Vocational Rehabilitation Outcomes of Adults with Co-Morbid Borderline IQ and Specific Learning Disabilities - Statistical Data Included

Journal of Rehabilitation, Oct-Dec, 2000 by Mardis D. Dunham, Michael P. Schrader, Karen S. Dunham

Note: Figures in cells are number of actual cases.

(*) p < .05.

Table 4

Comparisons of Closure Types using Demographic and Psychometric Variables

Variable          Successful    Unsuccessful
                   (n = 55)       (n = 43)

Age at appl.        22.44          22.12
                    (8.06)         (7.6)

Grade               10.93          11.12
                    (1.18)         (1.24)

Longest Job         16.83          16.86
 in Months         (30.42)        (31.78)

Number of Jobs       1.80           1.90
                    (1.81)         (2.27)

Months in DVR       21.02          28.14
                   (13.24)        (16.03)

Full Scale IQ       78.66          77.72
                    (3.99)         (3.72)

Verbal IQ           77.31          77.65
                    (5.46)         (4.87)

Performance IQ      83.02          80.84
                    (4.70)         (6.53)

Reading Score       72.46          70.42
                   (10.78)         (9.17)

Math Score          68.64          67.91
                    (9.94)        (10.10)

Writing Score       70.62          66.79
                    (9.80)         (9.25)

Variable             t     df      p

Age at appl.       .200    96    .842
Grade              .769    96    .444
Longest Job        .005    93    .996
 in Months
Number of Jobs     .232    90    .817
Months in DVR     2.41     96    .018(*)
Full Scale IQ     1.18     96    .239
Verbal IQ          .322    96    .748
Performance IQ    1.92     96    .058
Reading Score      .989    96    .325
Math Score         .358    96    .721
Writing Score     1.97     96    .052

Note: Numbers in parentheses are standard deviations.

(*) p < .05.

Table 5

Summary of Vocational Rehabilitation Services for the Closures Types

Service(a)                      Successful    Unsuccessful
                                 (n = 55)       (n = 43)

College Training                     6              3
Vo-Tech School                       2              2
Proprietary School                   1              3
On-the-Job Training                 20             13
Work Adjustment/Job-coaching        17             10
Specific Skill Training
 (e.g., apprenticeship)              3              3
Vocational Counseling                6              9

Note. Figures in cells are number of actual cases.

(a) Null hypothesis was retained [[Chi.sup.2] (6, N = 98) = 4.50, p = .610].

Discussion

Two variables, length of time in DVR and race, were associated with unsuccessful closure. The significant difference in length of time receiving DVR services is a logical finding - counselors continued to provide services in an effort to secure successful employment for their individual clients. Although the over-representation of African Americans in the unsuccessful group is consistent with previous findings (Danek & Lawrence, 1982; Feist-Price, 1995; Herbert & Martinez, 1992; RSA, 1992), the available data does not lend itself to hypotheses testing, particularly when considering the low numbers of African Americans in the study. Some researchers (e.g., Sue & Sue, 1990) have reported that African American clients tend to drop out of counseling at a higher rate than Caucasians, while others (Ayers, 1977; Feist-Price & Ford-Harris, 1994) have hypothesized that African Americans may regard the referral process negatively and choose other means of finding employment. Still others have suggested that African Americans experience frustration in the steps and delays in the rehabilitation process (Dziekan & Okocha, 1993), significant differences in expenditures for services (Feist-Price, 1995), and inequitable treatment due to counselor bias (Rosenthal & Kosciulek, 1996). Any of these factors, singly or in combination, may account for differences in rehabilitation rates between Caucasian and African Americans.