Career Development, Employment, and Disability in Rehabilitation: From Theory to Practice

This book provides, from a rehabilitation perspective, comprehensive coverage of the dominant theories and techniques related to the occupational development, vocational behavior, and the organizational factors that impact the career development and employment of individuals with disabilities. Theories of work adjustment are meaningful to rehabilitation professionals partly because career development for individuals with disabilities typically experience restrictions on career choice because of the disability in and of itself. Career development and work adjustment theories continue to evolve as researchers and practitioners explore what influences work integration and adjustment. In social cognitive career theory (SCCT), the development of academic and career interests, and the formation of educational and vocational choices, are captured within conceptually distinct yet interlocking models. In brief, SCCT emphasizes the psychological and social aspects of variables like gender, ethnicity, and disability status. The book also reviews several interest inventories that can be used for assessment of clients in rehabilitation counseling. Understanding opportunities and challenges for people with physical disabilities and their ability to gain employment depends upon many factors, including knowledge of specific career theories, labor markets, changes in the world of work and how individuals with disabilities function in different environments. Enhancing employment opportunities for ethnic minority populations of people with disabilities is an equally pressing imperative. Additionally, within the disability community, it is well established that disability disparities exist that translate to lower levels of participation and less favorable rehabilitation service outcomes for ethnic minority clients when compared to majority population clients.