Description
The purpose of this study was to identify consumer attribute data and service delivery data regarding four groups of Deaf and hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals served by state-federal rehabilitation agencies (VR) nationwide whose cases were closed during FY 2012. The study focused on the association between that data and the DHH consumers' records of postsecondary education completion. VR support for consumers to pursue postsecondary education is considered a relatively expensive service. Expenditures tend to be larger, and service duration tends to be longer. This is especially true for populations of DHH consumers. While studies examining predictors of vocational rehabilitation outcomes can be found in the published literature, very few have focused exclusively on DHH consumers in receipt of specific rehabilitation services as conducted in this study nor have recent studies compared the DHH consumer population to the general population of consumers with other disabilities. Further, this investigation focused on critical outcomes that provided objective guidance to those at the state and federal levels to assist with planning and budgeting. The two general research questions addressed in this study were: 1. Among four subgroups of the DHH population as defined by RSA, what differences exist in terms of postsecondary education attainment, rehabilitation services provided and rehabilitation outcomes attained at the time of case closure? The four DHH subgroups as defined by RSA are: Deafness, Primary Communication Visual (n=7,866); Deafness, Primary Communication Auditory (n=3,213); Hearing Loss, Primary Communication Visual (n=2,907); and, Hearing Loss, Primary Communication Auditory (n=21,590). And, 2. Among the entire VR consumer population, what differences exist between the DHH subpopulation and the population of consumers with other disabilities (n=535,967) in terms of postsecondary education attainment, rehabilitation services provided and rehabilitation outcomes attained at the time of case closure? The methodology employed in this study was a quantitative, ex-post-facto design using an extant data file, the RSA-911 national case service record for FY 2012. There were several significant findings that emanated from this study. Based on these findings, several recommendations were offered. Among these recommendations, several suggested areas for additional research that might employ additional data sources and methodologies. There were also a number of recommendations for professionals in rehabilitation service programs and postsecondary education settings regarding efficacious service delivery strategies.
