71-31,317 STRUTHERS, Robert Dean, 1927FACTORS RELATED TO VOCATIONAL STABILITY AMONG PERSONS REHABILITATED BY THE MICHIGAN DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1971 Education, guidance and counseling University Microfilms, A XEROX C om pany, Ann Arbor, Michigan 71-31,317 STRUTHERS, Robert Dean, 1927FACTORS RELATED TO VOCATIONAL STABILITY AMONG PERSONS REHABILITATED BY THE MICHIGAN DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1971 Education, guidance and counseling University Microfilms, A XEROX C om pany, Ann Arbor, M ichigan FACTORS RELATED TO VOCATIONAL STABILITY AMONG PERSONS REHABILITATED BY THE MICHIGAN DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION By ■ 'I. - Robert D. Struthers A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of Counseling, Personnel Services, and Educational Psychology 1971 ABSTRACT FACTORS RELATED TO VOCATIONAL STABILITY AMONG PERSONS REHABILITATED BY THE MICHIGAN DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION By Robert Dean Struthers This study involved a two-year-later follow-up of over 400 persons who were classified rehabilitated by the Michigan Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, during the period from July 1, 1967, to June 30, 1968. The results of the follow-up study were reported, and relationships were sought between selected client and rehabilitation service characteristics and rehabilitant employment status at follow-up. The major findings of the study were the following: Results of the Follow-Up Sur ve y. Of the rehabili- tants in this study at the time of follow-up: 69 4 12 1 3 11 per cent were in competitive employment per cent were in sheltered employment per cent were homemakers per cent were students per cent were deceased per cent were unemployed Robert Dean Struthers The most frequently cited reason for unemployment was severity of disability. The rehabilitants reported relatively stable employment careers, and tended to be satisfied with their rehabilitation services. About one- fourth were interested in possible further services— primarily training and job placement. Factors related to whether or not rehabilitants were employed at follow-up. By analysis of contingency tables five factors were found to be significantly related to whether rehabilitants were employed or not employed two years after rehabilitation. They were: history before seeking services; when accepted for services; for services; (1) employment (2) employment status (3) education when accepted (4) presence or absence of a secondary dis­ ability; and (5) location of services— whether served in the Detroit area or in other locations. Seventeen other factors showed no relationship with whether rehabilitants were employed or not employed at follow-up. They were: type of primary disability, type of secondary disability, type of employment at closure, age, marital status, sex, whether or not the closure occupation corresponded with the rehabilitation plan, race, number of counselors involved in rehabili­ tation, type of training obtained during rehabilitation, severity of disability, whether or not the original rehabilitation plan included training, whether or not Robert Dean Struthers the client was returning to a job held prior to rehabili­ tation, whether or not the counselor had two years or more of experience, whether or not the counselor had an M.A. Degree, whether or not the rehabilitation agency was the placement agent, and whether or not the counselor had a record of high production of closures. Factors related to whether or not rehabilitants were employed in their closure occupation at follow-up. Eight of the twenty-two factors were found to be signif­ icantly related to whether or not rehabilitants were in their closure occupation at follow-up. They were: (1) whether or not the closure occupation corresponded with the rehabilitation plan; (2) sex; before seeking services; (4) type of training obtained during rehabilitation; (3) employment history (5) type of employment at closure; (6) type of primary disability; accepted for services; and (7) education when (8) employment status when accepted for services. The other fourteen factors showed no relationship with whether or not rehabilitants were employed in their closure occupation at follow-up. The twenty-two factors were examined as indepen­ dent variables in regression equations with the depen­ dent variables (1) employed or not employed at follow-up, (2) employed or not employed in closure occupation at follow-up, (3) employment stability during two years after Robert Dean Struthers rehabilitation, and (4) employment stability and earnings changes during two years after rehabilitation. The factors taken together were significantly related to the first three criterion variables, but not to the fourth. They failed to account for enough of the variance of any of the dependent variables to be useful for predictive purposes. Implications of the results are discussed. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express his appreciation to the many people who generously gave their time and assis­ tance in the completion of this project. To Dr. Gregory Miller who served as committee chairman for the doctoral program. To Dr. Richard Johnson who served as major advisor for this dissertation. To D r s . William Mann and Fred Vescolani who served as members of the guidance committee. To Dr. Donald Galvin, Mr. Gabriel Cifor, and the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation who pro­ vided encouragement to undertake the study and access to agency records. To my wife Clarice and to my children— Bob, Kathy, Cindy, Nancy, and Shari— whose sacrifices during this venture can never be measured. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I. Page INTRODUCTION .................................. Nature of the S t u dy....................... Vocational Rehabilitation in the Nation „ The Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation . . . ................. The Need for Program Information . . . Relevance of the Study for Rehabilitation Counselors....................... Objectives and Limitations of the Study . Definitions of Terms .................... II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE................. Previous Studies with Michigan Rehabili­ tants ..................................... Follow-up Studies Conducted by Rehabili­ tation Agencies in other States. . . . Factors Related to Vocational Success. . References Concerned with Biographical Variables . . . . . ................. References Concerned with Rehabilitation Process Variables ............. . . . Literature Relating to the Methodology of This S tudy.............................. Summary..................................... III. IV. 1 1 2 8 12 13 16 19 22 22 23 27 34 45 50 54 DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY........................ 57 Design of the S t udy....................... The Follow-Up S t u dy ....................... Description of Sample .................... Data An alysis .............................. Definitions of Variables ................. Special Populations....................... 57 59 64 69 81 88 ANALYSIS AND D I S C U S S I O N .................... Results of the Follow-Up Study . . . . Factors Associated with Being Employed at F o l l o w - U p ................................ iii 92 92 104 Page Chapter Proportions of Rehabilitants Found in Employment by Individual Client and Service Characteristics ................. Factors Associated with Being Employed in the Same Occupation atFollow-Up . . Proportions of Rehabilitants Found in Closure Occupation by Individual Client and Service Characteristics . . Relative Effects of Factors Associated with Employment at Follow-Up . . . . Discussion of Results.................... V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS . . 113 117 127 130 138 . 155 Summary . . C o n c l u s i o n s .............................. Implications for Further Study and Agency Operations ....................... 155 161 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................ 162 168 APPENDICES Appendix A. Sample Description Tables .............. 17 4 B. Follow-Up Study Materials ................. 180 C. Form for Recording Data from Case Service R e c o r d s ..................................... iv 19 5. LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1. Page Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabili­ tation Total Caseload and Numbers Rehabilitated, 1960, 1965 to 1968 . . . 10 Service Groups of the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. . . . . . 11 3.1. Definitions of Dummy Variables .............. 73 3.2. Ranking of Rehabilitant Employment Status on Two-Year Follow-Up . . . . . . . . 87 Age Categories for Twelve Rehabilitants Deceased at Follow-Up .................... 89 Severity of Disability for Twelve Rehabili­ tants Deceased at Follow-Up ............. 90 Employment Status for Rehabilitants at Time of Acceptance, Closure and Follow-Up . . 93 Apparent Reasons for Current Unemployment Among Forty-Eight Unemployed Rehabili­ tants ..................................... 94 Mean Gross Weekly Earnings of Rehabilitants for Time of Referral, Closure and FollowUp ........................................ 94 Percentages of Rehabilitants in Weekly Earn­ ings C a t e g o r i e s ........................... 95 Percentages of Rehabilitants Receiving Pub­ lic A s s i s t a n c e ........................... 96 Marital Status of Rehabilitants at Time of Acceptance and Time of Follow-Up . . . 97 1.2. 3.3. 3.4. 4.1. 4.2. 4.3. 4.4. 4.5. 4.6. v Table 4.7. 4.8. 4.9. 4.10. 4.11. 4.12. 4.13. 4.14. 4.15. 4.16. A.I. A . 2. A . 3. Page Number of Dependents of Rehabilitants at Time of Acceptance and Time of F o l l o w - U p ................................. 98 Satisfaction with Services Reported by ................. Rehabilitants. 100 Comparisons of 322 Employed and 48 Unem­ ployed Rehabilitants on 22 Personal and Rehabilitation Service Variables . 105 . Probability of Being Employed Two Years After Closure by Individual Client and Service Characteristics ................. 114 Comparisons of 268 Rehabilitants Employed in Closure Occupation and 102 Not Employed in Closure Occupation on 22 Personal and Rehabilitation Service Variables . . . 118 Probability of Being Employed in Closure Occupation Two Years After Closure by Individual Client and Service Charac­ .................... teristics 128 Factors Related to Being Employed or Not Employed at Time of Follow-Up . . . . 133 Factors Related to Being Employed in Closure Occupation or Not Being Employed in Closure Occupation at Follow-Up. . . 134 Factors Related to Employment Stability During the Two Years Following Rehabili­ tation .................................... 136 Factors Related to Amount of Employment and Earnings Changes During Two Years Follow­ ing Rehabilitation ....................... 137 Age Groups at Acceptance for Respondents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants.............................. 17 4 Sex for Respondents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants . . . . 174 Race for Respondents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants . . . . 175 vi Table Page A. 4. Education at Acceptance for Respondents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All R e h a b i l i t a n t s ............................. 175 A . 5. Major Disability for Respondents, NonRespondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants .............................. 176 A . 6. Employment Status at Acceptance for Respon­ dents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants.......................... 177 A . 7. Referral Source for Respondents, NonRespondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants .............................. 177 A . 8. Public Assistance at Acceptance for Respon­ dents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants....................... 17 8 A . 9. Marital Status at Acceptance for Respondents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All Rehabilitants .............................. A . 10. 179 Number of Dependents at Acceptance for Respondents, Non-Respondents, Total Sample, and All R e h a b i l i t a n t s ................ 179 B.l. Questionnaire Responses ........................ B.2. Sample Size and Response Rate by Dis'trict Office and R e g i o n ............................. 193 B.3. Percentage of Phone and Mail Responses by District Of fi c e ................................. 194 vii 191 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Nature of the Study This study was designed to determine the vocational status of Michigan rehabilitants two years after their rehabilitation, and to explore some of the factors related to their vocational stability. The study involved a follow-up of over 400 persons who were classified rehabili­ tated by the Michigan Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, during the period from July 1, 1967, to June 30, 1968. Employment and earnings records were then examined for possible relationships with client characteristics and agency services. Hope­ fully, the information obtained will have application in the provision of rehabilitation services for the over 200,000 disabled persons estimated to be in need of services in Michigan. It should also contribute to better understanding of the process of rehabilitation— a process which is being called upon to play an increas­ ingly important role in the pursuit of national and personal goals. 1 2 Vocational Rehabilitation in the Nation The Federal-State program of vocational rehabili­ tation has existed and grown for the past five decades. More than two million disabled men and women have been reported rehabilitated to productive lives since its inception in 1920. In the fiscal year which ended June 30, 1968, a landmark was reached when 200,000 disabled persons throughout the nation were placed in employment in a single year.'*' Support for the rehabilitation movement has existed on both humanitarian and economic grounds. A picture of a man in a wheelchair with the slogan "Employ the Handicapped" has become a stereotype representing the services of the rehabilitation agencies and appealing to altruistic impulses. However, an additional line, "It's Good Business," is a reminder of the economic justifi­ cation which has undergirded efforts to obtain popular and governmental support for rehabilitation services. In the past decade a new urgency has spurred the rehabilitation effort. Science and technology have facil­ itated expression of social, philosophical, and economic forces which are causing change in existing social U.S., Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Achievement: The Story of 200,000 Disabled Americans Restored to Productive Lives in the Past Year Through Vocational Rehabilitation (Washington, D .C .: Social and Rehabilitation Services Division, Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1968), p. 2. 3 structures at an unprecedented rate. As a leader in the world society, the United States has become the scene of change at an extreme rate, with attendant uncertainties and conflict. The civil disorders which swept the nation's urban areas in the 1960's dramatized the plight of Ameri­ cans who have been left behind in the general progress and prosperity. The problems of the disadvantaged were recognized as the most critical domestic issue facing the nation. One response was the creation of a variety of programs to attempt to provide jobs for persons who are unemployed. Indeed, most observers have considered the provision of employment the most obvious and critical step in meeting the needs of the disadvantaged. Moynihan has expressed the problem dramatically for the case of Black Americans. The principal measure of progress toward equality will be that of employment. It is the primary source of individual and/or group identity. In America, what you do is what you are; to do nothing is to be nothing; to do little is to be little. The equations are implacable and blunt and ruthlessly public.1 Inevitably, the operations of vocational rehabili­ tation agencies have become subjects of vital interest. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, "Employment, Income, and the Negro Family," DAEDALUS, Journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, XCIV, No. 4 (Fall , 1965) , 745-70. 4 Many of the agencies' traditional disabled clientele are "the disadvantaged." As Bernstein observed: In many ways it could be said that vocational rehabilitation agencies have been combating pov­ erty for many years. Most of the individuals who constitute the continued caseload of state rehabili­ tation agencies could meet any poverty criteria. Inherent in the very concept of vocational rehabili­ tation are many of the principles and concepts which constitute the fundamental concept of anti­ poverty community action programs.1 In his book, The Other A m er ic a, Michael Harrington describes the conditions which serve to promote and sus­ tain disability among the poor. The poor get sick more than anyone else in the society. That is because they live in the slums, jammed together under unhygenic conditions; they have inadequate diets and cannot get decent medical care when they become sick. They are sick longer than any other group in the society. Because they are sick more often and longer than anyone else, they lose wages and work, and find it difficult to hold a steady job. And because of this they cannot pay for good housing, for a nutritious diet, for doctors. At any given point in the cycle, particu­ larly where there is a major illness, their prospect is to move to an even lower level and to begin the 2 cycle, round and round, towards even more suffering. Interest in vocational rehabilitation programs has been heightened as a result of experiences with other programs designed to bring employment to the disadvantaged. Jerome S. Bernstein, "Vocational Rehabilitation; Powerful Ally in the War Against Poverty," The Journal of Rehabilitation, XXXI, No. 5 (September-October, 1565) 14 2 Michael Harrington, The Other America Poverty in the United States (New York: The Macmillan Company, ‘1962), p. 22. 5 In 1967 Mangum and Glenn analyzed the unique character­ istics of the rehabilitation program as compared with other manpower programs initiated during the 1960's in the monograph Vocational Rehabilitation and Federal Manpower Pol ic y . The authors note that most inventories of manpower and anti-poverty programs would include such names as the Manpower Development and Training Program, the Neighborhood Youth Corps, the Job Corps, the Com­ munity Action Program and several others. They then point o u t : Probably few lists would include the Vocational Rehabilitation Program, though it enrolls and places in jobs each year more persons facing dis­ advantages in competing for jobs than any of the work and training programs.1 The authors observe that in contrast to the frag­ mented services of most programs, the vocational rehabili­ tation agencies have authority to fund nearly any activity related to employment for any eligible client. The key element of the program is a personal relationship between a handicapped client and a trained counselor who is in effect equipped with a blank checkbook to purchase Garth L. Mangum and Lowell M. Glenn, Vocational Rehabilitation and Federal Manpower Policy, a joint pub­ lication of the Institute of Labor and Industrial Rela­ tions, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and Wayne State University, Detroit, and the National Manpower Policy Task Force, Washington, D.C., 1967, p. 2. (Hereinafter referred to as Vocational Rehabilitation.) 6 whatever medical, educational, or other services might be necessary to successfully place the client in satis­ factory employment. Lessons for other manpower programs are found in three areas: (1) the economic benefits available through rehabilitating those faced with handicaps in competing for jobs; (2) the possibilities and problems of inter­ agency cooperation; and (3) the nature and value of a comprehensive, individualized approach to the delivery of manpower services. The growth in significance of the rehabilitation effort may be seen not only in the number of persons served and the recognition of its contribution to national social g o a l s , but also in its commitment to an increasingly broad conception of disability. Services are now extended not only to persons with physical dis­ abilities, but also to persons with mental illness and mental retardation. Program efforts are directed toward the rehabilitation of public offenders, recipients of social security benefits, and students of special edu­ cation classes. With the passage of the Federal Vocational Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1968 (Public Law 90-391) authority was given to extend evaluation and referral 7 services to "disadvantaged" persons even where no physical disability is present.1 Clearly, the vocational rehabilitation movement has become a force of significance in the life of the nation. Its concepts are being invoked both for broadened service goals within existing rehabilitation agencies, and also in the more general context of total manpower development. Faith in the value of the approach is based upon the past success of the Federal-State rehabili­ tation agencies— a success usually expressed in the accounts of individuals who have benefited from services and in statistical summaries showing numbers of persons rehabilitated into employment. Yet as agency directors struggle to meet the demands of new service goals, as personnel are trained and hired in increasing numbers, and as increased attention is focused on the agencies, many disquieting questions remain unanswered. Of these, most are concerned with the degree of effectiveness of rehabilitation ser­ vices, and with the applicability of the services to greater numbers of the socially and behaviorally handi­ capped. ask: Persons both inside and outside the agencies Are present rehabilitation services appropriate for all handicapped persons? Do rehabilitants remain employed 1Federal Register, XXXIV, No. 20 January 30^ 1969) . (Thursday, 8 and advance, or do they soon lose their employment gains? What factors in the rehabilitation process are related to stable employment? The answers to such questions are of vital inter­ est to those who determine governmental policies, allocate public funds, or operate rehabilitation service agencies. They are also of importance to the general public who support the programs and hopefully benefit from them, and to students in a variety of disciplines who seek to deal with the rehabilitation process conceptually and contribute to its improvement. This study seeks to contribute to answers to such questions by investigating the degree of employment sta­ bility shown by rehabilitants in the State of Michigan, and identifying variables related to successful employment after rehabilitation. The Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation The Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is a part of the Michigan State Department of Education. It has existed and participated in the Federal-State vocational rehabilitation program since 1922. In common with its sister agencies in other states its function is to provide rehabilitation services to persons of employable age who have a disability that interferes with their employability or job performance. The agency 9 serves persons with physical, mental, and emotional disa­ bilities who meet the following criteria for eligibility.^ 1. There must be a substantial handicap to employment. 2. There must be a reasonable expectation that vocational rehabilitation services will result in the individual being able to engage in a gainful occupation. The agency offers a variety of vocationally directed services which have as their goal the eventual employability of the handicapped individual. These ser­ vices i nc lude: 1. Diagnostic services to determine eligibility for further rehabilitation services and to indicate the nature of services to be pro­ vided. These include medical examinations as well as social, psychological, and vocational evaluations. 2. Vocational guidance and counseling. 3. Physical restoration and other medical ser­ vices. 4. Training services including books, tools, and other training materials. ^Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, "Eligibility, Acceptability, and Ineligibility," Casework M a n u a l , Section 300, p t . I (October, 1967). 10 5. Occupational requirements such as licenses, initial stocks and supplies, etc. 6. Job placement services. 7. Maintenance during training. 8. Follow-up to make sure that client has been suitably placed on the job. The Michigan vocational rehabilitation agency, in common with other state agencies throughout the nation, has experienced rapid growth in the past decade. Oper­ ating with the impetus of Federal guidelines and favorable Federal funding ratios, it has provided services to larger numbers of handicapped citizens of Michigan each year. The numbers of persons served are shown in the following table. TABLE 1.1.— Michigan division of vocational rehabilitation total caseload and numbers rehabilitated, 1960, 1965 to 1968. Total Caseload Rehabilitated 1960 1965 1966 1967 1968 NA 12 ,309 15,063 17,624 20,333 4 ,300 4,896 5 ,159 6 ,184 3 ,216 During this time period the service population for the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation has been enlarged to include not only the physically handicapped, but also the mentally and emotionally handi­ capped, and most recently the socially and economically 11 handicapped. It was estimated by the Michigan Statewide Comprehensive Statewide Planning Project that in 1970 over 200,000 persons in Michigan were of employable age and could benefit from vocational rehabilitation services Service groups are identified not only by tra­ ditional disability categories, but also by a variety of rubrics designating persons in need. Among the target populations identified by the Planning Project were the following: TABLE 1.2.— Service groups of Michigan division of vocational rehabilitation. Disability Types Arthritis and Rheumatism Cerebral Palsy Emotional and Mental Illness Epilepsy Hearing Disabilities Heart Disease Mental Retardation Orthopedic-Absence or Paralysis Orthopedic-Accidents Orthopedic-Other Respiratory Disease Speech Defects Visual Disabilities Other Disabilities Other Groups Aged and Older Workers Institutional Populations Low Income Groups Military Rejectees Public Assistance Recipients Public Offenders Rural Disabled Social Security Disability Recipients Workmen's Compensation Recipients Youth (Special Education) Michigan Department of Education, Report and Recommendations, Comprehensive Statewide Planning for Vocational Rehabilitation Services (Lansing, Mich.: MDE), p. 2. 12 The Need for Program Information The need for factual information in the area of rehabilitation program planning has been described by Mangum and Glenn. Generally, there is insufficient data at the state level to adequately assess the quantitative and qualitative elements of client training programs or to evaluate the characteristics of student-clients and the benefits they receive from their training program. . . . The vocational rehabilitation data reporting system has been designed to meet the needs of a grant-in-aid program, and provides little information on the services cost, their long range results, and interrelationships among client char­ acteristics, disabilities, costs and benefits.! A similar conclusion was reached in 1968 as a result of a study of state vocational rehabilitation agencies sponsored by the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration and conducted by Harbridge House, Inc., a management consultant firm with wide experience in evaluating governmental agencies. The report states: Administrators within the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation are often at a loss as to what actual performance has been. I t is unrealistic to think that we can establish 'expected performance' or investigate areas of discrepancy until we have thoroughly analyzed the base line of historical data. It is not enough that an agency simply col­ lects a mass of data. These records are not true administrative devices unless the agency plans to do more than simply tabulate r e s u l t s . 2 ■^Mangum and Glenn, Vocational Rehabilitation, p. 45. 2 Harbridge House, Factors Influencing Agency Effectiveness— A Study for the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration (Boston, Mass.: Harbridge-House, I n c . , 1963) , p. 18 7 13 The Michigan state agency recently completed a two-year study in which a comprehensive statewide plan for meeting rehabilitation needs through the year 1975 was formulated. The project involved a very broad cross section of citizens and organizations representing all the geographical areas of the state. Goals were set and guidelines specified for the coordination of services from a variety of channels. Great emphasis is placed upon the acquisition of valid and reliable information. A study of the Michigan state agency completed by Harbridge House echoes the need. The report states: The research and development needs of the agency are urgent, and will become more urgent within the very near future. The need for new facilities and new programs to serve the socially disabled popu­ lation the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation will be called upon to serve demand extensive plan­ ning and development work, both on a short-term and a continuing basis.1 Relevance of the Study for Rehabilitation Counselors The general subject of the proposed study has been described, together with the need for information to make management decisions regarding rehabilitation in the State of Michigan. Mention should also be made of the relevance of program research for the rehabili­ tation counselor. Harbridge House, An Assessment of the Delivery of Rehabilitation Services in Michigan (Boston, Mass.: Harb n d g e House, Inc., September, 1968), p. 81. 