Tracking the participation of volunteers with disabilities
Abstract
This effective practice offers ideas for collecting participation data from volunteers with disabilities; however, it is applicable for all populations. Excerpted from the Effective Practices Guide to Creating Inclusive and Accessible Days of Service (2002), written in collaboration by City Cares, Points of Light Foundation, and Youth Service America, through a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service.Issue
Collecting data about volunteer participants generates needed statistics for evaluating and reporting the success of a service project.Action
During the early planning stage of your service project, your set of identified goals should have included:
- How many people you needed to accomplish your project
- How many people with disabilities you wanted to try to recruit
How do you know how many people came out to participate? Here are some strategies for tracking those numbers.
Self Identification
One of the easiest and least invasive ways to track attendance of persons with disabilities is for them to self-identify. This strategy offers the respect to which people with disabilities are entitled, and it allows individuals to assess their own ability.
Pre-project Registration
If you require participants (regardless of ability) to "sign up" for the project in advance, your form or registration template can include a place for the participant to identify a disability and, if necessary, accommodations they might need (such as a wheelchair ramp, ASL interpreters, transportation help, etc.).
Project Site Sign-In
If you do not have a pre-project registration requirement, it is important to have all participants sign in at the site. Have a visible sign-in table or area that is easy to find from where you anticipate most volunteers arriving. Make sure your project leadership knows where the registration or sign-in location is and that they can direct in-coming volunteers to it. At the sign-in table, volunteers can self-identify their disability.
Post-project Evaluation
You may want to take the opportunity for all participants to give feedback on their experience. Have everyone fill out a survey that assesses how they enjoyed the project, if they felt utilized as volunteers, etc. This survey should also allow for feedback on what could have been done better from the participant perspective. Ask about success and quality of accommodations offered, solicit ideas for improvements.
Group Recruitment
When you are conducting outreach, make presentations to groups that support people with disabilities, or membership organizations made up of people with disabilities. If you receive an interest and a commitment from a group to attend, you can allow the "team" to register together, and include disclosure of the disability on the group registration.
Context
The Effective Practices Guide to Creating Inclusive and Accessible Days of Service is a product of a year-long initiative conducted by the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, which was funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Through the grant, the Points of Light Foundation worked in partnership with Compeer Inc. and Volunteers of America to engage 20 Volunteer Centers and two state associations of Volunteer Centers in volunteer-service activities. The grant resulted in the participation of over 2,900 volunteers with disabilities in 60 service days throughout the year 2001.
Citation
Effective Practices Guide to Creating Inclusive and Accessible Days of Service (2002). Written in collaboration by City Cares, Points of Light Foundation, and Youth Service America. Additional contributions by Compeer, Inc. and Volunteers of America. Through a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service.Outcome
According to Robert K. Goodwin, president and chief executive officer of the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network, "This report represents what we hope will emerge as a successful process for including persons with disabilities that any organization can utilize when planning volunteer service activities. The outcomes align perfectly with our goal to engage more people in the vital work of contributing to their communities and helping solve serious social problems."Posted On
September 12, 2002For More Information
Resources
From The Resource Center library:
Effective Practices Guide to Creating Inclusive and Accessible Days of Service
Item number: R2180