Diabetes Knowledge: What Do College Students Know

This study investigates students' knowledge about diabetes, with a focus on academic disciplines and gender. Data were collected from 218 students enrolled at a large public university. Descriptive statistics were employed, and factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) were performed. The results showed that, while participants seemed to have some knowledge about diabetes, they generally lacked specific content information about the disease. Female students outperformed male students in diabetes knowledge. Rehabilitation counselor educators can offer an invaluable service by covering the topic of diabetes in their courses and curricula. They can consider incorporating specific information about diabetes that can better prepare students as rehabilitation counseling professionals and informed citizens, while ensuring that male and female students have the same level of diabetes knowledge.

Families of veterans with traumatic brain injury in Australia and the United States: implications for rehabilitation counselors

Starting with World War I, Australia and the United States have been allies in military operations. Since then, both countries have been challenged by meeting the needs of military personnel incurring traumatic brain injury (TBI), especially during recent operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. TBI impacts all members of the veteran’s family. This paper articulates the shared responsibility both countries assume in meeting the support needs faced by families of military veterans with TBI and how TBI in the military is different than in the civilian population. The paper describes how both countries differently address the needs of family caregivers of veterans with TBI and outlines areas for rehabilitation counselor collaborations in research and training.

The Pedagogy of Rehabilitation Counseling: Perceptions of Rehabilitation Educators

The purpose of this study was to incorporate Bloom’s cognitive levels (Remembering/ Knowledge, Understanding/Comprehension, Applying/Application, Evaluating, and Creating/Synthesis) of understanding for rehabilitation counselor training programs. Forty rehabilitation counselor educators completed an online survey rating how important, how confident, and how frequently each participant incorporated the six learning domains of Bloom’s taxonomy within the classroom. The results indicate that rehabilitation counseling educators stated that they felt confident and that it is important to implement all the learning domains of Bloom’s taxonomy. Rehabilitation counseling educators indicated that application learning domain has the most impact on student learning. This study also provides implications and future directions to help discussion among rehabilitation counselor educators.

Earning Capacity of Private Rehabilitation Counselors

The following study builds upon prior research on rehabilitation counseling salary surveys completed by the American Counseling Association (ACA), the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (IARP), and the American Board of Vocational Experts (ABVE). The present study examines the current state of salary distribution within the private sector of rehabilitation counseling by combining the data sets from the IARP and ABVE participants into one large sample for regression analyses. The survey was created by building on the existing ACA and CRCC salary surveys in the counseling field and refined with the assistance of a Delphi panel of 10 nationally known rehabilitation counselors with an average of 31 years clinical experience. The survey participants included 524 members of IARP and ABVE who completed the identical online survey to provide the data to examine the average annual earnings, demographics, and participants who experienced disabilities during their career within the two national organizations. Results found that gender, education level, practice setting, licensure status, and years in practice were statistically significant.

Development and Validation of the Ableist Microaggression Impact Questionnaire

Microaggressions are daily insults to minority individuals such as people with disabilities (PWD) that communicate messages of exclusion, inferiority, and abnormality. In this study, we developed a new scale, the Ableist Microaggressions Impact Questionnaire (AMIQ), which assesses ableist microaggression experiences of PWD. Data from 245 PWD were collected using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform. An exploratory factor analysis of the 25-item AMIQ revealed a three-factor structure with internal consistency reliability ranging between .87 and .92. As a more economical and psychometrically sound instrument assessing microaggression impact as it pertains to disability, the AMIQ offers promise for rehabilitation counselor research and practice.

Technology and Communication Considerations for Engaging Youth Receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits: Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Perspectives

Technology has been shown to enhance daily activities, increase participation in individualized planning and supports, and accommodate the transition needs of students with disabilities. This study examined the benefits and challenges regarding technology use when providing transition services for youth and families receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Specifically, it explored the nuances of employing technology to encourage engagement in Wisconsin Promoting the Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (WI PROMISE) services and foster communication between counselors and participants. This qualitative study used a constant comparative method for analyzing data collected through two focus groups of WI PROMISE counselors. Counselors identified technology as essential to maintaining contact with WI PROMISE participants as well as extant barriers including inconsistent access to the internet, financial expense, and insufficient training and support. Recommendations for using technology to communicate with transition-aged youth and their families will be discussed.

Recommendations for Preservice Training in Cognitive Disabilities: Perceptions of Practicing Rehabilitation Counselors

Given an increased prevalence of cognitive disabilities in the United States, and federal legislation aimed to reduce employment disparities among individuals with cognitive disabilities, a greater emphasis on this population is needed in rehabilitation counselor education (RCE) programs. A total of 33 graduates of a Cognitive Disabilities Certificate program were asked to offer recommendations for future training of Master's-level rehabilitation counseling students in the area of cognitive disabilities. A phenomenological approach was applied, using the constant comparative method for data analysis. Analysis resulted in four emergent themes. Participants recommended pedagogical approaches to incorporate cognitive disability-related issues into RCE curriculum; specialized training on cognitive disabilities should be required; and specialized training in other disability populations was also recommended. Lastly, participants discussed the need to provide specialized training on sub-populations such as autism, military veterans, and persons with co-occurring psychiatric and cognitive disabilities. Implications for pedagogy and research are provided.