14 There has long been discussion as to whether the rehabilitation worker's role is best interpreted as that of counselor, or as coordinator of services. To a degree, the issue has appeared to represent a contrast between an academic-professional and an agency-practical orientation. While training institutions have recently become more cognizant of the needs and functions of state agencies and agencies have become more aware of the value of the counseling orientation, there remain differing perceptions of the worker's ideal role and function. Hopefully, academic conceptions of ideal roles such as that provided by Patterson,^ and efforts to evolve suitable relationships in field settings as recommended by Bregman 2 will contribute to clarification of issues in this area. The increased variety of settings in which rehabilitation workers use their skills and the need for persons with varieties of skills seem to assure that in the future workers will find a place for their unique interests. Although discussion of roles continues, all writers recognize that the counselor cannot operate ^ C . H. Patterson, "Rehabilitation Counseling: A Profession or a Trade?" The Personnel and Guidance Jour­ nal , X L V I , No. 6 (February, 1968), 567-71. 2 Morton H. Bregman, "The Utilization of Rehabili­ tation Counseling Support Personnel," NRCA Professional Bulletin, VII, No. 6 (December, 1966) , 1-4 . 15 independently of the agency. Even the highly trained counseling specialist serves in a milieu created by the agency. His services are guided by and limited by the policies and priorities of the agency. Perhaps the best statement directed to this point has been made by Olshansky and Margolin. Without questioning the importance of the counselor and client as co-decision makers, we feel that this dyadic view distorts reality, and obstructs rather than facilitates the rehabilitation process. The counselor can function competently only to the degree that the system facilitates his competent functioning. There are important intervening organizational variables which set the framework ^ for the counselor's relationships with his clients. Ideally, summary information from previous case experience should assist the counselor in making casework decisions. Conley's analysis of the economics of vo­ cational rehabilitation led him to make this comment. Moreover, most rehabilitation counselors are handi­ capped in their judgments because too little is known about the probability of rehabilitation success and subsequent failure rates, and they themselves are too often judged by the number rather than the quality of their placements, or the difficulty involved.2 Still other reasons may be given for counselor concern with agency-wide studies. Many state agencies even now face a crisis in obtaining administrative Simon Olshansky and Reuben J. Margolin, "Rehabili­ tation as a Dynamic Interaction of Systems," Journal of Rehabilitation, XXIX, No. 3 (May-June, 1963), 67-72. 2 Ronald W. Conley, The Economics of Vocational Rehabilitation (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1965) , p . 167. 16 personnel. While often counselors do not initially seek administrative responsibility, some will one day do so. It has been recommended that management and economic specialists be recruited for administrative and policy positions within rehabilitation agencies. While such persons are undoubtedly needed, it would be ironic if the extensive government supported training programs in rehabilitation counseling neglected agency orientation to the extent that potential administrators did not also come from the ranks of the counseling oriented. While successful rehabilitation may depend upon the contri­ butions of many specialists, it must ultimately rest upon ability to meet individual needs. More than any other person, the counselor has the opportunity and responsibility to assess the needs of clients and evaluate the effects of agency policy in individual cases. To com­ municate needs and alter goals and policies for program development requires understanding of the total rehabili­ tation effort. The Objectives and Limitations of the Study This study had two objectives: (1) to determine and quantify the degree of vocational stability obtained by Michigan rehabilitants after receiving rehabilitation services, and (2) to identify factors related to voca­ tional stability after rehabilitation. 17 The study was made with the cooperation and assistance of the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabili­ tation, and was designed to answer questions of importance to the agency as well as questions suggested by previous literature or theory. It was considered to be an initial step in describing and evaluating services provided in Michigan. As such it was broad in scope, and focused on the total rehabilitation program rather than on individual subprograms or subpopulations. In addition, it was concerned primarily with the economic status of the client population rather than upon social or psycho­ logical status. The traditional criterion of success in vocational rehabilitation is employment. Clients whose cases are closed in rehabilitated status are employed in competitive employment or in sheltered work settings or are function­ ing as homemakers. A homemaker is considered to be in a gainful occupation if upon completion of rehabilitation services she can carry on a substantial home management function that otherwise would not have been performed. This study sought to determine to what extent rehabilitants remain employed, what wages they earn, and the trend of their earnings over time. Such information is of concern for program planning and comparisons. In addition, it provides the basis for economic analysis by such techniques as benefit-cost studies. 18 The study also sought to identify factors which are related to employment success. Particular emphasis was placed upon training and placement activities during rehabilitation. These were the services most frequently requested by the follow-up respondents who sought further services. They are also presumably the services by which vocational rehabilitation contributes most specifically to vocational success. Counselor characteristics were also included in the analysis. The factors selected for study are listed in Chapter III. It was not anticipated that this study would have important theoretical implications. Indeed, most research in vocational rehabilitation is atheoretical. However, the design is consistent with a conceptualization of the rehabilitation process provided by Suchman.'*' He views rehabilitation as intervention between a disability and the consequences which would be expected to derive from it. The rehabilitation process is an attempt to "interrupt" the expected consequences of disability such as chronic dependency or unemployment. Suchman describes the rehabilitation process as consisting of four parts: (1) the pre-existing conditions; or disabling condition; (2) the disability (3) the rehabilitation process; ^"Edward A. Suchman, "A Model for Research and Evaluation on Rehabilitation," in Sociology and Rehabili­ tation , ed. by Marvin B. Sussman (Washington, D.C.: The American Sociological Association, 1965), pp. 52-70. (Here­ inafter referred to as "Model for Research.") 19 and (4) the consequences of the disability. Variables dealt with in this study represent the different phases, and the results are considered in this context. Since rehabilitation agencies in all states operate under the same federal guidelines, it would be expected that some of the findings of this study would hold true in other states. However, the Michigan popu­ lation of cases cannot be considered a probability sample from which inferences can be made to other programs; and, in fact, differences in emphasis are observed in the policies and practices of the various states. Definitions of Terms The following definitions are used throughout this dissertation. They are based upon definitions from the Vocational Rehabilitation M a n u a l .^ Rehabilitant.— A rehabilitant is a person who has been served by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) and whose case has been closed in the status Rehabil itated. Such persons must as a minimum have: declared eligible for services; diagnostic and related services; (a) been (b) received appropriate (c) had a plan of vocational rehabilitation services formulated; (d) i U.S., Department of Health, Education, and Wel­ fare, Vocational Rehabilitation M a n u a l , Social and Rehabil itation Serviced RehabTlitatTon Services Administration, July, 1969, p. 3-2-9. (Hereinafter referred to as Vocational Rehabilitation Manual.) 20 completed the plan insofar as possible; (e) been provided counseling and one or more other rehabilitation services; (f) been determined to be suitably employed for a minimum of thirty days. Cli en t.— A client is a person who has been accepted for rehabilitation services, and who is pre­ sently considered to be engaged in a rehabilitation plan. An open case is maintained which will be closed when the client has entered employment or must terminate his ser­ vices without being rehabilitated. Acceptance for Services.— An applicant for rehabil­ itation services is formally certified to be eligible for services and is accepted for services after diagnostic medical and/or psychological examinations have been com­ pleted and the following conditions are found to exist: (a) the individual has a physical, mental or social disability; ment; (b) there is a substantial handicap to employ­ (c) vocational rehabilitation services may reasonably be expected to render the person fit to engage in a gain­ ful occupation. Disability.— A disability is defined as a physi­ cal, mental or social condition which materially limits, contributes to limiting, or if not corrected will probably result in limiting an individual's activities or 21 functioning. It includes behavioral disorders character­ ized by deviant social behavior, or impairment in carrying out normal relationships. Rehabilitation P l a n .— A rehabilitation plan is an explicit plan agreed upon between the rehabilitation counselor and the client in the light of all diagnostic information which states for the client: objective; (b) the steps and services involved in achiev­ ing the objective; objective; (a) a vocational (c) the time required to reach the and (d) the cost of the plan and the resources to be utilized to meet the costs. Additional operational definitions used in the data analysis are discussed in Chapter III. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Previous Studies with Michigan Rehabxlitants One previous follow-up study has been reported which involved rehabilitants served by the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Fox, Miller, and Lawrence'*' interviewed twenty rehabilitants who had been served in one county. The time between rehabilitation and follow-up was apparently two to four years. of employment was 85 per cent. The rate All of the rehabilitants were judged to be operating at a better job level than before rehabilitation. One of the significant observations was that rehabilitants tended to view acceptance of services from the rehabilitation agency as stigmatizing. A number of respondents did not recall or acknowledge receiving ser­ vices. Most of those who recalled their services felt Sharlene Fox, Gregory Miller, and Richard Lawrence, "The Rehabilitant: A Follow-Up Study," The Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, X, No. 3 (March, 1967) , 99-106 . 22 23 that the Michigan DVR played a relatively unimportant role in their placement. A desire was expressed for more training opportunities. Follow-Up Studies Conducted by Rehabilitation Agencies in Other States Bailey'1' compiled a survey comparing thirty-two agency follow-up studies conducted in states other than Michigan between 1945 and 1964. involved general caseloads. Twenty-six of the studies Although the studies dif­ fered somewhat in methodology, he was able to compare them on the variables of response rate and percentage employed at follow-up. His comparison resulted in the following summary statements: 1. Among the twenty-six studies the mean rate of response was approximately 74 per cent. Among the studies using the interview method, the rate of response was approximately 87 per cent; among studies using the mail questionnaire method, the rate of response was approximately 58 per cent. 2. For the twenty-six studies the mean per cent employed at follow-up was approximately 84 per cent. The "middle half" of the studies (first to third quartile) spanned a range of 7 5 to 86 per cent. "Employment" is defined in conventional vocational rehabilitation terms and includes homemakers. 3. Studies utilizing the interview method reported a significantly higher employment rate (84 per cent) than studies using the mail questionnaire (79 per c ent). John D. Bailey, A Survey of Rehabilitation FollowUp Studies (Harrisburg, P a . : Pennsylvania Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, 1965). 24 4. Studies involving only public assistance cases obtained a significantly higher employment rate (87 per cent) than studies involving a general caseload (83 per cent). 5. Both studies with relatively small sample fractions and studies with low response rates tended to underestimate rather than overestimate the employ­ ment rate. Thus, biases from non-responses are not necessarily in the direction of overestimating employment. Rehabilitants who are not located may be a more mobile and employable group. 6. There is a decrease in employment rate with increased time between rehabilitation and date of follow-up. The employment loss during the first year is approximately twice as great as between the first and tenth years following rehabilitation. The employment loss after one year was approximately 14 per cent. 7. The reported employment rate for more recent studies is lower than for the earlier studies. This may be the result of attempts to serve a wider variety of handicapped individuals and a more severely handicapped population. Most of the studies reviewed by Bailey were conducted before services of the federal-state rehabili­ tation agencies were expanded to include the mentally, emotionally, and socially handicapped populations. McPhee, Griffith, and Magleby'*' studied vocational and social adjustment in both rehabilitants and nonrehabilitants. The time from closure to follow-up ranged from three to ten y e a r s . The employment rate was reported as 89 per cent with the following breakdown: full-time employed— 55 per cent; part-time employed— 19 per cent; retired— 2 per cent; housewife— 13 per cent; William M. McPhee, Kenneth A. Griffiths, and F. LeGrande Magleby, Adjustment of Vocational Rehabilitation C li en ts , U.S., Department o f H e a l t h , Education, and Wel­ fare (Washington, D.C.: Vocational Rehabilitation Admin­ istration, 1963). (Hereinafter referred to as Adjustment of Clients.) 25 unemployed— 11 per cent. Personal interviews were con­ ducted with family members and employers as well as 1,205 former clients of the Divisions of Rehabilitation in Utah, Montana, and Wyoming. A high response rate (84 per cent) was obtained by substituting matched clients to replace those for whom addresses could not be verified. The McPhee, et a l ., study differed from the current Michigan study in that it dealt with both rehabilitants and non-rehabilitants. It included interviews with family members and employers, and it sought to measure social and emotional factors. It did not attempt to deal with agency inputs, and it did not emphasize economic status to the extent of the present study. The Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, has engaged in periodic follow-up studies of rehabilitants.-^- The studies rely heavily on mail questionnaires and have not resulted in high response rates, but they focus clearly upon economic status and are somewhat unique in that they are conducted at regular intervals. Follow-up reports were obtained from rehabilitants in the years 1956, 1960, and 1964. way. A follow-up of 1966 rehabilitated cases is under The interviews are conducted three years after closure, and presumably this procedure has provided ^Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, "Follow-Up of Cases Rehabili­ tated in Fiscal Year 1964," 1967. (Mimeographed.) 26 comparative data. The follow-up is conducted by means of a very brief mail questionnaire. After one mailing, counselors attempt to reach the former client by tele­ phone or personal visit. In the study of 1964 rehabili­ tants a 40 per cent response was obtained. Among the respondents, 7 6.3 per cent are listed as working, 18.8 per cent not working, and 4.9 per cent were deceased. In a recent study, Dawis and Lofquist^ conducted a follow-up survey of Minnesota DVR rehabilitants two to five years after their rehabilitation. They obtained a 76 per cent response rate for those former clients for whom addresses were available. At the time of follow-up 81 per cent of the rehabilitated former DVR clients were employed, an increase of 53 per cent over their employ­ ment rate at acceptance. Unlike the studies reviewed by Bailey, the Minnesota study did not consider homemakers employed. They were dropped from the sample as non­ participants in the labor force. At acceptance, the employed DVR clients had held mainly manual and service jobs. of the rehabilitated clients At closure, 40 per cent (versus 26 per cent at acceptance) were employed in professional, technical, managerial, clerical, and sales occupations. At follow-up, ^Rene V. Dawis and Lloyd H. Lofquist, A Follow-Up Survey of Former Clients of the Minnesota Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation, XXVI (Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota, April, 1969). 27 45 per cent were in these occupations. Job stability was considered good, and former DVR clients were just as satisfied with their jobs as their co-workers. The former DVR clients were rated by their supervisors as slightly less satisfactory than their co-workers. However, only 6 per cent were rated "below average," the large majority being rated "average" in job satisfactoriness. On the average, DVR rehabilitants earned annual incomes only $450 lower than their co-workers, but more than $2,000 lower than the average United States annual income. Factors Related to Vocational Success A number of studies have been reported which have involved attempts to identify factors related to success­ ful rehabilitation and/or predict rehabilitation success. Typically, the first procedure has been to categorize clients as successful or unsuccessful closures. The resulting groups have then been compared on various variables. If prediction is attempted, any significant differences between the groups serve as the basis for the final step— the prediction of rehabilitation outcome for a validation group. Some of the studies are not directly comparable to the present study as they utilized a different outcome criterion, i.e., rehabilitated versus not rehabilitated rather than employed versus unemployed at time of followup. Some concerned themselves with all applicants for a 28 project while others involved only those accepted for services. Information was sometimes reported at time of acceptance for services and sometimes at follow-up. Most of the projects mentioned here involved state agency clients, but some involved hospital or other settings. Despite these differences the studies were examined for assistance in considering the variables which were util­ ized in this study. Cheatham^ reviewed a variety of studies which sought to answer the question: which preservice charac­ teristics of vocational rehabilitation clients are d i f ­ ferentially related to successful case closure? His tabulation was as follows: Characteristic Age Sex Marital status Number of dependents Monthly earnings Work status Occupation Type of disability Cause of disability Years of education Source of referral Source of support Prior agency contact Related 3 0 1 1 0 1 0 3 0 3 1 1 0 Unrelated 5 3 2 4 1 0 3 3 1 3 1 1 1 He attributed the apparent discrepancies to a lack of standardized terms and definitions and the use of James Charles Cheatham, "Differences in Background Characteristics of Vocationally Rehabilitated and Non­ rehabilitated Clients" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Uni­ versity of Oregon, 1966). (Hereinafter referred to as "Background Characteristics.") 29 dissimilar subjects. His study of rehabilitated versus non-rehabilitated clients of the Oregon DVR found that rehabilitated clients were less likely to be receiving public assistance, were better educated, younger, and more likely to be employed at acceptance for services. No relationship was found between closure status and sex, marital status, disability type, or presence or absence of a secondary disability. Schletzer, Dawis, England and Lofquist'*' studied a statewide sample of 255 physically handicapped individuals in Minnesota. They found that sex, age at disablement, nature of the disability, education, number of dependents, and marital status were significant in distinguishing the employed handicapped from the unemployed. Present age, type of occupation, origin of disability, number of months before returning to work after disablement, and veteran status were not significant. Weiner 2 studied ninety-seven men who had been hospitalized for tuberculosis. He used the chi-square technique to compare those who returned to their former employment, those who changed jobs, and those who remained V. M. Schletzer, et a l ., Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation: VII, Factors Related to Employment Success (Minneapolis: Uni vers ity of Minnesota P re ss , 1959). 2 Hubert Weiner, "Characteristics Associated with Rehabilitation Success," Personnel and Guidance Journal, XL II , No. 7 (March, 1964), 687. 30 unemployed. The following characteristics were statisti­ cally significant in differentiating the groups of patients: race, age, marital status, number of depen­ dents, personal adequacy, income level, number of jobs held in past five years, job skill level, employment status at time of admission, patient's plans, extent of tuberculosis, other physical disabilities, hospitalization, and alcoholic status. significant were: length of Not found to be educational level, veteran status, number of residential locations in past five years, area of residence, and previous hospitalization for tubercu­ losis and surgery. Hammond, Wright and Butler reviewed a number of studies including those by DeMann, Ehrle, McPhee and Magleby, Neff, Eber, and Ayer, Thoreson, and Butler.^" Clarence D. Hammond, George N. Wright, and Alfred J. Butler, Caseload Feasibility in Expanded Vocational Rehabilitation Program, Wisconsin Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation, Monograph VI (Madison, W i s . : The University of Wisconsin, Regional Rehabilitation Research Institute), p. 68. (Hereinafter referred to as Caseload Feasibility.); M. M. DeMann, "A Predictive Study of RehabilitationCounseling Outcomes," journal of Coun­ seling Psychology, X (1963), 340-43. (Hereinafter referred to as "Predictive Study."); R. A. Ehrle, "The Predictive Value of Biographical Data in Vocational Rehabilitation" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Missouri, 1961). (Hereinafter referred to as "Value of Biographical Data."); W. M. McPhee and F. L. Magleby, "Success and Failure in Vocational Rehabilitation," The Personnel and Guidance Journal, XXXVIII (1960) , 497-99 ; W. S, Neff, TKe Success of a Rehabilitation Program. A Follow-Up Study of Clients of the Vocational Adjustment Center (Chicago: ~~ The Jewish Vocational Service, 1967j . (Hereinafter referred to as A Follow-Up S t ud y.); H. W. Eber, Multivariate 31 From the review they identified twenty-five variables which appeared to reflect rehabilitation nonfeasibility and which were confirmed by being reported in more than one of the studies or by their general agreement with currently accepted rehabilitation counseling theory. variables identified were the following: relatively older; (a) age; i.e., (b) age at disablement; i.e., congenital or relatively older; (c) married, with the exception of the adolescent client; (d) having no dependents or children, with the exception of the adolescent client; little participation in social activities; ing church; low intelligence level; (e) relatively (f) not attend­ (g) relative lack of education; (h) relatively (i) race; i.e., non-white; arrest record or history of antisocial acts; of alcoholism; The (j) (k) history (1) neutral or negative family attitude toward rehabilitation; (m) not living with family; having a family relationship other than close; security benefit recipience or application; (n) (o) social (p) possessing some general health problems aside from disability; (q) not owning home or automobile, with the exception of the adolescent client; (r) lower socio-economic status; (s) lower occupational level, with the exception of the Analysis of a Vocational Rehabilitation System, Multi­ variate Behavioral Research Monographs', No . 66-1, 1966 . (Hereinafter referred to as Multivariate Analysis.); M . J . Ayer, R. W. Thoreson, and A. J . But l er , "Predicting Rehabilitation Success with the MMPI and Demographic Data," The Personnel and Guidance J o ur na l , XLIV, No. 6 (1966) , (>31-37. (Hereinafter referred to as "Predicting Success.") 32 adolescent client; (t) lacking record of full employment or job adjustment, with the exception of the adolescent client; (u) main support from other than wages; with the exception of the adolescent and the homemaker; from a hospital or medical center; (w) disability of mental retardation or psychiatric disturbance; recipience; and (v) referral (x) welfare (y) personality traits: passive-dependency, having relatively low level ego strength. The length of the list indicates that many factors may be involved in successful rehabilitation. While no study has utilized all the factors identified by Hammond, Wright, and Butler, the studies which have attempted pre­ diction have had only limited success. DeMann'*' reduced a large number of variables to eight which predicted rehabili­ tation versus non-rehabilitation with 65 per cent accuracy. Ehrle 2 devised two instruments based on biographical data to classify applicants for rehabilitation services as potential successes or failures, and constructed expec­ tancy charts to indicate probability of success. One instrument utilized eighty-six variables and the second used twenty variables. When used with a cross validation group, the instruments performed with 60 per cent and 67.5 per cent accuracy respectively. ■^DeMann, "Predictive Study." 2 Ehrle, "Value of Biographical Data." 33 A study by Heilbrun and Jordan^" illustrates the differential results that may be obtained using con­ ventional variables and also may pinpoint a key weakness of the "one variable at a time" studies. Successful and unsuccessful socially disadvantaged clients (N=185) at the Atlanta Employment Evaluation Center were compared. All variables were compared separately by sex and race (Caucasian versus Ne gr o ) . Age was positively correlated with success, not negatively as found elsewhere. Also, the contention that lack of education mitigates vocational success in lower socio-economic classes received little support. No significant relationship was found between educational level and rehabilitation outcome. The authors comment that future rehabilitation outcome research must consider sex, race, and sometimes the interaction of sex and race. They continue "in fact, research such as this may ultimately have to consider a substantial number of factors concomitantly before a real breakthrough in the prediction of rehabilitation outcome can be effected." Alfred B. Heilbrun and Brian T. Jordan, "Voca­ tional Rehabilitation of the Socially Disadvantaged: Demographic and Intellectual Correlates of Outcome," The Personnel and Guidance Journal, XLVl'I, No. 3 (November, 1968), 213. (Hereinafter referred to as "Rehabilitation of the Socially Disadvantaged.") 34 Coone and Barry'*' have discussed "the oscillating r phenomenon" in the prediction of rehabilitation success. They note that important differences exist among the reported studies in the types of samples used, criteria used, and other methodological aspects. They caution about the use of excessive numbers of predictors, and of data based on self-report and inference. The need for cross validation is stressed if prediction is to be attempted. It was not expected that the variables included in this study would enable accurate prediction of vocational success after rehabilitation, but it was hoped that some estimate could be made of the relative importance of certain variables for rehabilitants in Michigan. References Concerned With Biographical Variables The following information concerning the selected variables was derived from the literature. While some studies have failed to show a relation­ ship between age and rehabilitation success, most have shown a negative correlation. Among them are Ayer, ■*"Jim G. Coone and John R. Barry, "The Oscillating r Phenomenon in the Prediction of Rehabilitation Outcome," Rehabilitation Research and Practice Review, I, No. 2 "(Fayettvilie”, Ark.: The Arkansas Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, Spring, 1970), 61. 35 1 2 Thoreson, and Butler; McPhee, Griffiths, and Magleby; 3 and Eber. The fact that older workers tend to have fewer employment and training alternatives, and more complicat­ ing health factors is generally acknowledged. example, National Health Survey data m In recent years it Note, for this regard. 4 has become recognized that young w o r k e r s , especially school dropouts and disadvan­ taged youths, have special employment problems. These groups have become target groups for Michigan DVR. Because of the interest in both younger and older workers, in this study the age factor was considered in four categories: and 4 5 and over. 0 to 19 years, 20 to 29, 30 to 44, The breakdown between the 20 to 29 and 30 to 44 groups is not required, but it results in cate­ gories of somewhat equal size and might be expected to correspond to differential probability of receiving extensive job training. Further differentiation by age group is considered to be of limited practical value, ■*"Ayer, Thoreson, Butler, 2 "Predicting Success." McPhee, Griffiths, and Magleby, Adjustment of Clients. 