IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR MINORITY WOMEN WITH DISABILITIES: Complex problems require complex solutions

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IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR MINORITY WOMEN WITH
DISABILITIES Complex problems require complex
solutions

• FABRICIO E BALCAZAR, PhD
• Center on Capacity Building for Minorities with
  Disabilities Research
• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO

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Starting point

• Prevailing approaches to school improvement do
  not effectively deal with factors leading to and
  maintaining students problems, specially in
  low-income communities of color.

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Reality OF Urban Environments

• Unstable neighborhoods
• Over committed families (multiple jobs, multiple
  dependents, unemployment)
• Poor housing and transportation options
• Limited communication/collaboration between
  social service advocacy organizations (ILCs,
  VR, CBOs, schools)
• Under-resourced schools
• Stressed organizations have a difficult time of
  implementing Best Practices
• Unfair school funding formulas (property taxes)

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Reality in Urban Environments (continued)

• High demand on service providers contribute to
• Poor person-centered planning (e.g., IEPs,
  ITPGs)
• Challenges of involving social support (families,
  peers, friends)
• Challenges with collaborating with other agencies
  service providers
• Poor individual outcomes
• Academic (i.e., schools placed on academic
  probation, high dropout rates, crisis driven
  intervention and support)
• Transition (i.e., employment, independent living,
  post-secondary education)

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Reality in Urban Environments (continued)

• Students are unmotivated and many do not care
  about their education. They do not see education
  as a real mechanism for social mobility
• Many teachers do not expect minority students
  with disabilities to go to college and pursue
  post-high school education. They do not challenge
  or have high expectations for these students
• Most low-income minority families have similar
  low expectations about their children with
  disabilities and are unaware of VR and other
  college assistance programs

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Issues for women with disabilities

• Pregnancy
• Dropout
• Lower incomes than boys
• Low expectations from parents and teachers
• Dependency
• Low self-esteem
• Discrimination

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What is missing?

• Direct facilitation of development and learning
• Addressing contextual barriers

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• ENABLING COMPONENT
• Addressing interfering factors
• Re-engaging students in classroom instruction

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addressing interfering factors

• The College Connection to Career Development and
  Choices in Transition Projects from UIC
• Projects funded by RSA and OSERS

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The College Connection to Career Development
Intervention Model

• Organizations CPS CCC
  IORS
• Activities
• Service
• Delivery
• Skills
• Development

Outreach Training
Post-Secondary Support
Job Development
On-the-job Support
CCC Career Dev. Office Personnel
Special Education Personnel
Disability Services Personnel
VR Counselor
UIC Case Manager
UIC Case Manager
UIC Case Manager
UIC Case Manager

• College Application
• Finical Aid
• Vocational Assessment
• Job Shadowing
• Training in goal setting
• action planning and
• help-recruiting
• Self-Advocacy training

• Tutoring
• Curriculum Adaptations
• Assistive technology
• Problem Solving
• Advocacy regarding
• rights Services
• Peer Support

• Job Searching
• Job Interviewing
• Resume writing
• Job Clubs

• Job Etiquette
• Job Maintenance
• Career Advice
• Assistive Tech.

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What did the case managers do?

• Problem solving with the students (including
  crisis managing)
• Parents education and negotiation (referrals)
• Classroom support, co-teaching (at high schools)
  visits to colleges test preparation
• Advocacy at the city colleges (dealing with
  teachers accessibility) tutoring
• Scheduled VR appointments with counselors
  advocacy

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134 (82) of Participants Placed in
Post-Secondary Education PROGRAMS

• Associates credit (30)
• Office specialist (19)
• Pre-college credit (12)
• Referred to IORS for job placement (9)
• Pharmacy tech (6)
• A certification (5)
• Security training (5)
• Auto-mechanic program (4)
• CNA (4)
• Medical billing/coding (4)
• Cosmetology (3)
• Vocational training through Harold Washington
  College (3)

• Computer literacy (3)
• 4-year college (2)
• Radiology (2)
• EMT (2)
• Computer graphics (2)
• Medical terminology (2)
• Electronic industrial maintenance mgr. (2)
• Medical office specialist (2)
• Fiber optics, electrical classes, carpentry, sign
  language PT/OT (1 each)
• Dropped for various reasons (8)

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Conclusions

• The school does not function independently of the
  issues of the community that surrounds it. It is
  an integral part and a reflection of the problems
  affecting the community.
• There is a need for comprehensive school reform
  that promotes school engagement in classroom
  instruction and deals with the multiple barriers
  facing low-performing youth.

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Conclusions (continued)

• The school services and supports should be
  coordinated with community agencies and state
  programs that deal with the multiple barriers
  that low-performing students face.
• Additional resources could be used to build the
  networks and provide the supports (comprehensive
  case management) that low-income students with
  disabilities and their families need to graduate.

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Conclusions (continued)

• We need to agree on what success means for
  low-income minority youth with disabilities.
  Graduating with low standards or aging-out is
  not.
• There is great variability among schools,
  districts, and states with regards to transition
  preparation and outcomes. There is a need for
  instituting and enforcing national standards for
  transition planning, preparation and curricula
  based on specific skills and experiences that
  promote post-high school employment.

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Conclusions (continued)

• Adult education and certificate programs at local
  colleges can offer multiple career opportunities
  to youth with disabilities. Some of these
  programs could be offered while the students are
  still in high school, since most professional
  training programs have been eliminated as a
  result of the NCLB emphasis on meeting academic
  standards.

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References

• Garcia-Iriarte, E., Balcazar, F. E.,
  Taylor-Ritzler, T. (2007). Analysis of case
  managers support of youth with disabilities
  transitioning from school to work. Journal of
  Vocational Rehabilitation, 26, 129-140.
• McDonald, K. E., Keys, C. B., Balcazar, F. E.
  (2007). Disability, race/ethnicity and gender
  Themes of cultural oppression, acts of individual
  resistance. American Journal of Community
  Psychology, 39, 145-161.
• National Center for Mental Health in Schools at
  UCLA (2008). Frameworks for systematic
  transformation of students and learning supports.
  Los Angeles, CA Author.
• http//smhp.psych.ucla.edu