R-52: A Follow-up Analysis of Existing Indian Health Service Model Job Demonstrations Projects
American Indian Rehabilitation Research and Training Center
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Principal Investigator: Catherine A. Marshall, Ph.D., CRC
Consultant: Bryan Longie, Employment Awareness Trainer Employment and Training Services, Phoenix Indian Center
Abstract:
The purpose of this project is to analyze the existing Indian Health Service (IHS) and VR model employment strategies for American Indians with disabilities. It is anticipated that the findings will identify successful employment strategies for American Indians with disabilities seeking employment in the federal system, and have implications for improving their employment outcome in the IHS units. The AIRRTC researchers collaborated with IHS (Phoenix, Santa Fe and Ramah, New Mexico), the Arizona RSA, New Mexico Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and Pueblo of Zuni Vocational Rehabilitation (Marshall, Longie, Miller, & Monongye, 1994; Clay & Vanderbilt, in press), to develop a model job training demonstration project within the IHS system. The proposed research will include: (1) conducting case history reviews of the 1992 and 1997 American Indian trainees, (2) obtaining data on federal employment systems practice, and (3) utilizing focus groups to identify factors leading to American Indians with disabilities becoming successfully employed in the federal system.
Purpose:
1.0: Obtain approval for Protection of Human Subjects and Consent Procedures. 2.0: Recruit Project Advisory Committee 3.0: Gather data for case studies from participating State VR and tribal VR agencies. 4.0: Complete survey instruments to be used to survey participating IHS supervisors/directors in R-16 and R-41 study. 5.0: Complete survey instruments to be used to survey participating State/tribal VR counselors/directors in R-16 and R-41 study. 6.0: Conduct interviews with participating IHS Service Units and state/tribal VR agencies. 7.0: Analyze data for preliminary technical report. 8.0: Conduct three focus groups interviews with participating trainees of R-16 and R-41. 9.0: Write and disseminate Final Report.
Progress:
Project R-52 "A Follow-Up Analysis of Existing Indian Health Service Model Job Demonstration Projects" is a follow up of 1992 project R-16 which consisted of conducting a national survey of Indian Health Services administrators, employees with disabilities, and staff whose co-workers included a person with disability. A model job training demonstration program was then developed and conducted at Phoenix Indian Medical Center and replicated in a subsequent project (R-41 in 1997) at additional IHS Service Units (Santa Fe and Zuni Ramah).
The purpose of the follow-up analysis is to evaluate the long term employment outcome (individual and administrative) at the participating Indian Health Service training sites in Arizona and New Mexico, and to assess the current Indian Health Services and tribal/state vocational rehabilitation system's policies and procedures in their recruitment of American Indians with disabilities. The research protocol involves qualitative data collection and analysis, which include structured interviews with the former trainees, VR counselors and administrators.
Since mid-January 2002 , an appreciable amount of time was spent by the graduate research assistant reviewing relevant background literature (review of executive summary, project R-16 and final draft report of R-41, getting familiar with American Indian context), getting familiar with the vocational rehabilitation practices in Arizona.
In order to meet the goal mentioned above, general observation was about the services offered by Flagstaff vocational rehabilitation office (mid-February 2002)was obtained and subsequently, a mock vocational rehabilitation file was obtained (March 2002).
The vocational rehabilitation mock file is a very important piece of information, since factors determining the employment outcomes for the trainees will be analysed from the type of information contained in the vocational rehabilitation's files, which will be used in developing a data collection template (currently in design).
A web research was initiated on three different research topics as directed: federal policies American Indians and rehabilitation (almost completed), American Indians and rehabilitation (on-going).A literature review of American Indians and federal disability-related policies and employment was also initiated (beginning of March 2002).
The literature research and review took place simultaneously with more concrete work related to measurable objectives from the sequential work plan and is still on-going. First draft of a review of the literature summary will be submitted to the principal investigator on June 10, 2002, a questionnaire and cover letter was sent to the Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration director, Skip Bingham for an interview. Several drafts were written and reviewed by Dr. Catherine Marshall, principal investigator. (Mid March 2002). Post-training questions for the former trainees were also designed (beginning of March 2002).
Identification of former trainees from R-16 and R-41 with intended follow-up, took place in the time frame (February to March, 2002), along with identification of co-researchers from New Mexico replication sites (Zuni Ramah and Santa Fe). Trainees from R-41 are still not identified. Julie Clay, R-16 researcher identified subjects involved in the R-16 study in New Mexico (Zuni and Santa Fe sites). Since April 4, Zuni collaborator for R-16 has been contacted four times and reached once and he promised to deliver information but has not done so to this date. Six attempts to contact Santa Fe collaborator for R-16 have been attempted, the last one on May 19, and no response to e-mail messages or telephone calls. A second review of R-41 data files is being conducted in order to obtain this information in a more efficient way. Irrelevant materials from R-16 were sent to storage.
NAU IRB application was reviewed and approved in 2002; the consent form was reviewed twice in the month of March in order to include information required by the IHS IRB. The final approval from Phoenix IRB has been a bumpier process (it took a while to identify the appropriate person) but has finally been granted on April 30, 2002.
The Phoenix Area Indian Health Service Institutional Review Board has placed a requirement for this project's dissemination plan. A pre-approval is needed to disseminate the results of this research for publication and/or oral presentations at professional conferences. A concern is that this requirement may delay disseminating this research project's final report in Year 5.
On April 12, 2002, the first interview was conducted with Mr. Bryan Longie in Phoenix, using the questionnaire designed for R-52. Mr. Longie served as a consultant and job coach for the model project at PIMC that AIRRTC conducted in 1994. Mr. Bryan Longie is a co-investigator of this follow-up project.
On May 21, 2002, an interview has been scheduled with Mr. Gabe Alverez, Program Manager for Social Services of the Yaqui tribe. Mr. Gabe Alverez was the AZ VR counselor who assisted AIRRTC R-16 researcher team in identifying and placing the 9 trainees who were at PIMC in 1994. Four of the 9 are Yaqui Tribal members and Mr. Gabe Alverez has agreed to assist AIRRTC research team in locating and contacting these 4 individuals.
Mr. Skip Bingham, who is administrator for the Arizona Rehabilitation Services Administration is scheduled to be interviewed on May 23, 2002. Mr. Skip Bingham was originally the supervisor of Mr. Gabe Alverez prior to Mr. Alverez's resignation from Arizona RSA during the time of the model job demonstration project.
Meanwhile, contacts have been made with Ms. Susan Hansen, VR counselor at Flagstaff vocational rehabilitation office to inquire about informed consent procedures to access former VR trainees files for Phoenix. A template is being presently designed to facilitate identification and data collection of variables pertaining to the former trainees.