Data Triangulation Youth and Parent Perceptions and Attitudes in the Youth Transition Demonstration Focus Groups Alissa Gardenhire- Crooks, Allen LeBlanc, and Conrad Mandsager

What is YTD? 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? 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 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 Who knows the experiences and needs of youth with disabilities? – 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 YOUTH – 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 PARENTS – 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 By asking parents and youth similar questions we were able to better understand the many factors which affect their transition experience. – 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 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.