UPGRADE your performance: Improving soft skills of students with disabilities

BACKGROUND: Employment has been associated with high quality of life and independence; however, employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities are much lower than their peers without disabilities. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of a treatment package, UPGRADE Your Performance, on the employment soft skills of secondary students with disabilities. The intervention taught students a strategy for self-evaluation, which included self-monitoring, goal setting, and self-graphing. METHOD: Using a multiple probe across students design, researchers investigated the effects of UPGRADE instruction on students' soft skills while working on two different in school job sites. RESULTS: Results indicated all students improved in both a self-selected soft skill area and their overall performance, and they generalized their skills to a second in-school job site. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicated the potential for UPGRADE Your Performance as a method for teaching soft skills to students with disabilities.