Sara Hamideh Kerdar, Britta Marleen Kirchhoff, Lars Adolph
et al.
Background Technological interventions have shown considerable potential in facilitating vocational inclusion for individuals with disabilities. Nevertheless, existing research addresses isolated variables, such as the effectiveness of a specific technology or its application within a particular disability group, neglecting an understanding of the multifaceted factors that influence successful implementation. Objective To explore this issue, a scoping review was conducted to identify the range of technologies studied to date and to examine the key elements influencing effective implementation. Method Studies published in English and German since 2018 were included. Following the PRISMA guidelines and procedures, a total of 61 articles were systematically analyzed. Results The findings indicated that implementing technologies for vocational inclusion is a multifactorial process. Not only are individual characteristics important, but also the nature of the tasks (e.g., structure or type of the task), the characteristics of the technology (e.g., type) and the contextual environmental factors (e.g., setting or other stakeholders). Additional considerations such as motivational aspects, trainings, and the need for individualized approaches also emerged as critical. Conclusion The review highlights the importance of engaging multiple stakeholders, particularly people with disabilities, not only in the development of new technologies but also in their integration within real-world workplace settings.
Background Supported Employment (SE) and Customized Employment (CE) are vocational rehabilitation services designed to support individuals with significant disabilities to achieve competitive integrated employment. Both services target individuals for whom employment has historically been difficult to obtain. but they differ in implementation. These differences may lead to varying employment outcomes, such as occupation types, wages, and hours worked. Objective This study analyzes FY17-FY21 RSA-911 data to compare the outcomes at exit for individuals receiving SE and CE vocational rehabilitation services. Methods Propensity score matching was used to create comparable SE and CE samples to (a) examine the prevalence of CE and SE services within vocational rehabilitation programs, (b) describe exit patterns among individuals receiving these services, and (c) identify differences in employment outcomes. Results A smaller proportion of individuals receiving CE exited into competitive integrated employment compared to those receiving SE. However, CE participants were more likely to enter self-employment and a broader range of occupations, indicating that CE may provide more personalized and flexible employment options. Conclusion This analysis highlights disparities in the use and outcomes of CE and SE services within state vocational rehabilitation programs.
Prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) are specialized disciplines in rehabilitation science. Orthoses include assistive devices that support, immobilize, or realign the trunk and limbs, while prostheses replace amputated limbs. The global demand for P&O services is estimated to double by 2050, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), rehabilitation coverage, especially regarding the P&O workforce, is insufficient to satisfy the growing need for assistive technology in the future.
Medicine, Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities
Background: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that affects motor movement but can impair cognitive skills, muscle coordination, and many other functions. An environment rich in negative air ions (NAIs) is beneficial for improving alertness, anti-depressant effects, memory, productivity, psychological health, and well-being by inducing alkalinity in the body. Despite several findings, there are no evidence-based studies considering the use of NAIs for the rehabilitation of CP-inflicted patients.
Objective: To evaluate the effects of NAIs on the cognitive functions of CP-inflicted patients.
Methodology: This study was conducted from February 2021 to April 2021 at Al-Umeed Rehabilitation Association (AURA), Karachi, Pakistan after obtaining ethical approval. CP-inflicted participants who voluntarily participated in the study were randomly allocated to the control and intervention groups. Both groups continued their regular therapies, but the intervention group also received thirty-one structured sessions of a 40-minute exposure to 10000 NAIs/cm3 for 6 weeks. Five Lumosity games were selected to assess cognitive performance using paired t-tests.
Results: NAIs significantly improved information processing (p<0.001), selective attention (p<0.01), spatial fluency (p<0.01), and spatial reasoning (p<0.01). This improvement in cognitive functions may be due to enhanced activity of the brain regions likely the cerebral cortex, prefrontal cortex, and parietal lobe as well as the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated that NAIs can augment the cognitive functions of CP-inflicted patients. NAIs can benefit as a progressive, non-pharmacological, economical, and effective cognitive rehabilitation therapy for CP-inflicted patients after going through second and third-phase clinical trials.
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities, Therapeutics. Psychotherapy
Kiran Khushnood , Yousaf Khan Burki, Aqsa Ejaz
et al.
Background: Stroke causes severe impairments in mobility, balance, and quality of life, making it the leading cause of disability globally. New research indicates that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) may benefit stroke patients more.
Objective: To determine the effects of high-intensity interval training on mobility and fitness outcomes in stroke.