3 E b e r , Multivariate A n a l y si s. 4 U.S., Department of Health, Education, and Wel­ fare, Public Health Service, A g e Patterns in Medical C a r e , Illness, and Disability (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 3T965) . 36 and a complete description of the age-vocational success relationship is beyond the purpose of this study. Sex Sex is not listed among the variables found related to rehabilitation success in Hammond, Wright, and Butler's^ literature survey. However, most studies include sex as a variable and at least two, Neff McPhee, et a l ., 3 2 and found that males were more successful than females in long-term employment after rehabilitation. Heilbrun and Jordan^ found that differences by sex and the interaction between sex and race should be considered in outcome research. As a study variable sex presents difficulties because of the Homemaker occupational category. Earnings cannot be utilized to indicate the degree of productivity or employment success, and for some cases there is doubt whether Homemaker status represents the most appropriate and/or desired occupational outcome. Summary tabulations are also affected by cases in which women withdraw from ^"Hammond, Wright, and Butler, Caseload Feasibility. ^Neff, A Follow-Up S tudy. 3 McPhee, Griffiths, and Magleby, Adjustment of Clients. 4 Heilbrun and Jordan, Socially Disadvantaged." "Rehabilitation of the 37 rehabilitation services to become Homemakers. In this study it was felt that for Homemakers no meaningful and comparable method existed to measure the criteria values. they were not included in the data analysis. Therefore, Based on the questionnaire, however, it was possible to identify persons classified as Homemakers who were actually seeking employ­ ment. These persons were reclassified as unemployed. Race Being non-white has been found to be related to 1 rehabilitation non-feasibility (Hammond, et a l .). The non-white population is a target group for the agency, and in the current national recognition of racial issues, the relevance of race as a variable in evaluation seems c lear. Marital Status Marital status is among the biographical items reported in the federal case record data, and has received 2 regular attention in feasibility studies. DeMann found no relationship between marital status and rehabilitation. 3 Ehrle found being married predictive of rehabilitation "^Hammond, Wright, and Butler, Caseload Feasibility. 2 3 DeMann, "Predictive Study." Ehrle, "Value of Biographical Data." 38 success. McPhee and Magleby'*' found married persons more likely than unmarried to be substantially employed rather 2 than unsubstantially or minimally employed. Eber found married status divorced) (as opposed to single, or separated or to be correlated with a factor which seemed to represent vocational adequacy at closure and at follow-up. Education Poor education is so widely considered to be a vocational handicap that its inclusion as a possible source of variance in employment success seems to require little justification. A number of studies have found lack of education related to non-feasibility and poor rehabilitation success, e.g., Hammond, Wright, and Butler. 3 4 5 Both E h r l e , and McPhee and Magleby found that non­ rehabilitation was associated with having less than ten years of education. ■^McPhee, Griffiths, and Magleby, Adjustment of Clients. 2 3 4 Eber, Multivariate Analysis. ... Hammond, Wright, and Butler, Caseload Feasibility. Ehrle, "Value of Biographical Data." 5 McPhee, Griffiths, and Magleby, Adjustment of C li ents. 39 Many studies have failed to reveal a relationship between education and rehabilitation success. As with the other factors, the method of study and treatment of variables has differed among studies. Heilbrun and Jordan noted specifically that with their population of socially disadvantaged clients the contention that lack of edu­ cation mitigates vocational success in lower socio­ economic classes received little support. No signifi­ cant relationship was found between educational level and rehabilitation outcome. Working also with a clientele of the socially disadvantaged, Kunce, Mahoney, Campbell, and Finley 2 found that educational level was unrelated to gaining employment, but that it was a significant factor in the amount of wages earned if employed. Disability Relationships between disability type and rehabilitation success have been studied extensively. Cheatham 3 in his comparison of rehabilitated versus non-rehabilitated clients of the Oregon DVR found no relationship between ^"Heilbrun and Jordan, Socially Disadvantaged." 2 "Rehabilitation of the . . . . Joseph T. Kunce, et a l ., Rehabilitation m the Concrete Jungle (Columbia: The University of Missouri, Regional Rehabilitation Research Institute, Research Series No. 3, September, 1969). 3 Cheatham, "Background Characteristics." 40 disability type and closure status. There was also no relationship between presence or absence of a secondary disability and closure st at us . The presence of mental retardation or psychiatric disturbance was found by Ehrle"*" to be related to poor rehabilitation potential. Eber's 2 factor analysis of data from the Alabama State Rehabilitation agency indicated that the presence of psychiatric disability was negatively related to followup adequacy. . 3 Grigg, Holtmann, and Martin found that for welfare clients disability type was an important influence in acceptance or rejection for services. How­ ever, it was not a significant factor in rehabilitation success after acceptance for services. They found that the presence of a secondary disability lowered the probability of becoming rehabilitated. Ayer, Thoreson, and Butler^ found that clients with physical disabilities tended to be from higher occupational levels than those with an emotional disability. They suggested that persons "*"Ehrle , "Value of Biographical Data." 2 Eber, Multivariate An al ys is . 3 Charles M. Grigg, Alphonse G. Holtmann, and Patricia Y. Martin, V o cational Rehabilitation of Disabled Public Assistance C l i e n t s : An Evaluation of Fourteen Research and Demonstration Projects, Institute for Social Research (Tallahassee, Florida: The Florida State Uni­ versity, November 8, 19 69) . (Hereinafter referred to as Disabled Public Assistance Clients.) 4 Ayer, Thoreson, and Butler, "Predicting Success. .< 41 with emotional disabilities were not able to tolerate the interpersonal relationships involved in professional or clerical occupations. That the emotionally disabled constitute a par­ ticularly difficult population in rehabilitation is supported by a number of individual studies involving clientele other than applicants for state rehabilitation agency services. An example is provided by Vogelson"*' who reported the results of the project JOB Break, Inc.) in New York City. (Just One A total of 332 emotionally handicapped clients were provided concentrated casework and placement services. At the completion of the project approximately one-third were employed, 40 per cent were considered unemployable, and about one-fourth of the cases were still active but unemployed. A follow-up study (time interval not given) obtained less than 50 per cent response and indicated only about one-fifth of the clients had maintained employment. The project found employers in general extremely resistant to the prospect of accepting an individual with a history of mental illness. In general, it was concluded that placement of the emotionally ill is far more difficult than placement of the physically handicapped. "^Myrtle L. Vogelson, Job Placement of the Emotionally Handicapped (New York, N . Y . : Just One Break, Inc., 19651. 42 McPhee and Magleby1 found that the major factor which influenced vocational failure after services was poor health. if they Persons were judged to have health problems (a) were confined to their home for at least one month during the twelve before their follow-up interview, (b) reported poor health as the reason for unemployment, (c) had received medical services from DVR, (d) needed medical care and were not able to find it, and/or (e) were under medical care during the year prior to the follow-up interview. Perhaps the most relevant information regarding disability for this study is provided by the Rehabilitation Services Administration^ in a research brief summarizing nationwide case data for Fiscal Year 1968. the outcomes In reporting (rehabilitated versus not rehabilitated) of all cases for the year by major disabling condition, they point out that in each case a vocational rehabilitation counselor judged that there was a reasonable expectation that rehabilitation services would render the individual ■^McPhee, Griffiths, and Magleby, Adjustment of C li ents. ^U.S., Department of Health, Education and Wel­ fare, Social and Rehabilitation Service, Rehabilitation Service Administration, "Major Disabling Conditions of Rehabilitated and Not Rehabilitated Clients of n Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies— Fiscal Year ±968, Statistical N o t e s , No. 17, September, 1969. (Hereinafter referred to as Statistical Notes.) 43 fit to engage in a gainful occupation. The expectation was realized more frequently for some disability groups than for o th e r s . The most common disabling condition among both rehabilitated and not rehabilitated clients was mental illness. This category accounted for 20 per cent of those rehabilitated, and 3 2 per cent of those not rehabilitated. Case closures among the mentally ill resulted in the lowest ratio of rehabilitated to not rehabilitated clients experienced by any broad disability grouping, 2.1 to 1. The lowest ratio among the five mentally ill categories, and also the lowest ratio of any group in the report, was observed for drug addicts, 0.8 to 1.0. Thus, there were more unsuccessful active case closures than successful ones among drug addicts. Generally, all categories of visual and hearing impair­ ments and amputations showed higher ratios than average (3.4 to 1.0) while all categories of mental illness, malignant neoplasms, heart disease, and respiratory dis­ orders showed below-average ratios. In the present study it was not possible to make a detailed analysis of cases by disability category. How­ ever, the categories utilized are intended to discriminate among clients with communication and sensory deficits, orthopedic disabilities, mental retardation, emotional illness, and other physical disabilities. A distinction 44 is made between persons who have moderate or severe dis­ ability, and between those who have one or more than one reported disability. Work Status at Acceptance Recent work history or work status at acceptance for services was found to be related to successful rehabilitation by Cheatham,1 by Eber,2 and by Ehrle. It was found to be related to successful rehabilitation and 4 follow-up employment by McPhee, Griffiths, and Magleby. In the present study both employment status and employment history were included. gorized as stable The employment history was cate­ (worked over 9 of the preceding 12 months for one or two employers), unstable (worked 9 or fewer months in the past 12, or had 0 or more than two employers during the p er iod), and student history). (no employment The employment history categories were assumed to provide a more accurate reflection of pre-service employability than employment status at time of acceptance. If no improvement in prediction results from consideration 1Cheatham, "Background Characteristics." 2Eber , Multivariate Analysis. 3Ehrle, "Value of Biographical Data." ^McPhee, Griffiths, C li e n t s . and Magleby, Adjustment of 45 of employment history, work status at acceptance would be used as this information is available on standard report­ ing forms. References Concerned with Rehabilitation Process Variables In contrast to the large number of studies which have dealt with client characteristics, few studies have attempted to relate elements of the rehabilitation process to outcomes. Data on process variables are rela­ tively less available, and as with the field of counseling in g en er a l, researchers have tended in earlier studies to deal with descriptive input and outcome variables before addressing themselves to the intervening process. The study reported here does not purport to include all variables which might describe the services provided by the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The selected variables represent counselor characteris­ tics, and planning, training, and placement activities. The few relevant references which were located are sum­ marized below. Grigg, Holtmann and Martin^ found that for welfare clients served in demonstration rehabilitation projects the variable most related to becoming rehabilitated was the receipt of vocational rehabilitation or public welfare ^"Grigg, Holtmann, and Martin, Disabled Public Assistance Clients. 46 services during the rehabilitation process. This factor explained 5.6 per cent of the variation in the variable rehabilitated versus non-rehabilitated. The group of "health care" services was more related to successful rehabilitation than was "training-maintenance." Other variables which explained at least one per cent of the variation were: type of public assistance received at time of referral, working full time during the year prior to referral, client disability— especially presence of a secondary disability, age at referral, having the major occupation of housewife, having case closed within two months or less, and having rehabilitation counselor inter­ views with client during the referral period. Eber's^ factor analysis of rehabilitation variables in the Alabama DVR resulted in the identifi­ cation of five factors regarding counselor performance which represented counselor experience, counselor pro­ motion, case load volume, cost of services provided, and apparent efficiency. Efficiency was measured as a high percentage of successful rehabilitations and lower cost per successful rehabilitation. There was a moderate positive relationship between case load volume and apparent efficiency. This was interpreted to support the opinion that counselors who do the most work may ^Eber, Multivariate Analysis. 47 also be the ones who get the best results. Also, counselor experience showed a moderate negative correlation with apparent efficiency. Allen"*" compared vocational objectives listed in rehabilitation plans with the subsequent job placements of rehabilitated clients in Colorado. cant relationship between the two. He found a signifi­ Disability type and training were significant in accounting for correspondence between planned and closure occupations. Amputees rather consistently obtained assistance in obtaining prosthetic appliances and then returned to previous employment. The mentally retarded entered on-the-job training and tended to continue in the same employment. Severity of disa­ bility, counselor work experience, and counselor possession of a Master's degree were not significantly related to cor­ respondence between planned and closure occupation. Bronson, Butler, Thoreson, and Wright 2 (1967) found counselors who had Bachelor's degrees had more professional concern than those without the Bachelor's degree. The more formal education the more professional "*"Jay M. Allen, "A Comparison of Vocational Objec­ tives and Job Placements of Rehabilitated Clients in Colorado" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Colorado State College, 1967). 2 Winfred H. Bronson, et a l ., "A Factor Analytic Study of the Rehabilitation Counselor Role: Dimensions of Professional Concern," The Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, I, No. 2 (December^ 196 7), 68-75. 48 concern was shown. The older, more experienced rehabili­ tation workers tended to show less professional concern. The study did not attempt to relate counselor experience or training to services rendered or rehabilitation out­ comes . Stein, Bradley, and Buezel^ in a study discussed in Chapter III found no relationship between counselor experience and client success after rehabilitation in a Veterans Hospital. They did find differences among coun­ selors, and differences related to the number of counseling contacts. Atinsky 2 sought to answer the question: Is there a relationship between the academic training of state rehabilitation district supervisors and the adequacy of services which are provided to clients in agency offices under the supervision's jurisdiction? A measure was made of client satisfaction with services received from the agency, satisfaction with job, and an index of employment status. The results of the study did not support the Carrol I. Stein, Arthur D. Bradley, and Betty L. Buezel, "A Test of Basic Assumptions Underlying Vocational Counseling Utilizing a Differential Criterion Method," The Journal of Counseling Psychology, XVII, No. 2 (1970), 93-97. (Hereinafter referred to as "Test of Basic Assumptions.") 2 Jordan M. Atinsky, "The Effect of Rehabilitation Supervisor's Level of Training on Clients' Satisfaction With Services, Satisfaction with Job, and Employment Status" (unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Iowa, 1969). 49 position that supervisor's level of training had a dif­ ferential effect on the client's satisfaction with ser­ vices, job, or employment status. A statistical summary of national data by the Rehabilitation Services Administration1 provides pertinent information concerning the training provided to clients of the various state agencies during Fiscal Year 1968. The authors note that each disabled person who is rehabili­ tated progresses through an individualized plan of case services, and that training is only one of the services made available. It may include learning to use devices and appliances, mobility training, or speech and hearing training as well as on-the-job, ing. trade, or academic train­ Academic programs may be continued through the Baccalaureate degree. Among cases closed in rehabilitated status, about 35 per cent included some type of training. The rehabili­ tation rate for clients receiving training was 83 per cent compared with 75 per cent for those not receiving training. Of the rehabilitants who received training, 40 per cent were under twenty years of age. For rehabilitants who did not receive training only 15 per cent were under twenty. The percentage distribution of the types of 1U.S., Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Social and Rehabilitation Service, Rehabilitation Services Administration, "Characteristics of Clients Who Received Training During Rehabilitation," Statistical Notes, No. 19, March, 1970. 50 occupations into which clients of the two groups were placed differed markedly and seem to have reflected the influence of training on job placement. Fifteen per cent of the trained group were placed in professional, technical, or managerial occupations compared with 6 per cent for rehabilitants not trained by DVR. From this information it appears reasonable to hypothesize that training ser­ vices would be related to increased job stability, and that the interaction between age category and training may contribute to variance in employment stability. Literature Relating to the Methodology of this Study The field of rehabilitation has not seen the development of significant theoretical support. Newman^ pointed out that in the area of rehabilitation counselor education only one book could be found, Beatrice Wright's Physical Disability— A Psychological A pproach, which attempts to develop a systematic theoretical frame of reference. He concluded that there is very little unique theory in rehabilitation. Whether because it is a very young field or because it encompasses such a wide combi­ nation of activities, rehabilitation has not developed extensive theoretical guidelines. ■^Joseph Newman, "Reading Lists, Rehabilitation, and Ragbags," Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, XI, No. 4 (June, 1968), 308-10. 51 For this study, a conceptualization was utilized from the field of sociology. Research on rehabilitation within the discipline of sociology is summarized in the publication Sociology and Rehabilitation, edited by Sussman.^ The report resulted from the Carmel Conference held in Carmel, California in March, 196 8, which was co­ sponsored by the American Sociological Association and the Vocational Rehabilitation Administration. contributors to the report, Suchman, 2 One of the outlined a concep­ tualization of the rehabilitation process consisting of essentially four parts: (1) the pre-existing conditions; (2) the disability or disabling condition; (3) the rehabilitation process; and (4) the consequences of the disability. Suchman conceives of rehabilitation as an inter­ vening variable between the client's disability and the consequences (both for the client and for society) which result from the disability. The rehabilitation process is an attempt by society to "interrupt" the consequences of the disability; that is, to intervene between the person's disability and its effects dependency or unemployment) (such as chronic and to restore him to Marvin B. Sussman, e d ., Sociology and Rehabili­ tation (Washington, D . C . : The American Sociological A ssociation, 1965). 2 Suchman, "Model for Research." 52 productive activity in the society. Suchman's rehabili­ tation model provides a framework in which the methodology and results of the present study can be conceptualized, and it is utilized where appropriate in subsequent chap­ ters of this report. As noted in Chapter III, this study was a field study. It was descriptive and oriented toward the prac­ tice of vocational rehabilitation rather than upon theory. Much of the content may be interpreted as a measure of achievement against objectives of vocational rehabili­ tation— to place clients in employment and to render them capable of maintaining and improving employment and earn­ ings. In this framework it may be considered an assess­ ment to provide management information as a part of program evaluation. The methodology of the study was patterned after an evaluation study by Grigg, Holtmann, and Martin'*' in Vocational Rehabilitation of Disabled Public Assistance C li en ts : An Evaluation of Fourteen Research and Demon- stration Projects. This analysis involved 7,694 cases which were referred to the fourteen projects throughout the United States. The authors determined what precon­ ditioning variables were related to the probability of a referred client's becoming accepted for project services, ^Grigg, Holtmann, and Martin, Disabled Public Assistance Clients. 53 and what preconditioning or service variables were related to rehabilitation outcome rehabilitated). (rehabilitated versus not- Factors were examined individually in contingency tables and statements of probabilities. They were then combined in regression equations to determine the amount of variance in the dependent variables accounted for by the factors. The methodology is described further in Chapter III. An additional study which influenced this project was reported by Stein, Bradley, and Buezel.^ The authors used a multiple regression technique on 1,020 cases at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital to develop an index of rehabilitation potential. They found that postcounseling behavior can be predicted signifi­ cantly from precounseling information (R = .46). The index of rehabilitation potential was then used to con­ struct a counseling success criterion based on individual case improvement. Using this method, significant dif­ ferences were found among counselor success ratios at the .005 level. When inter-counselor differences were held constant, significant differences at the .05 level were also found between number of counseling contacts and the case success rates. Counselor experience, as defined by this study, was not found to be related to case success. ^Stein, Bradley, and Buezel, Assumptions." "Test of Basic 54 The study is of interest both because of its findings, and also because of the method utilized to express post-service employment success. As with the present study, a follow- up was made two years after services were received. The degree of employment success was indicated by a rank order rating of employment status during the time from discharge to follow-up. Use of the rating scale criterion yielded the significant differences while no significant dif­ ferences were found using the employed-unemployed criterion. On the basis of this experience, a similar criterion was included in the present study. Summary The literature reviewed in this chapter reveals that only one limited follow-up study of Michigan rehabili­ tants has been reported. Follow-up studies of state agency rehabilitants in other states have varied greatly in numbers of subjects and response rates, but have gen­ erally reported high rates of employment. The mean per cent employed at follow-up was 84 per cent, including homemakers. However, most of the studies were made before the mentally and socially handicapped were included among agency clientele. A large number of studies have concerned themselves with some aspect of rehabilitation success. While they have a degree of similarity, and tend to include many of the same demographic variables, the studies show 55 significant differences in purposes, criteria, popu­ lations and methodology. The results are equivocal. Almost all the variables considered have been found to be significantly related to rehabilitation outcome under some conditions. The general pattern which emerges is, however, a conventional one. The client with the greatest proba­ bility of being successfully rehabilitated tends to be young, male, white, married, physically rather than men­ tally or emotionally handicapped, and relatively well educated. ment. He has a history of recent successful employ­ However, no single factor is highly predictive for either future rehabilitation or successful employment after rehabilitation. There are indications that those who have less favorable characteristics may not be accepted for services, so that studies of the variables for only rehabilitated cases show relationships less clearly. Literature concerned with relationships between services provided and outcomes is sparse. Nationwide, rehabilitation rates are higher for state agency clients receiving training than for those not receiving training. Among welfare clients, health care services seemed more important to successful rehabilitation than training or maintenance services. 56 Client success after rehabilitation has been shown to differ among counselors and to have a positive corre­ lation with number of counseling contacts. No relation­ ship between counselor education and rehabilitation out­ come has been shown. Counselor experience has been reported to have a moderate negative correlation with apparent efficiency and professional concern. The major impression gained from the literature is that little research has addressed itself to the service variables dealt with in this study, and that few helpful guidelines exist. An evaluation model developed by Suchman, and methods used by Grigg, Holtmann, and Martin, and by Stein, Bradley and Buezel were adopted for this study. CHAPTER III DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Design of the Study Research in the behavioral sciences has been cate­ gorized in four forms: surveys, field studies, experiments in field settings, and laboratory experiments.'*' This study utilized both survey and field study techniques to describe and evaluate aspects of the services provided by the Michigan Department of Education's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Field research is necessary to provide facts not previously known. Such facts may be valuable to suggest relationships, to support or fail to support hypotheses derived from theory, or to evaluate operating procedures. As Van Dalen 2 has noted in discussing educational research: Descriptive research is a necessary initial step for a young science to take, and sometimes it is the only method that can be employed to study social situations and aspects of human behavior. . . . The *"Leon Festinger and Daniel Katz, Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences (New York: Dryden P r e s s , 1953). 2 Research p. 213. Deobold B. VanDalen, Understanding Educational (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, I n c . , I"962) , 57 58 descriptive method of investigation has led to the development of many research tools, and it has pro­ vided some means of studying phenomena that other methods cannot probe. Levine'*' has pointed out that the field study is the tra­ ditional approach to the problem of evaluating programs of social services. Such field studies are ex post facto scientific inquiries aimed at discovering the relations and interactions among variables in real social structures. The investigator in a field study first looks at a social or institutional situation and then studies the relation­ ships among variables. He ordinarily manipulates no experimental conditions or independent variables. Ebel 2 . . . has supported the use of field studies m the field of education. He feels that basic research promises little improvement in the process of education, now or in the foreseeable future. He notes that (a) research with the aim of establishing general principles, despite great investment and time, has contributed little to educational practice, (b) the problems that accompany such research are not near solution and may be insoluble, and (c) the process of education is not a natural Abraham S. Levine, "Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Work Experience Program," Welfare in Review, IV, No. 7 (Washington, D.C.: Welfare Administration, U.S., Depart­ ment of Health, Education, and Welfare, August-September, 1966) , 1-9. 2 R. L. Ebel, "Some Limitations of Basic Research in Education," Phi Delta Kappan, XLIX (October, 1967) , 81-84. 