Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

The problem of persistently low rates of employment and earnings for people with autism is well established. In the U.S., the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) updated the legal framework for the federal Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program which assists people with disabilities to find and maintain employment.

This study examined whether and how the needs of transition-age youth and adults with autism are addressed in state WIOA plans.

We analyzed WIOA documents for all states plus the District of Columbia using content analysis.

Of the 51 state plans, 44 contained references to autism, and 19 explicitly identified autism as a disability group that is underserved by the state VR agency. Even among states that clearly defined autism as underserved, only 10 provided comprehensive plans which defined goals and strategies to address the vocational needs of this group. We discuss major themes related to VR service delivery for people with autism identified within the state plans.

This study identifies state policy aimed at facilitating employment for people with autism and contributes to efforts to discover why individuals with autism in some states have better employment outcomes than in others.

Individuals with disabilities are more likely to have experienced trauma over the course of the lifespan, however, these experiences and their impact on individual functioning have yet to be fully recognized within rehabilitation counseling practice, research, and education.

The following manuscript outlines trauma-informed principles related to rehabilitation service provision.

An overview of relevant theories that may be unfamiliar to rehabilitation professionals is included, as well as recommended assessment tools for use in practice and research.

By employing specific tenants of trauma-informed care, infused with traditional rehabilitation practice, rehabilitation counselors are in a unique position to comprehensively address consumers’ needs and ultimately foster more constructive outcomes.

Results-based funding models can improve Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) client employment outcomes, but evidence suggests that gaps in services occur when provider risk is not compensated.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to learn how VR agencies deliver and pay for job development and placement services, the factors that shape decision-making, and the outcomes of such decisions.

Administrators from 40 VR agencies identified informants to take part in qualitative interviews about how their agency delivers, contracts, and pays for job development services. Interview notes were analyzed to identify themes and dimensions in the data.

Gaps in provider services exist in rural communities, where provider risk is increased due to economic, transportation, and delivery barriers. Strategies to overcome barriers focused on expanding available providers by lowering requirement for provider entry, increasing recruitment activities by the VR agency, reducing financial risk in the form of incentives, tiered payments, and shared funding models, and increasing agency capacity and support.

Strategies for effective VR service delivery are shaped by multiple factors and choice points at the agency level. A deeper understanding of the intended and unintended consequences of service delivery models is an important contribution to informed decision-making.

Mental health problems are the main cause of sick leave in today’s working age population. Employers are responsible for their employees’ work environment and preventing work-related illnesses, but their knowledge regarding mental health problems is lacking. Employer beliefs and support strategies need further exploration.

To explore employers’ beliefs, knowledge and strategies use in providing support to employees with mental health problems.

This grounded theory study comprised 24 interviews with employers in a variety of workplaces, and included women and men in large and small organizations in a Swedish context.

Two categories related to the aims emerged: comprehending mental health problems is complex, and lacking established conditions to support work. The results show that employers seek to support employees with mental health problems but have low expectations and lack knowledge and strategies. Employers acknowledged experiences of inadequate support and collaboration from other actors in the return-to-work (RTW) process.

To close the service gap and improve the RTW process, employers need to increase their mental health literacy. Other actors need to improve their understanding of employer situations and provide them with necessary support.

Employers are increasingly interested in overcoming barriers to hire and retain workers with disabilities. While much is known about barriers that employers report, little is known about employer practices that successfully overcome these barriers. Research about the effectiveness of employer practices is also lacking, making it difficult to translate research findings in actionable ways for employers.

This study describes initial findings from the 2017 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey-Supervisor Perspectives (KFNEDS-SP), which represents a new approach to investigating employer practices related to disability.

The KFNEDS-SP, a web-based survey, was designed using standard, replicable survey methods and fielded via a Qualtrics business-to-business panel to supervisors at U.S. organizations. Respondents included 6,530 supervisors ages 18 and older from private, nonprofit, and governmental organizations across industries.

The study identifies several employer practices that are underused but that supervisors perceive to be highly effective for employees, generally, and employees with disabilities. It also highlights the importance of upper management commitment to accommodating employees with disabilities.

Information about the utilization and effectiveness of workplace practices will support new policies and programs to educate and assist employers as they strive to increase employment of people with disabilities.

