Type of Project: Funded project Implementation project
Integration coaching for people with visual impairment in the Rhineland (IcoSiR)

The aim is to support people with visual impairments in accessing working life. In order to facilitate the initial professional entry or re-entry for visually impaired people and to secure the workplace in the long term, those affected receive intensive job coaching. Job coaches are to be trained for this purpose over a project period of three years. Contents of the vocational training and thus part of the consulting services for the visually impaired participants are relevant cognitive and social competences as well as characteristics of the type of work as well as psychomotor characteristics especially for people with visual impairment. With the scientific evaluation and monitoring of the teaching and research area for vocational rehabilitation of the RWTH Aachen, the implementation of the project of IcoSiR in the existing structures of BFW Düren and the concept of job coaching training is formally evaluated as well as the design of the training and the counseling services by the job coaches in terms of content. The content as well as the formative evaluation take place in each case on the level of structural, process and outcome quality. The formative evaluation allows optimization potential in the process to be made transparent and reported back to those involved in the process while the project is still running. Finally, the summative evaluation assesses the achievement of the set project goals. Another goal of the evaluation is to formulate a definition of the term and scope of a "job coach for blind/visually impaired people" that is as comprehensive as possible, but also as selective as possible. If the integration coaching is successfully implemented and sustained, the IcoSiR project will have a direct and practical benefit for the clientele of visually impaired/blind people. In addition, positive effects for cost bearers and employers can be expected due to the higher reintegration rates with successful implementation.