Linda R. Shaw

Intersectionality and Disability Harassment: The Interactive Effects of Disability, Race, Age, and Gender

A possible interaction among the characteristics of disability, race, gender, and age was examined with respect to formal allegations of disability harassment. Using data from the National Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Research Project, the authors examined whether there was an interaction among disability, gender, age, race, and employer characteristics when considering the proportion of harassment versus other forms of discrimination allegations. Using Exhaustive Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detector (Exhaustive CHAID) analysis, the authors detected several interaction effects. They discovered unique clusters of characteristics that place certain groups at a very high and very low risk for experiencing disability harassment. The findings are discussed in the context of past and future research on intersectionality and workplace implications.

Contemporary Issues Facing Rehabilitation Counseling: A Delphi Study of the Perspectives of Leaders of the Discipline

Challenges to the profession of rehabilitation counseling have frequently been cited in the rehabilitation counseling literature, but little empirical evidence exists about the perceptions of the field’s leadership regarding the current critical issues of importance to the field. This study reports the results of a Delphi study that elicited consensus opinions among the field’s leadership about issues critical to the field of rehabilitation counseling. Despite some variation in the degree of importance ascribed to the issues identified by participants, 41 of the 42 issues identified by participants were considered to be important in the final rounds of the study. These issues can be thematically classified into five domains: (a) professional identity and recognition; (b) changes in service delivery systems; (c) education and training issues; (d) research; and (e) professional association issues. Implications for the field of rehabilitation counseling are discussed.

Family-staff conflict in the rehabilitation setting: causes, consequences, and implications

The context in which staff-family conflict occurs in the TBI rehabilitation setting is outlined including the sources of stress specific to each group and the needs of family members during the recovery process. The ways in which both family members and professionals exacerbate the conflict are described, followed by implications for facility management posture, programme development, and research.

Development and application of the Family Involvement Questionnaire in brain injury rehabilitation

This article reports the development and implementation of a new instrument, the Family Involvement Questionnaire (FIQ), for determining perceptions about family involvement needs in the rehabilitation process of traumatically brain-injured (TBI) clients. Factor analysis results indicate a four-factor solution to be optimal both in terms of parsimony and psychological meaningfulness, providing empirical evidence for the factorial structure of the FIQ. Additional statistical analyses using the factor-based scores of the four FIQ subscales revealed that professionals and family members differ significantly in their perceptions regarding family involvement in TBI rehabilitation in three of the four subscales. Specific activities where family members and professionals differed significantly are explored and implications of the study are discussed.

Professional Disclosure Practices of Rehabilitation Counselors.

This article reports the results of a survey conducted in order to determine the professional disclosure practices of rehabilitation counselors in both the public and the private sector. Counselors were surveyed regarding the content, the circumstances, the timing, and the format of their disclosure. They were also asked to share their opinions about the use of written forms and about professional disclosure in general. A descriptive analysis revealed that although some information is routinely disclosed, many kinds of information (e.g., treatment risks, limits of confidentiality) that are generally considered very important in the disclosure process are not disclosed to all clients and/or are not disclosed at the outset of the counseling relationship. Several differences in practice between counselors in the public and private sectors were identified. Implications for ethical practice and risk management related to professional disclosure were discussed.

Content analysis of the advisory opinion archive of the commission on rehabilitation counselor certification

Rehabilitation counselors are taught to use the Code of Professional Ethics for Rehabilitation Counselors in conjunction with ethical decision-making models to resolve ethical dilemmas. In this article, the authors underscore the importance of consultation in the process of ethical decision making. Advisory opinions provided by the Ethics Committee of the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification are discussed as one method of consultation. The purpose and the process of requesting advisory opinions are discussed. Additionally, information about the content of the advisory opinion archive maintained by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification is provided. All opinions provided by the Ethics Committee between 1996 and 2006 are organized by category and so presented. Implications for counselors and suggestions for utilization of advisory opinions are explored.

The Use of Professional Disclosure in Rehabilitation Counseling.

The importance of adequate professional disclosure has recently received increased attention in the counseling and psychology literature. Despite this trend, the rehabilitation counseling professional literature contains little information about the prevalence and manner in which this practice is used within rehabilitation counseling. This article reviews the relevant literature and discusses its implications for rehabilitation counselors. The authors discuss the use and content of disclosure forms and practices, including the degree to which mental health professionals actually use such forms and reasons for nonuse. Clinical and research needs regarding professional disclosure within rehabilitation counseling are also discussed.

Employee and employer characteristics associated with elevated risk of filing disability harassment charges

Abstract . The purpose of this study was to examine how individuals who file charges of harassment differ from individualswho file other types of disability discrimination charges (e.g., hiring, firing, or reasonable accommodation) as well as the uniquecharacteristicsofrespondents(employers)tothesecharges.211,736allegations(25,411allegationsofharassmentvs.186,325othertypes of allegations) were extracted from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Integrated Mission Systemdatabase. Results from the chi-squared automatic interaction detector analysis indicated that women, minorities, and people withbehavioral disabilities are more likely to file harassment charges. Employees with disabilities who work in Educational Servicesor in Public Administration were found to be more likely to file harassment charges than employees who work for other types ofbusiness and industry, and companies with 500 or more employees were more likely to have harassment lawsuits. Implicationsfor vocational rehabilitation and demand-side employment research were discussed.Keywords: Disability harassment, intimidation, workplace discrimination

Rehabilitation Counselors’ Perceptions of Ethical Workplace Culture and the Influence on Ethical Behavior

It is generally accepted that the environment in which a counselor works influences his or her ethical behavior, but there is little empirical examination of this idea within the rehabilitation counseling professional literature. A survey was conducted with a national sample of practicing certified rehabilitation counselors that elicited qualitative data consisting of situations where workplace culture influenced ethical behavior and decision making. Forty percent of the 1,919 respondents provided examples. Qualitative analysis of the data yielded five themes: bureaucracy and resources, workforce, honesty, client welfare, and power differential. Recommendations for policy and future directions for research are discussed.