Roy K. Chen

Willingness to Engage in Personal Relationships With Persons With Disabilities Examining Category and Severity of Disability

This study examined the willingness of persons without disabilities (PWODs) to engage in personal relationships with persons with disabilities (PWDs). Participants (N = 305) were primarily female Hispanic students (91%) preparing for careers in the helping professions. The Relationships and Disability Survey assessed the effect of the category and severity of disability on the type of relationships students were willing to have with PWDs. Students also ranked personal attributes of PWDs that might affect their willingness to engage in relationships. Results indicated that students were significantly more willing to have friendships and acquaintanceships with persons with mild to moderate disabilities and persons with sensory, health, and physical impairments. Students were least willing to marry or have a partnership with a PWD, especially if the PWD had cognitive and psychiatric impairments. Personal attributes of intelligence, kindness, and humor were rated most highly.

Rehabilitation Services and Education in Four Asian Countries: Thailand, South Korea, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Booming economic prosperity, the restoration of sociopolitical stability, and the rise of disability rights have given Asian countries both impetus and resources to improve quality of life among their citizens with disabilities. This article provides an overview of rehabilitation services and training pertaining to (a) rehabilitation-related laws and policies and disability statistics, (b) current status of rehabilitation services, (c) training and education of rehabilitation counselors and professionals, and (d) implications for rehabilitation educators and practitioners in the United States.

Hiring of people with disabilities: Perceptions of Hispanic small business owners

BACKGROUND: Employment of people with disabilities continues to be a concern in the field of rehabilitation counseling. Employment rates remain low, resulting in many people with disabilities living at or below the poverty line. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Hispanic small business owners toward hiring people with disabilities. METHODS: The 38-item Employer Attitudes Questionnaire (EAQ) and the 33-item Small Business Owners Survey (SBOS) were used to investigate attitudes and concerns about hiring issues along with the business owners’ general feelings toward the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Survey packets were distributed in the business districts of two selected cities in southern Texas. Two hundred and seventeen participants took part in the study. RESULTS: The findings suggest that there is a range of views about the capabilities of workers from various disability categories as well as differing opinions on the cost of reasonable accommodations. The results of a regression analysis yielded three significant predictors influencing hiring decisions: whether the business owner had a family member or a friend with a disability, the business owner’s marital status, and their awareness of the ADA. CONCLUSIONS: There is a continuing need to educate small business owners about disability- and employment-rights legislation; however, cost considerations to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities seem to be significantly more important for small business owners than for large corporations.

The Voluntary Practice of Eugenics: Risk-Taking and Religiosity as Determinants of Attitudes Toward Conceiving Children with Potential Genetic Disorders and Inheritable Diseases

The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes toward the voluntary practice of eugenics among people with high-risk inheritable diseases and genetic disorders. Participants consisted of 426 students attending two large public universities in the south and southwestern regions of the United States. The study used the modified scale of attitudes toward mental retardation and eugenics, the risk-taking questionnaire, and the dimensions of religious ideology importance scale. A general linear model was tested to answer the research question. The results showed that the model was significant (p < 0.001; adjusted r2 of 0.078). Significant main effects were found in race [F (4,378) = 2.538, p = 0.04, η2 = 0.026], risk avoidance [F (1,378) = 12.536, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.032] and importance of religion [F (1,378) = 5.530, p = 0.019, η2 = 0.014]. Cultural, ethnic, and religious variables influenced people’s views toward disability. One’s perception of both disability and its impact on quality of life will influence his or her feelings about eugenics and babies with congenital conditions.

Postsecondary Educators' Cultural and Institutional Awareness of Issues Faced by African American Students with Disabilities.

Being a part of an ethnic minority group and a student with a disability (SWD) often presents as a barrier to college retention and graduation rates among members of this marginalized group. Purpose: To examine educators’ awareness of racial and institutional influences that impact African American SWD. Method: Data for this study were gathered using a snowball sampling technique that surveyed 145 educators at colleges and universities in 16 U.S. states. An exploratory factor analysis with a varimax rotation procedure was used to group items of the Culture and Disability Awareness Scale for Postsecondary Educators into more specific categories. Results: A 3-factor solution explaining 58% of the variance was considered to be most interpretable. The extracted factors were entitled as follows: (a) disability-related issues, (b) personal wellness, and (c) faculty involvement. Conclusion: The results suggest the survey respondents’ level of awareness and knowledge was poorer regarding racial and cultural statements in comparison to institutional influences. Implications for practice, education, and future research are discussed.

Helping Adults with Muscular Dystrophy: Rehabilitation Counseling Implications

It is estimated about 200,000 Americans have been diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy (MD), a neuromuscular disease characterized by gradual degeneration and atrophy of the muscle cells and fibers (Siegel, 1999). Functional limitations associated with MD include cognitive, social, physical/vocational, and emotional functioning. Rehabilitation counselors are advised to use a holistic approach to serving clients with MD. Compassion is key to building a meaningful professional relationship between the client and the rehabilitation counselor. However, rehabilitation counselors should neither communicate an overly pessimistic outlook nor raise false hope.