Wincenciak, Sue L

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JADARA 
Volume 9 Number 3 Article 8 
October 2019 
A Goal-Oriented Model for Rehabilitation of Adult Deaf Persons 
Sue L. Wincenciak 
Northern Illinois University Counselor Training with the Deaf Program 
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Recommended Citation 
Wincenciak, S. L. (2019). A Goal-Oriented Model for Rehabilitation of Adult Deaf Persons. JADARA, 9(3). 
Retrieved from https://repository.wcsu.edu/jadara/vol9/iss3/8 
A GOAL-ORIENTED MODEL FOR
REHABILITATION OF ADULT DEAF PERSONS
Sue L. Wincenciak, M.A.
Terms such as "accountability," "goal-setting," "program evaluation,"
and "measurement techniques" have recently come to assume a somewhat
awesome place in the language of rehabilitation counseling. The increasing
number of facilities seeking accreditation by the Commission on Accreditation
of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARP), the national emphasis on the Individual
Written Rehabilitation Plan (IWRP), and Congressional emphasis on measur
ing effectiveness as well as efficiency have all combined to create varying
degrees of confusion and threat to the individual rehabilitation counselor.
To many, program evaluation and accountability are synonymous with change
and judgment, two highly threatening concepts in today's rehabilitation
structure.
The vocational rehabilitation counselor or facility person specializing in
obtaining and providing services to deaf and hearing-impaired individuals
may have a somewhat different reaction to program evaluation. To him,
accountability and goalsetting may be little more than terms that one
occasionally hears at general rehabilitation conferences or administrative
meetings or something required by the model state plan for rehabilitation of
the deaf. It is only natural that these concepts may seem far removed to the
specialist working with deaf persons as his is a long-neglected and only recently
established discipline. In attempting to initiate programs for a client group
Ms. Wincenciak is affiliated with the Northern Illinois University Counselor Training with the Deaf
program, DeKalb. This paper is adapted from a speech presented at the 1975 Annual Conference of the
National Rehabilitation Association in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is printed here and in the December issue of
the Deaf American magazine concurrently because of the editors' belief that it is highly appropriate and
timely to the concerns of readers of both publications. The author thanks James D. Everett, Executive
Director of the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, and Paul Stephan and Larry Pitterman of the
Human Services Design Laboratory at the Case Western Reserve University.
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A GOAL-ORIENTED MODEL FOR REHABILITATION
which has been traditionally overlooked, the specialist in deafness may have
never really given thought to developing and implementing a system of goal-
setting or program evaluation for his clients. It is the purpose of this paper to
describe the design and implementation of a program evaluation model for the
Comprehensive Services for the Adult Deaf Program at the Cleveland Hearing
and Speech Center. It is hoped that, in describing this design and imple
mentation, a model of program evaluation will be illuminated which has
applicability to other facilities and personnel serving the adult deaf popula
tion.
THE COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES FOR THE ADULT
DEAF (CSAD) PROGRAM
The CSAD program, one of four operating departments of the Cleveland
Hearing and Speech Center, was funded by the Bureau of Vocational Rehabil
itation in 1973, to provide previously lacking services to the 74,000 hearing-
impaired residents of the five county area surrounding greater Cleveland.
Approximately 125 clients per year are served, most of the clients being
profoundly deaf adults between the ages of 20-35 with limited education and
poor verbal and communicative skills. Within the core vocational rehabilitation
program, the following services are provided: work evaluation, remedial
education, work adjustment, home care and personal skills training, job
readiness training, job tryouts and on-the-job training, placement services,
and follow-up services.
In addition, the CSAD program provides supportive services such as
vocational counseling, interpreting, placement assistance, personal or family
counseling, referral services, and tutoring to any deaf adult in need of
assistance and unable to secure such help through another agency. Also,
the CSAD program generally serves as an advocate on behalf of the deaf
community and as a source of public information about deafness. Continual
efforts are made to increase the public's knowledge and acceptance of deaf
adults, particularly with regard to the employment potential of deaf people.
The program further seeks to mobilize community resources on behalf of the
deaf through special events, training programs, and a continual effort toward
inter-agency cooperation.
DESIGNING A PROGRAM EVALUATION MODEL
Early in 1974, the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center selected the
CSAD department to participate in a program evaluation project sponsored
by the National Association of Hearing and Speech Agencies (NAHSA).
Consultants for the project were the staff of the Human Services Design
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AGOAL-ORIEIMTED MODEL FOR REHABILITATION
Laboratory at Case Western Reserve University. Although a number of
hearing and speech centers from across the country participated in this
project, the CSAD program was the only rehabilitative component serving
an exclusively deaf and hearing-impaired population.