Methods: A single-blinded, randomized controlled study was carried out on n=44 ambulatory stroke survivors between the ages of 45 and 65 years. The participants were randomly assigned to group A (n=22) received conventional physiotherapy (CPT). While Group B received HIIT in addition to conventional physiotherapy. The Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Heart Rate Recovery (HRR), Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC), Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SS-QOL), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and the 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) were the outcome measures. At baseline, six weeks, and twelve weeks, assessments were carried out.
Results: The HIIT group had significantly improved mobility, balance, and cardiovascular fitness. In the 6MWT (p<0.001), BBS (p<0.001), FAC (p=0.002,), insignificant p-value in HRR (p=0.93, ηp²=0.00), SS-QOL (p=0.01, ηp²=0.16), and TUG tests (p=0.01, ηp²=0.16), and hence was better (p < 0.05) in all variables except FAC (0.48).
Conclusion: High-intensity interval Training significantly improves walking capacity, balance, cardiovascular recovery, and quality of life in stroke survivors when combined with conventional standard physiotherapy interventions, as compared to conventional physiotherapy alone.
Keywords: Fitness, FAC, HR reserved, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Ischemic, Mobility, Stroke Rehabilitation, 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT)
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities
Objectives To update the knowledge on the occupational outcomes associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), systematically examine the extent, scope and nature of the pre-existing literature and identify research gaps in the existing literature. Design Scoping review. Data sources A comprehensive database search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, SciVerse ScienceDirect and Web of Science was performed. There were no time limits. Eligibility criteria We included any peer-reviewed original article reporting the occupational outcomes of people with MS between the ages of 18 and 65 years. We excluded those off-topic and with insufficient information. Methods This review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute recommendations and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for scoping review checklist. Screening, reading of full-texts and data extraction was performed in a standardised way by expert reviewers from 14 July 2021 to 31 October 2021. We provided a narrative synthesis and an overview of findings. Results The initial systematic search yielded 104 228 results. After removing duplicates and applying the exclusion criteria, 403 articles were included in the review. In total, the studies evaluated 492 062 subjects with MS. One hundred fifty-four (38.2%) articles were published in the last 5 years, mostly from Europe and North America (50.9% and 33.0%, respectively). Concerning the occupational outcomes, studies mostly addressed unemployment (311, 77.2%), early retirement (120, 29.8%), disability pension (117, 29.0%), sick leave (77, 19.1%), the indirect cost of MS (74, 18.4%) and work characteristics (57, 14.1%). The results were categorised into seven subtopics: ‘Changes in work and occupational status due to MS’, ‘work-related socio-economic consequences of MS’, ‘risk factors for unfavourable occupational outcomes’, ‘reported barriers to employment’, ‘reported job accommodations and vocational rehabilitation strategies’, ‘job satisfaction, stigma, and disclosing the diagnosis in the workplace’ and ‘rating clinical scales’. Conclusions There are several issues that deserve further in-depth study by the scientific community in order to improve the occupational outcomes of people with MS.
Mashael M. Asiri, Abdelwahed Motwakel, Suhanda Drar
Sign language is commonly used to interact with people who have speech and hearing disorders. Sign language was exploited for interacting with people having developmental impairments who have some or no communication skills. Communication using Sign language has become a fruitful means of interaction for speech- and hearing-impaired people. The hand gesture recognition technique is useful for dumb and deaf people by using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and human–computer interface for recognizing the static indication of sign language. Therefore, this study presents a new Sand Cat Swarm Optimizer with Deep Wavelet Autoencoder-based Intelligent Sign Language Recognition (SCSO-DWAESLR) technique for hearing- and speech-impaired persons. In the presented SCSO-DWAESLR technique, computer vision and CNN concepts are utilized for identifying sign languages to aid the interaction of hearing- and speech-impaired persons. The SCSO-DWAESLR method makes use of the Inception v3 model for the feature map generation process. In addition, the DWAE classifier is utilized for the recognition and classification of different kinds of signs posed by hearing- and speech-impaired persons. Finally, the hyperparameters related to the DWAE classifier are optimally chosen by using the SCSO algorithm. For exhibiting the effectual recognition outcomes of the SCSO-DWAESLR technique, a detailed experimental analysis was performed. The comparative outcome highlights the superior recognition performance of the SCSO-DWAESLR method over existing techniques under several evaluation metrics.
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities
Background: Globally, there is a disparity that exists between equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities post-schooling. While South Africa has aimed at the inclusion of people with disabilities, there has not been sufficient evidence of a successful transition from school to work environments.
