This study investigated the effect of participation in a 14-day career redirection program on the reemployment, explanations for unemployment, and levels of depression and self-esteem of 44 unemployed adults who had recently become physically disabled. The career redirection program was delivered using an extended Solomon four-group design. The subjects’ explanations for their unemployment, and their levels of depression and self-esteem were measured on at least two of four possible occasions: (a) before participating in the program, (b) after completing the program, (c) after waiting to participate in the program, or (d) eight weeks after completing the program. The researcher contacted the subjects who completed the program after eight weeks to determine their employment status and to request the completion of the final questionnaire battery. A random sample of the subjects who finished the program were also interviewed in-depth to obtain detailed information about their experiences of: (a) becoming disabled, (b) being confronted with the need to change jobs as a result of their disabilities, and (c) participating in the career redirection program. All the incidents reported by the subjects that related to their emotional reactions to these three experiences were identified from transcripts of the interviews. Incidents describing similar reactions to components of these experiences were grouped into categories. Six stages were discerned from the analysis of the categories of emotional reactions. Taken together, these six stages described a career redirection process. The results of the study demonstrated the effectiveness of the treatment program in assisting the subjects through the career redirection process. Eight weeks after finishing the program, 60.5% of the subjects were involved in reemployment activities (11.6% working; 28% independent in job search; 20.9% taking training). Contrary to the researcher’s expectations, the subjects did not exhibit the effects of long-term unemployment documented in the literature, possibly because they....

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The study compared competence satisfaction in a ball striking activity, as measured by risk taking and achievement, of individuals with ( N = 16) and without (N = 18) physical disabilities under mastery and performance orientation climates. The students ranged in age from 7-13 years. They were required to strike a ball into nets of three different size-distance combinations. Results supported the first hypothesis of no competence satisfaction differences between the groups under mastery and performance climates. The second hypothesis that the introduction of performance climate would increase risk taking and this would affect achievement accomplishments and competence satisfaction was also supported. Nonetheless, performance climate had a different effect on each ability group with regard to achievement accomplishments. Specifically, performance climate undermined achievement accomplishments for individuals with physical disabilities and encouraged achievement accomplishments for peers without disabilities. Hence, individuals with physical disabilities did not satisfy their need of competence in the same manner as peers without disabilities in the performance climate. For those with physical disabilities performance appears to be crucial, whereas for peers without disabilities risk taking is essential.

According to Statistics South Africa (2005, p.1) approximately 5 percent of the total South African population are affected with different types of disabilities. People with disabilities experience marginalization and despite legislation and advocacy their employment opportunities are limited. Due to lack of social and physical infrastructure they are excluded from places of employment. This study aimed to document the perceptions and experiences of mildly intellectually disabled adults with regard to skills training at two protected workshops in the Durban region. The medical, social and biopsychosocial models of disability have influenced policy design and legislation over the years. In recent years due to a paradigm shift disability is viewed within the biopsychosocial model of disability. Thus the theoretical and conceptual framework underpinning my study is the biopsychosocial model of disability which focuses on functioning at the level of the whole person in a social context. The second conceptual lens of my study focuses on the concept of self-determination. Self-determined individuals are those that bring about a change in their own lives. Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences forms the third conceptual lens of my study. This new concept of intelligence includes areas such as music, spatial relations and interpersonal knowledge in addition to mathematical and linguistic ability. The study was conducted within the interpretivist paradigm. It was a qualitative study that adopted a life history approach. Interviews and observation were the two methods of data collection as this enabled me to gain an in-depth understanding of the participants’ perceptions and experiences. The data is presented in the form of life history narratives. Content analysis was used to analyse the data and coding was used to categorise the data into themes. The conclusions reached in the study are included with recommendations for areas of further research with the aim of skills training leading to an income generating activity as well as improving the employment opportunities of mildly intellectually disabled people. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This document summarizes the results of an investigation into the experiences of students with physical impairments studying at Durban University of Technology. The purpose of the investigation is to understand how these students live their lives amongst the able-bodied students and how they cope in the environment created for able-bodied students. The study aims at heightening the awareness of DUT community about the students with impairments’ needs. The study will also attempt to explore how the facilities of the institution are accommodative to these students with impairments. The study hopes to shape the policies regarding the students with impairments at DUT as the government had developed policies which are inclusive of people with impairments.. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This study explores how experience with a chronically ill or disabled sibling may affect prospective reproductive attitudes and behavior. Eighty-two young adults were interviewed using a structured, written questionnaire, which included the index of Family Relations (IFR) developed by Hudson (1982). Respondents in the main group (n = 41) had siblings with either a single-gene, hereditary illness or a physical/intellectual handicap. A multiple regression analysis examined how different group and subgroup combinations of the sibling factor might predict reproductive attitudes, controlling for sociodemographic, family, and developmental variables. Contrary to expectation, experience with an affected sibling predicted acceptance of potentially affected offspring. The significance of this finding was marginal for the main group, but more favorable when the sibling was intellectually handicapped. Respondents with siblings in genetic categories felt more obliged than others to test their own genetic risk status, but were least likely to favor abortion for medical indication.

