Purpose
This project utilizes a randomized controlled trial design to evaluate the effectiveness of two different approaches to a first meeting between a vocational rehabilitation (VR) professional and an employer, as well as the effect of having a blind versus a sighted VR professional conduct the meeting. Researchers will evaluate the impact of the two approaches and the participation of a sighted versus a blind VR professional on employer attitudes toward, knowledge about, and intent to hire people with blindness and visual impairments (B/VI).
Research Questions
- Will participation in an educational intervention change employer attitudes towards, knowledge about, and intention to hire persons who are B/VI?
- Does the approach used to interact with an employer result in different effects on employer attitudes towards, knowledge about, or intention to hire persons who are B/VI?
- Does the approach used to interact with an employer result in different effects on the willingness of the employer to schedule a follow-up meeting with a VR representative?
- Does meeting with a blind VR professional result in different effects on employer attitudes towards, knowledge about, or intention to hire persons who are B/VI?
- Does meeting with a blind VR professional result in different effects on the willingness of the employer to schedule a follow-up meeting with a VR representative?
Study Summary
One of the most commonly identified barriers to employment for individuals who are B/VI is negative employer attitudes. VR professionals can play an important role in the employment of people who are B/VI by making contact with employers and paving the way for an individual who is B/VI. In the current study, the effectiveness of two different approaches to a first meeting with an employer and the effect of meeting with a blind VR professional versus a sighted VR professional will be evaluated. The two approaches are:
- An educational approach focusing on how persons with B/VI can function on the job, including use of accommodations and assistive technology
- A dual-customer approach focusing on learning about the business and their needs
At least 44 employer participants (hiring managers) will be drawn from a large company with multiple positions that could feasibly be filled by individuals who are B/VI. The intervention will consist of hiring managers participating in a one-hour meeting with a VR professional. Hiring managers will be randomly assigned to one of the four intervention conditions (2 approaches X 2 vision statuses). Prior to beginning the intervention, a large-scale pilot test of all measurement instruments, including an Implicit Association Test developed for this study, was conducted with a separate sample of employers.
Expected Outcomes and Benefits
This study will help determine whether the intervention approaches are able to change employer attitudes towards, knowledge about, and intent to hire people who are B/VI and whether one approach is more effective than the other. It will also provide information about the value of having a blind versus a sighted VR professional conduct the meeting. We will also determine whether the employers’ interest in a follow-up meeting is associated with type of approach and vision status of the VR professional.
Project Outputs
McDonnall, M. C. (2020, October 8-10). Changing employer attitudes towards people who are blind or have low vision [Conference session]. Mississippi Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired 2020 Conference.
McDonnall, M. C., & Lund, E. M. (2020). Employers’ intent to hire people who are blind or visually impaired: A test of the theory of planned behavior. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 63(4), 206–215.
Practice Guide: National Research and Training Center on Blindness and Low Vision. (2020) Recommendations for VR Professionals Regarding a First Meeting with an Employer [Practice Guide].
McDonnall, M. C., & Antonelli, K. (2019). A second look at factors associated with employers hiring behavior regarding people who are blind or have low vision. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 113(6), 538–550.
McDonnall, M. C., & Antonelli, K. (2019). The impact of a brief meeting on employer attitudes, knowledge, and intent to hire. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 63(3), 131–142.
McDonnall, M.C., Cmar, J.L., Antonelli, K., & Markoski, K.M. (2019). Professionals’ implicit attitudes about the competence of people who are blind. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 113(4), 341-354.
McDonnall, M. C., & Antonelli, K. (2018). Employers’ implicit attitudes about the competence of people who are blind. Rehabilitation Psychology, 63(4), 502–511.
Principal Researcher
Michele McDonnall
Project Updates
This research project is sponsored by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant #90RT5040). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this webpage do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, or HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.