The process of designing a program evaluation model for the CSAD
program began by supplying the consultants with a complete description of
the elements of the program. This description material included:
I. Systems Descriptions
A. Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center
B. CSAD program
1. formal name of organization, address
2. descriptive materials
a. services provided
b. delineation of staff relationships
c. job descriptions
C. Characterization of the system in terms of past, present, and
future
D. Resources and Constraints
E. Characteristics of the service region, the client population,
and service needs
F. Client staffing patterns
After discussing and clarifying the above descriptive materials, the
consultant staff then assisted the CSAD program in completing the second
stage of developing a model for program evaluation. This second stage
included the creation of the following:
II. Program Objectives
III. Specification of Activity and Outcome Indicators for Each Objective
IV. Methodology for Implementing Objectives
V. Specification of Decisions and Characterization of Select or Adjust
Decisions
VI. Determination of Decision Utility
VII. Implementation Plans
With the technical assistance provided by the consultant staff, a model
for program evaluation in the CSAD program was developed and implemented.
The system can be perceived on two separate levels: first, evaluation of an
individual client's progress in the program; and, second, evaluation of the
effectiveness and efficiency of the overall program.
GOAL-SEEKING: THE INDIVIDUAL
REHABILITATION CLIENT
As each new client enters the CSAD program, he spends his first three
weeks in the work evaluation unit undergoing extensive testing in academic.
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A GOAL-ORIENTED MODEL FOR REHABILITATION
vocational and independent learning skills. Near the end of this evaluation
program, the evaluator formulates recommendations for the individual's
program with the agency. These recommendations are specific as to outcome
and, whenever possible, measurable. The evaluator presents the results of his
testing to each client individually and discuss each recommendation with him.
Immediately following the completion of work evaluation, a post-
evaluation or goal-setting staffing is held for each client. Present at these
staffings are the CSAD staff, the Vocational Rehabilitation counselor involved,
and any outside agency currently involved with the client. The evaluator
presents his findings, conclusions, and recommendations, and the group as a
whole arrives at a probable vocational goal (if none has been established
previously by the client and his counselor), program objectives, and an
estimated length of time needed to accomplish the objective. A time to
re-examine progress toward the objectives is also established. Program
objectives, whenever possible, are specific and measurable, e.g. to raise the
client's reading score, as measured by the Nelson Reading Test, from a 3.5
to a 4.0 grade level within a period of 3 months. Expected progress measure
ments are also established, i.e., that the client is expected to attain a reading
level of 3.7 at one month, 3.8 by the second month, etc. In the case of a
minor, a parent conference is then arranged and these goals are related to
the client's family. The work adjustment counselor has responsibility for dis
cussing this information with the client.
Each individual CSAD staff member is responsible for reviewing the post-
evaluation staffing notes for each client and formulating his lesson plan to
accomplish the stated objectives in the given period of time. In the example
used above, the remedial education instructor would have responsibility for
creating a daily lesson plan for a 3 month period of time which would allow
the client to progress one-half grade level in his or her reading ability. The
creation of the lesson plan, then, becomes somewhat of a Program Evaluation
Review Technique (PERT) process, beginning with a time framework and
objective, then progressing backward through the steps and time periods
necessary to arrive at the specific objective by the given date.
Staffings to evaluate the client's progress toward the stated objectives are
held either at the time recommended at the post-evaluation staffing or as
staff members feel the need. Each program objective is reviewed and progress
toward that goal is discussed. Actual outcomes are entered beside the expected
outcomes determined at the original staffing. If the client has not made the
expected progress in the anticipated length of time, the reasons for the lack of
success are sought. If an objective is not reached because of some error or
inefficiency on the part of the staff, a basis is created on which to critically
evaluate the program's operations and make indicated adjustments. If the
objective is not reached because of some inadequacy on the part of the client,
the reason is sought and the client is either terminated or a new, more
realistic set of goals is set up.
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A GOAL-ORIENTED MODEL FOR REHABILITATION
GOAL-SETTING FOR PROGRAM-WIDE EVALUATION
AND DECISION-MAKING
The same type of goal-setting system which is used to evaluate an
individual client's progress and make decisions about his rehabilitation plan
is also employed in order to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the
total program. Objectives are written for the program on a yearly basis by
the Program Coordinator with the input of the staff and the advisory
committee. Sample objectives for the CSAD program during one fiscal year
might be as follows:
Purpose: To provide vocational rehabilitation and supportive services
to the hearing-impaired community of the five-county area surrounding
greater Cleveland.
Objective #1; To provide vocational rehabilitation services (i.e. work
evaluation, remedial education, work adjustment, personal care, and
job readiness training) to 120 clients between July 1 and June 30.
Objective #2: To successfullly place 65 of these clients in competitive
employment, sheltered workshops, or homemaking situations.
Objective #3: To decrease the average length of time a client spends in
the program from 12 to 10 weeks.
Objective #4; To initiate a fund-raising drive which will net $10,000.00 in
additional revenue for the operation of a public awareness program
during the next fiscal year.
Objective #5: To develop and implement 5 in-service training workshops
during the year to meet the needs of the CSAD staff.
Objective #6: To investigate funding for a community service component
to the CSAD program for the purpose of providing such services as inter
preting, referral, and counseling services.
