A Comparative Analysis of an Online and In-Person Self-Advocacy Skills Training Program Targeting Classroom Accommodations

            This study will compare two self-advocacy skills training for negotiating Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) classroom accommodations. The Access to Success online training includes a knowledge and skills tutorials. The knowledge tutorial provides information about the student’s rights and responsibilities, while the skills tutorial shows students how to request accommodations. Students completed the Access to Success tutorial allowing them to view all video examples of students with disabilities negotiating accommodations. Knowledge was assesed using two pretest/ posttest assessments, while skills will be assessed using role-play scenarios. Results showed that the online knowledge tutorial improved students understanding about classroom accommodation, while the online skills tutorial only improved some of the negotiation skills. Unmastered skills were then trained using an in-person group training. The in-person training replicated White and Vo’s (2006) procedures, including: operationally defining and task analyzing target behaviors, using role-play scenarios to practice and assess performance, and descriptive performance feedback. A powerpoint presentation replicating the online skills tutorial guided the in-person training. Results showed that the in-person training allowed students to master the remaining negotiation skills. Generalizations was assessed one week after the in-person training using role-play scenarios based upon their self-assessed need for accommodations. These findings showed that although the online training was effective for some of the skills, more targeted, in-person training may be needed to permit skills mastery. A comparative analysis helped identify which skills are sensitive to the online training and which skills were sensitive to the in-person training.