Disability disclosure is a complex and consequential decision-making process, shaped by personal and social factors such as stigma, visibility, and severity of one’s condition. Understanding how these factors influence disclosure behaviors is essential for developing supportive environments for individuals with disabilities. This study examined how disability severity, visibility, and anticipated stigma affect key dimensions of disclosure—motivations, emotional state, and anticipated outcomes. Participants ( N = 221) with chronic illnesses and disabilities completed an online survey. Analyses included chi-squared tests, logistic regressions, t-tests, and ANOVAs. Findings indicated that higher severity predicted greater visibility and anticipated stigma. Disclosure was more often driven by autonomy and social connection. Participants with more severe disabilities and those anticipating stigma reported more anxiety and regret, and less confidence and empowerment. These results highlight the importance of individualized support and stigma reduction strategies to foster more positive disclosure experiences and outcomes.
To explore the involvement of persons with disabilities in the community-based participatory research (CBPR) process, the authors conducted a systematic review of CBPR articles involving disability communities. Following PRISMA guidelines, 19 CBPR studies published between 2014 and 2024 met inclusion criteria. Study findings were analyzed in alignment with the core components of CBPR (e.g., formation of partnerships, assessing community strengths and dynamics, identifying priority concerns, designing and conducting intervention/policy research, feeding back and interpreting findings, disseminating and translating findings; Israel et al., 2012). Our systematic review found CBPR partnerships inclusive of academic researchers, community members, direct service providers, and community leaders. More than 65% of the studies identified direct service provision as a community priority. Across studies, disability community members were likely to be involved in four CBPR core components: (a) identification of community priorities, (b) designing and conducting research, (c) feeding back and interpreting data, and (d) translation of findings into products. The study findings also identify a need for academic researchers to ensure that disability community members are involved in identifying research questions, creating governance to share power and leadership throughout the CBPR process, recruiting community members, and disseminating findings. Given the importance of social justice and equity for persons with disabilities, through CBPR, academic researchers have the opportunity to empower individuals to engage in action to change policy, practice, and service delivery for the betterment of their communities.
Rehabilitation counseling is often a misunderstood profession. Advocacy for the profession and advocacy on behalf of clients and organizations are essential. This manuscript describes a lecture and assignment given to rehabilitation counseling students in a university course designed to address the lack of awareness about rehabilitation counseling. The lecture covered content related to the history and importance of advocacy in rehabilitation counseling. The students then created a public service announcement (PSA) that advertised rehabilitation counseling services to a specific population and shared their PSA in class with their fellow students.
Ableism is prevalent across community spaces, including disability services and rehabilitation counselor education programs. Rehabilitation counseling reflects historic and current social views on disability. Despite rehabilitation counseling’s focus on disability, advocacy, and social justice, counselors and educators are not exempt from perpetuating ableism, harming current students and future clients of their students. In many rehabilitation counseling programs, concepts like disability culture, identity, Disability Justice, academic ableism, and ability privilege remain underexplored. In this article, we examine opportunities and barriers to training anti-oppressive counselors and offer suggestions for supporting students in working towards anti-ableism in their counseling practice. Implications for pedagogy, supervision, leadership, and research are presented.
Linking Learning to Careers (LLC), a Rehabilitation Services Administration-funded demonstration project in Vermont, connected youth with disabilities to a set of services with a focus on work-based learning experiences in integrated environments. LLC’s design supported high school students in their transitions to employment or postsecondary education. This present study extends the timeframe of the initial evaluation (which observed participants up to the end of the demonstration) to up to five years after demonstration enrollment. LLC youth remained connected with HireAbility Vermont after the demonstration concluded and attained a higher employment rate at case closure. Among employed youth, LLC led to an increase in hourly wages while not impacting total weekly hours worked. LLC maintained positive impacts on two of the three postsecondary education outcomes examined. Additionally, LLC had no detectable impact on annual earnings. Program administrators and staff offering transition services to youth with disabilities could consider the continued success of the program—along with the evaluation considerations raised in this paper—to support offering a stronger set of services to youth and develop better evaluation strategies to understand the effects of their programs.
