TY - JOUR
T1 - Opening up a 'whole new world'
T2 - Employer and co-worker perspectives on working with individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication
AU - McNaughton, David
AU - Light, Janice
AU - Gulla, Stephanie
N1 - Funding Information:
This research is part of the Communication Enhancement Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (AAC-RERC), which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research of the U.S. Department of Education under grant number H133E980026. The opinions contained in this publication are those of the grantee and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Education. Additional information on the AAC-RERC is available at http://www.aac-rerc.org/. The authors would like to offer their sincere thanks to the participants who contributed their time and ideas to this project. Pseudonyms have been used throughout the text in order to protect the confidentiality of the participants. The authors would also like to thank Karen D’Silva for her assistance with data collection activities.
PY - 2003/12
Y1 - 2003/12
N2 - Fourteen employers and co-workers who worked with individuals who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) completed a survey describing their employment experiences. A qualitative analysis identified four major themes in the responses: (a) benefits of employing individuals who use AAC, (b) challenges to the employment situation, (c) supports to the employment situation, and (d) recommendations for improving employment outcomes for individuals who use AAC. Respondents identified the following as key factors that had a significant impact on employment outcomes for individuals who use AAC: (a) identification and development of good job matches, (b) educational and vocational preparation, (c) reliability of AAC technology, (d) attitudes of co-workers, (e) accessibility of the workplace, and (f) availability of transportation and personal care services.
AB - Fourteen employers and co-workers who worked with individuals who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) completed a survey describing their employment experiences. A qualitative analysis identified four major themes in the responses: (a) benefits of employing individuals who use AAC, (b) challenges to the employment situation, (c) supports to the employment situation, and (d) recommendations for improving employment outcomes for individuals who use AAC. Respondents identified the following as key factors that had a significant impact on employment outcomes for individuals who use AAC: (a) identification and development of good job matches, (b) educational and vocational preparation, (c) reliability of AAC technology, (d) attitudes of co-workers, (e) accessibility of the workplace, and (f) availability of transportation and personal care services.
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U2 - 10.1080/07434610310001595669
DO - 10.1080/07434610310001595669
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:1842535863
SN - 0743-4618
VL - 19
SP - 235
EP - 253
JO - AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
JF - AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
IS - 4
ER -