Identifying the knowledge,skills,and barriers for self-employment

2.1 Sample

We used a multiple-step process to recruit the Delphi respondents. First, we used RSA 911 to select states with 1.2% or higher successful closure rates in 2019. These states include Arkansas, Colorado, Texas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Florida Blind VR agency, Missouri, New York, Washington, Massachusetts, Michigan, Puerto Rico, Maine, Pennsylvania, Utah, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Oregon. We also contacted Tribal Vocational Rehabilitation. Second, we sent a recruitment email to each state’s vocational rehabilitation director or other administrator. The email explained the intent of the study and asked the administrator to forward the recruitment email to vocational rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) in their state who (a) have a minimum of two years experience with the self-employment process and (b) have assisted four or more VR clients in pursuing self-employment in the past five years. The email asked VRCs to contact the researchers if they would like to participate. A total of 19 VRCs responded to the recruitment email and were sent a link to participate in the online Delphi.

2.2 Design

We used the Delphi method with three iterations to identify information from VRCs and managers about what they believe are the knowledge, skills, and barriers when facilitating self-employment and business ownership during the vocational rehabilitation process, including (a) application and intake, (b) plan development and service delivery, and (c) employment and closure. This method was selected as the appropriate research method because it elicits and refines group judgments to improve the quality of estimates, especially when exact knowledge about an issue is not available (Hsu & Sanford, 2007). In addition, the Delphi method uses multiple iterations designed to develop consensus concerning a specific topic. Other relevant characteristics of this method include the ability to provide anonymity to respondents, a controlled feedback process, and the range of statistical analysis techniques to interpret the data (Hsu & Sanford, 2007). We sent each round of the Delphi to respondents using the survey platform, Qualtrics©. Procedures for each round are described below.

2.3 Data analysis

Hakim and Weinblatt (1993) suggest that to achieve consensus among respondents, data should be analyzed to (a) determine the stability of responses across rounds and (b) determine the amount of variation or dispersion of response between iterations. We established data stability by calculating the absolute value of the difference between the means in round two and round three responses (X2 – X3). We set the stability measure at .50. Scores that had a positive or negative shift equaling more than .50 were determined to not meet consensus. We also examined the standard deviation of each score to determine variation; items with a standard deviation greater than 1.00 were considered to have high response variability and were determined to not meet consensus.

4.1 Application and intake: Knowledge and skills

A total of 15 knowledge and skill items were rated for the application and intake process. Only five of these items met criteria for consensus. The highest rated item in this domain focused on understating how the individual’s disability impacts employment. One item focused on understanding vocational rehabilitation eligibility policies; one item focused on understanding how to gather information about an individual’s work history, finances, resources, and experiences; one item focused on using open-ended questions and active listening; and one item focused on being culturally component. It makes sense that VRCs identified these knowledge and skill items for application and intake as the Rehabilitation Act outlines that the VRC is responsible for reviewing information to determine whether an individual is eligible for vocational rehabilitation services. VRCs are required to determine (a) if the individual has a physical or mental impairment, (b) whether the impairment results in a substantial impediment to employment, and (c) whether the applicant requires vocational rehabilitation services to prepare for, secure, and retain employment (34 CFR §361.42). In addition, the enforceable ethical standards created by the Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC, 2016) outlines that VRCs develop a counseling relationship with individuals with disabilities and actively attempt to understand the diverse cultural backgrounds of the individuals being served.

The remaining ten items in this domain did not meet criteria for consensus. Most of these knowledge and skill items specifically addressed self-employment, such as understanding vocational rehabilitation policies, understanding and identifying community resources, understanding the individuals’ disabilities knowledge of self-employment, reviewing business feasibility studies, etc. The lack of consensus on these items may be attributed to the fact VRCs were initially asked to list the self-employment knowledge and skills needed for application and intake during the first round of the Delphi. The VRC had the opportunity to list multiple items which were then organized by the researchers. After reviewing each item in subsequent rounds, the VRCs may have concluded that while the items are important, they are not necessarily a component of the application and intake process. Moreover, many of the items in the knowledge and skill area seem to be related to best practices for VRCs but do not necessarily address areas of self-employment.

4.2 Application and intake: Barriers

VRCs rated three barriers in the application and intake domain, with only one barrier reaching consensus. The barrier stated, “A barrier to self-employment at application and intake is the customer’s expectations about the VR self-employment process.” It is not surprising that VRCs identified expectations as a barrier because research suggests that individuals with disabilities need to possess entrepreneurial self-efficacy to achieve a self-employment goal and an individual’s expectations about self-employment may positively or negatively influence the pathway to employment (Castillo & Fischer, 2019). It is important to highlight, however, that if an individual does not appear to possess entrepreneurial self-efficacy, the individual should not be precluded from exploring self-employment as a viable route to CIE. Therefore, a VRC must be adequately prepared to support individuals with disabilities with little entrepreneurial self-efficacy, who express an interest in self-employment, to explore the full range of self-employment opportunities.