Next, indicators for each of the goals are specified. These indicators
basically state how one will know when the objective has been fulfilled. For
example, in objective #1, the indicator would be the number of clients actually
served by the program during the year; for objective #2, the number of clients
placed successfully; for #3, the actual average number of weeks a client spends
in the program, and so on.
The next step in implementing such a program evaluation model is to
create a system for obtaining and reporting the information necessary to
make judgments about the progress made toward the stated objectives. At
the CSAD program, a system of making daily, weekly, and monthly reports
of the number of clients served and the kinds of services provided was
developed. A daily log was created to assess time spent by staff members
in various kinds of developmental or supportive service activities.
The entire goal-setting type of model was then applied to the process of
staff performance appraisal. Each staff member actively participated in
re-writing his or her job description. This was done to assure that the staff
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A GOAL-ORIENTED MODEL FOR REHABILITATION
member and the program coordinator had a common understanding of what
was expected of the staff member. Goals for the individual's performance
during the forthcoming year were then established. The program coordinator
assisted the employee in developing these goals in any possible manner and
stressed that it was the coordinator's role to facilitate the employee's attain
ment of these goals in any reasonable fashion. It was further agreed that
these goals would be employed as the criteria for assessing the employee's
performance at the end of the year.
Finally, the program evaluation system having been designed, it became
the coordinator's role to introduce the system to the staff, explain the methods,
and coordinate the implementation. This was done with patience and utmost
attention to the staff members' reactions and concerns about the impact of
the system upon their daily activities and responsibilities. As a result, the
staff was able to see the value of a program evaluation model to themselves
and their clients, and quickly came to accept the idea and assist in the imple
mentation of the system.
UTILITY OF THE PROGRAM EVALUATION MODEL
I
It was quickly apparent to the staff and management of the CSAD program
that the program evaluation model was to effect a number of significant
benefits. First, the system provided a much more effective way of evaluating
not only what had beeni done for an individual client, but also how well these
services had been provided. The system eliminated maintaining a client in
the program for excessive periods of time when he was not making sufficient
progress or was actually job-ready. Staff members, VR counselors, clients,
and administrators alike now know exactly what it is that will be done for a
client, approximately how long it will take to achieve the desired results,
and how the staff will know when the client is ready to be terminated.
Secondly, the program staff now knows exactly what is expected of them
both in terms of serving an individual client and in terms of their overall
performance during the year. Each staff member knows that if goals are
consistently unfulfilled or progress is continually lacking, he will be asked
to answer for the situation. Employee insecurity and a high-threat environ
ment seem often to result directly from ambiguity and uncertainty; a well-
designed program evaluation system eliminates much of the threat and does a
great deal to increase motivation and job security.
Finally, a well-designed system of program evaluation is advantageous to
those responsible for the overall management of the rehabilitation programs.
Statistics and other pertinent facts pertaining to the program are easily
accessible and available for reporting. At any given time, the supervisor has
at his disposal the client records (complete with goals, expected and actual
outcomes), the individual staff member's objectives, the overall program
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objectives, financial records, daily staff logs, program statistics — all of which
become tools for him to utilize in making both daily and long-term plans
and decisions. A simple review of these resources provides the supervisor with
a clear picture of where the program is functioning and what modifications
may or may not be advisable.
Thus, in conclusion, the Comprehensive Services for the Aduult Deaf
staff found program evaluation to be a useful and viable tool for planning
services, measuring progress, and making decisions which had bearing upon
the program and its clients. Although not a difficult procedure to design
and implement, a program evaluation model is time consuming to develop
so that it will be a useful tool for the entire program and its staff. Implemen
tation is also costly in terms of time and must be undertaken cautiously so
that the program evaluation system is seen as a tool to be used rather than
something to be feared or avoided. Given the willingness of a facility to
invest the necessary time and energy, a program evaluation model can be a
true asset in assisting the facility to provide more expeditious and higher
quality services to its deaf and hearing-impaired clients.
REFERENCES
Able, Robert L. Health Facility Management: Principles and Practiced.
(Denver, Colorado, 1973), 248-259.
Bennet, Elanor and Marvin Weisinger. Program Evaluation: A Resource
Handbook for Vocational Rehabilitation (New York, 1974).
Blake, R.R., H.A. Shephard, and J.S. Mouton. Managing Intergroup
Conflict in Industry (Houston, 1965), 35-42.
"Program Evaluation in Rehabilitation Facilities." University of Wisconsin
at Stout Consumer Brief (Stout, Wisconsin, 1974).
Roman, Daniel D. "The PERT System: An Appraisal of Program Evaluation
Review Technique." Journal of the Academy of Management, V, No. 1
(April, 1962), 57-65.
Wilkstrom, Walter S. "Management by Objectives or Appraisal by Results.
Conference Board Record, III, No. 7 (July, 1966), 27-31.
Vol. 9 No. 3 Jan 1976
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A Goal-Oriented Model for Rehabilitation of Adult Deaf Persons

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A Goal-Oriented Model for Rehabilitation of Adult Deaf Persons

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