An exploratory evaluation of a multi-support peer mentorship program for advocacy

Thesis (M.S.O.T.) PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.This study is an exploratory evaluation of a multi-support peer mentoring process for young people with disabilities. Peer mentors, who were 4 young adults with a range of disabilities, made weekly phone calls to 12 young adults with disabilities as part of the Project TEAM intervention. The peer mentors had two primary methods of support: 1) a script with verbatim instructions of what to say, and 2) a supporter, who provided one on one support during the process. In total, there were 82 phone calls between 12 mentor trainee dyads. The audio for these calls was independently coded by 2 raters for the following criteria: mentor achieving objectives, mentor using the script, mentor using the supporter and trainee demonstrating engagement. The frequency of each code was transformed to a percentage to allow for comparisons between mentors. The evaluation found that mentors achieved a high percentage of objectives, that trainees in the program were consistently engaged, and that each peer mentor used supports in a unique way. A chi square found that there is a significant relationship between using supports and achieving objectives. The significance appears to be driven by a larger than expected number of peer mentors who did not meet objectives when not utilizing supports. Overall, the evaluation found that young people a range of disabilities can serve successfully as peer mentors when given support and that young people with disabilities can engage in a phone based mentoring process. This study can help inform future revisions to the peer mentoring program by tailoring the types of supports to each mentors individual preferences.2031-01-0