Transcript Slide 1

Data Triangulation
Youth and Parent Perceptions and Attitudes
in the
Youth Transition Demonstration Focus Groups
Alissa GardenhireCrooks,
Allen LeBlanc, and
Conrad Mandsager
What is YTD?
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The Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) is a
Social Security Administration sponsored
demonstration and evaluation of programs
designed to help youth with disabilities make a
successful transition from school to work and
economic self-sufficiency.
Successful transition outcomes include the youths’
educational attainment, employment, earnings,
and receipt of disability benefits.
What are Focus Groups?
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Small groups of respondents are interviewed
together about their experiences regarding a
program or situation.
Questions are asked in an interactive group
setting where participants are free to talk with
other group members.
Allows participants to focus on and discuss
the things they feel are most important.
YTD Focus Groups: Analysis
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Protocols were developed to capture
information on key issues from participants
with differing perspectives.
We gathered data from different types of
participants to assess the transition
experiences of youth with disabilities.
YTD Focus Groups: Subgroups
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Who knows the experiences and needs of
youth with disabilities?
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Youth (most between the ages of 16 and 25)
Parents of youth with disabilities
Service providers—including teachers, transition
coordinators, and direct service providers
And key others—including sheltered workshop
staff, employers, and community college and
university staff
San Bernardino Youth and Parents
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YOUTH
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Clients of school-based
Transition Services
¾ were learning disabled
High school to graduate
school
Many had work
experience and lived
independently
Variety of career goals
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PARENTS
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Most parents
represented youth going
through the transition
Many had children with
disabilities more severe
than the youth
interviewed
Most had youth living at
home or in board and
care facilities
Data Triangulation: Dyads and Groups
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By asking parents and youth similar questions we
were able to better understand the many factors
which affect their transition experience.
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The youth-parent dyads showed that the youth gave details
of their transition experiences, while parents could give an
overview of their child’s experience in the disability system.
As with the matched pair responses, the grouped responses
showed that the youth were more concerned with their lived
transition experiences, while parents were more evaluative
of these experiences.
YTD Focus Groups: Next Steps
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Finish analysis of West Virginia focus groups
(with a more severely disabled youth sample
and more youth-parent dyads).
Conduct focus groups in Erie County, NY (in
a YTD pilot program, interviews with program
staff and pilot youth participants separated by
school status).
Continue dyadic and group analysis of data.