59 phenomenon of the kind which has rewarded scientific study in the physical sciences. He argues that facts on which to base decisions hold more promise for advancing edu­ cation than does extensive theory building. He asks: What are we then to do? Shall we abandon research in education? By no means. Let us even persist in basic research in those psycho-biological problems where basic research has a fighting chance to pro­ duce useful results. But let us also push, and rather more strongly, the kind of survey research which provides crucial data to the decisions we must make. Let us not worship pure science and basic research unrealistically. Ebel's comments are equally applicable in the field of rehabilitation. The need for applied research to assist in decision-making and the lack of promising theory development have been discussed previously 18). (pp. 13, The field study is an appropriate model in approach­ ing the issues currently confronting vocational rehabili­ tation. The Follow-Up Study Population The population for the study consisted of all per­ sons whose cases were closed in rehabilitated status by the Department of Education's Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in the Fiscal Year from July 1, 1967, to June 30, 1968. The follow-up interval ranged from eighteen to thirty months from closure of agency records. The mean time between closure and follow-up was 60 approximately two years (22.4 months). lation comprised 6,184 cases. The total popu­ Considerable descriptive information regarding the population is included below (p. 64) . Sample A sample was sought which would allow estimation of simple proportions to 5 per cent precision with a 95 per cent confidence interval. For a simple random selection procedure, the number of responses required was approximately 400. To assure that an adequate number of records could be found and subjects located, a sample of approximately 6 00 names was drawn. The Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation is organized geographically into five regions and during Fiscal Year 1968 had twenty-three district offices. For all but the Southern Region, proportionate numbers were drawn for each district office on a random basis. procedure is described in Appendix B. The For the Southern Region, a list of social security numbers from the Fiscal Year 1968 closed case data was selected on a simple random basis by the Michigan State University Computer Center and sent to the individual district offices. Thus, the sample from the Southern Region was not selected on a proportionate basis by district office nor by region. 61 However, the regional total was essentially in correct proportion to the total sample. The final total sample size was 581. Contact Procedure District offices provided complete case records for the sample cases. Interviewers utilized the case records and telephone directory assistance to obtain telephone numbers for the potential respondents whenever possible. Subjects for whom a number could be found were listed for telephone contact. listed for mail contact. All others were These listed for telephone contact were sent a mimeographed letter. The letter described the nature of the study, appealed for cooper­ ation, and informed the subject that he would be phoned within a few days after receipt of the letter. A list of the questions to be asked was attached to the letter. The interviewers spaced release of the alerting letters so that each could be followed with a phone call within seven days. If phone calls could not be completed, mail questionnaires were sent. Persons listed for mail contact were sent a letter and a questionnaire, modified for mail use. If no response was received in the fourteen days after the questionnaire was sent, a second letter and questionnaire were sent. They were identical with the first mailing except that 62 the mimeographed second letter had an individually typed appeal for response above the mimeographed letter. No third mailings were made. For both the phone and mail questionnaires, several items of information which were specific to the individual were added by the interviewer before the mail­ ing. These included the name of the counselor who had major responsibility for the case, date of acceptance, and date of closure. Questionnaire The questionnaire was devised for the purpose of eliciting employment history and earnings throughout the period from case closure to follow-up, plus other closely related information. Information was gathered in a tele­ phone interview of six to eight minutes, and the items were arranged to elicit the employment information first. A mail form of the questionnaire was also prepared with a somewhat different format. Items were selected after examination of several comparable questionnaire forms. No formal evaluation of individual items was made, but the items were tested in a pilot study. In general, the information sought was factual in nature and the inter­ viewers obtained ready cooperation and response. of the questionnaires are displayed in Appendix B. Copies 63 Interviewers The interviewers were graduate students in the Michigan State University Master's degree training pro­ gram for vocational rehabilitation counselors. They each received approximately twelve hours of training in the use of case records and in conducting the telephone interview. A standard introduction was devised for initiating the phone contact, and the interviewers observed and rehearsed the approach in role-playing sessions. The telephone interviewing required a degree of skill and adaptability in attempting to elicit a complete employment history for the two-year period from case closure to follow-up. However, the response to the telephone contact was generally positive and the inter­ viewers proved generally successful at eliciting the desired information. Pilot Study The sampling procedure, contact method, and questionnaire forms were tested in a pilot study which was conducted in two of the district offices. Forty mail contacts and twenty phone contacts were attempted. The study was not extensive enough to permit formal com­ parisons of procedures. However, the pilot study was most useful in gaining estimates of the time required to 64 contact respondents by phone, the quality of responses, and the probable response rate for the mail questionnaire. It also resulted in revision of the questionnaire to its final form. Response Rate The overall response rate for the study was 7 4.3 per cent including approximately 2 per cent who were reported deceased. The Deceased category was considered a response as it was clearly a response on the major variable of interest, Work Status at Follow-up. Tables in Appendix B list the response rates and types of response obtained by district office. While there is a considerable range in response rates, all of the offices showed more than a 50 per cent response. responses (80 per cent) Also, the ratio of phone to mail responses (20 per cent) reveals that the study was predominantly a phone interview study rather than mail questionnaire. Approximately 65 per cent of those sought by phone were located by phone and others were later reached by mail. Approximately 3 2 per cent of those sought by mail responded with a completed questionnaire. Description of Sample Since the inception of the Federal case data reporting system in Fiscal Year 1967, descriptive data have been available for all the client cases closed in 65 each fiscal year. By tabulating identical data items from the sample, it was possible to validate the sample on known population parameters„ The variables selected for examination were age, sex, race, education, disability, employment status, referral source, public assistance status, marital status, and number of dependents. The categories refer to status at time of acceptance for vocational rehabilitation ser­ vices. The demographic and biographic variables examined were selected in part because they are commonly used validating items. However, for the most part they also describe explicit or implicit target populations for service. Some have been shown to have relevance to the rehabilitation process. Age, for example, has been shown to be related to vocational choice and service outcome whether considered from an individual or program planning perspective. The age categories also identify groups which are target service populations for the agency— the older worker twenty) (over forty-five) and the young worker (under including Special Education students and teen-age dropouts. Tables 1 through 10 in Appendix A show the dis­ tribution by categories for the total population of rehabilitants, the original sample, the respondents, and the non-respondents. In general, the tables reveal excellent correspondence between the total rehabilitant 66 population and the respondent sample on the variables examined. The age variable is an exception. Persons of age forty-five and over were over-represented, and persons twenty to twenty-nine years of age were under-represented. The difference from the population distribution was sig­ nificant at the 5 per cent level when tested by the chisquare test. The Negro subpopulation was also found to be significantly under-represented when the category was tested separately using the same criterion. The following comments summarize the information given in the tables. Approximately one-third of the rehabilitants in Fiscal Year 1968 were under age 20 at the time they were accepted for rehabilitation services and over half were under 30. Approximately one-fourth were between 30 and 44, and one-fifth were 45 or older. The age group 20 to 29 was slightly but significantly under-represented in the sample, both due to initial sample selection and rela­ tively low response rate (65 per c en t ). The low response rate may reflect relatively high geographic and vocational mobility for this age group. was over-represented. The age group 45 and over It included 9 persons who were deceased at the time of follow-up. 67 Sex About 60 per cent of Michigan rehabilitants were male and 40 per cent were female. The ratio is the same for the sample. Race Negroes comprised approximately 17 per cent of all the Michigan rehabilitants; 82 per cent were white and less than one per cent were classified Other. Of the respondents in the study, 14 per cent were Negro. under-representation was statistically significant. Negro population comprises approximately H The The per cent of the total state population.1 Education Information describing educational level is some what unclear in that respondents who had been in Special Education were not identified. It appears that approx­ imately one-fourth of the former vocational rehabili­ tation clients were in Special Education or had completed less than nine grades of school. However, over 4 0 per cent had twelve or more years of formal education. 1U.S., Bureau of the Census, 1970 Census of PgPH. 1 at ion . Michigan: General Popu l a t i o n ^ a r a c t e r i s t i c g , PC (v-2)-24 (Washington, D .C . : Government Printing 1971), p. 4. , 68 Major Disability Fourteen major disability categories were accurately represented in the sample. About 17 per cent of the rehabilitants had visual, hearing or speech dis­ abilities. Approximately 10 per cent were considered emotionally or mentally ill, 18 per cent mentally retarded, and 55 per cent physically disabled. Employment Status Of all the rehabilitants in Fiscal Year 1968, approximately 20 per cent were employed when they were accepted for rehabilitation services. Presumably, they needed assistance to maintain their employment. Another 20 per cent were students and 54 per cent were not work­ ing for other reasons. The respondent sample represents the proportions accurately. Referral Source Eight categories are listed for referral sources. The major sources of referrals are educational insti­ tutions (25 per cent) , health service agencies (20 per cent) and individuals, including self (18 per cent).. Public Welfare Assistance Status Approximately 8 per cent of the rehabilitants were receiving Public Assistance through the Department of Social Services when they were accepted for 69 rehabilitation services. About half of those receiving Public Assistance were receiving Aid for Families with Dependent Children. Marital Status Approximately one-third of the sample were married at time of application for services, over half had never been married; the rest were widowed, divorced or separated. Dependents Over 60 per cent of the rehabilitants had no dependents when accepted for services. Approximately 12 per cent had four or more. The distribution of cases by categories for the several variables describe a composite rehabilitant who when accepted for services was a male in his late twenties, with nine to eleven grades of education, who was physically disabled and unemployed. He was referred by an educational or health agency and was more likely than the general population to be Negro or to be receiv­ ing Public Welfare Assistance. Data Analysis Data were analyzed in three pha s e s . The initial phase consisted of tabulation of responses and was con­ ducted with the aid of a desk calculator. Data items selected for further analysis were coded, and data cards 70 were punched and processed at the Michigan State Uni­ versity Computer Center. For the second phase of the analysis Program ACT developed by the Computer Institute for Social Science Research of Michigan State University was utilized to generate contingency tables. 6500 computer was used. The CDC The third phase consisted of Multiple Regression Analysis. For this the Least Squares (LS) Routine developed by the Michigan State University Agriculture Experiment Station was used. Chi-square tests were utilized to aid in analyzing the distribution of cases by categories, as enumerated in the contingency tables. The chi-square test is used for frequency comparisons for nominal data and is defined by the formula: where 0 is the observed frequency, and E is the expected frequency. The larger the differences between observed and expected frequencies, the larger the value of chisquare. The null hypothesis, the hypothesis of no relationship, may be rejected if the chi-square value is higher than values expected by chance. For this study, a difference was judged significant if its probability of occurrence by chance was 5 per cent or less. The multivariate analysis of qualitative or attribute data presents numerous problems. Unless a very 71 large sample is available, cross-classification of more than four or five factors results in many small or empty cells, giving rise to excessively large sampling varia­ bility which is undesirable. Also, when several factors are cross-classified, the large number of cells makes interpretation of the relationships difficult. In an attempt to overcome such difficulties and still be able to analyze the effects of qualitative factors such as sex, race, and age upon employment sta­ bility, a form of multiple regression analysis was used. It was patterned after the method utilized by Grigg, Holtmann, and Martin. 2 Each qualitative factor was converted into "dummy variables" which took the values 1 or -1. 3 With this method, every category of a quali­ tative factor becomes a separate variable in itself, and it is possible to assess the total effect of the Guy H. Orcutt, et a l ., "Data Sources and Estimation Procedures for Extending the Labor Force M o d e l ," in Micro­ analysis of Socio-economic Systems: A Simulation Study (New Y o r k : Harper Brothers, 1961) , p. 224^ (Hereinafter referred to as "Estimation Procedures.") 2 Grigg, Holtmann, and Martin, Disabled Public Assistance Clients. 3 Orcutt, "Estimation Procedures."; J. Johnston, Econometric Methods (New York; McGraw-Hill, 1963), pp. 221229. (Hereinafter referred to as Econometric M ethods.); Emanuel Melichar, "Least Squares Analysis of Economic Survey Data," a paper printed in 1965 Proceedings of the Business and Economic Statistics Session, American Statistical Association, 1965. (Hereinafter referred to as "Least Squares Analysis.") 72 independent factors on the dependent one. The effects may not be linear in form (i.e., age is often U-shaped in influence and fails to show significance in regression equations). Table 3.1 lists twenty-two factors relating to post-rehabilitation employment (the dependent factor). The table describes how each factor was converted into dummy variables. The presence of the characteristic is indicated by "1"; the absence by "-1." The result is forty-eight dummy variables which were submitted to the CDC 3600 for regression analysis by the LS Routine. (Least Squares) All variables other than vocational success are considered independent: either contributing to, hindering, or being unrelated to vocational success. The estimating equation for the analysis was of the form: Y = aQ + a ix i + a 2X 2 + -- where: a 48X 48 Y is the dependent variable, a's are constants, and /\ X's are independent variables, or: 3-2^3 ®1®1 * * • ^1^1 • • • Y = a + ajA^ + &2A 2 + ^1^1 *• • • Using the symbols of Table 3.1. The results of the regression analysis give esti­ mation coefficients for each dummy variable. A multiple regression of the dependent factor Y on all of the forty-eight explanatory dummy variables gives a calculated TABLE 3.1.— Definitions of dummy variables. Derived Dummy Variables Oriqinal Variables Values Variable Symbol \hlues* Personal and Demoqraphic 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 0-19 A1 20-29 A2 30-44 A3 45 or over A4 Sex: Male Female S1 1 -1 Ra c e : White Black R1 1 -1 Marital Status: Married Mi Widowed, Divorced, Separated m 2 Never Married m 3 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 Wayne County Other U1 Age at Acceptance: Location of Services: 1 -1 TABLE 3.1.— Cont. Derived Dummy Variables Original Variables Values Variable Symbol Values* Education and Employment Education: 0 to 8 years 9 to 11 years 12 years and over Employment History: Never Employed Before Stable Employment Unstable Employment Employment Status at Acceptance: Employed Unemployed Student Job at Case Closure Same as at Acceptance for Services: Yes No 1 -1 TABLE 3.1.— Cont. Original Variables Derived Dummy Variables Variable Values Symbol Values* Visual, Hearing, Speech D1 Orthopedic d Emotional D3 Mental Retardation D4 Other Physical Disability D5 1 -l l _i l X 1 -1 1 -1 Vision-Hearing-Speech Qi Orthopedic q Disability Factors Major Disability: Secondary Disability: Emotional 2 2 q3 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 A 1 -1 Mental Retardation q Other Physical Disability Qs Secondary Disability: Presence Absence Li 1 -1 Degree of Disability: Severe Mild Ri 1 -1 4 TABLE 3.1.— C o n t . Derived Dummy Variables Original Variables Values Variable Symbol Values’ Counselor Factors Counselor Experience Two Years or More Less Than Two Years F1 1 ■1 Counselor Education: Master's Degree Less Than Master's Degree G1 1 ■1 Counselor Productivity High Productivity Not High Productivity Hn 1 -1 Counselors Managing Case: 1 •1 Two or More One Rehabilitation Service Factors Vocational Plan In­ cluded Training: Training Completed: Yes No 1 -1 Academic 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 Trade or Business School Rehabilitation Center On-Job-Training T' TABLE 3.1.— Cont. Derived Dummy Variables Original Variables Values Variable Placement Agent: Closure Occupation Same as in Rehabilitation Plan: Type of Employment at Closure: Symbol Values 1 DVR or Training Facility Self or Other -1 Yes NO B1 Professional Ol Clerical °2 Service °3 Skilled or Semi-Skilled Industrial °4 Unskilled °5 Yes No *1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 Dependent Variables Employed at Follow-Up 1 ■1 TABLE 3.1.— Cont. Derived Dummy Variables Original Variables Symbol Values* Yes No Y2 1 -1 Stability in Employment: Rank Values Y3 1 to 92 Success in Employment: Index Values Y4 0 to 200 Values Variable Employed in Closure Occupation: In each case, the value 1 is interpreted to mean the person has the character­ istic described; the value -1 means the person does not have the characteristic. 79 value of Y, for any given set of X's, which may be inter­ preted as "an estimate of the conditional probability of Y, given X."'*' Another product of the analysis is the multiple coefficient of determination (R^). This may be considered to be the total amount of variation in the dependent factor which is explained by all of the independent factors. In order to measure the gross influence of any one factor or group of factors on the dependent variable, the regression analysis is run first including all of the independent variables and the dependent one, then second including all the independent variables except those which represent the factors on which interest is cen­ tered. The obtained from this regression run ing the factors) (exclud­ is then compared with the R^ obtained when all the variables were included. By comparing the two R^'s using the formula below, the relative contribution of the deleted factors to the total R obtained. may be The resulting quantity is called the coefficient of partial determination. This may be interpreted as the proportion of variation in the dependent variable which is explained by the factors. ^Johnston, Econometric Me t h o d s . 80 The formula is: 2 2 Partial R2 = — --- i1 - rb where: R 2 = Coefficient of multiple determination for r\ the equation that includes all factors. R 2 = Coefficient of multiple determination for JB the equation before the factors of interest were added.'*' For this study, coefficients were not reported for individual factors. The independent variables were combined into six groups of factors: Personal and Demo­ graphic, Education and Employment, Disability, Counselor, Rehabilitation Service, and Type.of Employment at Closure. The groupings correspond roughly with the Suchman model. They are identified in Table 3.1 and are discussed fur­ ther with their coefficients of partial determination in Chapter IV. The regression equations were used with four different dependent variables: Employed versus Unemployed at Follow-Up, Employed in Closure Occupation versus Not Employed in Closure Occupation, Employment Stability after Rehabilitation, and a "Success" Index which com­ bined time in employment and earnings changes. variables are defined on page 81. ^Melichar, "Least Squares Analysis." The 81 The use of dichotomous dependent variables has been questioned. Johnston‘S noted that such variables do not have a normal distribution, and the validity of F tests based upon them must be questioned. However, the method 2 has been used by Grigg, et a l ., and by Orcutt. Hsu and Feldt 3 recently examined the performance of the F-test empirically with computer generated scores and mean square ratios. The F-test was found to be very robust with scales of only two p o i n t s . Two of the dependent variables were continuous and relatively normal in distribution. It was hoped that they would prove more sensitive than the dichotomous variables. Definitions of Variables The following operational definitions were used in the analysis: Independent Variables The definitions for Major and Secondary Disabili­ ties (i.e., Major and Secondary Disability conditions) ^■Johnston, Econometric Methods. 2 Orcutt, "Estimation Procedures." ^Tse-Chi Hsu and Leonard S. Feldt, "The Effect of Limitations on the Number of Criterion Score Values on the Significance Level of the F-Test," The American Edu­ cational Research Journal, VI, No. 4 (November, 1969), 515-27. 82 are quoted below from the Vocational Rehabilitation Manual.^The disability categories are also taken from the manual. 1. Major Disabling Condition.— The major disabling condition is the major defect, impairment, or disease most significantly responsible for the client's work limitation. 2. Secondary Disabling Condition.— The secondary disabling condition is the second impairment, residual defect, or other disabling condition that contributes to but is not the major basis of the employment handicap. 3. Mild Disability.— A disability of a type showing more than .77 probability of rehabilitation based upon national case service data. 2 The .77 figure is the mean probability of rehabilitation for all disability types nationwide. 4. Severe Disability.— A disability of a type showing less than .77 probability of rehabilitation based upon national case service data. 3 U.S., Department of Health, Education, and Wel­ fare, Social and Rehabilitation Service, Rehabilitation Services Administration, Vocational Rehabilitation Manual (July, 1969), pp. 3-2-9. 2 U.S., Department of Health, Education, and Wel­ fare, Statistical N o t e s . 3 Ibid. 83 5. Metropolitan Location.— Wayne County (Wayne County includes the city of Detroit.) 6. O ther Location.— Any location in Michigan other than Wayne County. 7. Never Employed Before.— A category used for students or other persons under age twenty who show no work history in the twelve months before receiving rehabilitation services. 8. Stable Employment.— Employment of nine or more months for one or two employers in the twelve months before receiving rehabilitation services. 9. Unstable Employment.— Employment of zero to eight months, or employment of any duration for three or more employers in the twelve months before receiving rehabilitation services. 10. Academic Training.— Training in the academic program of a two-year or four-year college involving courses which give credits toward a baccalaureate degree. 11. Trade or Business School Training.— Training in business or trade courses expected to provide a trade or clerical skill resulting in employment within one or two years. This category includes terminal trade or clerical courses in community colleges. 84 12. Rehabilitation Center Training.— Training for employment occurring in a rehabilitation center or work­ shop. Includes any work adjustment or skill training occurring in such a setting. 13. On-Job Training.— Training received from an employer which is recognized by the rehabilitation coun­ selor in the rehabilitation plan and agreed upon by counselor and employer. The employer may or may not be reimbursed by the agency in a formal agreement. 14. Type of Employment at Closure.— The occu­ pational categories are derived from the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and the State Agency coding system. 15. Occupation Cha n g e .--An occupation change is considered to occur if the rehabilitant changes employment to a new occupation which has a Dictionary of Occupational Titles code number which differs in either the first or second digit from that of the original occupation. 16. Counselor Experience.— Counselors were con­ sidered to have two years or more of experience if they were employed by the agency before July 1, 1964. Agency personnel records were used for the information. Some counselors with less than two years experience with the agency may have had rehabilitation experience in other 85 settings, but this would be relatively unusual. In any event the experience would not be directly comparable to agency experience. 17. Counselor Education.— The agency recognizes degrees in rehabilitation counseling or "related" areas which include psychology, sociology, social work, guidance and counseling, or special education. Persons with Master's Degrees in any of these fields as of June 30, 1966, were included in the Master's Degree group. 18. Counselors with H igh Productivity.— A group of counselors who were in the upper third of all coun­ selors, both in number of rehabilitations and in number of rehabilitation plans initiated between July 1, 1966, and June 30, 1967. 19. Counselors Managing Case.— The number of counselors involved in the case was determined by examination of the case folders. Dependent Variables 1. Employed at Follow-Up.— This group includes all persons employed for remuneration at follow-up. Homemakers and unpaid household workers ^ere not included in the analysis. 86 2. Employed in Closure Occupation.— The defi­ nition for occupation change was given above. It was felt that this variable might offer a more discriminating reflection of rehabilitation influence than the simple Employed-Not Employed dichotomy. 3. Stability in Employment.— Stein, Bradley, and Buezel^ devised a dependent variable from data gathered in a two-year follow-up study of former patients at a Veterans Administration Hospital. Three variables were combined to form complex descriptions of work adjustment: (a) current job status, (b) length of time on longest job since discharge from hospital, and held since discharge. ment were generated. (c) number of jobs Eleven categories of work adjust­ The descriptions were then ranked by ten experienced counselors according to their economic value to society. Tests comparing the rank scale and a simple employed-unemployed criterion revealed that the differential success criterion was more sensitive. index is given on page 87 with three changes. The rank values of the eleven categories are reversed to give larger value to the most highly valued. Also, terms relating to rehabilitation are substituted for terms relating to hospitalization. Decimals are omitted. ^"Stein, Bradley, and Buezel, Assumptions." The "Test of Basic 87 TABLE 3 . 2 .--Ranking of rehabilitant employment status on two-year follow up. Post Rehabilitation Vocational Outcome Rank Value (Reverse Order) Training--Full Time Working full time— Has held one job more than twelve months Working full time— Has held two or more j o b s , the longest over twelve months Working full time— Has held this one job for less than twelve months Working full time— Has held two or more j o b s , all less than twelve months Working part-time— Has held just one job since closure Working part-time— Has had two or more jobs since closure Able, but not working at present— Has worked since closure Able, but not working at present— Has not worked since closure Not looking for work (retired or not able)— Has worked since closure Not looking for work (retired or not able)--Has not worked since closure 4. 92 92 84 65 65 45 45 32 21 13 01 Success in Employment.