Effectiveness of the IMPACT:Ability Program to Improve Safety and Self-Advocacy Skills in High School Students With Disabilities

• Published in: The Journal of school health 2014-12, Vol.84 (12), p.793-801
• Main Authors: Dryden, Eileen M., Desmarais, Jeffery, Arsenault, Lisa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescents; Advocacy; Analysis of Variance; Behavior; Behavior Change; Biological and medical sciences; Boston; Capacity Building; Control Groups; Disabilities; disability; Disabled Persons - psychology; Disabled students; Education, Special - methods; Experimental Groups; Female; Health aspects; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; High School Students; Humans; Intervention; Knowledge Level; Male; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Nursing; Outcomes of Education; Physical Disabilities; Prevention and actions; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Quasiexperimental Design; Research Design; Safety; Safety Education; school; School Health Services - organization & administration; School Health Services - standards; Schools; Secondary school students; Self Advocacy; Self Efficacy; Social aspects; Special Education; Special Needs Students; Statistical Analysis; Students; Students with disabilities; training; Urban Population; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0022-4391; 1746-1561
• DOI: 10.1111/josh.12211

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Individuals with disabilities experience higher rates of abuse than the nondisabled. Few evidence‐based prevention interventions have been published despite a need for such work. This study evaluated IMPACT:Ability, a safety and self‐advocacy training for individuals with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. METHODS A quasi‐experimental design was used to assess change in safety and self‐advocacy knowledge, confidence, and behaviors among special education high school students in Boston, MA. Instruments were interviewer‐administered at 3 time points. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare change between the intervention (N = 21) and wait‐list (N = 36) groups. Repeated measures analysis was used to test change in the complete sample (N = 57). RESULTS Students were diverse (58% males, 82% nonwhite) with a range of disabilities. Significantly greater improvement in key outcomes, including safety and self‐advocacy knowledge, confidence, and behavior, were observed in intervention students compared to the wait‐list group. Results in the complete sample showed evidence of further improvements in students' sense of safety and general self‐efficacy. CONCLUSIONS These findings are encouraging given the effects were demonstrated in a heterogeneous urban population. IMPACT:Ability may be an effective safety and self‐advocacy training for students with disabilities. Further research will be required to determine effectiveness within particular subpopulations of students.