This study evaluated the efficacy of an 8-week (two sessions/week; 60 min/session) adapted soccer intervention on skill performance and retention in 30 adults (18 men and 12 women) ages 17-40 years with autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and intellectual disability. Of these 30 participants, 18 completed a 1-month retention test. The program…

Augmented reality (AR) has the potential to support individuals with special needs and to enable their development of daily living skills. This meta-analysis study examined the effect of AR on functional skills acquisition across individuals affected by different disabilities. Group design studies based on a random-effects model alongside the…

In 2015, National Industries for the Blind (NIB) identified a source of difficulty in finding well-qualified applicants who are visually impaired (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) for employment in services positions. People who are visually impaired develop technology skills sufficient to perform the functions they need in daily…

Background: Persons living with disabilities have difficulty finding work, are discriminated against, and have high rates of unemployment. They face many barriers, including stereotyped perceptions that prevent employers from hiring people with disabilities. Objective: To promote equality in the employment market and to lower barriers, we at Gal…

Purpose: This study explored the acceptability and practicality of implementing a Direct Skills Teaching (DST) approach to increase job interview preparation for individuals who were receiving state vocational rehabilitation (VR) services in four states. Method: Counselors-in-training facilitated a four-session curriculum teaching "Presenting…

Persons with substance use disorders (SUDs) experience high unemployment rates that can increase relapse risk. Research on employment counseling for this population is lacking. This study examined a direct skills teaching (DST) approach to improve job interview preparedness. Graduate internship students at mental health and rehabilitation agency…

Children with disabilities often experience gross motor delays. Adults, including parents, can play a crucial role in supporting children's motor development. However, a limited number of research studies have focused on building parents' capacity to support their young children's motor skill development. The purpose of this study was to examine…

A large proportion of students with disabilities (SWD) have social skills deficits that make it difficult for them to succeed in school, work, and life. This quantitative, quasi-experimental, non-equivalent, pretest-posttest, control group study was designed to explore whether SWD can better transfer their learned social skills to natural…

Benefits of peer mentoring include learning to collaborate , developing relationships, skill development and career clarity. This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of undergraduate university students mentoring a person with intellectual disability as part of their university practicum placement. Using a qualitative approach, peer…

Residential Immersive Life Skills (RILS) programs are unique programs for youth with disabilities. Situated, experiential, psychoeducational and strengths-based learning approaches expose youth to opportunities and experiences that can facilitate the development of adaptive behaviours. This study examined the pedagogy of RILS programs to…

Purpose: The rollout of individualised disability funding in Australia resulted in an increased demand for services for people with a disability, particularly support for the high percentage of Australians with autism spectrum disorder. Continuing professional development is one way to grow and maintain a skilled workforce; however, face-to-face…

There is a growing trend of using paraprofessionals to augment the education of students with disabilities. Paraprofessionals are often the least educated and trained member in a classroom, yet can be asked to provide assistance to students with complex needs. Students with disabilities require the use of practices that are grounded in scientific…

This article describes an original international approach to inclusion and non-formal learning of socially excluded young people, through participatory internet radio - RadioActive101. First, we critically discuss the social and digital exclusion of young people. We then describe our approach - that includes participatory action research methods…

This evaluation report describes the findings from a multi-year evaluation of the Youth Service Professionals' Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Professional Development Demonstration and Evaluation Project (YSP/KSA Demo). The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD)/Youth conducted the YSP/KSA Demo to demonstrate the…

Post-school employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities continue to be inadequate when compared to their peers without disabilities (Newman et al., 2011). One barrier to employment for individuals with disabilities is a lack of employment "soft skills" (Riesen, Morgan, Schutlz, & Kupferman, 2014), such as punctuality and…