— This criterion was based upon time employed and earnings during the period from case closure to follow-up. A ratio was calculated between actual earnings during the period and expected earnings. Expected earnings were considered to be the product of earnings rate at closure and time from closure to follow-up. Persons who maintained employment at the same pay rate had a ratio of 1.00. Those who were unem­ ployed or went to a job with lower pay had a ratio lower than 1.00 (unless they resumed employment at a higher rate 88 than they had at closure); persons who had earnings increases showed a ratio higher than 1.00. The ratios were multiplied by 100 to eliminate the decimals. Special Populations The Deceased Twelve of the rehabilitants were found to be deceased at time of follow-up. Whether or not to retain them in the analysis was a problem. For the purposes of program evaluation, it is important to consider the post­ rehabilitation fortunes of the total population served. If a significant proportion of the program group leaves the employment market shortly after rehabilitation due to death, the fact cannot be ignored. Investments in such groups can be justified on humanitarian grounds, but may be difficult to defend in economic terms. Benefit/ cost formulas, for example, are highly sensitive to the factor of expected work life. All persons rehabilitated have been certified by a counselor at the time of their acceptance for services as having sufficient employment potential that there is a reasonable expectation they can engage in gainful employment. Variance in employment status at time of follow-up may be seen as representing the degree of uncertainty with which predictions are made for clients in a given subgroup. If uncertainty is introduced in 89 judgments by the factors of death, counselors and program managers should be aware of this fact and recognize its implications. It is also true, however, that the agency has a commitment to serve older workers. Counselors are not asked to certify that all accepted clients will be in the labor force for two years. There are undoubtedly many cases where an attempt is made to provide employment even when it is recognized that the rehabilitant may not be in the labor force for a long period of time. Pre­ sumably, such cases do not involve lengthy rehabilitation programs or large service costs. The purpose of this analysis was to identify factors related to post-rehabilitation employment status. It is assumed that most of the factors considered are unrelated to death, and that death is primarily a function of age and possibly severity of disability. Examination of the case records for the deceased revealed the follow­ ing distributions: TABLE 3.3.— Age categories for twelve rehabilitants deceased at follow-up. Years 0 20 30 45 to 19 years to 29 years to 44 years years and over Age 3 0 0 9 90 TABLE 3.4.— Severity of disability for twelve rehabilitants deceased at follow-up. Disability Number Mild Disability Severe Disability 8 4 Examination of the deceased cases by disability type revealed four cases of amputation or paralysis with the others distributed in lesser quantities among the twelve other categories. The deceased were clearly the older persons. They were not necessarily the more severely disabled, nor did they represent a particular disability type. Since the deceased were permanently out of the employment market, and it appeared that the inclusion of their cases would add little to the examination of variables other than age, the cases were not included in the analysis. Homemakers Homemaking is considered a gainful occupation by the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and by the Rehabilitation Services Administration. However, as a closure category it is sometimes viewed with distrust on the basis that it may include women who could not be placed in remunerative employment, and whose cases were then closed in the convenient homemaker stat u s . 91 More important for the purposes of this analysis, the inclusion of homemakers in the calculation of rehabilitant earnings is misleading as the homemakers have no earnings and lower the mean. Employment rates and histories are also distorted by cases in which women have voluntarily left the employment market for marriage. To avoid confusion in dealing with this group, the home­ makers were not considered in the data analysis. Elimi­ nation of the deceased and the homemakers reduced the number of cases for analysis to 370. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION Results of the Follow-Up Study The responses to the questionnaire items are listed in Appendix B. They are discussed below. Responses were not obtained on all items from all respondents. The following tables report the numbers responding and percentages based on those reporting. Employment Status The major finding of the follow-up study was that approximately 69 per cent of the rehabilitants were in competitive employment two years after rehabilitation. Another 17 per cent were in sheltered employment, were homemakers, or were continuing in some type of education. Three per cent were deceased. ployed. Eleven per cent were unem­ From the study design, it can be stated with 95 per cent probability that the actual proportions are within 5 per cent of the figures given. Expressed on a comparative basis with the studies summarized by Bailey, the employment rate was 8 5 per cent or 87 per cent exclud­ ing the deceased. The mean for the Bailey studies was 92 I l t i 93 84 per cent. Decrease in employment rate occurred at a lower rate than the 14 per cent reported in earlier studies for the first year after closure. In Table 4.1 employment status for the group is compared for the time of acceptance for vocational rehabilitation services, time of closure, and time of follow-up. TABLE 4.1.--Employment status for rehabilitants at time of acceptance, closure and follow-up (N = 432). Acceptance Closure Follow-Up Employment Status N Competitive Employment Sheltered Employment Homemaker or Unpaid Not Working--Student Deceased Not Working— Other Not Reported 104 9 18 90 -207 4 432 Total o, "O 24 2 4 21 — 48 1 100 N N % 375 16 38 — — — 86 4 9 — _ _ — 3 1 432 100 o_ *o 298 69 (70)* 18 4 (4) 50 12 (13) 6 1 (1) 12 3 — 48 11 (12) — — —“ 432 (100) (100) * Percentages not including deceased. While some employees have left employment, it is clear that the proportion of workers maintaining employ­ ment two years after closure is markedly higher than at the time they were accepted for services. Reasons for Unemployment Interviewers attempted to ascertain reasons for unemployment. However, the item was not completed for 94 all cases. be given. Often, single factor explanations could not The following table presents the client reports which seemed clear. TABLE 4.2.— Apparent reasons for current unemployment among forty-eight unemployed rehabilitants. Unable to work due to disability Work seasonally Retired In jail Temporarily laid off Insufficient information or cannot categorize 15 2 2 2 5 22 Twenty-six of the forty-eight unemployed expressed a desire to work. Fifteen seemed clearly to not desire work— primarily due to disability. Seventeen had worked at one job for twelve months or longer since closure. Nine had had three or more jobs, usually having experi­ enced sporadic employment at low-skill jobs. Earnings Tables 4.3 and 4.4 provide a crude indication of the trend of increase in earnings from time of referral for rehabilitation to time of follow-up. TABLE 4.3.— Mean gross weekly earnings of rehabilitants for time of referral, closure and follow-up (N = 411). Earnings at Acceptance Earnings at Closure Earnings at Follow-Up All Rehabilitants $13.20 $71.27 $ 80.94 All Rehabilitants with Earnings_________ 47.14__________ 77_.46_________110 .87 95 Table 4.3 reveals that the average weekly earnings for the rehabilitants rose slightly during the two years following case closure even though some persons had left employment. TABLE 4.4.— Percentages of rehabilitants in weekly earnings categories (N = 411). At Acceptance n *o N None $1— $49 $50— $99 $100 and over Not Reported Total At Closure N % F ollow-Up At : N % 296 37 49 25 4 72 9 12 6 1 32 70 210 95 4 8 17 51 23 1 95 37 95 184 0 23 9 23 45 0 411 100 411 100 411 100 Only 18 per cent of the rehabilitants were earning over $50 per week when accepted for rehabilitation ser­ vices. Almost three-fourths were receiving over $50 per week at time of case closure and follow-up. of follow-up, At the time 45 per cent were earning over $100 per week. Number of Jobs Since Closure Of the 41.1 persons giving complete employment history data, approximately 10 per cent were not remuner­ atively employed at any time between closure and followup. This figure corresponds well with the 9 per cent closed in homemaker status. a single employer; Over half (53 per cent) had 22 per cent had two employers; 96 15 per cent reported three or more. Almost half (48 per cent) were still employed in the job they held at closure. The mean number of jobs was approximately 1.5. Public Assistance Public Assistance is defined as assistance received through the Michigan Department of Social Services. It includes Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Aid to the Blind, Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled, Aid to the Aged, and General Assistance. It does not include Social Security Disability Benefits, Workmen's Compensation, or benefits from other sources. The proportions of respondents reporting receipt of Public Assistance at various stages of the rehabilitation process are listed in Table 4.5. TABLE 4.5.— Percentages of rehabilitants receiving public assistance (N = 427). At Acceptance Receiving Not Receiving Not Reported Total Between Application and Closure At closure Llosure Follow-Up N % N N % N % % 34 389 4 8 91 1 43 367 17 10 86 4 17 406 4 4 17 95 410 1 — 4 96 0 427 100 427 100 427 100 427 100 Approximately 8 per cent of the respondents were receiving Public Assistance when they were accepted for services. About 10 per cent reported receiving welfare 97 assistance while receiving vocational rehabilitation ser­ vices . Approximately 4 per cent were receiving Public Assistance at closure and at follow-up. The precision of this study is not sufficient to permit conclusions based on differences in percentage of this size. However, it appears that the number of persons receiving Public Assis­ tance has been reduced. Marital Status Table 4.6 compares the marital status of the respondents at time of acceptance versus time of follow-up. TABLE 4.6.— Marital status of rehabilitants at time of acceptance and time of follow-up (in percentages, N = 416). Acceptance Married Never Married Widowed, Divorced, Separated Total Follow-Up N o o 133 229 54 32 55 13 200 154 62 48 37 15 416 100 416 100 N % There was a marked increase in the proportion of rehabilitants who were married at the time of follow- up, compared with the proportion married at time of acceptance. The increase reflects the large number of rehabilitants who were students or were under twenty years of age when accepted for services. Hopefully, a change from single to married status is a measure of economic and social maturity and stability. 98 Number of Dependents The number of dependents reported at time of acceptance and at time of follow-up is given in Table 4.7. TABLE 4.7.— Number of dependents of rehabilitants at time of acceptance and time of follow-up (in percentages, N = 406). Follow-Up Acceptance None One Two Three Four Total N % N % 260 45 24 24 49 64 11 6 6 12 223 69 49 24 41 55 17 12 6 10 406 100 406 100 The number of dependents reported at follow-up reflects the increase in persons in married status. Fewer persons reported no dependents and more persons reported one or two dependents. There was a slight decrease in the proportion reporting four or more dependents. Other Person s _in Family Able t o E n t e r or Leave Employment as a Result of Rehab 1.1itation Services Among approximately 4 00 responses, only five per~sons (approximately one per cent) reported that: other persons in thej r fami ly were able to enter employment as a result of their rehabilitation services. Only three 99 persons reported family members able to quit working as a result of their rehabilitation services. It is possible that not all those interviewed understood these questionnaire items. However, the tele­ phone interviewers made efforts to explain the questions, and the mail questionnaire form included an example. While the proportion may actually be higher than reported, it seems clear that the number is low. Satisfaction with Services The measurement of satisfaction with services is dealt with in a very general way. It is recognized that the single question directed to this subject does not provide a sophisticated assessment of satisfaction. How­ ever, the respondents presented a global response to the agency and its services which was rather readily identi­ fied as positive, indifferent, or negative. Factual information concerning employment was accepted from family members in some cases where the rehabilitant could not be contacted directly or could not communicate by phone or letter. Information regarding satisfaction with services was not accepted unless pro­ vided by the rehabilitant personally. Responses by cate­ gory are given in Table 4.8. Among 366 respondents to the question "Were you generally satisfied with the services you received from Vocational Rehabilitation?" over 80 per cent reported 100 TABLE 4.8.— Satisfaction with services reported by rehabili­ tants (N = 3 66) . Number Very Satisfied Somewhat Satisfied Indifferent or Unclear Somewhat Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Total Per cent 230 68 26 19 23 63 19 7 5 _6 366 100 some degree of satisfaction with the services received. Seven per cent expressed neither satisfaction nor dis­ satisfaction and 11 per cent reported lack of satisfaction. Satisfaction with Employment Item 12 sought to determine the degree of job satisfaction felt at time of follow-up in comparison with satisfaction when last in contact with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The item was not on the mail questionnaire and was not applicable to persons not work­ ing. Over 60 per cent of the respondents reported more satisfaction with their employment at present than at the time of their last contact with the rehabilitation agency. This suggests that the vocational adjustment of these individuals has been good. Further Services Approximately 7 3 per cent of the respondents reported no need for further vocational rehabilitation services at the time of follow-up. Eleven per cent of 101 the responses indicated a desire for job placement assis­ tance while 9 per cent indicated a need for training. Less than 5 per cent indicated desire for medical or other vocational rehabilitation services. Only 12 per cent of the respondents reported con­ tact with the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabili­ tation more recently than at the date of closure. Of these, about one-third are currently clients of the agency. Summary of Results of FollowUp Study The responses to the questionnaire may be summarized as follows: 1. Of the rehabilitants in this study, at the time of follow-up: 69 4 12 1 3 11 2. per per per per per per cent were in competitive employment cent were in sheltered employment cent were homemakers cent were students centwere deceased cent were unemployed Excluding the deceased, approximately 70 per cent of the rehabilitants were in competitive employment at the time of follow-up. same individuals, For the 24 per cent were employed at time of acceptance for vocational rehabili­ tation services; 86 per cent were in competi­ tive employment when they had completed vocational rehabilitation services. 102 3. Excluding the deceased, approximately 12 per cent of the rehabilitants were unemployed at time of follow-up compared with 4 8 per cent at time of acceptance for services. None were considered unemployed at time of case closure. 4. Approximately one-third of the unemployed reported themselves too disabled to work at the time of follow-up. The remainder of the group presented a variety of reasons for unemployment which could not be easily cate­ gorized. About half of the group considered themselves seeking or available for employment. 5. Over half of the rehabilitants (53 per cent) reported one job (one employer) during the two-year period between case closure and follow-up. Approximately 7 5 per cent reported one or two jobs. Almost half (48 per cent) were still employed in the job they held at time of case closure. This was considered to reflect a considerable degree of job stability. 6. Approximately 4 per cent of the rehabilitants were receiving Public Assistance at the time of follow-up. At the time of acceptance for services, approximately 8 per cent were receiving Public Assistance. 103 7. Almost half of the rehabilitants were married at the time of follow-up; only one-third were married at time of acceptance for rehabilitation services. The increase in percentage married was reflected in a larger number of dependents reported. 8. Only one per cent of the respondents stated that their rehabilitation services had enabled another family member to either enter or leave employment. 9. Over 80 per cent of the respondents expressed general satisfaction with their services from the rehabilitation agency. Seven per cent reported neither satisfaction nor dissatis­ faction. Approximately 12 per cent expressed dissatisfaction. 10. Approximately three-fourths of the respondents expressed no need for further rehabilitation services; the remainder requested further services. Most of the requests were for job placement (11 per cent) or additional train­ ing (9 per cent). Less than 5 per cent were for medical or other rehabilitation services. 104 Factors Associated with Being Employed at Follow-Up Factors related to employment status at time of follow-up were investigated by creating contingency tables which compared 322 employed versus 48 unemployed rehabili­ tants on 22 personal or rehabilitation service variables. Data for homemakers or deceased persons were not included in the analysis. The chi-square test was utilized to test the null hypotheses that the various factors, taken singly, were not related to follow-up employment status. Table 4.9 lists the distributions of the cases for each factor, the degrees of freedom for each signifi­ cance test, the chi-square value, and the probability that such a value would occur by sampling error only. The factors are listed in rank order from the factor showing the least probability to the one showing the greatest. The factors are discussed below. Characteristics Related to Being Employed Two Years After Rehabilitation Factors 1 through 5 showed chi-square values expected to occur in one per cent or less of all trials. Upon this evidence, it was possible to reject the null hypothesis of independence for these factors. It was con­ cluded that they are related to whether or not rehabili­ tants are employed two years after case closure. TABLE 4.9.— Comparisons of 322 employed and 48 unemployed rehabilitants on 22 personal and rehabilitation service characteristics. All Cases o *. 0 N 370 100 Variable Employment History Never Employed Stable Employment Unstable Employment Employment Status at Acceptance Student Employed Unemployed Education 0-8 Grades 9-11 Grades 12 or more Grades Secondary Disability Presence Absence 129 81 160 82 112 176 95 92 183 35 22 43 22 30 48 26 25 49 Employed N % 322 100 119 78 125 79 100 143 73 83 166 37 24 39 25 31 44 23 26 51 Unemployed N % 48 100 10 3 35 22 78 3 12 33 6 25 69 22 9 17 46 19 35 64 257 20 80 18 30 38 62 23 25 48 52 4 11 8 23 Location of Services Wayne County Other 119 251 32 68 96 226 30 70 Primary Disability Vision-Hearing-Speech Orthopedic 62 117 17 31 58 106 18 33 X2 P 2 20.5 .000 2 12.0 .002 2 11.8 .003 21 6 73 (N = 369) 82 287 df 1 7.45 .006 1 6.28 .012 4 8.66 .070 TABLE 4.9.— Cont. Variable Primary Disability Emotional Mental Retardation Other Physical Employment at Closure Professional Clerical or Sales Service Industrial Skilled Unskilled Other Employed Q, *o N 322 100 Unemployed Q. N "O 48 100 30 73 88 8 20 24 23 63 72 7 20 22 7 10 16 15 21 33 13 17 0 8 36 286 4 5 0 2 10 79 10 15 0 6 27 256 3 5 0 2 9 81 3 2 0 2 9 30 6 4 0 4 20 66 8 15 25 25 27 0 29 13 35 23 46 87 81 52 91 13 12 24 22 14 25 3 42 80 69 40 78 13 13 25 22 12 24 4 4 7 12 12 13 0 136 75 90 69 37 20 24 19 122 69 73 58 38 21 23 18 14 6 17 11 Age 0-19 20-29 30-44 45 or Years Years Years more Years df o X2 P 4 8 .66 .070 4 8.49 .075 5 9.64 .086 3 5.84 .120 106 Secondary Disability (N = 360) Vision-Hearing-Speech Orthopedic Emotional Mental Retardation Other Physical None All Cases N % 370 100 TABLE 4.9.— Cont. Variable Marital Status Married Widowed, Divorced, Separated Never Married All Cases N 370 100 o. "O Employed N % 322 100 Unemployed N % 48 100 115 31 101 31 14 29 45 210 12 57 35 186 11 58 10 24 21 50 247 123 67 33 211 111 66 34 36 12 75 25 Race White Black 320 50 86.5 281 13 .5 41 87 13 39 9 81 19 Closure Employment is Same as Plan Same Not Same 216 154 58 42 192 130 60 40 24 24 50 50 Sex Male Female Number of Counselors One Over One Type of Training Academic Trade School Work Shop 254 116 42 18 33 69 31 11 5 9 224 98 40 16 30 70 30 30 18 62 38 13 5 9 2 2 3 4 4 6 df X2 P 2 3.92 .141 1 1.69 .194 1 1.59 .207 1 1.59 .207 1 0.97 .325 4 3.82 .430 TABLE 4.9.— Cont. Variable Type of Training On-the-Job Training None Severity of Disability Severe Mild Employed N % 322 100 Unemployed N % d f 48 100 X 4 68 23 213 66 152 218 41 59 130 192 40 60 22 26 46 54 179 191 48 52 158 164 49 51 21 27 44 56 66 59 263 18 82 7 41 15 85 27 7 250 7 4 37 2 P 3.82 .430 0.51 .473 0.47 .492 0.38 .528 0.15 .699 0.11 .742 8 78 Returned to Same Job Yes No 304 18 82 Counselor Experience Two Years or More Less Than 2 Years 109 261 29 71 96 226 30 70 13 35 27 73 Counselor Education M.A. Degree Less than M.A. Degree 139 231 38 62 122 200 38 62 17 31 35 65 108 Was Training Part of Plan Yes No All Cases N % 370 100 TABLE 4.9.— Cont. Employed N % 322 100 Was Vocational Rehabilitation the Placement Agent Yes No 90 280 24 76 79 243 25 75 11 37 23 77 Counselor Productivity High Production Low Production 81 289 22 78 71 251 22 78 10 38 21 79 Variable Unemployed N % 48 100 df X2 P 1 0 .06 .808 1 0.04 .849 109 All Cases N % 100 370 110 follow-up. Rehabilitants who had completed zero to eight grades of school were disproportionately repre­ sented among the unemployed at follow-up. Although they were only 26 per cent of the total group, they comprised 46 per cent of the unemployed. Those with nine to eleven grades of education comprised 25 per cent of all cases and only 19 per cent of the unemployed. Those with twelve or more years of education, although numbering almost half of the total group (49 per cent), accounted for only 35 per cent of the unemployed. Secondary Disability.--The presence of a secondary disability also proved to be a significant factor in its relationship with follow-up employment status. As would be expected, the effect was in the direction of greater follow-up unemployment for persons with secondary disa­ bilities . Location of Services.— The presence of a higher rate of unemployment among rehabilitants in the Wayne County area was not anticipated. While 32 per cent of all the rehabilitants were from the Wayne County (Detroit) area, they accounted for 4 8 per cent of the unemployed. The presence of high unemployment among poverty areas in large urban centers is well known, and the relationship observed here cannot be considered startling. However, this factor was inserted in the study with the expectation Ill that it might reflect the positive effects of greater rehabilitation service facilities in the urban location rather than any negative effects. It is also of interest that the urban effect does not seem to be related to the presence of minority group unemployment. did not prove to be significant. The race variable It was also considered possible that there was localized unemployment in the Detroit area. However, it was found that the unemployment rate in Detroit when the study was being made was 3.0 per cent compared with a State average of 3.6 per c e n t ,^ Characteristics Unrelated to Being Employed Two Years After Rehabilitation Factors 6 through 22 showed chi-square values which might be expected to occur by chance more than 5 per cent of the time. They are, therefore, considered to have nonsignificant relationships with the criterion variable. The null hypotheses of no relationship cannot be rejected. As many of the factors included in the study were sub­ divided into more than two categories, it was possible for individual categories to be significantly related to the criterion distribution even though the factor test was nonsignificant. No effort was made to test each category, but they are discussed later. The following comments are based upon inspection of the tables. ■^Michigan Employment Security Commission, Michigan Manpower Review, XXV, No. 1 (January, 1970), 2. 112 Primary and Secondary Disability Types.— It is of interest that both the primary and secondary disability types ranked next in order with chi-square probabilities of .07. The Emotional and Other Physical groups tended to be overrepresented among the unemployed. The Other Physical group, it will be recalled, includes a variety of chronic conditions including heart disease and respira­ tory disease. Employment at Cl osure.--While this factor in general corresponds with the expected distribution, it seems curious that the group Industrial Skilled is over­ represented among the unemployed. Rehabilitation programs are sometimes criticized for not providing clients with skills to assure adequate incomes and job stability. In this sample, it appears that persons considered to be in skilled occupations did not retain their employment as well as persons with other occupations. Perhaps in some cases the provision of skills has been an attempt to compensate for relatively severe handicaps, and has resulted in marginal workers. It is of interest to note, however, that almost half the rehabilitants (47 per cent) were employed in the unskilled and service areas. Age, Marital Status, Sex, and Race.— These four basic demographic variables are found ranked together. It is of interest that the 30 to 44 Years age group, and 113 the Widowed, Divorced, Separated group showed relatively high unemployment rates and the Male unemployment rate was slightly higher than the Female. Rehabilitation Service Variables.--The variety of service related variables seemed relatively independent of employment status at follow-up. These included whether or not the closure employment was the same as in the rehabilitation plan, whether the rehabilitation plan included training, whether or not vocational rehabili­ tation was the placement agent, and the type of training received during training. It appeared that receiving academic training and receiving some training as con­ trasted with no training tended to be related to employ­ ment versus lack of employment at follow-up. Counselor Variables.— The variables representing counselor experience, counselor education, number of counselors, and counselor productivity deviated very little from the expected distributions. Proportions of Rehabilitants Found in Employment by Individual Client and Service Characteristics Another way of examining the client and service variables is presented in Table 4.10. The proportion employed is presented for each of the individual rehabilitant and service categories. In this study the proportions 114 TABLE 4.10.— Probability of being employed two years after closure by individual client and service characteristics. Probability 0.95 and over Employment History: S t a b l e ........................... 96 Employment at Acceptance: Student.................... 96 Training: A c a d em ic ..................................... 95 0.90 to 0.94 Disability : Vision-Hearing-Speech.................... 94 Employment History: Never E m p l o y e d ................. 92 . . . .92 Age: 20 to 29 . .....................» Closure Occupation: Clerical or Sales . . . . .92 Closure Occupation: Professional, Technical . . .91 Training: Workshop. . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Education: 12 grades or m o r e ........................ 91 Education: 9 to 11 g r a d e s ........................... 90 Sex: F e m a l e ........................................... .90 Location: Outside Wayne County. . . . . . . .90 Age: 0 to 19. .90 Secondary Disability: A b s e n c e ........................ 90 0.85 to 0.8 9 Returning to Same Job . . ... ........................ 8 9 Employment at Acceptance: E m p l o y e d ................. 89 Closure Occupation Same as Plan. . . . . . . .89 Training: Trade S c h o o l .............................. 89 Marital Status: Never M a r r i e d ........................ 89 Training Included in P l a n .............................. 88 Number Counselors: One ....................... .88 Degree of Disability: Moderate. . . . . . . .88 Race: White 88 Marital Status: Married ................. 88 Counselor Experience: Over 2Y e a r s ...................88 Counselor Degree: M .A .................................. 88 Placement Agent: DVR . . . .88 Counselor Production: H i g h ........................... 88 Counselor Production: Not High. . . . . . . .87 Placement Agent: Other than D V R .................... 8 7 Counselor Experience: Less than 2 Years. . . . .87 Counselor Education: No M.A. . . . . . . . .87 Not Returning to J o b .................................. 86 Disability: Mental Retardation........................ 86 Plan Does Not Include T r a i n i n g ............. ... . .86 Closure Employment: Industrial Unskilled . . . .86 .................... .86 Degree of Disability: Severe Sex: Male ....................... .85 115 TABLE 4.10.— Cont. 0.85 to 0.89 No Training in P l a n ..................................85 Training: On-Job Training........................... 85 Closure Employment: S e r v i c e ........................ 85 0.80 to 0.84 Number of Counselors: Over O n e .................... 84 Closure Occupation Not Same as P l a n ................. 84 Age: 4 5 or O v e r ..................................... 84 Disability: Other Physical . . . . . . . .82 Race: B l a c k ........................................ 8 2 Employment Status at Acceptance: Unemployed. . .81 Age : 30 to 4 4 ........................................ 81 Location: Wayne Co un t y .............................. 