Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational Rehabilitation: The Deeper Issues

Much of what happens in the field of vocational rehabilitation centers on funding, training, labelling of disabilities, and job placement. Perhaps it is the nature of any profession to view issues and activities in terms of itself, but that point of view does not always allow an examination of the most important philosophical and practical underpinnings of the field. It is the purpose of this paper to question and explore the field of vocational rehabilitation in terms of several important issues--its purpose, its methods, and solutions to some of its greatest problems.

Simon Olshansky, the well-known rehabilitation expert, had profound and far-reaching things to say about the field of rehabilitation. A thread that continued throughout all of his writings was that people with disabilities deserve a just and humane life. He scathingly criticized the social neglect of persons with mental retardation and mental illness, and at the same time, he quite honestly felt that in some situations the vocational rehabilitation counselor can be a hindrance to the well-being of the disabled person (Goldberg, 1992, p. 6). He was interested in people who "pass" into normal society, especially mental patients who were able to get regular jobs without disclosing their background of mental illness.

Olshansky warned against counselors feeling too omnipotent, what he called the Albert Schweitzer Syndrome. This particular type of vocational

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person's well-being needs to make a long-term commitment to the client's permanent employment. Their work needs to be real, not "make work" or sheltered workshops that are demeaning to participants. Disabled workers are not defective persons, they are simply individuals with a certain set of characteristics that cause them to require certain types of support. They need opportunities to socialize with nondisabled peers and exposure to appropriate behavior models of a variety of types. Most of all they need to earn a wage which will support them in a normal life (Arnold, 1992, p. 6). In a discussion of the history of the vocational rehabilitation movement, Arnold notes that in the past, very little was expected of individuals with mental and physical disabilities. However, the 1970s brought new insight into the capabilities of the handicapped, and programs arose to provide various educational and vocational opportunities. Most of the employment opportunities that have come from these efforts have been limited to sheltered workshops, adult day programs, and activity centers. These environments all segregate the disabled person from others and tend to emphasize their difficulties rather than providing avenues for normal, prod

Category: Psychology - V