In response to the Great Recession, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law in 2009. The Vocational Rehabilitation program rather unexpectedly received $540 million in ARRA funding, which was primarily intended to serve more applicants and increase services to customers.

We consider the impact of ARRA-influenced changes in VR funding levels on several outcomes, including VR service receipt status, employment status at program exit, and Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance receipt at program exit.

We use ARRA VR funding as an instrument to capture the exogenous variation in state VR funding levels.

Our findings show that unexpected positive funding shocks may not be effective at improving short-term outcomes for VR. We find no evidence that a change in funding levels affected key VR outcomes such as employment at program exit. We also observe that some states used ARRA funds as a substitute for decreased state VR funding (usually maintaining VR funding around pre-recession levels) instead of to increase state VR funding above pre-recession levels.

Returning to work after cancer is a complicated phenomenon.

This study aimed to explore Iranian cancer survivors’ concerns during returning to work.

This qualitative study was conducted on 19 cancer survivors at a referral center of cancer Northwest of Iran. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed using a conventional content analysis method.

“Taking an obscure path” emerged as a main concern of cancer survivors in returning to work which included three categories of limited Information, hesitation in personal abilities and worry about the reactions of workplace.

Cancer survivors were uncertain about returning to work. This uncertainty can distress cancer survivors in the process of returning to work and may cause them to delay the process. The staff of healthcare systems including physicians, nurses and occupational rehabilitation specialists must address the concerns of cancer survivors and prepare them to return to work. Moreover, by working in collaboration with employers, rehabilitation specialists must provide appropriate conditions for cancer survivors to safely return to the workplaces.

Individuals with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) often face employment-related challenges due to cognitive, physical, and behavioural difficulties, however there are adults with FASD who have positive employment experiences.

We aimed to learn about employment experiences of adults with FASD. We focused on the conditions that led to employment success, and the impacts that employment had on adults with FASD.

A survey was developed, which consisted of open-ended and closed-ended questions. We recruited adults with FASD, caregivers of adults with FASD, and support workers for adults with FASD, and twenty-nine surveys were completed. Descriptive analyses and thematic analyses were conducted.

We found that conditions that led to employment success in individuals with FASD were finding the right job fit, using relational supports, identifying as having FASD, and responding to challenges. Impacts that employed individuals with FASD experienced included increasing autonomy through remuneration, building self-esteem, developing social connections, and becoming an advocate for FASD.

The present study is the first of its kind to explore employment in adults with FASD. By learning from the experiences of those individuals with FASD who have been successfully employed, we can better serve those who are struggling with employment.

A seamless system of transition requires linkages and collaboration between schools and adult service agencies. A shared vision for change is needed including a common understanding of the issues and a joint approach to developing solutions.

The Indiana School-to-Work Collaborative developed a multi-component intervention package as a collective impact approach. The School-to-Work Collaborative interagency transition model was designed by using authentic stakeholder engagement throughout the process.

This study compares the effects of a school-to-work collaborative transition model to improve employment outcomes and agency connections for transition-age youth with disabilities where a community provider employment specialist (e.g., Career Coach) was embedded in the schools.

Embedding a Career Coach from an adult employment provider in schools resulted in more work-based learning experiences, better employment outcomes, and more connections to adult service providers compared to schools without a Career Coach. Implementing policy changes from the federal and state levels without preparation time had an impact at the local level that ultimately impacted students and families.

Strong, effective interagency collaboration can result in a collective impact. Bringing together key stakeholders to design, monitor, and evaluate the model, as well as intended and unintended consequences, can result in policy and procedural changes.

This paper examines individual’s perceptions of emotional and physical functioning and self-management on career development.

A cross-sectional mediation design.

81 young adult survivors of childhood cancer (M = 18.90, SD = 0.97) diagnosed with a brain tumor prior to the age of 18.

Multiple regression and correlation were used examine if physical and emotional functioning mediates symptom management on job awareness, job acquisition, and job maintenance.

Symptom management was associated with approximately 0.16 points higher job awareness scores as mediated by emotional functioning, 0.11 points higher job acquisition scores as mediated by emotional functioning, and 0.16 points higher job maintenance scores as mediated by physical functioning.

Physical and emotional functioning have a differential impact on specific career development factors suggesting the need to develop specific targeted career and vocational interventions.