81 Below 0.80 Employment History: Unstable. . . . . . . .78 Secondary Disability: P r e s e n c e .................... 78 Marital Status: Widowed, Divorced, Separated . .78 Closure Occupation: Industrial Skilled or Semi-Skilled................ 77 Education: 0 to 8 G r a d e s ........................... 77 Disability: Mentally 1 1 1 ........................... 77 116 represent the probability that individuals within the group with the given characteristic would be found in employment. Persons with stable employment histories, or per­ sons who were students at time of acceptance were found to have the highest probability of being employed at followup. Those who had never been employed, a group which in­ cluded the students, also ranked among the top seven groups. Rehabilitants who received academic training ranked high, and were presumably much the same group. The highest ranking age group was the twenty to twenty-nine-year cate­ gory. The disability group Vision-Hearing-Speech ranked fourth and the occupation category Clerical and Sales was among the three groups which ranked fifth. Six categories had probabilities lower than 0.80. The Mentally 111, those with zero to eight grades of edu­ cation, and those who were rehabilitated into skilled or semi-skilled industrial occupations were in the lowest ranking group. Those with unstable employment histories, secondary disabilities, and the marital status Widowed, Divorced or Single, were also in groups which ranked low. These results are consistent with previous studies which have shown the Mentally 111 to have relatively poor post-closure employment stability, and which have shown the presence of a secondary disability to be a significant 117 factor in whether or not rehabilitation was achieved. The other characteristics with the lowest percentages remain­ ing in employment also seem somewhat predictable with the possible exception of the occupational category Industrial Skilled or Semi-skilled. It might have been predicted that those in the unskilled category would have a higher proportion of unemployed. As noted previously, the observed distribution among the six different occu­ pational categories did not prove to be significantly different from that expected. Factors Associated with Being Employed the Same Occupation at Follow-Up Contingency tables were generated to compare per­ sons employed in the same occupation at follow-up with those not in the same occupation. included the unemployed. The latter category The format was the same as used for comparing persons employed with those unemployed. tables are listed in Table 4.11. The As before, they are in rank order with the factors appearing to show relation­ ships with the criterion variable listed first. The factors are discussed below. Characteristics Related to Being Employed in the Closure Occupation Two Years After Rehabili­ tation Factors 1 through 8 showed chi-square values with probabilities of less than 5 per cent. These factors TABLE 4.11.— Comparisons of 268 rehabilitants employed in closure occupation and 102 not employed in closure occupation on 22 personal and rehabilitation service variables. Variable Is Job Same as in Plan Yes No All Cases o. N *o 370 100 216 154 58 42 In Occupation N % 268 100 172 96 64 36 Not in Occupation N % 102 100 44 58 Employment History Unstable Stable Never Employed 247 123 160 81 129 67 33 43 22 35 166 102 102 67 99 62 38 38 25 37 81 21 58 14 30 X2 P 1 13.46 .000 1 10 .16 .001 2 11.53 .003 4 13.95 .007 5 13.61 .018 43 57 Sex Male Female df 79 21 57 14 29 Type of Training Academic Trade School Work Shop On-the-Job Training None 42 18 33 27 250 11 5 9 7 68 38 12 29 17 172 14 5 11 6 64 4 6 4 10 78 4 6 4 10 76 Employment at Closure Professional Clerical and Sales Service Industrial— Skilled 46 87 81 52 12 24 22 14 37 71 57 32 14 27 21 12 9 16 24 20 9 16 23 20 TABLE 4.11.— Cont. Variable Employment at Closure Unskilled Other All Cases a ■o N 370 100 In Occupation N % 268 100 Not in Occupation N % 102 100 91 13 25 3 59 12 22 4 Primary Disability Vision-Hearing-Speech Orthopedic Emotional Mental Retardation Other Physical 62 117 30 73 88 17 31 8 20 24 50 93 16 50 59 18.5 35 6 18 .5 22 12 24 14 23 27 12 23 14 23 28 Education 0-8 Grades 9-11 Grades 12 or More Grades 95 92 183 26 25 49 59 70 139 22 26 52 36 22 44 35 22 43 Work Status Unemployed Student Employed 176 82 112 48 22 30 117 63 88 44 23 33 59 19 24 58 19 23 Urban Location Absence Presence 251 119 68 32 188 80 70 30 32 1 31 1 63 39 62 38 df X2 P 5 13.61 .018 4 12 .33 0 .015 2 6.82 .033 2 6.03 .049 1 2.38 0.123 TABLE 4.11.— Cont. Variable All Cases N % In Occupation N % Not in Occupation N % 102 100 370 100 268 100 Marital Status Never Married Widowed, Divorced, Separated Married 210 45 115 57 12 31 186 35 101 58 11 31 24 10 14 50 21 29 Returning to Same Job NO Yes 304 66 82 18 216 52 81 19 88 14 86 14 Secondary Disability Absence Presence 287 82 78 22 212 55 79 21 75 27 74 26 Race White Black Counselor Experience Less than 2 Years Two Years or More Number of Counselors One Two or More 320 49 86.5 13.5 234 34 87 13 86 16 df X2 P 2 3.91 0.141 1 1.62 0 .202 1 1.47 0.225 1 1.09 0.300 84 16 0.27 0.601 261 109 71 29 187 81 70 30 74 28 68 32 72 30 73 27 0.24 0.620 254 116 69 31 182 86 71 29 TABLE 4.11.— Cont. Variable Degree of Disability Moderate Severe All Cases a N o 100 370 In Occupation N % 268 100 Not in Occupation N % 102 100 60 40 58 44 57 43 169 99 63 37 62 40 61 39 78 22 208 60 78 22 81 21 79 21 Placement Agent Agency or Training Institution 90 Self or Other 280 24 76 64 204 24 76 26 76 25 75 Training in Plan Yes No 179 191 48 52 131 137 49 51 48 54 47 53 13 17 0 8 4 5 0 2 10 12 0 6 4 5 0 2 3 5 0 2 3 5 0 2 218 152 59 41 160 108 Counselor Degree Less than M.A. M .A . 231 139 62 38 Counselor Production Not High Production High Production 289 81 Secondary Disability Type Vision-Hearing-Speech Orthopedic Emotional Mental Retardation df X2 P 1 0.24 0.620 1 0.16 0.686 1 0.14 0.708 1 0.10 0.747 1 0.09 0.754 4 1.75 0.781 TABLE 4.11.— Cont. Variable Secondary Disability Type Other Physical None All Cases N 370 100 Q, *0 36 286 10 79 In Occupation N % 268 100 23 211 9 80 Occupation N % 102 100 13 75 136 75 90 69 37 20 24 19 98 55 65 50 37 20 24 19 38 20 25 19 X2 P 4 1.75 0.781 3 0.04 0 .837 13 77 Age 0-19 20-29 30-44 45 and Over df 37 20 24 19 123 were considered to be significantly related to whether or not the individual was in the closure occupation two years after case closure. Closure Employment Same as in Vocational Plan.— Of the 370 cases, 216 (58 per cent) entered the occupation named in the original vocational plan or a revised plan; 154 (42 per cent) entered a different occupation. Among the 102 persons not in their closure occupation at time of follow-up only 44 (43 per cent) were persons who had entered the occupation listed in their vocational plan; 58 (57 per cent) were persons who had not entered the occupation specified in their vocational plan. Persons who had entered the planned occupation were significantly more likely to remain in the chosen occupation. It seems logical that such a relationship exists, but it is note­ worthy that correspondence between plan occupation and closure occupation was not found to be related to whether or not the rehabilitant was employed at follow-up. The effect is apparently very pronounced among the persons who are employed. S e x .— Sex was also unrelated to whether or not the rehabilitant was employed at follow-up, but proved to be significantly related to whether or not the rehabili­ tant remained in the same occupation. Inspection of the data suggests that the primary reason for the finding is 124 that for females there are relatively fewer occupations. Female rehabilitants were primarily found in clerical and service occupations and remained in these fields even if they changed employers. It would appear that studies of employment type should be done separately by sex. Employment History.— This variable was related to whether or not persons were employed at follow-up. As the unemployed are included among those not employed in the same occupation, it is not surprising that employment history proves to be also related to whether or not the rehabilitant remained in the closure occupation. Those with pre-service work histories defined as unstable proved to be over-represented among those not in the occupation at closure, while those with no work histories or with stable work histories were under-represented. Type of Training.--The type of training received, and whether or not training was received, was a signifi­ cant factor in whether or not the rehabilitant remained in the closure occupation. Those who received academic training tended to remain employed and in the same occu­ pation. Presumably, this group contains primarily col­ lege students, and it would be expected that after their large investment of time and money they would remain in their occupational field of choice. 125 Those who were trained in rehabilitation facilities were also less likely to be in a different occupation or unemployed. This may mean that some have remained in sheltered employment at the workshop or facility, or that they are limited in the variety of types of employment in which they can engage. Type of Employment at Closure.— Persons who were rehabilitated into professional or managerial positions, or into clerical and sales positions tended to be found in the same occupation two years after case closure. Per­ sons in service occupations were equally represented among those in their closure occupation and those not in the occupation. Rehabilitants whose closure occupations were in industrial skilled or unskilled occupations tended to be over-represented among those who had left the closure occupation or who were not in employment. of this relationship are not clear. The implications It may simply indicate that industrial employment includes many similar occu­ pations which are entered or left readily. Primary Disability.— Primary disability proved to have a significant relationship with employment in occu­ pation. The pattern was similar to that encountered with the variable employment versus lack of employment? those with mental disabilities and with chronic physical disa­ bilities were over-represented among those not in the closure occupation at follow-up. 126 Education.— Years of school again proved to be a significant factor. Those with less formal education tended to be less likely to remain in the closure occu­ pation. Those not found in the closure occupation of course included the relatively high proportion of loweducation rehabilitants who were unemployed at follow-up. Work Status.--A final relationship found signifi­ cant at the 5 per cent level was work status at acceptance. As would be anticipated, those who were employed at acceptance and those who were students were more likely to be found at follow-up in the occupation of closure than were those who were unemployed at acceptance. Characteristics Unrelated to Being in the Closure Occupation at Follow-Up Factors 9 through 2 2 were judged to show nonsig­ nificant relationships with the criterion variable. The presence or absence of secondary disability and whether or not the location was in the Wayne County area were among the non-significant factors. They were previously found to be significantly related to whether or not the rehabilitant was employed. The factors pertaining to counselor characteris­ tics remained among the lowest ranking factors. It is also of interest that the age categories proved to have a very low chi-square value, and that cases in which the 127 placement agent was either the vocational rehabilitation agency or the training institution seemed no more likely to result in continued employment in the closure occu­ pation than those in which the rehabilitant obtained his own employment. Proportions of Rehabilitants Found in Closure Occupation by Individual Client and Service Characteristics Table 4.12 lists the proportions found at followup to be in the closure occupation for groups with indi­ vidual client or service characteristics. The proportions express the probability that individuals with the given characteristic would be found in the closure occupation. Persons who received academic training were more likely to be in the closure occupation than persons with any other characteristic. were next in order, Those with workshop training followed by persons with a stable employment history and persons who were female. Those who were in clerical or sales occupations at case closure were fifth in rank, followed by those with visual, hearing, or speech disabilities. The influence of training upon type of employment at follow-up seems clear. As noted above (p. 12 4), in this study the employment stability associated with work­ shop training probably indicates that severely handi­ capped persons tended to remain in their sheltered 128 TABLE 4.12.— Probability of being employed in closure occupation two years after closure by individual client and service characteristics. Probability 0.90 or Over Academic .............................. .90 Training: Workshop .............................. Sex: F e m a l e ................................. ... Employment History: Stable ............. . Closure Occupation: Clerical or Sales. . . . Disability: Vision-Hearing-Speech . . . . . Closure Occupation: Professional, Technical, M a n a g e r i a l ................ Closure Occupation Same as P l a n ................. Disability: Orthopedic. . .88 .83 .83 .82 .81 Training: .080 to 0.89 .80 .80 .80 0.70 to 0.79 Returning to Same J o b ........................... Employment at Acceptance: Employed ...... .78 Employment at Acceptance: Student ............. Employment History: Never Employed. . . . . Marital Status: Married ....................... Education: 9 to 11 grades....................... Education: 12 or More G r a d e s ................ Location: Outside Wayne County ................. Counselor Experience: Two Years orMore . . . Counselor Production: High .................... Number of Counselors: O n e ........................ Secondary Disability: Absence ................. Degree of Disability: Moderate ................. Age: 2 0 to 2 9 ................ Counselor Education: Less than M . A ............. Rehabilitation Plan Includes Training . . . . Race: White ................ Placement Agent: Other than D V R ................. Marital Status: Never Married ................. Age: Over 4 5 ..................................... Age: 30 to 4 4 ..................................... Age: 0 to 1 9 ................................. ... Counselor Production: Not H i g h ................. Training: N o n e ................................. Rehabilitation Plan Does Not Include Training . Number of Counselors: Two or M o r e ............. Counselor Education: Has M . A .................... Degree of Disability: Severe.................... .79 .77 .77 .76 .76 .76 .75 .74 .74 .74 .74 .73 .73 .73 .73 .73 .73 .73 .73 .72 .72 .72 .72 .72 .71 .71 .71 129 TABLE 4.12.— C o n t . 0.70 to 0.79 Placement Agent: D V R ........................... Not Returning to Same J o b ....................... Closure Occupation: Service.................... .71 .71 .70 .060 to 0.69 Training: N o n e ................................. Disability: Mentally Retarded ................. Sex: M a l e . ..................................... Location: Wayne County ....................... Race: Black . Secondary Disability: Prese n c e ................. Disability: Other . Training: Trade School ....................... Employment at Acceptance: Unemployed. . . . Closure Occupation: Industrial Unskilled . . Employment History: Unstable . Training: On-the-job . . . Closure Occupation Not Same as Plan . . . . Education: 0 to 8 Grades................ Occupation: Industrial Skilled or Semi­ skilled Marital Status: Widowed, Divorced, Separated . .69 .69 .67 .67 .67 .67 *67 .67 .67 .65 .64 .63 .62 .62 *61 .60 Below 0.60 Disability: Mental Illness .53 130 workshop employment. The high percentage of women and of persons in clerical or sales occupations apparently reflects the same group of persons. It appears that women tend to remain in their clerical employment, and if minor occupational changes are made they were not determined by the method used in this study. At the opposite extreme, persons with the disa­ bility Mental Illness had a probability of only .53 of being in the closure occupation two years later. The category next highest was the Widowed, Divorced, Separated group followed by Occupation: Skilled, Education: not Same as Plan. Industrial Skilled or Semi- zero to eight grades, and Closure Job Those with on the job training and unstable employment histories were next in order. Perhaps the category most deserving of comment is the Training: On-the-Job group. Its inclusion here seems to suggest that this training method results in a relatively lower rate of employment in occupation than other types of training, including no training whatsoever. This possibility seems to deserve further study. Relative Effects of Factors Associated with Employment at Follow-Up For this portion of the analysis the pre-service client characteristics and the descriptive variables related to rehabilitation services were grouped in a 131 manner suggested by Suchman's model. The groupings were then incorporated into a regression equation in the manner described on page 75. The groupings consisted of two groups which repre­ sented pre-existing conditions. The first included rehabilitant personal characteristics; the second included the variables which represented previous edu­ cational or vocational status. A third group included all of the variables in the equation which were directly related to the disabling condition. Groups Four and Five represented the rehabilitation process. Group Four included the variables dealing with counselor characteristics; Group Five included all other variables in the equation which had to do with rehabili­ tation service activities. The sixth group consisted of type of employment at closure which did not seem to fit logically with any of the others. It was considered an outcome of rehabilitation which should be included in the analysis. The groupings and the factors they included are listed below. Group 1: Personal and Demographic Factors: Sexf Race, Marital Status, Age, and Location of Services. Group 2: Education and Employment Factors: Edu­ cation, Employment History, Work Status at Acceptance, and Whether Returning to Same Job. 132 Group 3: Disability Factors: Primary Disability Type, Secondary Disability Type, Presence or Absence of Secondary Dis­ ability, and Severity of Disability. Group 4: Counselor Factors: Counselor Experience, Counselor Degree, Counselor Production, and Number of Counselors. Group 5: Rehabilitation Service Factors: Whether or Not Plan Included Training, Whether Closure Employment was Same as Rehabili­ tation Plan, Whether Placement Agent was DVR, and Type of Training received. Group 6: Type of Employment at Closure. Table 4.13: Factors Related to Being Employed versus Not Employed at Follow-Up The equation containing twenty-two factors and forty-eight individual characteristics showed a multiple correlation of 0.44 with the dependent variable Employed versus Not Employed at Follow-Up. It explained 0.19 of the total variance and when tested by the F-Test revealed a ratio of 1.7 8 of treatment variance to error variance. The F Value was significant at the .003 level. Consistent with the results of the contingency table analysis, the factors included in Group 2, Education and Employment, proved to be the most useful in accounting for variance in employment status at follow-up. The factors of Employment History, Employment Status at Acceptance, Education Level, and Whether or Not the Client was Return­ ing to his Previous Employment accounted for over 133 TABLE 4.13.— Factors related to being employed or not employed at time of follow-up. Variable Characteristics Group 1 Personal and Demographic Education and Employment Disability Counselor Rehabilitation Servi.ce Occupation at Closure Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Coefficient of Partial Determination F-Test .034 1.28 0.24 .081 .029 .004 3.60 0.89 0.34 0.001 0.54 0.85 .010 0.50 0.83 .026 1.75 0.12 Signif­ icance n = 370; R 2 = 0.193; R = 0.440; F = 1.776, signifi­ cant at the .003 level 8 per cent of the variance not otherwise accounted for. The group yielded an F value of 3.60 with a significance level of 0.001. Three of the other groups each accounted for over 2 per cent of the unexplained variance in the dependent variable, but had nonsignificant relationships. Table 4.14; Factors Related to Being Employed in Closure Occupation at Follow-Up When the twenty-two factors were considered in relation to the dependent variable Employed in Closure Occupation versus Unemployed in Closure Occupation a multiple correlation of .45 was obtained which explained 0.20 of the total variance. nificant at the 0.001 level. The F value of 1.88 was sig­ 134 TABLE 4.14.— Factors related to being employed in closure occupation or not being employed in closure occupation at follow-up. Variable Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Characteristics Coefficient of Partial Determination Personal and Demographic Education and Employment Disability Counselor Rehabilitation Service Occupation at Closure 055 2.14 044 026 007 1.90 0.82 0.59 047 2.31 0.026 010 0.71 0.62 0.026 0.059 0.62 0.67 n = 370; R^ = .203; R = .450; F = 1.881 signifi­ cant at the 0.001 level. For this dependent variable the Education and Employment Group fell just short of statistical signifi­ cance at the .05 level with an F value of 1.90 and a significance level of .059. It accounted for 4.4 per cent of the unaccounted for variance. However, Group 1, Personal and Demographic variables, accounted for 5.5 per cent of the total unexplained variance and yielded an F-Test value of 2.14 which proved to be significant at the 0.026 level. Group 5, the Rehabilitation Service variables accounted for 4.7 per cent of the remaining variance and had an F-Test value of 2.31 which was significant at the 0.026 level. As noted in the previous discussion, the effects were apparently primarily from the variable Sex and the variable Closure Occupation Same as in Rehabilitation Plan. 135 Table 4.15: Factors Related to Employment Stability Dur­ ing the Two Years Following Rehabilitation A third dependent variable, Employment Stability During the Two Years Following Rehabilitation, was util­ ized in the hope it would prove more sensitive than the simple Employed versus Unemployed dichotomy. The variable was described on page 87. The multiple correlation was the highest obtained during the study, 0.518, and it provided the highest amount of variance explained by the set of independent variables, 0.27. The F value obtained was 2.71, significant at the 0.0005 level. Group 2, containing the Education and Employment variables, w a s .again a significant predictor. It accounted for 11.8 per cent of the remaining variance and yielded an F-Test value of 5.49, significant at the 0.0005 level. In this equation, which dealt with employment stability as well as follow-up status, the group Disa­ bility made its most clear contribution. It accounted for 5.6 per cent of the remaining variance with an F-Test value of 1.79, significant at the 0.055 level. The effect persumably was due to the marked difference in success patterns for the Vision-Hearing-Speech and Ortho­ pedic Groups as contrasted with the Mental Illness and Other Physical categories. 136 TABLE 4.15.— Factors related to employment stability dur­ ing the two years following rehabilitation. Variable Characteristics Group 1 Personal and Demographic Education and Employment Disability Counselor Rehabilitation Service Occupation at Closure Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Coefficient of Partial Determination F-Test .033 1.26 0.25 .118 .056 .007 5.49 1.79 0.61 0.0005 0.055 0.65 .008 0.40 0.90 .027 1.81 0.11 Signif­ icance n = 370; = 0.268; R = 0.518; F = 2.711, signifi­ cant at the 0.0005 level. Table 4.16: Factors Related to Amount of Employment and Earnings Changes During Two Years After Rehabilitation A dependent variable derived by multiplying per­ centage of time in employment and increase or decrease in wages during the follow-up period was utilized for Table 4.16. The index was intended to reflect two goals of rehabilitation: employment, to place rehabilitants in stable and to render them capable of advancing in earnings in their jobs. It was also expected to provide a relatively sensitive variable with a wide range of values and a relatively normal distribution. The deri­ vation of the index is described on page 87. When the set of independent variables was utilized with this dependent variable a multiple correlation of TABLE 4.16.— Factors related to amount of employment and earnings changes during two years following rehabilitation. Variable Characteristics Group 1 Personal and Demographic Education and Employment Disability Counselor Rehabilitation Service Occupation at Closure Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 Coefficient of Partial Determination F-Test .022 0.83 0.59 .035 .052 .020 1.51 1.64 1.67 0 .15 0.08 0.15 .008 0.39 0.91 .004 1.07 0 .62 Signif­ icance n = 370; R 2 = 0.142 ; R = 0.377; F = 1.228, significant at the 0.163 level. 0.378 was obtained, the lowest of any of the series of equations. The F value was 1.23 which was non-significant at the 0.05 level. None of the groups of variables were found to be significant predictors at the 0.05 level for this depen­ dent variable, and the Disability group proved to be the only one significant at the 0.10 level. It is not possible to state why this scale proved unresponsive in terms of the variables used, but appar­ ently incorporation of earnings in the dependent variable was a significant change. The series of equations seem to show that dependent variables related strictly to employment, as in Equations 1 and 2, are responsive to different types of factors from dependent variables which include income or occupational stability. The education 138 and employment variables are most effective in considering future employment. Personal characteristics and rehabili­ tation service differences seem to be related to whether or not the client remains employed in his closure occu­ pation. Disability tends to be involved in employment stability, as reflected in the two equations which con­ sider this element. None of the groups appears signifi­ cantly involved in earnings changes. Discussion of Results This study was highly exploratory, and the results must be considered more suggestive of areas for further study than conclusive. Nonetheless, it has provided a number of facts not previously known concerning the experiences over time of persons classified rehabilitated by the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. It would be difficult to conceive of progressing in fur­ ther study and evaluation without such general infor­ mation guidelines. The following comments will supplement the brief discussion of results which has already been presented. The Follow-Up Study The interpretation of the results of the follow-up study depends to a great extent upon the expectations against which they are measured. The view of this report is that the employment stability record revealed by this 139 study is highly creditable. A very large proportion of Michigan rehabilitants do remain employed. The results are comparable to those obtained in previous studies in other states even though it differs from most earlier studies in that it includes the mentally handicapped as well as the physically handicapped. Previous studies have shown that the highest rate of loss of employment occurs in the first year after rehabilitation, so it would be expected that to a high degree the employed will remain employed. Where rehabilitants are unemployed, there seem to be a number of reasons beyond the control of DVR why they are unemployed. It appears that the rate of depen­ dence upon public assistance has been lowered. In general, the rehabilitants seem to approve of the services they have received, and many have started new families as well as maintaining and progressing in employment. A sizable number, almost one-fourth, are interested in possible further services— primarily train­ ing and placement services. It is not clear whether this means their services were not adequate in the past, or whether new goals are now being pursued. The study, of course, involved only one selected year, and was conducted during a period of general high economic activity and low unemployment. Both economic conditions and agency policies, personnel, and clientele may change from year to year. 140 Stability in Employment Employment history prior to rehabilitation and employment status at the time of acceptance for services were significantly related to employment stability after rehabilitation, and it should be noted that these variables may be viewed from a different perspective than the client disability and demographic characteris­ tics. As observed previously, subjects in this study do not represent all persons with a given characteristic, nor even all applicants for services-? Rather, they rep­ resent persons accepted and judged feasible for rehabili­ tation. In making clinical judgments as to whether or not applicants can be expected to benefit from rehabili­ tation services, counselors consider severity of disa­ bility and such other psychological and social factors as seem relevant. Previous employment history may be considered an indicator of probable future employment success, but it may also be viewed as a measure of need for services. It is the purpose of vocational rehabili­ tation to assist persons who are having employment prob­ lems to become stable employees. An operational defi­ nition of the objectives of vocational rehabilitation could well include measures of time employed. The function of the agency could be described as assisting persons whose employment is in jeopardy to retain employ­ ment, assisting persons who are unable to maintain stable 141 employment to obtain and retain employment, and assisting persons who have never been employed