NRTC Presenting at AER Conference
Members of the National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision (NRTC) team will be presenting during the 2024 Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) Biennial International Conference in Charlotte, NC, on July 24-28. The AER International Conference allows professionals who provide services to individuals who are blind or have low vision (B/LV) to connect and share the latest information, resources, data, and more.
Up to 700 professionals are expected to attend this year's conference, themed One Community – Many Voices in Concert. This conference brings together a wide range of exhibitors and offers many sessions to share information about products and services related to B/LV.
NRTC team members will present highlights from six research projects from our Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of People who are Blind or Have Low Vision grant, funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). NRTC team members who work on the Older Individuals who are Blind Technical Assistance Center (OIB-TAC) grant, funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) under the US Department of Education, will present on topics related to services for older individuals who are B/LV.
Scheduled presentations include:
July 24 (9:00 AM EDT) – Hands On: Teaching Braille to Adults by Polly Abbott, Kendra Farrow, and Jennifer Ottowitz.
July 25 (4:45 PM EDT) – Labor Force Participation: Who’s Not Working and Why? by Anne Steverson and Michele McDonnall.
July 25 (4:45 PM EDT) – I’m Not Alone in This: Building Connections and Confidence Through Group Job Search Training by Karla Antonelli and Jennifer Cmar.
July 26 (11:15 AM EDT) – A National Perspective on Employment and Visual Impairment: Positive Trends and Key Takeaways by Jennifer Cmar and Michele McDonnall.
July 26 (11:15 AM EDT) – How Using a Standardized Assessment will Strengthen the VRT Field by Kendra Farrow and Elyse Connors.
July 27 (10:00 AM EDT) – An Interactive Video to Educate and Improve Attitudes by Michele McDonnall and Karla Antonelli.
July 27 (11:15 AM EDT) – What Interests You Most About Working for Wondersmart? Outcomes and Reflections from Virtual Interview Training for Transition-Age Youth by Jennifer Cmar and Anne Steverson.
July 27 (1:45 PM EDT) – Braille Today: A Look at Current Usage Among Workers and Job Seekers by Michele McDonnall, Anne Steverson, and Jamie Boydstun.
July 27 (3:00 PM EDT) – Did I Really Do It?: The Importance of Documentation by Jennifer Ottowitz and Kendra Farrow.
For more information about the conference and agenda, visit the AER Conference Website.
Current Research Highlight: Exploration of National Datasets
While data on employment rates for B/LV individuals is readily available, there is limited research on the specifics of their employment status. This project aims to investigate employment outcomes beyond basic employment rates and explore the predictors of employment for B/LV individuals.
For this research project, we planned to utilize five large national datasets to uncover various aspects of employment for B/LV individuals, such as job quality, underemployment, earnings, self-employment, and employment continuity. These datasets are: (1) American Community Survey (ACS), (2) Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), (3) Health and Retirement Study (HRS), (4) National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, and (5) National Longitudinal Transition Study 2012 (NLTS 2012).
Since we last featured this project in our newsletter, we completed our analyses with the HRS dataset. Our research questions addressed the impact of developing vision loss in mid-life on employment, revealing that individuals with vision loss were more likely to leave the workforce due to retirement or disability compared to those without vision loss. Most of those who retired after experiencing vision loss were dissatisfied with retirement and felt forced into the decision. We identified several factors associated with continued employment for workers who experienced vision loss, including female gender, being married or partnered, being in better health, and having fewer chronic health conditions.
We also began working with NLSY97 data to address predictors of post-school employment outcomes for youth with B/LV. We selected variables, obtained the data, reviewed descriptive statistics, and began running statistical models.
Four new publications describing the results of this project’s findings are available:
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McDonnall, M. C., & Cmar, J. L. (2024). Underemployment among college graduates with blindness and low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. Advance online publication.
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Cmar, J. L., McDonnall, M. C., & Mitchell, G. L. (2024). Predictors of job retention after onset of visual impairment in late middle age. Journal of Aging and Health. Advance online publication.
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McDonnall, M. C., Cmar, J. L., & McKnight, Z. (2023). How degree major and demographic factors influence employment and earnings for college graduates with visual impairments. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin. Advance Online Publication.
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McDonnall, M. C., Cmar, J. L., & McKnight, Z. S. (2023). College degree majors and associated earnings: Are there differences between people with visual impairments and the general population? Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 59(3), 263–272.
We were planning to analyze the NLTS 2012 data during year five of this project, but delays in the release of that data will prevent us from utilizing it. During year five, we will instead utilize RSA-911 data combined with Social Security Administration data to investigate employment outcomes for transition-age vocational rehabilitation consumers.
For more information and updates on our research project, please visit our research project webpage.
Training and Technical Assistance
New Online Course
An Overview of Assistive Technology for People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision provides an overview of the types and uses of assistive technology devices and software for B/LV individuals. Course developers include Tim Richard, Evan MacDonald, Tommi Sue Celli, and Michelle Mason. (1.25 CRC, ACVREP, and NBPCB credit)
All NRTC courses are available through our learning management system. For more information about our courses, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Featured Resource
Finding Services: A Beginner’s Guide to Visual Impairment is a new video that was created in response to comments from visually impaired participants in an NRTC research study. It explains and provides contact information for the major agencies or organizations that support people with vision loss. The video is hosted on our NTAC-BLV website on the Finding Services page.
