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A Cloud-Supported App for Providing Self-Directed, Localized Job Interest Assessment and Analysis for People with Intellectual Disability

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Abstract

Obtaining meaningful, fulfilling employment is important to the enhanced quality of life of all people. Unfortunately, data show that people with disabilities, in general, achieve much poorer employment outcomes than do people without disabilities, and that people with intellectual disability have even less positive employment outcomes. There are many reasons for this, but at least one factor may be limitations to the ways of determining the job and vocational interests and work preferences of people with intellectual disability. This study examined the use of a cognitively accessible, iPad-based app that provided multiple opportunities for people with intellectual disability to view videos about potential work contexts and job tasks and to identify preferred work options. Participants in this study were able to use the app with minimal prompting and were able to identify job and work interests and preferences that matched those identified for them by vocational counselors.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. AbleLink Smart Living Technologies, Colorado Springs, USA

    Daniel K. Davies, Steven E. Stock & Cameron D. Davies

  2. Beach Center on Disability, University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside Road, Room 3134, Lawrence, KS, 66045, USA

    Michael L. Wehmeyer

Authors
  1. Daniel K. Davies
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  2. Steven E. Stock
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  3. Cameron D. Davies
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  4. Michael L. Wehmeyer
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Contributions

DKD and SES: designed and executed the study, assisted with the data analyses, and assisted with writing the paper. CDD: assisted with the data collection and software development. MLW: consulted on research design and assisted with writing the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michael L. Wehmeyer.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Davies, D.K., Stock, S.E., Davies, C.D. et al. A Cloud-Supported App for Providing Self-Directed, Localized Job Interest Assessment and Analysis for People with Intellectual Disability. Adv Neurodev Disord 2, 199–205 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-018-0062-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41252-018-0062-8

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