STATISTICS

From January 2002 to September 2005*:

53 students graduated from the program:

1.  38 are living independently
2.  4 are in transition (looking for housing and/or work)
3.  5 are living with their families
4.  6 unknown

If you do not count the people we have lost touch with, over 80% (38/47) are living independently!

36/47 graduates are going to college and/or working (77%)

51 graduates are congenitally visually impaired
2 graduates are adventitiously visually impaired
28 graduates have additional disabilities

*These figures do not count current students

AER 2006

In a study presented at AER 2006 International Conference entitled “Employment-Related Needs of Blind and Visually Impaired Working Age People in British Columbia” by Deborah Gold, PhD and Bonnie Nelson, MED, comparisons between employed and unemployed groups were made on the following variables: mobility, self-care, home management, age, sex, level of useable vision, use of computer technology, education, and employment support. It was found that “Employed participants had significantly higher scores on the total ADL* score (care of clothing, grooming, financial management, finding information, socializing) than the unemployed participants.” The study goes on to say that “Employed participants were significantly more likely to report that they use computer technology, email, and internet than unemployed participants.” Employed participants also had significantly higher scores in mobility.

The evidence presented in this report clearly demonstrates the connection that the Living Skills Center has been making for over thirty years, between teaching strategies for successful management of daily tasks and the ability of the individual to transition to a fully independent living situation.

*Activities for Daily Living