Putting Your Best Foot Forward
Putting Your Best Foot Forward (PYBFF) is a job search skills training program for transition-age youth who are B/LV. This program was designed to help youth learn the skills needed to find a job and succeed in the workplace. PYBFF includes five units with 40 hours of
content, covering topics such as preparing for an interview, disability disclosure, resume development, online job searches, and improving self-presentation. Our next PYBFF trainer workshop is scheduled for October 22-24, 2024. To learn more about PYBFF and sign up for our workshop waitlist, visit our Putting Your Best Foot Forward page.
Other NRTC News
Spotlight on Successful Employment
The NRTC has a new person featured in our Spotlight on Successful Employment! As Kim Crothers began losing her vision, she relied heavily on assistive technology and screen magnification to perform her work as a graphic designer and illustrator. Kim’s greatest professional achievement is illustrating a children’s book for youth with visual impairments. Learn more about Kim and other B/LV employees on our Spotlight on Successful Employment page.
NRTC Welcomes New Employee
The NRTC welcomes Billy Hamilton as our new Research Associate. Billy will work under the center’s Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment of People who are Blind or Have Low Vision grant. He will utilize his diverse skillset to support our ongoing research and dissemination activities.
NRTC Recruiting Applicants for the Vision Specialist Program
The NRTC is recruiting our next class of Vision Specialists in Vocational Rehabilitation. Our online graduate certificate program, funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, lasts one year (January to December). The courses are designed for professionals to help them become more effective in their work with individuals who are B/LV. Applications will be accepted until October 1, 2024. To learn more about this program and how to apply, visit our Vision Specialist page on our website.
Mentorship Survey
The NRTC is conducting a survey about career mentorship experiences. The study is open to people who are B/LV, between ages 30 and 70, who have received career mentorship. The survey will take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete and can be conveniently accessed on your computer or mobile device. Click this link to see if you qualify for this study.
The study (MSU IRB-24-005) has been reviewed by the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects at Mississippi State University and granted the Exemption Determination.
Implicit Association Test
The NRTC is excited to announce the availability of our implicit association test on blindness and visual impairment (IAT-BVI). This test is designed to measure implicit attitudes about the competence of individuals who are B/LV; it assesses how someone associates the concept of competence (competent vs. incompetent) with vision level (sighted vs. blind). Read our news item for more information.
NRTC Notes
Stay up to date with the latest news from the NRTC by subscribing to our monthly NRTC Notes. Please feel free to forward our NRTC Notes to interested parties. To subscribe or change your contact information, contact the NRTC at nrtc@colled.msstate.edu.
Publications, Presentations, and Miscellanies
Publications
Crudden, A., Steverson, A., & Sergi, K. (2024). Why I’m not working: People with visual impairments explain. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation. Advance online publication.
McDonnall, M. C., & Cmar, J. L. (2024). Underemployment among college graduates with blindness and low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness. Advance online publication.
McDonnall, M. C., Sessler-Trinkowsky, R., & Steverson, A. (2024). Use of braille in the workplace by people who are blind. Journal on Technology and Persons with Disabilities, 12, 58-75.
Cmar, J. L., & Antonelli, K. (2024). Systematic adaptation of the JOBS program for use with adults with visual impairments. The New RE:view. Advance online publication.
Cmar, J. L., McDonnall, M. C., & Mitchell, G. L. (2024). Predictors of job retention after onset of visual impairment in late middle age. Journal of Aging and Health. Advance online publication.
Presentations
Farrow, K. (2024, July). Building confidence, skills and inclusion through yarn and fiber arts [Conference session]. AER International Conference. Charlotte, NC.
Ottowitz, J., Farrow, K. (2024, July). Did I really do it? The importance of documentation [Conference session]. AER International Conference. Charlotte, NC.
Farrow, K. (2024, July). How using a standardized assessment will strengthen the VRT field [Conference session]. AER International Conference. Charlotte, NC.
McDonnall, M. & Antonielli, K. (2024, July). An interactive video to educate and improve attitudes [Conference session]. AER International Conference. Charlotte, NC.
McDonnall, M., Steverson, A., & Boydstun, J. (2024, July). Braille today: A look at current usage among workers and job seekers [Conference session]. AER International Conference, Charlotte, NC.
Steverson, A., & McDonnall, M. (2024, July). Labor force participation: Who’s not working and why? [Conference session]. AER International Conference, Charlotte, NC.
Cmar, J., & Steverson, A. (2024, July). What interests you most about working for Wondersmart? Outcomes and reflections from virtual interview training for transition-age youth [Conference session]. AER International Conference, Charlotte, NC.
Antonelli, K., & Cmar, J. (2024, July). I’m not alone in this: Building connections and confidence through group job search training [Conference session]. AER International Conference, Charlotte, NC.
Cmar, J., & McDonnall, M. (2024, July). A national perspective on employment and visual impairment: Positive trends and key takeaways [Conference session]. AER International Conference, Charlotte, NC.
Ottowitz, J. (2024, August 15). Adapting to vision loss: Navigating the journey of adjustment [Conference session]. Chicago Social Work Conference, Naperville, IL.
Webinars
July 19 (2:00 PM CDT) – Using AI: How, When and Why? AI is the latest buzzword, but what exactly is it, and where does it fit in your teaching toolkit? Join us for a conversation with Ricky Enger as we explore real-world examples for using artificial intelligence in daily living, on the job, and for recreation. To learn more and register, visit our event page.