Job seeking skills Job placement assistance

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Responsibilities

Participate for one year 3 hours a month face-to-face Biweekly contact Job shadowing Activity reports Engage in discussion

topics & activities

Preliminary Results Full data currently available only for C1-C3

• Cohort 4 - January 2015

Job-Seeking Self-Efficacy• Analysis includes only pre-test data (N =

51)

Employment Outcomes & Experiences in Program• Analyses include only Cohorts 1-3 (N = 23)

Job-Seeking Self-Efficacy Revised from Barlow, Wright, &

Cullen (2002) 14 Items, Confidence in Tasks on a

scale of 1-7. Students tended to give higher ratings

of confidence. Median was 76 out of 98.

Self-Efficacy Results

Highest Scores• Requesting a job

application form (6.14)

• Working on your own (6.04)

• Completing a job application form (5.88)

Lowest Scores• Telling an

employer you have a visual impairment (4.76)

• In your general interview skills (4.78)

• In your self-presentation at an interview (4.94)

Employment Outcomes

Applications & Interviews Employment Status Salary/Benefits Job Fit Job Satisfaction

Employment Results

Applications: M = 14, (Range 0-80)• Phone Interviews: M = 2, (Range 0-15)• In-person Interviews: M = 2, (Range 0-10)

Employed: 12 Yes, 11 No• Hours: 40hrs, (2 people: 36 & 20 hours)• Salary: Median $32,000 ($13,000-52,000)• Insurance: All except one

Job Satisfaction Satisfaction (scale of 1 to 5)

• I am content at my job. (3.58)• My job is enjoyable. (4.08)

Job Fit (scale of 1 to 10)• My job matches my education level.

(7.58)• My job matches my interests. (7)

Medians >means.

Experiences in the Program

High participant retention• Only 2 pairs withdrew

Program benefit Plan to stay in touch Sample success story

What They Learned

Many paths to employment Be realistic and work hard How to disclose a disability How to develop a resume and cover

letter Interview and disclosure practice Dealing with stress in the workplace Work/life balance

In Progress! Future Analyses

• All 4 cohorts• Group comparisons• Other measures (Assertiveness, Career

Optimism) Products

• Mentoring Manual• Resource Sheet• Employment Prep Listserv• Video clips on NTAC

• http://ntac.blind.msstate.edu

Lessons Learned… More group interaction Age/graduation criteria is limiting Graduation plans change… What matters most?

• Location, Disability, Profession?

Questions?

Jamie O’Mally, 662-325-2001

nrtc2@colled.msstate.edu

Project webpage:http://tiny.cc/mentor-project