[visionrehabtherapist] MSU- RRTC Newsletter
- From: "B.J. LeJeune" <BJLejeune@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <visionrehabtherapist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2011 10:42:25 -0600
NEWS from the MSU-RTC January, 2011
The latest from the Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low
Vision at Mississippi State University
New 2010 – 2015 RRTC
MSU’s Center on Blindness and Low Vision has been selected by the
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) as
the federally-designated Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on
Employment Outcomes for Individuals Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired.
This RRTC will focus on six research projects:
· Customized Transportation Intervention – will utilize a
quasi-experimental design to develop and evaluate a new intervention
addressing transportation barriers to employment for persons who are
blind or severely visually impaired.
· Business Mentoring Intervention – will utilize a randomized
controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a business mentoring
program relative to employment outcomes of college seniors who are
legally blind.
· VR Agency-Employer Practices – will utilize survey
methodology and secondary data analyses to evaluate the effectiveness of
existing practices used by VR agencies to interact with employers in
their states.
· Randolph-Sheppard (R-S) Program Evaluation – will utilize
survey methodology to evaluate the current status, present needs, and
future possibilities of the R-S Business Enterprise Program.
· Outcomes of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
Beneficiaries – will involve analyses of RSA-911 data to contribute to
new knowledge about employment outcomes of SSDI beneficiaries served by
State Vocational Rehabilitation.
· Accessibility in the Workplace –Subcontractor American
Foundation for the Blind (AFB) will test and evaluate accessibility to
individuals who are blind or visually impaired for two common elements
of contemporary workplace technology: multifunction document centers and
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
For more information about this new NIDRR grant, see the MSU press
release at http://www.msstate.edu/web/media/detail.php?id=5074.
New Interim Director
Michele Capella McDonnall, Ph.D., (MSU-RTC researcher since 2003), has
replaced Brenda Cavenaugh, Ph.D. (MSU-RTC researcher since 1992) as
interim director of the MSU Research and Training Center on Blindness
and Low Vision. MSU-RTC appreciates the hard work and service of Dr.
Cavenaugh, who will remain as P.I. for ongoing research projects as she
transitions to part-time employment within the next few months. The
center looks forward to Dr. McDonnall’s leadership during a nationwide
search for a permanent director.
Job Opportunities
We have two current opportunities: Center Director and Training
Associate. Individuals interested in employment at MSU-RTC can access
current job listings at https://www.jobs.msstate.edu. Choose “Search
Postings” from the menu on the left, and “RRTC” from the drop-down menu
within the “Department” search bar.
Update on Transition
The culminating activity of our research project on Transition Services
that Lead to Competitive Employment Outcomes for Youth with Blindness
and Visual Impairment was the development and testing of two online
employment preparation courses: one program focused on students
transitioning from high school to employment; the other looked at
students transitioning from college to employment. We have completed
evaluation of these programs and are in the process of using findings to
develop an online course that will be available and accessible at our
website for all working-age consumers who are blind or visually
impaired. This online course will be free to job seekers and will
include seven modules: Self-assessment, Career Exploration, Job Search
Techniques and Resume Development, Job Accommodations, Discussing Vision
Loss with Employers, Interviewing, and The Next Steps. More information
and upcoming project publications will be available on our website and
in future quarterly newsletters.
MSU-RTC 2010 Publications
Crudden, A., & Sansing, W. (in press). Unmet needs: Service issues for
persons who are blind or visually impaired. Journal of Visual Impairment
& Blindness.
McDonnall, M. C., Cavenaugh, B. S., & Giesen, J. M. (2010 [online]; in
press [print]). The relationship between parental involvement and
mathematics achievement for youth with visual impairments. Journal of
Special Education, 45(4).
Jacko, V. A., Cobo, H., Cobo, A., Fleming, R., & Moore, J. E. (2010).
Mainstream employment in music production for individuals who are
visually impaired. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 104(9),
519-522.
LeJeune, B. J. (2010). Brain injury and personnel preparation at
Mississippi State University. Journal of Visual Impairment and
Blindness, 104(10), 658-660.
LeJeune, B. J. (2010). Aging with dual sensory loss: Thoughts from
consumer focus groups. AER Journal: Research and Practice in Visual
Impairment and Blindness, 3(4), 146-152.
McDonnall, M. C. (2010). The employment and postsecondary educational
status of transition-age youths with visual impairments. Journal of
Visual Impairment & Blindness, 104(5), 298-303.
McDonnall, M. C. (2010). Factors predicting post-high school employment
for young adults with visual impairments. Rehabilitation Counseling
Bulletin, 54(1), 36-45.
Moore, J. E., Wolffe, K. E., & McDonnall, M. C. (2010). Employment
considerations for adults with low vision. In A. L. Corn & A. J. Koenig
(Eds.), Foundations of low vision: Clinical and functional perspectives
(2nd ed.). New York: AFB Press.
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For more information about Mississippi State University’s Research and
Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision, visit our website:
http://www.blind.msstate.edu/.
Looking ahead: Our regular quarterly newsletter publication will begin
this summer. Please feel free to forward to interested parties. To
subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your contact information, please
contact the MSU-RTC at rrtc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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This newsletter was supported in part by grants numbered H133A070001-09
and H133B10022 from the U.S. Department of Education, National Institute
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Newsletter contents
do not represent policies of NIDRR or the Department of Education and
viewers should not assume endorsement by the federal government.
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