abstract: 'Introduction: The purpose of this study was to describe the job-seeking

  and work experiences of transition-age youths with visual impairments.

  Methods: We analyzed follow-up data from a quasi-experimental study of a

  job-search intervention conducted from 2016 to 2019. Participants were

  88 youths with visual impairments from three states; approximately half

  received the job-search intervention, and the other half served as a

  comparison group. Measures included job-search activities and outcomes,

  job-seeking barriers, volunteer and work experiences, and parental

  support for job-seeking. Results: Commonly reported job-search

  activities were preparing or revising resumes, talking to people about

  jobs, submitting applications, and submitting resumes, but most

  participants performed these activities infrequently. Many job-seekers

  encountered barriers during their job search, and few searches resulted

  in paid employment. Participants generally reported moderate levels of

  preparation to handle job-seeking barriers and parental support for

  job-seeking. Intervention and comparison participants had similar

  results on most measures, with few exceptions. Discussion: When youths

  actively search for a job but do not find one, their motivation to

  continue job-seeking may be reduced, particularly if their preparedness

  to overcome job-seeking barriers is low. Although many participants had

  some engagement in volunteer or work activities, short-term work

  experiences were the most common-and perhaps most misunderstood-work

  activity. Implications for practitioners: Youths with visual impairments

  may benefit from feedback on their job-seeking approach, application

  materials, and interview skills so they can make changes and determine

  how to focus or refocus their efforts. In addition to offering feedback,

  service providers can provide ongoing support to youth job-seekers and

  encourage them to persist in their job search. Explicit discussions

  about different types of work activities may help transition-age youths

  understand how short-term work experiences differ from paid jobs.'
affiliation: 'Cmar, JL (Corresponding Author), Natl Res \& Training Ctr Blindness
  \& Low Vis, POB 6189, Mississippi State, MS 39762 USA.

  Cmar, Jennifer L.; Steverson, Anne, Mississippi State Univ, Natl Res \& Training
  Ctr Blindness \& Low Vis, Mississippi State, MS 39762 USA.'
article-number: 0145482X211059182
author: Cmar, Jennifer L. and Steverson, Anne
author-email: jcmar@colled.msstate.edu
author_list:
- family: Cmar
  given: Jennifer L.
- family: Steverson
  given: Anne
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1177/0145482X211059182
earlyaccessdate: NOV 2021
eissn: 1559-1476
files: []
issn: 0145-482X
journal: JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT \& BLINDNESS
keywords: 'blind; employment; job-search behavior; job-search outcomes; job-seeking

  barriers; low vision; parental support; transition-age youths; visual

  impairment; work experience'
keywords-plus: 'EMPLOYMENT STATUS; YOUNG-ADULTS; PREDICTORS; OUTCOMES; SCHOOL;

  BEHAVIORS; LIFE'
language: English
month: NOV
number: 6, SI
number-of-cited-references: '48'
orcid-numbers: 'Cmar, Jennifer/0000-0002-7619-7773

  Steverson, Anne/0000-0003-0067-4438'
pages: 479-492
papis_id: deb6122cc983ef72c977bbd1a1e36deb
ref: Cmar2021jobsearchactivities
times-cited: '1'
title: Job-Search Activities, Job-Seeking Barriers, and Work Experiences of Transition-Age
  Youths With Visual Impairments
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000727172800001
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '5'
volume: '115'
web-of-science-categories: Rehabilitation
year: '2021'