The purpose of this research is to examine the issue fronts surrounding vocational counseling of individuals with disabilities, in particular those who may be hearing impaired. The plan of the research will be to set forth the social and developmental context in which career plans of the hearing impaired may be taking place and then to discuss the challenges and other concerns that are likely to surface in forming such plans.
If there is any single thing that distinguishes the most successful of vocational counselors, it may be that they are sensitive to both the needs and the capabilities of their client. In cases where the clients have disabilities, sensitivity emerges as a much more crucial aspect of career counseling. That is why, despite the plethora of standardized psychometrics and computer models that have become relevant to career counseling, the best counselors are likely to inflect any interpretation of the results of standardized testing and evaluation with sensitivity to the uniqueness of the client. Thus responsible scrutiny of a battery of psychometric and aptitude tests must be accompanied by careful attention to what the client reveals via verbal or nonverbal communication that may aid in assessing his or her real needs and objectives, whether psychological or professional. As Zunker explains in that regard, "Career counselors address adjustment problems associated with disability as well as career choice and career development factors" (2002, p. 376).
Special issues may rise in the case of clients with hearing disabilities. As Zunker remarks, "adolescents with hearing impairments are more limited in career development than are hearing adolescents" (2002, p. 379). The whole matter can be complicated by the fact that the families of persons who have disabilities "often fail to understand" their children's needs and problems, sometimes "find[ing] it difficult to determine whether to foster acceptance of limitations...