Supervision has been well established as an important evidence-based intervention in the profession of rehabilitation counseling and the relevance and importance of supervision to rehabilitation counseling continues to grow. Recognizing documented themes and emerging trends within professional literature could be useful to influence future research on supervision in rehabilitation counseling. Content analysis is an empirically grounded methodological approach of analyzing written content to determine themes and gauge their potential impact. In this content analysis, we analyzed 63 peer-reviewed journal articles meeting pre-established inclusion criteria to determine: (a) how much scholarship has been published on rehabilitation counseling supervision; (b) what types of journal articles have been addressed in the rehabilitation counseling supervision literature; (c) what topics have been addressed in rehabilitation counseling supervision journal articles, and (d) the emerging trends in the rehabilitation counseling supervision literature. We found 63 journal articles devoted to rehabilitation counseling supervision published in 11 different journals between 1973 and 2023. Among the 63 journal articles, 27 (42.85%) were empirical journal articles and 36 (57.41%) were conceptual journal articles. The topic of supervisors (e.g., roles, development, self-efficacy) was the most frequent topic representing 49.21% of the journal articles included in the analysis followed by ethics at 31.75%. The least frequent topics were client (i.e., client presenting issues, supervising specific population of clients; n = 1, 1.59%), modality (i.e., supervision modality, individual, peer, group, multiple modalities, n = 2; 3.17%) and technology (i.e., use of technology, web-based, n = 5, 7.94%). Trends of publications were compared with previous content analysis studies to determine how rehabilitation counseling aligns with other counseling specialties.
Medical marijuana has proven to be quite effective in treating and addressing negative symptoms associated with a number of disabilities such as cancer, glaucoma, and chronic pain, and although its use is legal in 38 states, it is still considered an illegal substance at the federal level. The incongruent state and federal laws, along with the conflict between marijuana’s positive treatment benefits and the penalties associated with its illegal use, affect how rehabilitation counselors, specifically certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs), provide services to consumers in this position. In an effort to understand the impact of these factors, the current study sought to identify if CRCs and other related professionals (non-CRC such as mental health counselors, addiction counselors) support: (a) the legalization and/or decriminalization of medical marijuana, (b) amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure employment protections for consumers using medical marijuana, and (c) adjustments to agency policies that would prevent or lessen penalties for medical marijuana use. Significant results were noted only for decriminalizing medical marijuana. Implications from the study highlight a call for education and training, advocacy and ethical considerations, and consultation and collaboration.
Group therapy may help young adults with neurodevelopmental differences (NDDs; such as autism spectrum disorder [ASD] or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) socialize and manage mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression during the transition to adulthood (18-25 years old). Family members may also benefit from group therapy during this transition period. Despite this need, few group therapy programs in a virtual/telehealth format have been developed to help young adults with NDDs and their families during the transition to adulthood. The present study sought to provide initial feasibility and acceptability data for a parallel young adult and family member group treatment program for young adults with NDDs transitioning to adulthood. Launching! to adulthood is an 8-week program utilizing evidence-based interventions to reduce distress and support the transition to independence for young adults with NDDs and their family members. Measures of well-being were collected pre- and post-intervention. Brief qualitative interviews were conducted post-intervention. From our pilot study, we found that the Launching! program was acceptable and feasible for both family members and young adults, with high ratings of satisfaction. Three themes were shared by young adults and family members, including gaining group connection and support from others in a similar life circumstance, learning the importance of self-care, and gaining new skills. Barriers to attendance included work conflicts and internet difficulties. This pilot trial of the Launching! program is novel in that few existing therapies have addressed challenges of the transition to adulthood for individuals with NDDs. Launching! has the potential to help young adults with NDDs prepare for postsecondary goals and may be utilized by businesses to support employees with NDDs.
The compelling evidence regarding the prevalence and profound impacts of traumatic experiences on individuals with disabilities underscores the need to establish trauma-informed service environments within vocational rehabilitation (VR). In an initial endeavor towards cultivating trauma-informed service, this study investigates the VR counselors’ professional training experiences in the topical areas of trauma. Further, the applicability of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM 2) is examined in elucidating the utilization of trauma knowledge by VR counselors in their practices. A needs assessment focusing on trauma training was distributed to 169 VR counselors to measure their trauma-related training history and utilization of trauma knowledge in practices. Path analysis was employed to examine the relationship between training experience and the actual use of trauma knowledge in counseling based on the TAM 2 framework. Participants reported having 9.71 hours of post-graduate training. Path analysis suggested adding three additional paths to the original research model, explaining how post-graduate training leads to the use of trauma knowledge in VR service through perceived ease of use, usefulness, attitude toward using, and behavioral intention. The profession of rehabilitation counseling needs to incorporate more trauma-related training into its practice, education, and research to better serve individuals with disabilities and improve the effectiveness of services.
