RRTC on Employment Among People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision - Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Among People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision The goal of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Among People Who are Blind or Have Low Vision (B/LV) is to improve employment opportunities and outcomes for people who are B/LV. To achieve this goal, the National Research & Training Center on Blindness & Low Vision, in partnership with key stakeholders, will conduct rigorous research, training, technical assistance, implementation, and dissemination activities. Project objectives are: (1) develop and test a flash mentoring intervention for B/LV adults; (2) scale up a video intervention to educate people about B/LV by implementation in real-world settings; (3) investigate factors related to mental health service provision in vocational rehabilitation agencies; (4) identify and objectively measure core technology skills for B/LV workers; (5) evaluate the efficacy of several existing employment interventions; (6) utilize national and social media data to explore employment trends, outcomes, and needs; (7) increase adoption of and engagement with a mobile app for parents and youth; and (8) provide training and technical assistance to B/LV individuals, family members, service providers, employers, and other stakeholders. Anticipated outcomes include: (1) increased access to mentors for career-related needs, (2) improved knowledge and attitudes of employers, (3) identification of promising practices for addressing vocational rehabilitation consumers’ mental health needs, (4) improved instruction and assessment of technology skills, (5) identification of interventions that improve employment outcomes, (6) increased knowledge about employment predictors and outcomes, (7) improved preparation of youth for employment, and (8) better employment outcomes for individuals who are B/LV. Expected products include: flash mentoring intervention; updated mobile app; technology skills assessment; and multiple peer-reviewed publications, reports, and informational products.