Objectives: This study documents the experiences and barriers that influence the preparation of high school students with disabilities for post-secondary education and work opportunities.
Method: A qualitative research methodology employing multiple case study design was used where semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with youth between the ages of 18 years and 36 years who were currently employed. The participants were identified through purposeful sampling. Data were analysed by thematic analysis.
Results: The findings indicate two overarching themes indicating that the career choices of participants, firstly, were significantly influenced by teacher and guidance counsellor expectations and, secondly, experiences of discouragement where personal agency and autonomy were limited.
Conclusion: This study illuminates the need to enhance the decisions around careers for people with disabilities which should debunk the expectations of society.
Contribution: This study will make teachers, mentors and counsellors more aware of their contribution, influence and support to youth with disabilities as they transition into the workplace.
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities, Communities. Classes. Races
Lozowicki D.V., Martynova N.A., Kalinin A.G.
et al.
Current: the primary task of any state is to take care of its citizens; among them, a special place is occupied by people with disabilities who have arisen for various reasons. The number of disabled people on average varies from 5 to 10% of the total population and depends on the territory of residence. All over the world, including in the Russian Federation, there are and actively implemented programs for an accessible environment for people with disabilities. However, the problem of their social rehabilitation remains quite acute. The aim of this study was identification of factors affecting the work activity of disabled people with amputated limbs of working age and the possibility of their integration into society. Materials and methods. An investigation was conducted among people with amputated lower limbs. The structure of the causes of disability, gender and age characteristics, medical and rehabilitation measures were studied, and a survey was conducted on the possibility of continuing work. The results of the study and their discussion. The leading diseases that led to amputation of the lower extremities were a combination of vascular atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus and concomitant pathology of the musculoskeletal system. With age, the percentage of disability increases. Most patients receive adequate treatment in accordance with the available standards and adequate prosthetics. As a social rehabilitation and integration into society, mostly patients consider continuing their work. However, there are a lot of problems for its implementation: the need for retraining and obtaining a new profession, working conditions, transport costs, work at enterprises located far from home, lack of vacancies, difficulties communicating with the team, etc. At the same time, many people who want to work do not have the opportunity to realize themselves in this. Conclusion. People with disabilities due to amputation of the lower extremities require special social attention. Solving the problems of their vocational rehabilitation and employment requires a comprehensive approach on the part of government agencies, the disabled themselves and society as a whole.
Background: Among working people with serious mental illness (WPSMI), return to work (RTW) is controlled by several factors. Identifying these factors can help prevent long-term sick leave absence and work disability. We aimed to identify facilitators and barriers of RTW in WPSMI admitted to a psychiatric hospital and clinic affiliated with the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 2020 on 27 participants with SMI and their families, supervisors, coworkers, managers, and mental health professionals (MHPs). The participants were selected through purposive sampling and subjected to semi-structured interviews. Forty interviews were conducted and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: Nine hundred initial codes were extracted and categorized into 34 subcategories and eight categories. Categories that emerged as facilitators of RTW include emotional availability, information availability and use, practical assistance of others, employment facilitation by the society, and supervisor’s flexibility. Categories identified as barriers are imposed effects of mental illness, poor self-concept, and social obstacles. Conclusion: WPSMI experience some facilitators and barriers in RTW. Therefore, MHPs and politicians are recommended to consider these factors in vocational rehabilitation plans.
Biomedical physics seeks to confront the amazingly intricate sets of interlinked processes that when in synchrony sustain life. In so doing, questions arise regarding the functionality of cells, organised tissues and organs and the myriad interactional processes required, and also as to how the onset of disease limits viability and what possible repair processes can be caused to happen, including in biosynthetic routes. It is clearly a multidisciplinary field providing a multi-pronged array of endeavours, bringing into play concepts and tools within the armoury of physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and all of the applied areas that arise from these. As expected, the pursuit is beset by ignorance and in the absence of a polymath, the ability to progress is clearly a team effort. Not least among the challenges are that oftentimes the medium under investigation no longer enjoys the vitality of life, including when using in vitro techniques acknowledging that in excised tissues repair processes are clearly inoperative. As such, questions inevitably arise as to whether the results of an investigation bear resemblance to that of the living entity. Here, we will focus on just one example of such a pursuit, namely investigations of degraded vision arising from alterations in the basement membrane (BM). We address alterations that may arise from diabetes and ageing, which are changes that bring about life-altering disability. In examining this one area of biophysical investigation, we hope that the reader will gain a degree of appreciation of the need for such studies even if, as here, we simply represent just one particular aspect of what are clearly complex areas. At the outset, we simply mention that the BM forming the eye lens capsule is a highly specialised form of extracellular matrix in which the major structural element is a network of type IV collagen. Changes in the structure and mechanical properties of the BM are believed to be associated with the pathophysiology of ageing and diseases, including diabetes and cancer.