This study explored partnerships that Centers for Independent Living (CILs) engaged in to deliver services for out-of-school youth (OSY) with disabilities who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC), a historically under-resourced group. The research team conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with executive directors or staff at seven CILs that serve large populations of BIPOC OSY with disabilities. CILs that participated in this study formed collaborations to support youth with disabilities, including BIPOC OSY. CIL respondents discussed the partnerships they established with vocational rehabilitation agencies, community-based organizations, secondary schools, and institutions of postsecondary education, to provide bidirectional and one-way referrals and connect youth to volunteering, employment, and peer group opportunities. CILs and other organizations that serve transition-age youth might create similar partnerships, particularly with vocational rehabilitation agencies, to reach and engage their minority OSY consumers.
This study examined the impact of ableist microaggressions on the formation of a disability identity, with a heavy focus on the microinsult of presumed lack of intellect. Participants were 267 adults with cognitive and/or physical disabilities, ages 18 to 65, living in the United States. Experiences of ableist microaggressions were assessed using online survey data. Our analyses indicated ableist microaggressions appear to increase pride in a person’s disability instead of the negative impact that was originally hypothesized. However, the microinsult of presumed lack of intellect was correlated with increased shame towards disability as hypothesized, also negatively impacting one’s acceptance of their disability identity. Results also showed there is statistical significance when comparing gender differences in amount of ableist microaggressions encountered. Strengths, limitations, clinical implications, and directions for future research are discussed.
Effective clinical supervision is a key element of professional rehabilitation counseling. While there is much overlap, the provision of clinical supervision to those with master’s degrees in rehabilitation counseling is different from supervising individuals who do not have a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling. The passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) permits individuals to work in the position of rehabilitation counselor without a master’s degree, leaving supervisors to provide clinical supervision to those with and without master’s degrees in rehabilitation counseling. The purpose of this conceptual paper is to introduce an application of explicit instruction to the supervision of non-master’s-level supervisees. The principles of explicit instruction will be applied to the supervision process within the scope of practice for rehabilitation counselors. Implications for practice and research will be provided.
Background Disability adjustment counseling (DAC) focuses on the diverse process of adjusting to chronic illness or disability, including responding to the initial diagnosis or the onset and adjusting to changes and barriers that arise from living with a disability. Although DAC is a primary role and function of rehabilitation counselors, there have been limited efforts to explore the use of DAC in the field. Objective The purpose of this study was to survey certified rehabilitation counselors (CRCs) about the extent of DAC utilization and its focus, the theoretical basis for DAC, and professional preparation. Methods A cross-sectional survey was completed with 109 CRCs recruited through the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). The research team developed a 35-item survey questionnaire for this study. Most respondents identified as white women with master’s degrees (mean age = 51.41 years). Results Approximately two-thirds of the respondents (67.78%) reported engaging in DAC for approximately a third (31.15%) of their professional time. Many respondents reported wanting to spend more of their professional time providing DAC. Most respondents (75%) indicated they do not operate from a specific model of psychosocial adjustment to chronic illness or disability. Nearly half (48.6%) of the respondents reported that there were not adequate options for DAC counseling. Conclusions The survey results confirm that DAC is an important role and function for rehabilitation counselors. Although the sample was too small to permit broad generalizations, the results imply that further exploration of the research questions among a larger sample is warranted.
Reproductive autonomy, or the ability to make decisions about one’s reproductive health, has been historically limited for individuals with disabilities. Within the last century alone, they have experienced forced sterilization, asexualization, negative stereotyping, and poor birth outcomes. Rehabilitation counselors can play a unique role in changing this harmful narrative and supporting the decision-making of their clients. As a field, rehabilitation counseling has often acknowledged considerations related to disability and sexuality, but gaps exist in the discussion of reproduction-related topics such as abortion care, fertility support, and the experience of pregnancy remain. The literature reviewed in this paper highlights the significance of these issues, particularly the historical and current disparities in access and need. Greater recognition, education, and advocacy regarding reproductive autonomy in rehabilitation counseling is necessary to ensure that practitioners are supporting clients in a supportive and appropriate way.