Darbo tikslas – atskleisti fizinės veiklos įtaką socialinei integracijai per neįgaliųjų patyrimą. Objektas – neįgaliųjų užsiimančių fizine veikla patyrimas. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Atlikti pasirinktos temos literatūros analizę. 2. Naudojant pusiau struktūruoto interviu metodą apklausti neįgaliuosius užsiimančius bet kokia fizine veikla; 3. Kokybinio tyrimo metu atskleisti neįgaliųjų fizinės veiklos įtaką socialinei integracijai per patyrimą. Darbo metodai: 1. Literatūros paieška ir analizė 2. Kokybinis tyrimas 3. Kokybinė patyrimo analizė Moksliniai šaltiniai rodo, kad socialinė integracija yra dalyvavimas. Tyrimui atlikti pasirinktas kokybinis tyrimo metodas, pusiau struktūruotas interviu. Tyrimo duomenų analizei pasitelkta fenomenologinė analinė. Tyrimo metu apklausta 10 neįgaliųjų užsiimančių fizine (sportine) veikla. Neįgaliųjų patyrimo analizė parodė kad fizinė (sportinė) veikla veikia pačias svarbiausias neįgaliųjų gyvenimo sritis tokias, kaip: fizinė sveikata, psichologinė būsena, socialiniai ryšiai, savirealizacija, dalyvavimas visuomenėje ir jos veikloje. Tyrimo duomenys patvirtino tyrimo metu keltą hipotezę, kad neįgaliųjų fizinė (sportinė) veikla, nesvarbu, kokia ji būtų daro teigiamą poveikį neįgaliųjų socialinei integracijai į visuomenę. / The aim – discovered how the physical activities influence social integration of people with disabilities through the experience. Object – people with disabilities who practice in physical activities experience The objectives are: 1. Literature analyses 2. Using a semi-structured interview method interview people with disabilities who practice physical activity; 3. Qualitative study physical activity influence social integration to people with disabilities through the experience. Methods: 1. Literature search and analysis 2. A qualitative study 3. Qualitative analysis of experience Scientific sources indicate that social integration is a participation in community activities. Study was selected qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews. Survey data analyzed with a phenomenological analyze. The study interviewed 10 people with disabilities who practice in physical (sports) activities. People with disabilities experience showed that physical (sports) activities affect the most important areas of life for the disabled, such as: physical health, psychological state, social relationships, self-realization, participation in society and its activities. The data confirmed the hypothesis of investigation, the physical disability (sports) activities, no matter what it would have a positive impact on the social integration of people with disabilities into society.

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the current status of the accessibility level of campus recreation programs throughout the United States. There were no previous studies available describing the accessibility level in the campus recreation field. This study was conducted with Electronic mail and an on-line survey. Electronic mail messages were sent to inform the possible participants about the study. The participants answered the questions on-line with An Integrated Network Quizzing, Surveying, and Interactive Testing (INQSIT) system. This system enables the researcher to collect, sort and analyze the data. A total of 81 responses were obtained. The main finding is that campus recreation is not accessible for individuals with disabilities for several reasons. Program opportunities for individuals with disabilities are relatively limited compared to the programs offered for the entire campus population. Additionally, there are not enough staff available who are specifically trained for recreation and physical activity programs for individuals with disabilities. / School of Physical Education

Supported employment has been shown to be an effective way to contribute to the community reintegration of persons with disabilities. Traditionally, the hiring practice for supported employment staffs has focused on individuals with social service training; however, it has been proposed that employment specialists need to possess advanced skills that tend to be emphasized in business training programs. This study uses several new measures to identify differences in attitudes toward vocational rehabilitation and readiness and aptitude for a supported employment position, of social service and business students. Results indicate that social service students possess higher levels of clinical readiness and aptitude and more favorable attitudes toward vocational rehabilitation than do business students. Nevertheless, business students' readiness, attitudes, and aptitude are above theoretical neutral points, and comparable to those of social service students, and thus, effort should be devoted to diversifying the workforce by recruiting individuals with business training. / Department of Psychological Science

Care for individuals with a severe mental illness has changed dramatically over the past 50 years. Deinstitutionalization gave patients the opportunity for independence and community reintegration, including employment. Employment specialists play an important role in assisting clients with obtaining employment but there has been limited research investigating employers’ perceptions of employment specialists in the hiring process. 76 undergraduate and graduate students participated in a study in which referral source (employment specialist vs. friend) and criminal history (misdemeanor vs. felony) of an applicant recovering from schizophrenia were manipulated. Participants assumed the role of an employer, reviewed an application for a job (which included a brief video of the applicant and his employment specialist/friend), and made a hiring recommendation. Results showed no significant differences in hiring recommendations when the applicant was referred by his employment specialist than when he was referred by his friend, and criminal history of the applicant also did not play a significant role in hiring recommendations. There appeared to be a ceiling effect in that most participants were affirmative in hiring the applicant, although their prior attitudes toward people with mental illness also correlated with their hiring recommendation. Limitations of the study are discussed and directions for future research include: increasing the sample size, sampling professionals in the community and finding ways that are perhaps more ecologically valid and less susceptible to ceiling effects instead of using hypothetical case vignettes. / Department of Psychological Science