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities
L. Aranguren, A. Aquerreta Unzue, M.C. Ariz Cia
et al.
Introduction The Employment-Activity Program (EAP) of the PEPsNA aims that people develop or regain the occupational roles to wich ther aspire in their life after a first episode, due to the early ages affected by psychosis. Social-labor integration strategies (vocational rehabilitation and supported employment) are effective tools to improve the evolution of people with serious mental illnes. Objectives Check the objectives achieved by the PEA, which in turn serves as a self-assessment, in order to improve our daily work. Methods Data related to employment/occupation are analyzed, (number of people who are active in employment or carrying out standarized studies, people with temporary labor disability or who repeat a year, sheltered employment, occupational center, long-term unemployment and others), instrumental functional capacity and neurocognitive status (CGI COG scale), occupational disability (WHODAS scale), social and occupational functioning (SOFAS scale) and quality of life (QLS scale) Results The rate of active persons with employment or standarized studies increases by 7.2% at 24 months, and the long-term unemployment rate decreases by 4.9%, the timing of the highest occupation being at 12-18 months of treatment, reaching 55% and the one with the lowest unemployment at 12 months, with 17.3%. The percentage of people with ILT falls by 13.4%. The functioning scales also detect an improvement after 2 years of treatment. Conclusions The PEA contributes to the improvement in the global funtioning of people and their quality of life. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Hooshang Mirzaie, Afsoon Hassani Mehraban, Seyed Ali Hosseini
et al.
Objectives: For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), different types of play therapy may have different effects. This study aimed to compare the effect of two play therapy intervention methods including a child-parents therapy named as Filial Therapy (FT) and a child therapist therapy known as Adlerian Therapy (AT) on attention and hyperactivity of these children.
Methods: In this randomized clinical trial which lasted from February 20 to May 5 of 2014, 51 boys and girls aged 6-12 years with ADHD were selected and allocated randomly by blocked blocks to three groups of 17 subjects in each one. From three groups, two ones received FT and AT intervention and one group remained as a control group. Participation’s parents in the FT group received one session training play therapy per week for 10 weeks and played with their children at home every day during this time. The AT group acquired three sessions play therapy for 10 weeks in the clinics. Attention and hyperactivity of the subjects were gathered in pre and post-test and three months after that as a fallow-up time by Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) and Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch). The Mean, standard deviation and frequency were used as descriptive statistics and the Chi-squared, one-way ANOVA, Man-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) were utilized as analytical statistics in the SPSS version of 22. The alpha of 0.05 considered as the significant level.
Results: 50 percent of the subjects were male and the mean ± SD of the age of the subjects were 8±2 years old. The mean ± SD of hyperactivity in the FT group were 23.94 ± 13.44, 20.82 ± 11.64, and 20.76±11.13, in the AT group were 17.70 ± 3.70, 15.20 ± 3.33 and 15±3.50, and in the control group were 24.25 ± 10.32, 25.38 ± 11.48 and 24.81±11.96, respectively. The mean ± SD of attention in the FT group were 8.47 ± 5.33, 15.60 ± 2.79 and 15.80±2.50, in the AT group were 6.71± 5.31, 12.24± 3.33 and 12.90±3.12, and in control group were 9.71± 5.36, 10.41± 3.24 and 9.92±4.89, respectively. As the result showed, hyperactivity of the subjects had significantly decreased in the intervention groups (p <0.05) compared with the control group. Also, the attention of the subjects had significantly increased in the intervention groups (p <0.05) compared with the control ones.
Discussion: Although both methods reduced the severity of hyperactivity and increased the attentional performance of the subjects, but the effectiveness of FT method was more enormous. The founding indicated that participating of parents in the treatment process could exceed the rehabilitation procedure of children with ADHD.
Medicine, Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities
Background: Culturally, hearing children born to Deaf parents may have to mediate two different positions within the hearing and Deaf cultures. However, there appears to be little written about the experiences of hearing children born to Deaf parents in the South African context.
Objective: This study sought to investigate the roles of children of Deaf adults (CODAs) as interpreters in Deaf-parented families, more specifically, the influence of gender and birth order in language brokering.