Transition age youth with disabilities and their families can access a variety of Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA)-funded employment and training services. This study evaluated the impact of these services on youth and parent employment outcomes. These services were coordinated as part of the Wisconsin Promoting Readiness of Minors in SSI (PROMISE) federal demonstration grant. Youth with disabilities receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits were randomly assigned to ‘usual’ services, including those available through school and vocational rehabilitation (VR) transition services, or ‘enhanced’ case management and transition services through the Wisconsin PROMISE demonstration. Parents who consented to participate could receive educational, employment, and financial self-sufficiency services and support through the Family Service Plan (FSP) connected to the youth’s PROMISE VR case. Youth and parents could also choose to receive WIOA Title I and Title III employment and training services, as well as Youth Apprenticeship, available through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development’s Division of Employment and Training (DET). A hierarchical logistic regression analysis demonstrated that VR services predicted higher youth employment rates and DET services predicted higher youth and parent employment rates. A linear regression analysis demonstrated that PROMISE services predicted higher youth wages and DET services predicted higher youth and parent employment wages. Findings suggest the coordination of employment-focused services across programs leads to increases in employment outcomes. Limitations and implications are discussed regarding the relationship between VR services, DET employment and training services, and employment outcomes.
Centers for independent living (CILs) and vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies offer transition services that many youth with disabilities could benefit from, but little is known about the existence of and potential for collaborations between these agencies. In this study, we examined data from VR agencies to assess their relationships with CILs involving transition-age youth at the national and state levels, focusing on two types of collaborations: referrals from CILs to VR agencies and VR youth’s use of CIL services. Although many CILs and VR agencies do work together, their relationships vary, and these collaborations reflect only a small fraction of VR youth who are transition age. Further, for each collaboration type, the VR youth involved in these collaborations differ from other people who apply for or use VR services in terms of their characteristics and service use patterns. The findings point to opportunities for greater collaboration between CILs and VR agencies. They also indicate a need for more research to understand the optimal formats and contexts for such collaborations and the criteria for effectively promoting them at the person and agency levels.
Rehabilitation counselor educators (RCEs) in programs accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) are mandated to assess student professional dispositions as part of the gatekeeping process. This study utilized the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore the factors that influence RCE dispositional gatekeeping behaviors. The study includes a sample of 52 RCEs across the United States. Results obtained using a multiple linear regression model indicate that participants generally have positive attitudes toward their role as dispositional gatekeepers and their behaviors. As hypothesized by TPB, both beliefs and perceived norms relating to dispositional gatekeeping predicted dispositional gatekeeping behaviors, with the model accounting for approximately 57% of the variance. Lastly, implications and recommendations are included as they relate to gatekeeping in master’s-level rehabilitation counseling programs.
Transition policy in the United States has endorsed work-based learning experiences, including internships, for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in order to combat poor rates of post-school employment. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) state plans have reported use of internships as a way to provide Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS). Internships are complex programs that vary in terms of length, payment, funding, and collaborative partnerships, and are intended to provide an educational experience for students to develop vocational skills. The purpose of this scoping review was to examine the impact of internship participation on employment for youth and young adults (aged 16 to late 20s) with IDD. Systematic searches of electronic databases containing peer-reviewed sources were conducted. Nineteen articles were included in the final sample. Findings identified specific internship programs that have been examined within the peer-reviewed literature base, the level of evidence each provides concerning the impact on employment outcomes, and pertinent internship characteristics observed across studies. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
This editorial provides an overview of the special series developed by the Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center (VRTAC) for Quality Employment, H264K200003, and VRTAC-Targeted Communities (H264F15003) from the U.S. Department of Education, and in collaboration with the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research project of Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employer Practices (#90RT5041), RRTC on Employment of Transition-Age Youth with Disabilities (#90RTEM0002), RRTC on Employment of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (#90RTEM0003), and Disability Rehabilitation and Research Project on Customized Employment (#90DP0085). The special series consists of 26 articles appearing across four different journals: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal; Rehabilitation Research, Policy, and Education; and Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin.
As employers increasingly view disability as a form of diversity that can enrich the workplace and improve performance, a company in the industrial sector in the Midwest created an innovative initiative for employing an individual with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A case study methodology was utilized to gain a better understanding of effective employer practices in hiring and integrating employees with ASD. The case study was framed by Yang and Konrad’s (2011) model of diversity in the workplace as well the Interactional Model of Cultural Diversity (IMCD; Cox, 1993), with specific focus on the four organizational contexts of the model, namely, organizational culture and acculturation processes, structural integration, informal integration, and institutional bias. Results indicate that the autism initiative had an overall positive impact on the company, with reports of stronger company performance and improved company climate. These results as well as others aligned with tenets of the theoretical framework implemented. Rehabilitation counselors can support employers looking to increase the disability diversity in their company through the theoretically supported insights of this case study. Doing so may help to address the current shortage of skilled workers in the workforce.
