Browsing by Subject "life skills"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Building Essential Skills Together: Developing Employment and Skill Building Opportunities for Adults of All Abilities
    (2021-04) Lawson, Rebekah; Van Antwerp, Leah; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Winkler, Danielle
    The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to address the gap in vocational and life skill services for Autistic young adults during their transition to adulthood. At the Building Essential Skills Together nonprofit organization, there is a goal to address this need and offer inclusive supported employment and life skill programs to adults of all abilities. Participants in these programs included two Autistic young adults on the Building Essential Skills Together team. Both young adults participated in food truck and cleaning/maintenance supported employment opportunities, completed weekly concession skill building experiences, and hosted a virtual trivia night using their interests. One young adult also participated in a 5-week life skills program led by the doctoral capstone student. This project utilized visual scripts, modeling, and prompting techniques during supported employment and skill building opportunities, and vocational and life skills assessments were established for future evaluation and tracking purposes. The Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS)- Vocational Protocol was modified for the nonprofit’s food truck and cleaning/maintenance supported employment opportunities, and a non-standardized skills inventory was created for the life skills curriculum from the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (4th ed.). Development and implementation of supported employment and life skills materials during this project were guided by the Ecological Human Performance Model and Strengths-Based Frame of Reference for Autistic Individuals. Site feedback was obtained through electronic surveys at the conclusion of the project and indicated that project materials and implementation promoted inclusivity, independence, confidence, growth, and meaning for team members, as well as a foundation for the nonprofit programs.
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    Facilitating Occupational Engagement Among Newly Resettled Refugees Through a Life Skills Curriculum
    (2023-05-02) Richason, Hannah; DeRolf, Annie; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Vestal, Joel
    Refugees resettle in the United States due to the threat of war, persecution, or other situations which require legal protection. Occupational deprivation occurs when one is unable to participate in desired occupations due to barriers to engagement. Refugees often experience occupational deprivation after resettlement due to a variety of barriers to occupational participation. Occupational engagement is essential for one’s health and well-being, and experiencing barriers to accessing occupation can therefore negatively impact one’s health and well-being. Occupational therapists facilitate participation in occupation, and thus have a role in addressing occupational deprivation among refugees. The purpose of this Doctoral Capstone Project was to partner with an Indianapolis nonprofit, Migros Aid, Inc., to create a guide for volunteer mentors to utilize for addressing life skills with refugees. Over the course of the Doctoral Capstone Experience, the capstone student created and disseminated the Life Skills Curriculum and associated materials. Volunteer mentors participated in a training presentation addressing how to access and use the Life Skills Curriculum, as well as trauma-informed approach principles and cultural humility principles in line with best practice recommendations for resettlement work. Quantitative outcome data indicated an increase in mentors’ knowledge and confidence in teaching life skills to refugees before (n=15) and after (n=9) the presentation. This project contributed to literature about occupational therapy’s role when working with resettled refugees at a population level and provided resources to facilitate increased occupational engagement among refugees in Indianapolis.