Method: Two male and eight female participants between the ages of 21 and 40 years were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling strategies. A qualitative design was employed and data were collected using a semi-structured, open-ended interview format. Themes which emerged were analysed using thematic analysis.
Results: The findings indicated that there was no formal assignment of the interpreter role; however, female children tended to assume the role of interpreter more often than the male children. Also, it appeared as though the older children shifted the responsibility for interpreting to younger siblings. The participants in this study indicated that they interpreted in situations where they felt they were not developmentally or emotionally ready, or in situations which they felt were better suited for older siblings or for siblings of another gender.
Conclusion: This study highlights a need for the formalisation of interpreting services for Deaf people in South Africa in the form of professional interpreters rather than the reliance on hearing children as interpreters in order to mediate between Deaf and hearing cultures.
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities, Communities. Classes. Races
In the article, the author analyzes three models of attitudes towards people with special needs in the world: the medical model, the model of normalization, and social model, as well as defines priority humanistic approach based on respect for human dignity, rights and freedoms of every individual, regardless of gender, age or state of health. The basic needs of people with disabilities are identified, as well as the need for self-realization by which people seek to find their place in life and to realize their potential, talents, professional self-determination. We considered internal and external support mechanisms of “the disabled” in their development, for whom inclusive education aims at: creating favorable psychological climate in the family; creating cultural system in society; support from the government in professional and creative self-realization; social prevention and control of negative attitudes towards people with disabilities; providing equal rights by state, that erasure boundaries between “healthy” people and those with disabilities; positive self-perception and self-attitude; active life; a clear identity and personalization; responsibility, freedom and a strong will; belief in yourself and a positive assessment of one’s own and other people’s capabilities. We considered foreign and domestic regulations that ensure the rights of people with special needs: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the Declaration of the Rights of the Child (1959), the Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons (1971), the Declaration on the Rights of Disabled Persons (1975), the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention (1983), Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (1993), the Salamanca Statement on Principles, Policy and Practice in Special Needs Education and a Framework for Action (1994), the Dakar Declaration (2000), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006, New York) and others.
Background: This article emanates from a study funded by the KwaZulu-Natal chapter of South Africa’s National Research Foundation on the ‘Archaeology of Ubuntu’. It explores the notion of ubuntu and disability in a group of Zulu people from four communities within KwaZulu-Natal. The study is based on the notion that ubuntu is humaneness. Being human is linked to notions of care, respect and compassion.
Objectives: The article explores the treatment of people with disabilities from the elders’ perspectives in this community.
Method: This article is based on qualitative data resulting from structured interviews conducted in the KwaZulu-Natal Province between February and March 2015.
Results: The results reveal that society considered the birth of a disabled child as a curse from God and punishment from the ancestors. The results also indicate that people with disabilities were excluded from community activities; marrying a disabled person was unthinkable because they were stigmatised and dehumanised. The work of Hannah Arendt is used to interrogate people’s perceptions of others with disabilities in their communities.
Conclusion: The article posits that treatment of people with disabilities is not cast in stone but can be renegotiated and restructured through community engagement to represent genuine inclusion.
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities, Communities. Classes. Races
Karen Wylie, Lindy McAllister, Bronwyn Davidson
et al.
Background: Workforce factors present a significant barrier to the development of rehabilitation services for people with communication disabilities in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Exploring how the work of speech and language therapists (SLTs) in the region is organised and delivered can provide insight into existing services, areas for future workforce development and improved rehabilitation access for people with communication disability.
Objectives: This paper describes the employment and service provision patterns and work roles of a sample of SLTs in SSA.
Method: A broad, purpose-designed, mixed-methods survey was designed to collect data from SLTs living in Anglophone countries of SSA. Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis were undertaken. This paper reports on a subset of data from the wider survey.
Results: A description of the employment and work roles of the 33 respondents to the survey and characteristics of their service users is presented. SLTs were commonly employed within private and not-for-profit sectors and frequently worked in temporary jobs. SLTs engaged in a range of work roles, including capacity building and training others. Services were provided by SLTs across age ranges, health conditions and settings, with paediatric, urban services commonly reported. Costs for service users and urban-centred services give indications of barriers to service access.
Conclusion: Knowledge of the way in which speech and language therapy services are organised and provided has the potential to shape the development of communication disability rehabilitation in SSA. This research has identified a range of issues requiring consideration as the profession develops and grows.
Vocational rehabilitation. Employment of people with disabilities, Communities. Classes. Races