State-level Strategies That Promote Alternatives to Guardianship for Youth with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities: Lessons Learned from Georgia, Vermont, and Wisconsin

This brief that shares key strategies to promote creativity and encourage replication among state-level projects seeking to advance alternatives to guardianship

Competitive Integrated Employment for People with Autism

Produced in collaboration with the Autism Society of America, this toolkit supports non-employment professionals to work with families and individuals to pursue employment. It delves into the importance of competitive integrated employment and offers resources for job seekers and professionals

Exploring hand hygiene practices among healthcare workers in Ruiru Sub-County Hospital

The individual, household and economic impact of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) globally cannot be overstated; therefore, how healthcare workers perform and comply to hand hygiene practices is essential for mitigating its effects. The aim of this study was to understand the hand hygiene practices at Ruiru Sub-County Hospital, a level 4 facility in Kiambu County, Kenya. A cross-sectional descriptive study was done using a modified WHO hand hygiene questionnaire to assess knowledge, structural and individual factors that affect hygiene practices, and recommend potential interventions to improve hand hygiene; and a structured, unobtrusive observation of hand hygiene performance and compliance. Overall compliance rate with hand hygiene practices was found to be 54.1% among health care workers at the facility. The survey revealed acceptable training and knowledge standards among the healthcare workers but a disproportionate behavior gap. The significance of the study is to contribute to the revention and elimination of hospital acquired infections, which are increasingly becoming among the top global burden of disease. The effects of HAIs goes beyond the infected patient, but also affects the family and the economy,because of loss of productive lives through disability and death

Instructional Constraints in Teaching of Reading in Early Childhood Classes in Nairobi County, Kenya

Reading has been identified as one of the most reliable indicators of whether a learner will attain the competence needed to achieve academic success and contribute actively to society. Research findings in Kenyan primary and secondary schools reveal inadequate reading skills among the students. The purpose of this study was to identify approaches used in teaching of reading in Early Childhood Education. The objective of the study was to establish teachers’ orientation and challenges faced by teachers in the teaching of reading. The study adopted the descriptive research design using the survey method and observation technique and was conducted in twenty schools in Nairobi County. The findings showed that lack of resources was the greatest challenge faced by early learning teachers in the teaching of reading. They also indicated that they were not well equipped with the relevant methods of teaching reading. The study recommends that teachers should be adequately equipped with teaching and learning resources, trained in different approaches and in serviced in the latest approaches. Serving teachers should get refresher courses on teaching of reading methods to improve learning in schools in the country. Keywords: teaching reading, teaching method, teacher qualification, teaching and Learning resources, early learnin

Service Provider Promising Practice - AtWork!: Creating a Robust Investment in Staff Professional Development

At the beginning of their transformation process, AtWork! did not have a training structure in place. Recognizing that job development required a different skill set for their staff, AtWork! made a commitment to invest in training, which they saw as “a key ingredient” to successful transformation. Investing in the development of staff skills and competencies to support the transformation process is essential. Without that investment, as one agency leader put it, “every provider is going to continue to spin their wheels with people in, people out, retraining, all those type of things.” Consequently, AtWork! invested in training its staff through a robust approach that included 4 main training strategies: in-house trainings, online trainings, staff mentoring and coaching, and a certification course at Highline Community College (HCC)

Service Provider Promising Practice - Penn-Mar Human Services: Creating their “2020 Strategic Plan”

At the beginning of the transformation process, Penn-Mar recognized the importance of robust strategic planning to understand what the organization needed to do differently to transform. Therefore, Penn-Mar created the 2020 Strategic Plan, a 5-year plan to help focus the organization, and to strategize about how to achieve their objectives. The 2020 Strategic Plan outlines Penn-Mar’s goal to close its sheltered workshop, with a set of action steps for achievement. The plan set a specific date for closure, as Penn-Mar staff argued that without it, the transformation process would “linger forever.” Penn-Mar established a task force to support the development of the plan

Service Provider Promising Practice - Work Inc.: Developing A Community Liaison Program to Address Holistic Needs

Leadership at Work Inc., a provider in the Boston area, thought about the holistic approach to providing individual supports even before their agency’s transformation began. Work Inc. designed its community liaisons program to have three components: volunteerism, with the intention of identifying employment opportunities and contributing to the community; recreation, “because everyone wants to have fun”; and instruction, with a focus on skill-building and identifying interests and talents. In designing and implementing the program, Work Inc. staff considered each person’s interests, and turned former workshop staff into “community liaisons.

StateData: The National Report on Employment Services and Outcomes Through 2019

Access the latest information about employment and economic self-sufficiency for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Both national and state-level statistics are included

A Roadmap to Competitive Integrated Employment: Strategies for Provider Transformation

Competitive integrated employment is defined within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA, 2014) as full-time or part-time work at minimum wage or higher, with wages and benefits similar to those without disabilities performing the same work, and fully integrated with coworkers without disabilities. The Act requires that states ensure employment is offered as a priority outcome for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). As a result, providers who offer employment support to people with IDD have been working to phase out sheltered workshops and transform to offer competitive integrated employment

DIGOXIN AND RISK OF DEATH IN ADULTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION: THE ATRIA-CVRN STUDY

PCR primer sequences for each gene marker amplified and their corresponding annealing temperatures. (DOCX 15 kb