to become and remain employed. Of these tasks, the rehabilitation of the employed or of young persons never before in the labor market is to some degree preventive. The objective is to prevent the client from experiencing the sporadic and marginal employment which is characteristic of the unstable employment pattern. Rehabilitation services for the employed may consist of retraining to enter a field which is more appropriate for the client's capabilities or dis­ ability, or they may consist of provision of a prosthesis or other necessary medical services which the client could afford only with great sacrifice. Services for those who have never entered the labor market may range from career counseling or placement follow-up to four years of col­ lege education. Presumably, more persons now in stable employment or just entering the labor market would maintain or find satisfactory employment than persons who are already experiencing difficulty. The extent to which rehabili­ tation agencies engage in preventive intervention and the need for such intervention is sometimes questioned, especially by persons who have not been closely associated with rehabilitation practices. The value of intervention which prevents future loss of employment or failure to 142 enter the labor market is not questioned, but, rather, whether or not the services are always needed. An established pattern of poor vocational performance pro­ vides an empirical indication of need. The results of this study would suggest that per sons with unstable work histories do indeed present more difficult rehabilitation problems. Whether or not the problems of this group could have been alleviated by earlier rehabilitation intervention is not known, but it is clear that persons who are functioning in an unstable pattern are less likely to establish stable employment after services than persons in the other two groups. The differential results observed for clients with varying work history and work status at acceptance should be considered in agency decisions regarding allo­ cations of funds. If priority for services is to be given to persons with demonstrated need, the proportions of funds allotted to students or those employed at the time of acceptance for services could be specified. It is doubtful that rigid limits could be maintained as employment status may change rapidly. However, it is probable that at present there are a wide variety of informal and idiosyncratic views regarding appropriate proportions of employed applicants or students which should be served. A more clear understanding of expec­ tations, and hopefully a more consistent and rational 143 policy should result from consideration of the issue. Additional studies to estimate the values and costs of alternative guidelines would be necessary. The number of grades of formal education completed prior to rehabilitation was a significant factor in whether or not rehabilitants were employed at the time of follow-up. In this study, there seemed to be little difference between groups having nine to eleven, or twelve or more years of formal education, but the employment rate was clearly lower for those with zero to eight grades. Among the variables found to be related to employ­ ment stability, education would appear to be the one most remediable. It is generally accepted that higher levels of formal education make available a larger number and wider variety of occupational opportunities, and for this reason basic education has been included in many govern­ ment sponsored manpower development projects. The vocational rehabilitation agency can presumably provide basic education for clients in the same manner that it provides tuition and sometimes personal maintenance expenses for college attendance. However, in the exami­ nation of case record folders which was part of this study, basic education was rarely found to be a part of the rehabilitation plan unless it was provided as part of a comprehensive manpower training program. In such cases 144 the role of DVR was usually to provide supplementary medical services while the client was completing his training program. Several reasons may be noted for the limited involvement of the agency in sponsoring basic education: 1. Free public education through grade twelve is generally available to persons of school age. Persons of school age who are referred to DVR have typically had the opportunity to receive education through the public school system. Many are referred by the school and are presumably judged to have benefited as much as possible from the offerings of the public school system. 2. Free basic education is not as universally available for adults as it is for persons of school age. 3. Basic education cannot usually be as clearly related to a vocational objective as other types of vocational training. Both the rehabilitation counselor and the client may find it difficult to justify investment of time in basic education unless it is a stated prerequisite for a specific vocational objec­ tive . 145 4. Resumption of basic education by adults in a formal program often requires several months or years for completion. 5. Adults with family obligations require support money while seeking basic education. 6. Many clients have negative feelings toward resumption of formal education. Often the feelings are based upon prior educational experiences in which they have experienced failure or rejection. It must also be remembered that a sizable proportion of vocational rehabilitation clients have been in special education classes, rather than the general school curriculum. In addition to the question of whether or not clients with low educational levels can benefit academi­ cally from an opportunity to re-enter basic education, there is the question of whether such education, if received, would result in increased employment stability. It is not possible to determine from this study whether poor employment retention is primarily the result of low educational achievement or whether both educational and employment stability are impaired by more intrinsic underlying limitations. In addition to limitations imposed by mental retardation, there are other possible determinants of education and vocational success. Some 146 employers seek persons who have completed twelve grades of school, not because they expect to require a high level of language or mathematics skills, but because they expect the person who has persevered in school to be more amenable to the daily working routines required by the employing organization. Since the results of this study involve maintenance of employment rather than acceptance for employment, they may suggest that the value of formal education at the secondary school level derives from learning conformity to administrative routines of the type imposed in competitive employment. The meaning of the relationship between lack of formal education and post-rehabilitation employment sta­ bility clearly requires further study. However, it would seem appropriate for DVR to review its practices in the provision of basic education to clients. Program objec­ tives emphasizing rehabilitation of disadvantaged persons seem to assure that ever larger numbers of referred per­ sons will have low levels of formal education. At present, most of the services provided to such clients by DVR are in sheltered workshops and rehabilitation facilities. It may be possible to incorporate more educational activities in the training offered. It may also be possible to engage in performance contracting with agencies which deal in teaching specific educational skills. Another alternative may be to attempt to provide educational experiences in 147 district offices as an extension of the counseling ser­ vices. While it would not be expected that the agency could provide the equivalent of several years of formal education, it might be possible to deal with some specific educational deficiencies in intensive, short-term programs. The acquisition of education as a part of preparation for employment might be more acceptable to clients than taking courses in traditional educational settings without a clear perception of its relationship to obtaining employ­ ment. Another value to be seen in such activities is the establishment of a more regular contact between the client and the agency. Chapter V. This subject is discussed further in In any event, it would appear that the issue of whether DVR can and should play a more direct role in attempting to compensate for educational deficiencies should be considered. The effects of disability upon post-rehabilitation employment stability were evident only in whether or not rehabilitants had a secondary disability. It may be that the effects of severity of disability are somewhat dis­ counted by counselor judgments of feasibility for accep­ tance into the service system, and by attrition which may occur during the rehabilitation process, a process which averages sixteen months. The importance of secondary disabilities may be somewhat overlooked, and indeed this is a subject upon which little if any research has been reported. 148 The final significant factor in whether or not rehabilitants were found employed at closure was whether or not they received services in Wayne County, and this result has been discussed previously. The pattern of factors related to employment stability shown throughout the study fails to reveal a relationship between rehabilitation services and employ­ ment stability. No single service factor proved signifi­ cant, and the group of all service variables contributed little to variance in employment status at follow-up or employment stability during the follow-up period. This result may be in part due to the design of the study. The groups compared in this study cannot, of course, be assumed to be equivalent or to have been selected by a random process. Services are presumably provided selec­ tively to those clients who need them. Persons receiving placement assistance, for example, have presumably been judged to need assistance; those not receiving assistance have presumably been judged to not need it. Persons receiving assistance may tend to be the more severely disabled, including the mentally retarded. A similar selectivity may exist for whether or not training was a part of the plan and for type of training provided. The study also failed to discover relationships between counselor characteristics and rehabilitant employment stability. For these variables the agency 149 counselors were arbitrarily divided into two comparison groups. The resulting tests may have lacked sensitivity. It would perhaps have been somewhat surprising if the particular divisions selected had proved to be critical dividers. Nonetheless, agency decisions regarding hiring, promotions, and pay rates are based upon years of exper­ ience and possession or lack of possession of a Master's Degree, and it seems reasonable to inquire if such dif­ ferences result in meaningful differences in client experiences. The treatment given these variables was perhaps superficial, but it is not irrelevant in terms of agency activities. It would appear, however, that study of variables reflecting counselor behaviors would be more fruitful, especially those which reflect counselor-client contact and follow-up after employment. As has been true in other settings, studies of counselor effectiveness in vocational rehabilitation will apparently require more specific identification of activities and outcomes than is provided in broad studies such as this one. Stability in Occupation Stability in the closure occupation, like sta­ bility in employment, was related to work history, work status at acceptance, and education. unexpected, This was not as the persons not in the closure occupation 150 included the unemployed. However, stability in the closure occupation was also related to the factors sex, type of closure occupation, type of rehabilitation training, type of primary disability, and whether or not the client entered the occupation at closure which was specified in the original plan. The results may be in part the result of the sys­ tem used to identify employment changes. A change was considered to occur if the rehabilitant entered an occu­ pation for which the Dictionary of Occupational Titles code differed in either the first or second digits from that of the closure occupation. Persons in service or industrial occupations registered a change in going from one low-skill job to another while persons in pro­ fessional , technical, or clerical positions tended to remain in the same classification even if job changes occurred. As noted previously, women may have changed occupations less frequently because there are fewer classifications in which they are found. Nonetheless, the pattern which emerged seems to reflect what occurs in real-life vocational behavior. Persons with specialized training or employment tended to remain in distinct occupational classifications, while persons without such specializations moved about in a variety of vocational settings. The exceptions occurred 151 for industrial skilled workers and for workshop employees. Those in the latter category presumably had no occu­ pational alternatives. The selected rehabilitation service variables examined in this study were not found to be related to whether or not rehabilitants remained employed, but two were related to whether or not rehabilitants remained in the closure occupation. They were type of training pro­ vided, and whether or not the rehabilitants entered the occupation listed in the rehabilitation plan. It was of particular interest that persons who remained in the same occupation tended to be those who had entered the planned occupation. Presumably, these were the cases in which DVR had the most impact. The fact that approximately one-third of all closures were in occupations which differed from the occupation named in the rehabilitation plan was inter­ preted as suggesting that the impact of DVR upon client behavior is often not great. This impression was supported by perusal of case records which revealed that in many cases counselor-client contacts were few and brief. It was also supported by the fact that several respondents stated they had no recollection of receiving agency services. In some such cases DVR provided only supple­ mentary services, such as minor medical services, while other agencies provided retraining or other major 152 services. The traditional vocational rehabilitation service model seems fallacious in assuming that DVR is the major cause of rehabilitation in such cases. The Regression Equations Perhaps the most important observation to be made regarding the regression equations is that in no case did the twenty-two factors account for enough of the variance of the dependent variable to be highly useful as a pre­ dictive equation. The highest multiple correlation, as noted above, was with the Employment Stability rating scale, and was 0.518. A number of explanations may be considered. It may be that interaction effects are important, especially for cases of combinations of personal and service variables. Provision of particular types of training may be selec­ tively effective for persons who differ by sex or age. Likewise, the provision of placement assistance may be critical for persons who are mentally ill or mentally retarded, whereas they would be of little consequence for other types of clients. The examination of interaction effects was considered for this study. However, as the major function of the study was to provide a broad descriptive view of the rehabilitation process, an effort was made to include a relatively large number of variables rather than to focus upon a few in depth. There was no obvious basis for selecting sets of interactions 153 for examination out of the large number of possibilities, and it was felt to be doubtful that interaction effects would make a major contribution to the predictiveness of the equations . A second possibility is that the factors were not defined in the most meaningful manner, and that the factor groupings were not complete. were all categorical. The independent variables In some cases (e.g., Degree of Disability, Counselor Production, etc.) dichotomies were utilized when scaling may be possible. There were also significant omissions in representing such groupings as the rehabilitation services. The study was originally conceived as an examination of factors related to train­ ing and placement, and some other types of rehabilitation services, most notably the medical services, were not represented. A third, and probably most crucial factor, is that the equations simply did not include the most sensi­ tive variables. In his rehabilitation model, Suchman borrows from the epidemiological approach to the study of disease prevalence and distinguishes among three types of pre-conditioning variables. Host factors are characteristic of the individual sustaining the disability. Agent factors refer to the disability causing instrument (e.g., auto accidents, heart disease or war injuries). Environmental factors are concerned with the physical 154 and social conditions within which the disability is pro­ duced. While such a model is not of great utility for the purposes of this study, it serves to illustrate that the variables utilized in this study are largely environ­ mental in nature, and that critical host factors are poorly represented. It would seem to be especially important to have better specification of the functional limitations of the client and some of the motivational and attitudinal characteristics. The study assumed that situational variables are related to career events to the exclusion of psychological variables. The equations seem to show that different dependent variables are responsive to different groups of indepen­ dent variables. The dependent variables involving employ­ ment and employment over time (Equations 1 and 2), are most related to the group of independent variables reflect­ ing pre-service education and employment. Being in the same occupation as at closure seems more related to per­ sonal characteristics, especially sex, and rehabilitation service differences. Employment stability as shown in both Equations 3 and 4 seems to be responsive to disability factors. None of the groups appeared significantly related to earnings changes. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AN D IMPLICATIONS Summary This study involved a two-year-later follow-up of over 400 persons who were classified rehabilitated by the Michigan Department of Education, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, during the period from July 1, 1967, to June 30, 1968. reported, The results of the follow-up study were and relationships were sought between selected client and rehabilitation service characteristics and rehabilitant employment status at follow-up. The major findings of the study were the following: Results of the Follow-Up Survey Of the rehabilitants in this study at the time of follow-up: 69 4 12 1 3 11 per per per per per per cent were cent were cent were cent were cent were cent were in competitive employment in sheltered employment homemakers students deceased unemployed The employment rate can be considered to be within 5 per cent of the true population proportion with 95 per cent probability. 155 156 The most frequently cited reason for unemployment was severity of disability. The rehabilitants reported relatively stable employment careers, and tended to be satisfied with their rehabilitation services. About one- fourth were interested in possible further services— primarily training and job placement. Factors Related to Whether or Not Rehabilitants were Employed at Follow-Up Five factors were found to be significantly related to whether rehabilitants were employed or not employed two years after rehabilitation. 1. They were: Employment history before seeking services. Proportionately more rehabilitants with stable or no employment histories and fewer persons with unstable employment histories were found in employment at follow-up. 2. Employment status when accepted for services. Proportionately more students and persons who were employed when accepted for services, and fewer persons who were unemployed at accep­ tance were found employed at follow-up. 3. Level of education. Proportionately more persons with nine to eleven, or twelve or more grades of education and fewer persons with zero to eight grades of education were employed at follow-up. 157 4. Presence or absence of a secondary disability. Proportionately more rehabilitants without a secondary disability were found employed at follow-up than rehabilitants with a secondary disability. 5. Location of services. Proportionately more rehabilitants from outside Wayne County were employed at follow-up than rehabilitants from Wayne County. Seventeen other factors showed no relationship with whether rehabilitants were employed or not employed at follow-up. They were: type of primary disability, type of secondary disability, type of employment at closure, age, marital status, sex, whether or not closure employment was as stated in the rehabilitation plan, race, number of counselors involved in rehabilitation, type of training obtained during rehabilitation, severity of disability, whether or not the original rehabilitation plan included training, whether or not the client was returning to a job held prior to rehabilitation, whether or not the counselor had two years or more of experience, whether or not the counselor had an M.A. Degree, whether or not the rehabilitation agency was the placement agent, and whether or not the counselor had a record of high production of closures. 158 Factors Related to Whether or Not Rehabilitants were Em­ ployed in their Closure Occupation at Follow-Up Eight of the twenty-two factors were found to be significantly related to whether or not rehabilitants were in their closure occupation at follow-up. 1. They were Closure occupation same as in rehabilitation plan. Proportionately more rehabilitants whose closure occupation was the same as in the rehabilitation plan were in the closure occupation at follow-up than rehabilitants whose closure occupation differed from the rehabilitation plan. 2. Sex. Proportionately more females than males were in the closure occupation at follow-up. 3. Employment history before seeking services. Proportionately more rehabilitants with stable or no employment histories, and fewer with unstable histories were found in the closure occupation. 4. Type of training. Proportionately more rehabilitants who received academic or workshop training, and fewer who received trade school, on-the-job, or no training were in the closure occupation at follow-up. 159 5. Type of employment at closure. Proportionately more rehabilitants who were in professional or clerical occupations and fewer who were in industrial occupations were in the closure occupation at follow-up. 6. Type of primary disability. Proportionately more rehabilitants who had visual, hearing, speech or orthopedic disabilities, and fewer who had emotional, mental retardation, or other physical disabilities were in the closure occupation at follow-up. 7. Education. Proportionately more rehabilitants with nine to eleven, or twelve or more grades of education and fewer rehabilitants with zero to eight grades were in the closure occupation at follow-up. 8. Work Status. Proportionately more rehabili­ tants who were students or employed at time of acceptance and fewer who were unemployed were in the closure occupation at follow-up. The other fourteen factors showed no relationship with whether or not rehabilitants were employed in their closure occupation at follow-up. The twenty-two factors were examined as indepen­ dent variables in regression equations with the dependent variables (1) employed or not employed at follow-up, 160 (2) employed or not employed in closure occupation at follow-up, (3) employment stability during two years after rehabilitation, and (4) employment stability and earnings changes during two years after rehabilitation. The factors taken together were significantly related to the first three criterion variables, but not to the fourth. They failed to account for enough of the variance of any of the dependent variables to be useful for predictive purposes. A group of factors describing pre-service education and employment was significantly related to employment stability during the two-year follow-up period and whether or not rehabilitants were in employment at follow-up. Groups involving personal and demographic, disability, counselor, rehabilitation service, and occupation at closure variables were not significantly related to these two dependent variables. A group of factors including the rehabilitation service variables and a second group including the per­ sonal and demographic factors were significantly related to whether or not the rehabilitant was in the closure occupation at follow-up. None of the six groups of factors were found significantly related to the depen­ dent variable which reflected both employment stability and earnings. 161 Conclusions A summary impression derived from this study is that the typical rehabilitant in the State of Michigan retains employment after his rehabilitation. He expresses general satisfaction with his services, and does not require additional services. His employment success is most nearly predicted by his life style and achievement before rehabilitation. He is most likely to remain employed if he has had previous stable employment or never entered the labor market, or if he has more than eight grades of formal education. The effects of disa­ bility and other pervasive personal factors seem to be reflected behaviorally in his pre-service employment and education history. When disability, age, and other per­ sonal factors are so severely handicapping as to contra­ indicate future employment, the applicant is presumably not accepted for services. The impact of the rehabilitation services included in this study was not sufficient to reveal a relationship with whether or not rehabilitants remained employed. This may be due to the fact that in many cases the relationship between the agency and the client is not close. When the rehabilitation plan is completed, the rehabilitant tends to remain in the closure occupation. Females, persons trained in academic programs or workshops, or persons who enter professional, technical or clerical occupations also 162 tend to remain in their closure occupations. underlying handicaps prevail However, if (physical, mental or social) the rehabilitant still loses his employment. The proba­ bility of losing employment is greater if the rehabilitant has a secondary disability or if he is a resident of Wayne County. Differences in counselor experience, education, or case closure productivity do not seem to influence the rehabilitant's post-rehabilitation employment or occupational stability, nor do the number of counselors involved with the case. Indeed, when all of the factors in the study were included in a linear equation, they failed to account for variance in post-closure employment with useful precision. Implications for Further Study and Agency Operations This study was descriptive and exploratory. As such, it was more fruitful in suggesting areas for further study than in providing conclusions which can be directly related to theory development or agency operations. The following directions can be suggested for future research and evaluation studies. 1. Descriptive research should be continued to provide measures of the nature and scope of agency activ­ ities, and to identify meaningful variables in the rehabili­ tation process. 163 2. Sub-programs and relatively homogeneous popu­ lations within the total population of clients should be studied. The operations of the state agency are so diverse that agency-wide studies reflect only the most pervasive among many operative and interacting relation­ ships . 3. Experimental or quasi-experimental designs using control groups must be utilized to establish cause and effect relationships, and to specify the effects of vocational rehabilitation for evaluation purposes. 4. Studies must include process variables. A primary aim of research and evaluation is program improve­ ment. Studies of outcome only or before-after studies reveal very little about the process of rehabilitation itself. Specific outcomes must be linked to process variables, especially those which the agency can control, in order to improve the effectiveness of services. 5. Concurrently with expanded program study, conceptual development is necessary to determine study priorities, identify critical variables, and interpret results. It seems doubtful that comprehensive theories can be utilized in the study of rehabilitation agency activities, but clearly some conceptual guidelines are ne e d e d . Some specific research subjects suggested by this study are: 164 1. Additional comparative studies of persons with stable and unstable employment histories. Establishing employment stability is presumably the major objective of vocational rehabilitation. The conversion of persons who have failed to maintain stable employment into rehabilitants who remain employed is clearly the most challenging task of the agency. The task can be facilitated by identifying the crucial variables involved in establishing successful employment patterns. 