abstract: 'Effective self-advocacy skills have been shown to positively influence

  lifetime outcomes of d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals. The

  literature suggests that many DHH individuals may be underprepared to

  effectively self-advocate in post-secondary settings due to a lack of

  effective training and opportunity. Vocational rehabilitation counselors

  (VRCs) who work with and serve DHH consumers are in a unique position to

  support their clients'' self-advocacy skill building, especially during

  the transition into the workforce and other post-secondary settings. The

  purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how VRC''s promote the

  self-advocacy knowledge and skills of their DHH consumers within

  post-secondary employment and educational contexts. Additionally, this

  study explored how VRC''s facilitated self-advocacy opportunities for

  their clients at broader systems-levels. Utilizing a grounded theory

  approach, data from semi-structured interviews with 10 VRCs working

  specifically with DHH clients was analyzed. Selective coding procedures

  revealed sixteen thematic strategies used by VRCs at both the individual

  and systems level, including defining of necessary self-advocacy skills,

  linguistic skill building, provision of full communication access,

  comprehension monitoring, both informal and formal self-advocacy

  assessments, direct modeling of advocacy skill, self-advocacy skills

  programming and counseling, an overall gauging of client `readiness to

  advocate'', identification of advocacy opportunity at the system-level,

  and employer education. Implications and future directions are

  discussed.'
affiliation: 'Schoffstall, S (Corresponding Author), Univ Texas Austin, Austin, TX
  78712 USA.

  Schoffstall, Sarah; Cawthon, Stephanie Washbourn; Tarantolo-Leppo, Rachel Harper;
  Wendel, Erica, Univ Texas Austin, Austin, TX 78712 USA.'
author: Schoffstall, Sarah and Cawthon, Stephanie Washbourn and Tarantolo-Leppo, Rachel
  Harper and Wendel, Erica
author-email: sarah.schoffstall@utexas.edu
author_list:
- family: Schoffstall
  given: Sarah
- family: Cawthon
  given: Stephanie Washbourn
- family: Tarantolo-Leppo
  given: Rachel Harper
- family: Wendel
  given: Erica
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1007/s10882-015-9435-3
eissn: 1573-3580
files: []
issn: 1056-263X
journal: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES
keywords: 'Deaf/hard of hearing; Vocational rehabilitation; Self-advocacy;

  Transition'
keywords-plus: STUDENTS; OUTCOMES; YOUTH; PARTICIPATION; PERCEPTIONS; BARRIERS
language: English
month: AUG
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '62'
pages: 533-555
papis_id: 39a06924b22104619bb12f26e50b3fda
ref: Schoffstall2015developingconsumer
researcherid-numbers: Cawthon, Stephanie/AAW-1197-2021
times-cited: '5'
title: 'Developing Consumer and System-Level Readiness for Effective Self-Advocacy:
  Perspectives from Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors Working With Deaf and Hard
  of Hearing Individuals in Post-Secondary Settings'
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000357046000008
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '19'
volume: '27'
web-of-science-categories: Education, Special; Psychology, Developmental; Rehabilitation
year: '2015'