Comparision Report: Phases I & II: Deaf consumer needs assessment
Temas
Detalles
This document has been prepared to present a comparison analysis of information collected in two discrete NCIEC needs assessment efforts, both designed to identify the current and projected needs of deaf consumers as they relate to the availability, quality and overall use of interpreter services. The Phase I Deaf Consumer Needs Assessment effort was designed as the first in a series of on-going activities planned by NCIEC to collect input from deaf consumers. Upon recommendation by its external evaluators, it was agreed that the Phase I effort would target just those deaf consumers that could be easily reached through an electronic survey, a data collection tool used successfully in the previous needs assessment efforts. Therefore, the Phase I effort centered on design and dissemination of a survey instrument, developed by the NCIEC through a collaborative process that included opportunities for input and feedback on the part of content experts and stakeholders in the field of interpreter services. The survey was disseminated electronically to deaf consumers through the National Association of the Deaf (NAD) eZine membership list. That survey effort was completed in March 2008. The survey instrument was also distributed to and collected on-site from participants of the ASL Festival at Northeastern University in April of 2008. Through those efforts, 1,250 completed surveys were collected from deaf consumers. An analysis of the information collected through the Phase I effort has been developed as the Phase I Deaf Consumer Needs Assessment Final Report, September 2008. While the Phase I survey collected input from 1,250 individuals, it was recognized at the outset that focusing on deaf consumers that are members of NAD would result in data that was representative of just a segment of the nation’s deaf population, or deaf consumers that would likely be highly educated and employed. By comparison, the Phase II Deaf Consumer Needs Assessment effort was designed to reach deaf consumers who would typically not have access to an electronic survey, or who would not typically be a member of NAD. In addition, the Phase II effort also specifically sought to elicit input from deaf individuals that currently are or have been consumers of vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. Because it was expected the targeted Phase II consumer pool would not have access to an on-line survey format, the Phase II needs assessment effort was carried out through conduct of live focus groups and interviews in each of the five NCIEC regions. The process of inviting individuals to participate in the Phase II effort was carefully designed to ensure that participating consumers were equitably distributed across all geographic areas covered by the grant, and that they were characteristic of the non-NAD population of deaf individuals in this country. In total, 61 individuals participated in the Phase II focus group and interview sessions. An analysis of the information collected through the Phase II effort has been developed as the Phase II Deaf Consumer Needs Assessment Final Report, July 2009.