Date Presented 04/04/2025
The Vocational Fit Assessment (VFA) demonstrates good test–retest reliability when used to assess the work-related skills and abilities of young adults with intellectual disabilities in transition to adulthood and employment.
Primary Author and Speaker: Andrew Persch
Additional Authors and Speakers: Dennis Sullivan Cleary, Jessica M. Kramer, Beth Pfeiffer
Contributing Authors: Cristina Parsons, Mutrik Alajmi, Patricia Davies, James Graham, Margaret Busch
PURPOSE: The Vocational Fit Assessment (VFA) is used by special education and vocational rehabilitation professionals that support young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in transition to adulthood and employment. The VFA is a person-centered measure of work-related adaptive behavior that informs job placement and customized-employment decision making. The purpose of this study was to quantify the test-retest reliability of the VFA in a sample of young adults with intellectual disabilities.
DESIGN/METHOD: This study assessed the test-retest reliability of the VFA. The VFA includes 10 unidimensional subscales and 108 items; rated on a three-point scale (2-high ability, 1-some ability, 0-low ability). Partner reporters (e.g., parents, teachers, job coaches), completed the VFA-Worker for a person with intellectual disabilities aged 18-26 on two occasions, 2-4 weeks apart. Test-retest analyses included the Pearson correlation, ICC, and weighted kappa.
RESULTS: A total of 68 Partner Reporters (N = 68) completed the VFA-Worker on two occasions. Pearson correlations of subscale total scores between occasion one and occasion two ranged from 0.673 to 0.886. Intraclass correlations ranged from 0.802 to 0.932. Weighted Kappa ranged from 0.486 to 0.686.
CONCLUSION: These data extend previous psychometric studies of the VFA by demonstrating the test-retest reliability of unidimensional subscales in a sample of young adults with intellectual disabilities in transition to employment. Pearson correlations were strong for all 10 subscales. ICCs were greater than 0.8, indicating good agreement between occasion one and two. Weighted kappa agreement was moderate (.4-.59) to substantial (0.6-0.79). These findings indicate that the VFA can be used reliability to assess work-related skills and abilities within the context of secondary transition. Dissemination and implementation of the VFA is through VocFit.com and as a part of Project SEARCH model fidelity.
References
Persch, A. C., Cleary, D. S., Rutkowski, S., Malone, H. C., Darragh, A. R., & Case-Smith, J. D. (2015). Current practices in job matching for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 43(3), 259–273. https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-150774
Persch, A. C., Gugiu, P. C., Onate, J. A., & Cleary, D. S. (2015). Development and psychometric evaluation of the Vocational Fit Assessment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(6), 6906180080. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2015.019455
Persch, A. C., Guo, K., Case, C., & Cleary, D. S. (7/2017). Internal Consistency and Test–Retest Reliability of the Vocational Fit Assessment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(4_Supplement_1): 7111500041p1. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.71S1-PO4023.