4.3 Plan development and service delivery: Knowledge and skills

A total of 18 knowledge and skill items were identified for plan development and service delivery. Sixteen of these items met criteria for consensus, while two did not. Two of the highest rated items in this domain (mean = 4.7) were the knowledge and skills to obtain agency approval for self-employment and knowledge and skills to assess how the individual’s disability impacts employment. Understanding the agency approval process is critical because there is little statutory guidance about self-employment and there is limited research on the self-employment and vocational rehabilitation process. Understandably, VRCs should be familiar with agency protocol for self-employment prior to developing an individual plan for employment (IPE). Four knowledge and skill items had means above 4.50; these knowledge and skill items focused on (a) assessing the individual’s ability to complete tasks to operate a business, (b) explaining expectations and responsibilities about self-employment service delivery, (c) establishing a working alliance with the individual to appropriately support the individual’s ongoing self-employment plan, and (d) developing an IPE that identifies the needed supports to achieve self-employment. Each of these items is critical as IPE plan development and corresponding service delivery requires a comprehensive assessment of rehabilitation needs. Conducting a comprehensive assessment to fully understand and support an individual’s path to self-employment is an important step in developing a working relationship between the individual with a disability and the VRC (Castillo & Fisher, 2019). Unfortunately, no formal assessments for self-employment have been validated for use with individuals with disabilities, and the types of questions typically asked do not consider the impact of accommodations or supports. Using traditional vocational rehabilitation assessments may hinder self-employment for individuals with more complex support needs because these assessments may not provide accurate information about an individual’s ability to launch and operate a business. The only way to accurately determine the capacity the type of supports an individual needs to operate a particular business is in an applied context of a specific business. As such, a working relationship in the context of self-employment is important because of unique relationship dynamics that are encountered during the self-employment process (Yamamoto & Olsen, 2016). That is, each person has unique characteristics, circumstances, commitments, resources, and expectations for self-employment (Yamamoto et al., 2012). VRCs should utilize strategies that are person-specific and are designed with an accommodation and support framework.

Connection skills emerged as important knowledge and skills for plan development and service delivery. Specifically, a high item (mean = 4.40) indicated that VRCs need to maintain good communication with the individual with a disability, vendors, and others. Another high rated knowledge and skill item (mean = 4.20) indicated that the VRC should possess the knowledge and skills to connect the individual with disabilities to vocational rehabilitation vendors and business consultants. Finally, several knowledge and skill items for plan development and service delivery centered on business planning. These items included the knowledge and skills to (a) review and approve a business feasibility study and business plan, (b) review and read a business plan, and (c) understand self-employment resources such as loans, SBA, SBDC, SCORE, etc. The importance of VRCs having knowledge and skills items for business planning is underscored by survey findings outlined by Ashley et. al. (2018). The authors conducted a survey with individuals with disabilities about self-employment and found that one way an individual with a disability secures self-employment is to engage in business training and education. Unfortunately, the participants seeking self-employment indicated that they were often discouraged and felt undervalued by their VRC. When VRCs thoroughly understand the business planning process, they can provide meaningful feedback and support to individuals with disabilities in a way that does not devalue an individual’s self-employment goals. It is important to note that some individuals who express interest in self-employment may not benefit from standard business training and education. In these cases, the VRC plays a critical role in helping to make that determination and then identify individualized supports to learn about business.

4.4 Plan development and service delivery: Knowledge and skills

Six barriers to plan development and service delivery were rated; five of these barriers achieved criteria for consensus. VRCs identified several barriers that are encountered by the individual with a disability. The highest rated of these barriers (mean = 3.80) was individuals’ unrealistic expectations about self-employment. Other barriers included the individual (a) not pursuing information or resources, (b) not completing steps in the plan, and (c) not having the necessary skills and motivation. A final barrier was a systems barrier related to the slow process of obtaining approval from a supervisor or regional manager. These barriers suggest that more specific training, information, and individualized support should be provided to an individual with a disability who expresses interest in seeking self-employment. In addition, VRCs may need additional information and support to learn how to support the full range of individuals who express interests in self-employment. Without targeted training and support, implicit bias or misunderstanding about who can achieve self-employment may emerge.

4.5 Employment and closure: Knowledge and skills

Twelve knowledge and skill items were rated and met consensus for the employment and closure domain. The highest rated knowledge and skill (mean = 4.8) was for the VRC to use counseling and guidance skills (communication skills and problem-solving skills). The second highest knowledge and skill item (mean = 4.50) was for the VRC to be knowledgeable about VR policy for closure in self-employment. Other items that are related to closure include: (a) the VRC has the knowledge and skill to ensure the individual with a disability is successful, (b) the VRC has the knowledge and skill to determine if the individual has reached an appropriate level of independence, (c) the VRC has the knowledge and skill to determine self-employment earnings. Other knowledge and skill items related to ensuring the individual is successful once self-employed, included the knowledge and skills (a) to develop a plan for post-employment services, (b) to research and find support for an individual if the business is not stable, (c) to identify continued skill building as the small business is implemented, (d) to develop plans for post-employment services, and (e) to develop a plan to monitor progress to determine if goals are met. Finally, one knowledge and skill item was for the VRC to be able to read a business financial statement to determine business stability.

4.6 Employment and closure: Barriers

VRCs rated three barriers. Two of these barriers met criteria for consensus. The first barrier to employment and closure was related to the individual. Specifically, the VRCs indicated that a barrier to employment and closure is the customer can stall the process. The second barrier was system-specific; a barrier is obtaining the necessary documentation for case closure.

4.7 Limitations

While the Delphi methodology is a useful way to collect information and build consensus from a group of experts, there are certain limitations to this type of research method. First, while we tried to identify and select VRCs who are knowledgeable and who had extensive experience with self-employment, their responses reflect opinion rather the fact. Second, the small sample limits the generalizations that can be made about knowledge and skill and barrier items.