School To Work- Transition of the deaf in Jamaica

Against the problem of low school-to-work transition of the Deaf, the TOR sets out the study objectives as:

I. To provide an evidence base for appropriate and effective interventions in policy and practice to support the full enjoyment of the Deaf of the opportunity to earn a living

ii. To improve the quality of life of Deaf citizens in Jamaica, and their school-to work-transition in particular. A mixed methods approach was taken, which involved:

a) A review of existing literature

b) Collection of secondary data from the Jamaican Ministry of Education (MOE),

including the 2014 National Schools’ Census

c) Interviews with key informants

d) Two focus group sessions

e) Three case studies

f) A survey of 160 non-agriculture sector employers in the Kingston

Metropolitan Area, Mandeville and Montego Bay.

The study design changed over the course of the research as intended approaches were modified in response to fieldwork experiences. Hence, a face-to-face survey of employers was included after attempts at an online survey were unsuccessful.