2. Studies of the meaning of basic education for employability and of the feasibility of providing basic education for rehabilitation clients. While many clients are presumably not capable of benefiting from academic study, the rehabilitation agency may be able to play a more active role in bolstering the basic academic skills and knowledge of rehabilitants. The use of innovative and intensive techniques may expand the possibilities for such activities. In this study many respondents who requested services sought additional job training, and the agency may enjoy an advantage of timeliness in attempt ing to provide both job skills and educational improvement 3. Studies of the types and effects of combi­ nations of disabilities. Secondary disabilities have been shown to be of crucial importance to successful rehabilitation in several studies, including this one. Yet most studies of the effects of disability type have 165 considered only those disabilities listed as primary. This procedure has presumably been due to the relatively greater accessibility of information concerning primary disabilities. However, it is apparently a superficial approach, especially since the identification of disa­ bilities as primary or secondary is determined by coun­ selor judgment in each individual case. 4. Studies of differences in rehabilitation between Wayne County and other areas in the state. Rehabilitation in the Detroit metropolitan area apparently failed to produce the same rate of employment stability as in the outstate areas. As the agency is being called upon to increase services in the inner-city areas, efforts should be made to identify the particular service problems in that area. 5. Delineation of the occupational patterns of rehabilitants, including the types of job changes made. If possible, the careers of rehabilitation clients should be related to theories of career development. Careers of men and women should be studied separately, and the results of occupational studies should be utilized to improve agency placement activities. 6. Efforts to improve prediction of post­ rehabilitation employment stability. A wider variety of factors should be investigated, including psychological and behavioral variables. Models other than linear 166 additive models should be developed, and the effects of combinations of variables should be analyzed. The rehabilitation services and counselor inputs, as well as client needs, should be expressed in behavioral terms. Implications of specific findings for agency operations were discussed in Chapter IV and are reflected in the recommendations listed above. One additional general impression derived from the study should be discussed. It was noted in the introduction to this study that vocational rehabilitation agencies are increasingly being viewed as manpower development agencies. They are seen as primary agents in the nation's efforts to engage as many persons as possible in productive activity. Vocational rehabilitation is considered a means not only for expressing the nation's ideal of equal oppor­ tunity for all, but also for assuring that available man­ power is utilized productively and that the social costs of unemployment and poverty are avoided. The results of this study indicate that a very wide variety of handicapped persons are being served by Michigan DVR and that in general the rehabilitants tend to retain their employment. However, there is evidence that not all clients are served with equal success. The persons most often found unem­ ployed after rehabilitation are clearly the very clientele which the agency is being asked to serve in greater numbers 167 in the future. They are the chronically unemployed, the poorly educated, the multiply disabled, and the mentally handicapped. The opinion has been expressed in this study that the typical client-agency relationship is not close. DVR has frequently been able to provide medical services and/or training and then leave the client to his own resources to find and maintain employment. In some cases, the rehabilitation counselor has appeared to be little more than an interviewer and purchasing agent. As the role of the agency changes, it seems clear that techniques must be adapted to needs encountered in the field. In general, rehabilitation personnel must deal more effectively with psychological and social problems. It may be necessary to deal with individual clients much more intensively to provide them with the desire, the courage, and the skills to cope with their handicaps. At the same time, the success of rehabili­ tation will itself assure that there will be increased pressures to produce larger numbers of rehabilitated clients. The future of vocational rehabilitation clearly provides ample challenges for both agency administrators and field personnel. The wisdom and resourcefulness with which they meet the demands placed upon them may have crucial implications in the evolution of society in the United States. bibliography BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, J. M. "A Comparison of Vocational Objectives and Job Placements of Rehabilitated Clients in Colorado." Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Colorado State College, 1967. Atinsky, Jordan M. "The Effect of Rehabilitation Super­ visor's Level of Training on Clients' Satis­ faction With Services, Satisfaction with Job, and Employment Status." 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M . ; Griffiths, K. A.; and Magleby, F. L. Adjustment of Vocational Rehabilitation Clients Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 196 3. ________ r and Magleby, F. L. "Success and Failure in Vocational Rehabilitation." The Personnel and Guidance Journal, XXXVIII (1968). Melichar, E. "Least Squares Analysis of Economic Survey Data." The 1965 Proceedings of the Business and Economic Statistics Session, American Statistical Association, 1965, 373-80. Michigan Department of Education. Report and Recommen­ dations , Comprehensive Statewide Planning for Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Lansing, M i c h ., 1968. Michigan Employment Security Commission. Michigan Ma n ­ power Review, XXV, No. 1 (January") 1970) . Moynihan, D. P. "Employment Income, and the Negro Family." DAEDALUS, journal of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, XCIV, No. 4 (Fall, 1965), 745-70. Neff, W. S. The Success of a Rehabilitation Program. A Follow-Up Study of Clients of the Vocational Adjustment Center. Chicago: The Jewish Vocational Service, 1967. Newman, J. T. "Reading Lists, Rehabilitation, and Ragb a g s ." Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, XI, No. 4 (June, 1968), 308-10. Olshansky, S., and Margolin, R. J. "Rehabilitation as a Dynamic Interaction of Systems." Journal of Rehabilitation, XXIX, No. 3 (May-June, 1963), 67-72. Orcutt, G. II., et a l . "Data Sources and Estimation Pro­ cedures for Extending the Labor Force Model." Microanalysis of Socio-economic Systems: A Simulation Study. New Y o r k : Harper Bros., I96T: 172 Patterson, C. H. "Rehabilitation Counseling: A Profession or a Trade?" The Personnel and Guidance Journal. X L V I , No. 6 (February, 1968), 567-71. Schletzer, V. M . ; D a w i s , R. V.; England, G. W. ; and Lofquist, L. H. Factors Related to Employment Success. Minnesota Studies in Vocational Rehabilitation: VII. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1959. Stein, C. I.; Bradley, A. D. ; and Buegel, B. L. "A Test of Basic Assumptions Underlying Vocational Coun­ seling Utilizing a Differential Criterion Method." The Journal of Counseling Psychology, XVII, No. 2 (1970), 93-97. Suchman, E. A. "A Model for Research and Evaluation in Rehabilitation." Sociology and Rehabilitation. Edited by M. B. Sussman. Washington, D.C.: The American Sociological Association, 1965. Sussman, Marvin B., ed. Sociology and Rehabilitation. Washington, D . C . : The American Sociological Association, 1965. U.S. Bureau of the Census. 1970 Census of Population. Michigan: General Population Characteristics. PC (V2)-24, Washington, D . C . , l97l. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Achievement: The Story of 200,000 Disabled Americans Restored to Productive Lines m the Past Year Through Vocational Rehabilitation. Washington, D.C.: Social and Rehabilitation Services Division, Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1968. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Age Patterns in Medical Care, Illness and Disability. Public Health Service. Washington, t).C.: Government Printing Office, 196 5. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. "Char­ acteristics of Clients Who Received Training During Rehabilitation." Statistical N o t e s , No. 1 9 . Social and Rehabilitation Service, Rehabilitation Services Administration, March, 1970. 173 U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. "Major Disabling Conditions of Rehabilitated and Not Rehabilitated Clients of State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies— Fiscal Year 1968." Statistical Notes, No. 1 7 . Social and Rehabili­ tation Service, Rehabilitation Service Adminis­ tration, September, 1969. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Vocational Rehabilitation M a n u a l . Washington, D.C.: Rehabilitation Services Administration, July, 1968. U.S. Department of Labor. Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Vol. I, 3rd ed. Washington, D . C . : Government Printing Office, 1965. U.S. Federal Register. VanDalen, D. B. York: Vol. 34, No. 20 (January 30, 1969), Understanding Educational Research. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 1962. New Vogelson, M. L. Job Placement of the Emotionally Handicapped. New York: Just One Break, Inc., 1965. Weiner, H. "Characteristics Associated with Rehabilitation Success." Personnel and Guidance Journal, XLII, No. 7 (March^ 1964) , 687. APPENDICES appendix a SAMPLE DESCRIPTION TABLES 174 TABLE A .1 AGE GROUPS AT ACCEPTANCE FOR RESPONDENTS, NON-RESPONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL REHABILITANTS Respondents Non-Respondents No. Percent No. Percent 0-19 147 34.1 42 29.0 189 32.8 — 31.2 20-29 85 19.7 45 31.0 130 22.6 — 26.4 30=44 105 24.4 38 26.2 143 24.8 — 23.8 94 21.8 20 13.8 114 19.8 — 18.6 431 100.0 145 100.0 576 100.0 45 and over TOTAL Total Sample No. Percent All Rehabilitarrts No. Percent Ass Groups 6184 100.0 TABLE A . 2 SEX FOR RESPONDENTS NON-RESPONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL REHABILITANTS Sex Respondents Non-Respondents No. Percent No. Percent Total Sample No. Percent All Reh&bilit&nts No. Percent Hale 267 61.5 88 60.3 355 61.2 — 59.9 Female 167 38.5 58 39.7 225 38.8 — 40.0 TOTAL 434 100.0 146 100.0 580 100.0 6184 100.0 175 TABLE A . 3 RACE FOR RESPONDENTS, NON-RESPONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL REHABILITANTS N on-Re sponde nt s No. Percent Race It©spondents No. Percent White 369 85.8 97 67.8 466 81.3 — 82.2 llecro 59 13.7 45 31.5 104 18.2 — 17.3 Other 2 0.5 1 0.7 3 0.5 — 0.4 TOTAL 430 100.0 143 100.0 573 100.0 Total Sample No. Percent All Rehabilitants No. Percent 6184 99.9 TABLE A . 4 EDUCATION AT ACCEPTANCE FOR : RESPONDENTS, NON-RESPONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL REHABILITANTS Education (;grades) Respondents No. Percent 0-8 103 23.8 45 30.8 148 25.6 — 18.1 9-11 110 25.5 45 30.8 155 26.8 — 26.6 12 174 40.3 43 29.4 217 37.5 — 38.0 26 6.0 8 5.5 34 5.9 — 6.3 — — — 11.0 — Over 12 Special Education or No Report No Report TOTAL Non-Respondent s No. Percent — — Total Sample No. Percent 19 4.4 5 3.4 24 4.2 432 100.0 146 100.0 578 100.0 All Rchabilltants No. Percent 6184 — l(X).C) 176 TABLE A . 5 MAJOR DISABILITY FOR RESPONDENTS, NON-RESPONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL REHABILITANTS Non-IRespondents No,. Percent Total 8ample No. r’or cent la.ior Disalli 3.ity Respondents No, Percent Visual 27 6.3 11+ 9.6 41 7.1 — 6.1 Hearing’ , 30 0.0 9 6.1 47 8.1 — '- 7 1.6 3 2.0 10 1.7 — 1.6 Arthritis and Rheumatism 21+ 3.2 4 2.7 18 3.1 Orthopedj.c — Accidents 23 5.3 7 4.8 30 5.2 — 5.1 Orihopodic-Absence or Paralysis 26 6.0 5 3.4 31 5.4 — 6.8 OrLhoped:i.c-lIOC 66 15.3 20 13.7 86 14.9 — 3-5.3 3V 9.0 15 10.3 54 9.3 — n.•* 0. .1* i.onLai iiotardat.i <»il 79 10.3 26 17.8 105 3.8.3 — j 6.:i Cere Ural Palsy J'iiiiotionally and dentally 111 All Rehale litants No. Percent /'i O O i'lnilepsy U+ 3.2 3. .7 15 2.6 — 3.1 eca^t Pj.sense 20 4.6 j 0 2.1 23 4.0 — 4.1 inspiratory Disease 2 .9 0 0.0 2 .3 — 3.4 9 2.1 3. .7 10 1.7 — 3 .9 65 15.0 35 24.0 100 17.3 — 34.7 3 .7 3 2.1 6 1.0 — 0.8 Cpecch Delect Others ill VuTAL 4 3 2 9 7 . 9 3 4 6 1 0 0 . 0 5 7 0 9V. 0 6 1 0 4 1 0 0 . 0 177 TABLE A . 6 EI-iPLOYlMIT STATUS AT ACCEPTANCE FOR RESPONDENTS, NON-RESPONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AI'ID AIL REHABILITANTS All itehaLilitants Ho. Percent Respondents Ho. Percent Competitive Labor 103 23 .8 24 16.6 127 22.0 7 1.6 0 0.0 7 1.2 — 1.5 Ilomeiriaker or Unpaid IS 4® 2 6 4.1 24 4.2 — 4.2 Rot Uorkinc-Btudent S9 20.6 25 17.2 114. 19.8 20G 40.1 84 58.0 292 50.6 7 1.6 6 4.1 13 2.2 432 99.9 145 100.0 Sheltered Employment iJoL V/orl:inf'-Othcr hot Reported TOTAL IIon-Respondents Ho. Percent Total Sample No. Percent Employment Status 577 — 22.0 17.9 — —* 100.0 6184 54.3 0.1 100.(j TABLE A . 7 REFERRAL SOURCE FOR RESPONDENTS NON-ICESPOIJDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AC© ALL REHABILITANTS Non-Re spondents No. Percent Total Sample No. Percent All Rehabilitants No, Percent Referral Source Respondents No, Percent Education 108 24.9 32 22.0 140 24.2 — 23.9 89 20.6 30 20.7 119 20.6 — 23.9 Social Security Adm . 13 3.0 2 1.4 15 2.6 — 2.1 ’ workmen's Comp. 7 .1.6 2 1.4 9 1.6 -- 0.3 Welfare Agencies 24 5.5 19 13.1 43 7.4 — 8.2 3ESC 53 12.2 21 14.5 74 12.8 — 11.4 Individual or Self 78 18.0 24 16.5 102 17.6 — 18.5 '■'tlier Sources yo 12.9 14 9.7 70 12.1 — 11.1 5 1.2 0.7 6 1.0 433 99.9 100.0 578 99.9 Health Ik total .1 145 0.5 6184 99.9 178 TABLE A . 8 PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AT ACCKPTAilCF, FOR RESPONDENTS NON-RESPONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL HEHABIUTANTS Public Ado;istanee Ticspondents No . Percent N on-Re spondc nts No , Percent OAA 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 — 0.0 AB 0 0.0 1 0.6 1 0.2 — 0.0 APTU 8 1.9 2 1.3 10 1.7 — 1.0 Al'DC 19 4.4 17 10.7 36 6.1 — 5.2 General Assistance 7 1.6 5 3.1 12 2.0 — 2.5 Other 2 0.5 1 0.6 3 0.5 — 0.6 rill . 3 .0.7 2 1.3 5 0.9 ■— 0.4 hone 388 90.9 131 82.4 519 88.6 — 90.3 TOTAL 427 100.0 159 100.0 536 100.0 Total Sample No. Percent All Rehabjlitanls No. Percent — 100.0 179 TABLE A . 9 LARi'i'AL STATUS AT ACCEPTANCE FOR RESPONDENTS, iiON-ltESl’ONDENTS, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL REHABILITAMTS 1ion-Re spondents No. Percent Total Sample No. Percent All Rehabilitants No. Percent kurital .Status Respondents No. Percent harried 143 33.0 47 32.4 190 32.9 — 33.1 lever l urried 234 54.0 68 46.9 302 52.2 — >2.7 56 12.9 30 20.7 86 14.9 — »• 14.2 433 100.0 145 100.0 578 100.0 Hid., Div., Sep. TOTAL 6184 100.0 TABLE A . 10 NUMBER 01’ DEPENDENTS AT ACCEPTANCE FOR RESPONDENTS, NON-I23SPONDENT3, TOTAL SAMPLE, AND ALL REHABILITANTS H o . of Dependents Respondents No, Percent 0 278 64.1 85 58.2 363 62.6 1 50 11.5 17 11.6 67 11.6 i- 26 6.0 9 6.2 35 3 25 5.8 18 12.3 51 11.8 17 4 1.0 434 100.0 b or more HU TOTAL Non-Respondents No, Percent Total Sample No. Percent All Rehabll ;1tar Is No. Percent 66.5 •— 9.2 6.0 — 7.4 43 7.4 — 5.6 11.6 68 11.7 — 11.3 0 0.0 4 0.7 146 100.0 580 100.C — 0.0 100.0 'f APPENDIX B FOLLOW-UP STUDY MATERIALS December 4, 1969 MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OP EDUCATION DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION FOLLOW-UP STUDY SAMPLING PROCEDURE General Procedure: 1. Use a series of random numbers to select cases using the status card file for closed cases. 2. Mhen eligible cases are identified, send the entire case file to the State Office. Specific Steps: 1. Eligible cases are 26 closures for the period July 1, 1967 to June 30, 1968. 2. Cases are located in the Status Card File (Form VR-D-33)It is assumed that Status Cards of all closed cases are filed together. If this is not true, notify the State Office as the system will need to be modified. 3. The cases to be used are designated by a Sample Number. Sample Numbers consist of a letter-number combination. The letter refers to the alph­ abetical listing; the number gives the position of the card. Example: P-135 is the 135th card filed under P 4. The Sample Numbers are attached. Start with the first number and proceed down each column in order. Do not skip a number until it is clear the number will not provide an eligible case. 5. In the alphabetical listing of statuscards turn to the letter, then count cards to the number. If the card located is not a 26 closure for the period July 1, 1967 to June 30, 1968 inspect in order each card following the Sample Number up to 15 more cards. If no Eligible Case has been located, count forward 15 cards from the Sample Number. Take the first eligible card located. For each Sample Number there are 30 cards which may give an Eligible Case. Take only one card for each sample number. cards even if another is noticed. Do not take 2 or more If no Eligible Case is located go on to the next Sample Number. If the Sample Number is close to the beginning or end of the cards for the given letter, do not count on with cards for another letter. Count as far as possible and stop. 6. Record sufficient information for Eligible folders. 7. bhen the required number of case folders have been obtained sent them to 180 Cases to locate the case page 2 181 Michigan Department of Education Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Box 1016 Lansing, Michigan 48904 ATTN: Robert D. Struthers Because some offices have several hundred cards filed under some letters, it is necessary to use 3 digit numbers. Many of these will not yield an eligible card. If the sample number is higher than the number of cards filed after a letter, go on to the next sample number. If the list of sample numbers does not yield the necessary sample size, please notify the State Office. Two devices may be used to speed the sampling procedure: 1. For sample numbers over 100 it is permissible to estimate rather than count all cards. In the pilot study it was found that one inch meas­ ured about 100 cards. Thus, for a number B-547 it is possible to measure 5 inches of cards, count 47, and then proceed as before. This crude measure should be confirmed for each office and should be used with some care. 2. If the office has no letter which has more than (about) 500 cards, use the Sample Numbers in parenthesis. This will eliminate considering Sample Numbers over 500. IF IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO SEND IN ENTIRE CASE FOLDERS: If the case has been reopened, or for other reasons it is not desired that case folders be forwarded to the State Office, please send photocopies of the following: 1. 2. 3. Front of Application Form (Old VR-D-36) Back of Application Form R-300 Summary Form VR-D-300 6/67 If it is not possible to make legible copies of these documents or they are not available it may be necessary to substitute trip sheets or other R-300 forms. It is necessary that name, address, and phone numbers be obtained plus the usual R-300 data. 182 SAMPLE NUMBERS SAMPLE NUMBERS SAMPLE NUMBERS XYZ 033 U 387 Q 398 C 585 (085) P 835 (335) A 563 (063) 0 630 (130) K 785 (285) F 679 (179) I 448 R 776 (276) N 294 u 631 (131) 0 815 (315) A 366 G 136 C 878 (378) J 978 (478) H 263 L 973 (473) F 454 W 491 I 908 (408) V 823 (323) B 133 G 516 (016) J 607 (107) C 355 D 186 C 952 (452) Q 480 J 863 (363) U 466 U 154 Q 169 D 653 (153) D 077 F 652 (152) H 257 J 744 (244) XYZ 819 (319) L 818 (318) I 591 (091) S 640 (140) G 867 (367) F 568 (068) N 070 R 845 (345) T 790 (290) K 822 (322) Q 518 (018) F 829 (329) XYZ 034 0 158 H 396 P 159 E 761 (261) G 839 (339) S 219 T 500 P 057 B 526 (026) H 099 U 944 (444) 0 804 (304) C 843 (343) W 960 (460) N 676 (176) P 075 K 645 (145) T 507 (007) S 248 B 479 C 229 I 590 P 530 (030) E 825 (325) 0 859 (359) STATE OF MICHIGAN 183 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE B O A R D O F E D U C A T I O N ki '.tuebosi Lansing, Michigan 4 8 9 0 2 I ’E T F .R O E l ’ E W A I . I . rrrsidtfut THOMAS r, I. H H E N N \ N Vice Presiilent IHA P O L L E V M I C H A E L }. D E E l l /CfiiilcucleiH o/ PuMii: fus'trncfioH Secretary J A M E S F . O ’N E n . Treasurer LE R O Y G. A U G E N S T E 1 N M A R IL Y N JEA N K ELIA C H A R L E S E. M O R T O N E D W IN GOV. N O V A K , 0 .1 ). W ILLIAM b Status at Present (a) Competitive Labor Market (b) Sheltered Employment (c) Homemaker or Unpaid Worker (d) Not Working - Student (e) Not Working - Other Humber of Jobs Held Since Closure Earnings Per Week At closure_______ Closure plus 6 months_______ Closure plus 12 months_______ Closure plus 18 months_______ Present_______ Total Months Employed . Public Assistance At closure_______ Present_______ Amount per month Number of months OAA________________________________ AB _____ „ ___________ APTD _ _ _ _ _ ___________ AFDC_______________________________ General Assistance___________ ______ Other _______ _____ ______ ______ ______ . _ . _____ Total Months on Public Assistance_______________________________________ Other Income At closure _ Pre sent______ _ Amount per month Workmen’s Compensation SSDI Unemployment Benefits Other Number of months ______ _ _ _ _ _ ___________ ______ ______ Total Months on Other Incone _____ _ ______ _____ _____ _____ Months Not Accounted For _ TOTAL MONTHS CLOSURE TO FOLLOW-UP ____ Estimated Validity of Job History Data | 1. Very good. Data from client; accurate for all times. ! 2. Good. Datafrom reliable source and/or estimated with highconfidence. | J. Fair. Data accurate for closure and present. History estimated with fair confidence or cannot be completed. 4. Poor. Data s&pprted as given, but of doubtful validity. OUR 189 COUNSELOR WAS_____________________________________________ NUMBER. MICHIGAN STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DIVISION OF VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION FOLLdWJP STUDY ?lease try to answer all of the following questions. All information will be kept Confidential. No employers will be contacted. Your answers will help u® improve vocational rehabilitation services. PLEASE RETURN THIS QUESTIONNAIRE BY _ . Are you employed now? Yes _ _ No '2, Please give the following information concerning your employment. present and work back to 0) JOB NAME OR DUTIES WAGES per hours per per hours per per hours per per hours per (Begin with DATES hour week hour week hour week hour week REMARKS }, Please mark any of these sources from which you have obtained income since Social Security Unemployment Benefits ; Workmen's Compensation Public Welfare Assistance ; None of these___ When did you receive this income and how much was it? From to ________________ . $ From to ____ ______ . $ : per month. per month. L In the year (12 months) before you applied for rehabilitation services; About how many months did you work? _ About how much did you earn per week while working? $______________ _ Were you a student or had never had a full time job before? Yes No 5. Was anyone else in your family able to get a job because of your rehabilitation services? (For example, someone who was caring for you.) Yes No___ _ Was anyone else in your family able to quit their job because of your rehabilitation services? Yes No Go on to next page. •U ... 190 What is your marital status? Married Single Widowed, Divorced, Separated How many persons depend on you for a living (do not count yourself)? 9, Were you generally satisfied with the services you received from the Michigan Division of Vocational Rehabilitation? Very Satisfied ; S od® what Satisfied ; Neither Satisfied nor Dissatisfied ; Somewhat Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied ,0. Do you need further services from Vocational Rehabilitation at this time? Yes No If yes, please explain We would appreciate your permission to ask for your Social Security records. The information would make this study more accurate » No mention would be made of your name. The figures would be added with those of many other people. PLEASE FILL IN THIS AUTHORIZATION. I hereby authorize the use of data on my Social Security records in connection with the follow-up research being conducted by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Education of the State of Michigan. date___ signed_________ (Leave blank if you prefer not to release your Social Security records*) We would appreciate any comments you would like to make about the services you received from Michigan Vocational Rehabilitation. TABLE B.l QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES Number Per Total Reporting Percent Respondents reporting contact with DVR more recent than date of closure 40/331 12.1 Respondents reporting they are currently clients of DVR 14/331 4.2 Job status at time of follow-up (a) Competitive labor market (b) Sheltered employment (c) Homemaker or unpaid worker (d) Not working - student (e) Not working - other (f) Deceased 298/432 18/432 50/432 6/432 48/432 12/432 69.0 4.2 11.6 1.4 'n ; i 2.8 Number of jobs held since closure (a) None (b) One (c) Two (d) Three (e) Four or more 40/411 218/411 89/411 40/411 24/411 9.7 53.0 21.6 9.7 5.8 Larital status (a) Larried (b) Never married (c) Widowed, divorced, separated 201/416 154/416 61/416 48.3 37.0 14.7 Number of dependents (a) None (b) One (c) Two (d) Three (e) Four or more 224/406 70/406 49/406 23/406 40/406 55.2 17.2 12.1 5.7 9.8 In the year (12 months) before you applied for rehabilitation services, were you a student or had never had a full time job before? (a) Yes (b) No 137/399 262/399 34.3 65.7 192 Number Per Total Reporting a 10 11 12 13 Percent Between the time you applied for services and when you obtained employment, did you receive welfare assistance? (a) Yes (b) No 43/400 357/400 10.8 89.2 Was anyone else in your family able to get a job as a result of rehabilitation services? (a) Yes (b) No 5/400 395/400 1.2 98.8 Was anyone else in your family able to quit working as a result of your rehabilitation services? (a) Yes (b) No 3/4CO 397/400 0.8 99.2 Were you generally satisfied with the services you received from Vocational Rehabilitation? (a) Very satisfied (b) Somewhat satisfied (c) Indifferent or unclear (d) Somewhat dissatisfied (e) Very dissatisfied 230/366 68/366 26/366 19/366 23/366 62.8 78/218 24/218 35.8 26.1 22.5 4.6 11.0 18/376 35/376 43/376 11/376 273/376 4.8 9.3 11.4 2.9 72.6 Are you as satisfied with your job now as you were at the time you were last in con­ tact with Michigan Vocational Rehabilitation? (a) Much more satisfied (b) Somewhat more satisfied (c) Equally satisfied (d) Less satisfied (e) Much less satisfied Do you need further services from Vocational Rehabilitation at this time? (a) Medical services (b) Training (c) Job placement (d) Other (e) None 57/218 49/218 10/218 18.6 7.1 5.2 6.3 (Should not total 100/2) 193 TABLE B .2 SAMPLE SIZE AND RESPONSE RATE BY DISTRICT OFFICE AND REGION Starting Number NORTHERN REGION Marquette Traverse City Alpena Totals CENTRAL REGION Grand Rapids Muskegon Saginaw lit. Pleasant Totals SOUTHERN REGION Jackson Ann Arbor Lansing Kalamazoo Benton Harbor Totals EASTERN REGION Flint Pontiac Royal Oak Mt. Clemens Totals 40 14 10 64 30 16 29 10 65 23 13 29 31 22 121 Deleted- 35 5 12 10 24 JL 2 1 10 1 0 0 0 1 29 23 13 24 __8 68 0 1 0 0 0 1 23 WAYNE REGION Dearborn 33 Wyandotte 29 Detroit Northwestern 22 Detroit Eastern 21 Detroit Central 43 Livonia 22 Metro. Projects 22 Totals 195 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 4 STATE TOTAL 587 No Responses 40 14 122 22 Responses 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a 28 Net Starting Sample 16 29 10 84 12 29 31 22 120 41 28 22 21 122 32 29 22 19 43 54 17 9 22 23 1k 85 31 6 2 16 6 73.9 3 7 69.2 8 11 35 10 12 6 16 16 26 _1 91 31 21 11 24 18 13 25 17 5 4 6 191 134 581 432 149 16 87.5 85.7 70.0 84.4 79.3 81.2 82.7 80.0 80.0 3 5 18 4 _2 57 21 22 Response Percentage 75.8 74.2 56.0 70.2 75.6 57.1 72.7 90.3 74.6 65.6 82.8 81.8 68.4 58.1 77.3 64.0 3 s !7 73.6 ::Ca 3es deleted due to incorrect closure date, etc. The deletions incorporated an error in the district office totals which was considered inconsequential to the purposes of the study. 194 TABLE B .3 PERCENTAGE OF PHONE AND MAIL RESPONSES BY DISTRICT OFFICE Phone D.O. No. District Office Mail Responses Percent Number Total Responses Percent Number Responses Number Percent 1 2 3 Marquette Traverse City Alpena 30 8 4 85.7 66.7 66.7 5 4 3 14.3 36.4 42.9 35 12 7 ICO 100 100 4 5 6 7 Grand Rapids luskegon Saginaw ht. Pleasant 16 11 20 5 69.6 84.6 83.3 62.5 7 2 4 3 30.4 15.4 18.2 37.5 23 13 24 8 100 100 100 100 9 10 11 12 13 Jackson Ann Arbor Lansing Kalamazoo Benton Harbor 15 7 13 23 13 88.2 77.8 65.0 100.0 92.9 2 2 9 0 1 11.8 25.0 40.9 0.0 7.7 17 9 22 23 14 100 100 100 100 100 15 16 -7 18 Flint Pontiac Royal Oak ht. Clemens 19 11 14 23 61.3 68.8 87.5 85.2 12 5 2 5 38.7 33.3 13.3 17.9 31 16 16 28 100 100 100 100 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Dearborn Wyandotte Detroit Northwestern Detroit Eastern Detroit Central Livonia Metropolitan Projects 19 18 12 11 23 9 90.5 75.0 70.6 84.6 92.0 60.0 2 6 6 2 2 8 __2 9.5 25.0 33.3 15.4 8.0 47.1 12i£ 21 24 18 13 25 17 16 100 ICO 100 100 100 100 ICO 78.2 94 21.8 432 100 Totals J A 338 APPENDIX C FORM FOR RECORDING DATA FROM CASE SERVICE RECORDS TO FOLLOW-UP STUDY, DECEMBER, 1969 SAMPLE NO, SAMPLE DESCRIPTION DATA INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Referral Source(Code or Name) _ EMPLOYMENT IN 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO REFERRAL ( from Application form ). 2. Age .. INSERT NA if data is not available. .. 23. No. of Jobs Held 3. Sex M 24. No. of Months Employed A, Race (Code) 25. Ave. Earnings Per Week While Employed 5. Marital Status (Code) 6, No, of Dependents _____ 26. Job Title for Principal Job 7, Highest Grade Completed 27. Was client either (a) a student or (b) under 20 and had never workad feafore? 8, Primary Source Support (Code) Yes . No 28. Earnings 12 months before referral 9, Weekly Earaiiags 29. Earnings 6 months before referral 10. Work Status (Code) 30. Earnings at referral (same as item 9) 11, Public Assistance Monthly Amount 11 THE REHABILITATION PLAN: 12. PA Type (Code) 13, Prev. Accepted TO Services (Code) 14, SSDI Status Accept, (Code) 31. What was the vocational objective? 32. Did the plan include training? Yes ___ No ___ 15, Major Disability (Code) 16. Secondary Disability: Yas .._____ No (999) 33. If yes, describe training plan (type, of training and time expected) 17. At Closure SSDI (Code) 18. At Closure Public Assistance Monthly Amount ____________ 34. Was the training completed as planned? 19. PA Type (Cods) 20. At Closure Work Status (Code) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes No 35. Name of Job at Closure 36. Placement Agent for Job at Closure 21. Weekly Earnings 22. Occupation at Closure (Code) 195 1. Client 2. TO 3. MESC 4. Training Agency or Facility 5. Family or Friends 6. Other