White Americans With Disabilities Have More Access To Vocational Rehabilitation Services

August 14, 2001

University Park, Pa. -- White Americans with disabilities are more likely to be accepted for vocational rehabilitation (VR) services than similarly disabled African Americans, Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Asians or Pacific Islanders in the United States, according to a Penn State researcher.

"People with disabilities in the United States already have a jobless rate of 70 percent, even though the great majority want to work. For these Americans in need of vocational training, a severe disability, whether physical or psychological, can be compounded by race or ethnicity. Their predicament is aggravated even more when they are female. These numbers are considered to be a microcosm of society," says Dr. Keith B. Wilson, assistant professor of rehabilitation in the College of Education.

"A contributing factor to this discrimination seems to be that there are few vocational rehabilitation counselors and administrators who are people of color. According to the most current figures, 93 percent of VR counselors and 92 percent of VR administrators classify themselves as European-American. These practitioners may be swayed by stereotypes that in turn influence their decision-making about clients and the ability of clients to complete tasks. Negative stereotypes trigger negative evaluations, which may or may not be intentional," Wilson notes.

An increase in the number of VR counselors and administrators who are people of color might help the situation, according to Wilson, a certified rehabilitation counselor with 15 years of experience working with people with disabilities.

"However, what might be an even more effective solution is to ensure that students training to be rehabilitation counselors have adequate experience with the groups that they will be counseling. Part of their practicum/internship, for instance, should be counseling in minority neighborhoods, schools and counseling centers," he adds. "Association with others who are different in appearance and behavior leads to greater empathy and understanding. It also makes people of any color more willing to exchange negative stereotypes for more positive and authentic images."

Evidence suggests that, for White VR counselors, getting to know minority persons may reduce the tendency to base eligibility decisions on ethnicity, he adds.

Wilson's findings was presented this summer at a conference of the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counselors and will be published in the paper, "The Exploration of Vocational Rehabilitation Acceptance and Ethnicity," in an upcoming issue of the journal, Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin.

He is recipient of the prestigious Bobbie Atkins Research Award from the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC).

The Penn State researcher limited his study to clients of state vocational rehabilitation agencies throughout the country. These agencies (e.g. Office of Vocational Rehabilitation) together form part of the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), which in turn is a division of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS), under the U.S. Department of Education. The RSA manages the daily operations of the federal VR program, which does not include the various private profit or non-profit VR providers.

The Penn State researcher used national data from the RSA. The sample consisted of 162,590 clients (91,082 males, 71,508 females) of various races who sought vocational rehabilitation services in the United States from Oct. 1, 1997 through Sept. 30, 1998. Whites make up 76 percent of all federal VR clients; African-Americans, 22 percent; Native Americans or Alaskan Natives, 1 percent; and Asians or Pacific Islanders, 1 percent.

Disabilities covered by VR are listed under six classifications: visual impairments, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments (with the exception of amputations), absence or amputation of a major or minor member, traumatic brain injury and physical and psychological impediments of unknown etiology. The last category includes by far the largest percentage of disabilities (64.3), ranging from autism and drug abuse to cleft palate and sickle cell anemia.

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Contacts:

Paul Blaum (814) 865-9481 pab15@psu.edu

Vicki Fong (814) 865-9481 vfong@psu.edu

EDITORS: Dr. Wilson is at (814) 863-2413 or at kbw4@psu.edu by email.