The titular guide (Transition to Retirement; TTR) is a programmatic response to the needs of aging workers with developmental disabilities. It is a capstone product of a collaborative research project sponsored by the Australian Research Council in partnership with the Australian Foundation for Disability and St. John of God Accord. The model emerged from the experiences of the workers in a very applied and participatory research strategy and is well founded on evidence defended in eight professional publications thus far. Although locally sourced and referenced, this tool represents an evidence-based strategy with broad applications for addressing universal issues of retirement and social inclusion in the late careers of workers with developmental disabilities.
Aimed at disability service providers and community support groups, the TTR guide illustrates the ‘how to’ strategy of their newly minted service. TTR was designed around older workers with long-term disabilities who were transitioning from sheltered employment to an active life in retirement. TTR models its person-centred approach in the guide's use of first-person stories to ground practice to values and illustrate variations on TTR service application. This person-first narrative is accomplished by (a) viewing a DVD collection of worker's stories; (b) following directions to, and annotations of, specific clips from the DVD strategically interspersed through the guide; and (c) integrating discussion of worker experience directly into the text. The guide can be used without the DVD, but it does markedly enhance engagement in training.
The guide opens in Chapter 1 with an overview of the key retirement issues faced by this population as it establishes the basic TTR model and orients the reader to the training strategy. The background section continues with retirement promotion in Chapter 2. TTR emphasises community development and natural supports as the proper means of raising worker awareness of retirement and cultivating worker motivation to explore options. The community foundation is fully engaged in Chapter 3 as attention shifts to networking with extant community groups where meaningful post-retirement activities (and support) may be found. Particular attention is focused on how to approach external social groups and volunteer organisations in building bridges and facilitating access for retirees with developmental disabilities.
Section 2 is called ‘constructing reality’, again illustrated with excerpts from the DVD and now replete with implementation tips. Planning (Chapter 4) maps out a series of sequential steps that maximise worker choice and control. Chapter 5 builds upon the networking strategies in matching personal interests to group activities and facilitating systemic adjustments into new social relationships. The authors do not spare themselves in relating a failure in matchmaking in showcasing Bronwyn's bad experience. This frank analysis creates a particularly effective learning moment for the reader. The authors translate established transition strategies to the task of establishing new routines in retirement. The theme throughout is systems change; change is discussed from the worker's social perspective (e.g. home, travel, work, social) as well as the organisational change that occurs within groups that adopt a new, and unique, member. The focus on the social bonds that make for social inclusion continues in Chapter 7 as professional attention turns to recruiting and training mentors and the service providers own transition into a background role of support (Chapter 8).
Stancliffe, Wilson, Gambin, Bigby and Baladin (2013) have crafted a user friendly guide that is ready for broad distribution. The guide has obvious application in practical in-service training for support groups and professionals in the field, including rehabilitation counsellors. It could also work as a very engaging, even entertaining, supplement to undergraduate and graduate level units of study. Its scientific foundation is its strength, and the disciplined approach to its construction circumscribes its initial claims to validity and utility. Here we have a clear first step in a standardised manual for a best practice. The TTR needs and deserves to be followed in research as it is applied beyond New South Wales and this specific population.
