Inclusion Training and the BWAP

Creating an inclusive workplace fosters a variety of talents that increase productivity and keep companies on the forefront of innovation.  The success of the inclusive workplace, however, hinges on the ability of business owners and managers to correctly identify the strengths, weaknesses, and unique talents of each employee.  This managerial ability becomes even more important when the employee has a disability.  The Becker Work Adjustment Profile, or BWAP, provides an observer rating assessment of the vocational ability of an employee with a disability, and it is an essential tool for managers of any business with a diverse culture of workers.

The Becker Work Adjustment Profile gauges the work readiness of an individual by measuring their habits, attitudes, and skills, collectively recognized as vocational competency.  Moreover, this tool identifies where additional supports are needed with respect to different work areas, and to what degree.  It is a reliable test, appropriate for teenaged children over 15 as well as adults.  Its application is suitable for workers who are learning disabled, physically disabled, emotionally disturbed, economically disadvantaged, or mentally retarded.

The primary advantage of the BWAP is in its nature as an observer rating instrument.  A professional who has had experience observing the subject in their work environment administers the test, greatly reducing the potential for subject-driven error.  In addition, the BWAP is exceptionally comprehensive.  Vocational competency is ascertained by measuring 63 different items allocated to four separate sub scales, or domains:  Work Habits/ Attitudes, Interpersonal Relations, Cognitive Skills, and Work Related Skills (i).  After the employee is evaluated, areas of dissonance between ability and work behavior are identified.  Additional, task-specific training is then administered, working to eliminate the dissonance between ability and behavior.

Administering the BWAP is easy and intuitive.  Evaluators utilize three main materials including a Questionnaire Test Booklet, an Individual Profile Form, and a User’s Manual.  The observer uses the Profile Form to rate the subject with respect to the behavioral items listed in the Questionnaire Booklet.  The Score Summary and corresponding Vocational Competency of the subject is recorded on the Profile Form as both a raw and derived score for each domain.  These values are then cross referenced with the BWAP Manual to determine the level of work readiness and necessity of work supports for the subject.

Keeping a business productive, efficient, and ready to innovate requires strong attention and appreciation for human capital.  Paramount to effectively integrating human capital is the capacity for personnel managers to assess each employee as an individual with unique abilities.  The need to measure the work readiness of each employee and construct appropriate supports is particularly critical for workplaces rich with persons of varying abilities.  The Becker Work Adjustment Profile, or BWAP, is an industry standard for such assessments.  The instrument, when coupled with ongoing disability training and education programs, provides a foundation for placing and retaining employees with disabilities.

(i) http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-71316809/measuring-rehabilitation-outcomes.html