A mail survey of 353 young adults who had physical disabilities and were between the ages of 20 and 30 was conducted to identify what bridges and barriers they experienced in their transition from school to work or alternative situation. The respondents were recruited from 11 education, rehabilitation and self-help organizations in New York and California. Data on career development were analyzed by multivariate techniques to assess the impact of personal characteristics, functional capacities, and work-socialization experiences on these outcomes. Consistent with research on the general population, personal characteristics (e.g., educational achievement) were the best disriminators of employment status. Reported use and benefit of formal helping resources was rather limited, suggesting need to re-shape the role, perception and/or impact of these professional services. Access to additional resources and improved opportunities through linkages among the special education, vocational rehabilitation and private-sector employment communities is recommended.

Qualitative research methodology is an often misunderstood and underutilized set of philosophies, approaches, and procedures that lends itself quite readily to the study of phenomena of substantial interest to rehabilitation researchers, research consumers, and individuals with disabilities. For that reason, we propose general guidelines for developing and preparing manuscripts to be submitted for journal publication. We discuss important elements to address in introducing the study, describing the research methods, presenting the findings, and discussing the findings. Throughout the article, we use examples from qualitative research articles to illustrate both the process and reporting of qualitative research.

Forty former rehabilitation counseling clients returned a mail questionnaire that requested them to write descriptions of "ideal" and minimally qualified rehabilitation counselors. Coders applied content analysis to classify the emergent defining criteria of these counselor prototypes. Relational values and qualities (Consumer-First Advocacy, Nurturing Traits) represented the most frequent categories for the ideal counselor descriptors; demographic characteristics (Disability Experience, Education, Maturity) were mentioned least. Predominent categories for the minimum qualifications were Credentials and Education and subcategories under Work Ethic and Approach, including Commitment to Client, Professional Behavior, and Competence. Broader use of discovery-oriented, qualitative methodologies in rehabilitation research is encouraged to capture consumers' phenomenological perspectives.

Disability is a part of ordinary human experience-a characteristic much like race or gender, which may subject individuals to stigma, prejudice, and discrimination. Yet research and teaching within psychology have paid relatively little attention to the issues of people with disabilities, even though disability will impinge on virtually everyone's life. Although clinical, counseling, and rehabilitation psychology do provide help with physical, cognitive, and emotional impairments, there is little understanding of the experiences of people with disabilities in a society that does not always accept them and, indeed, is unaware of the systemic nature of its discrimination.

Reflections and recommendations from American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA) leaders were solicited and analyzed to explore challenging issues considered relevant to all rehabilitation counseling (RC) associations. Of the 29 locatable Past-Presidents (from 1980 through 2016), 12 persons (41%) participated. The free-response questions emailed were the following: (1) describe the best accomplishment of your year as President; (2) explain the biggest challenge at that time for ARCA as an organization; (3) explain the concurrent challenges for the RC profession; and (4) specify two top priorities that ARCA leaders should work on, to have positive impact on RC’s stakeholders. The verbatim responses, presented in full in this article, were categorized into thematic clusters. The major themes that were identified echoed findings from some related prior studies and ongoing discourse within RC. Recommended goals for the profession’s sustainability are to (a) shape a stronger professional identity that is better understood and appreciated; (b) support an organizational vehicle or association for publicizing our voice and vision, and cultivating growth through ongoing professional collaboration; (c) increase the meaningful impact our profession has on its stakeholder groups; (d) enhance and maintain high standards of rehabilitation education and competent, ethical practice; and (e) engage in partnership with the disability community.