The relationship of vocational rehabilitation (VR) acceptance to race, education, work status, and primary source of support at application was examined using logistic regression. Using a stepwise entry method, the categories of primary source of support at application and race were statistically significant. Moreover, within the variable of primary source of support at application, customer earnings were significant. As customer earnings increased, the likelihood of being accepted for VR decreased. As the type of primary support at application changed, the likelihood of being accepted for VR changed. Finally, European Americans were more likely than African Americans to be accepted for VR services.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether Americans and European Americans disability would differ in vocational rehabilitation (VR) acceptance. The author used a Chi-square test of independence as the test statistic. Because the majority of previous studies of VR acceptance fail to use a relational statistic to test the practical significance among explanatory and criterion variables, the phi coefficient was utilized. Relational statistics are important because it shows how variables relate, either negatively or positively. Using this methodology, there was no statistically significant difference between African Americans and European Americans. Moreover, the strength of the association between variables proved slight, even in the presence of a relatively large sample. The author concludes by discussing limitations and future research.

This study aims to assess young people's overall experience of political conflict, as well as the extent of these experiences in relation to gender, religious affiliation and residential location (high or low conflict). Second, this study assesses the impact that young people's ideological commitment and experiences of the conflict have on their self-esteem and mental health. A sample of 96 Protestant and Catholic young people (mean age 15.2), drawn from four schools in two areas of Northern Ireland, completed self-report measures of self-esteem, mental health, ideological commitment and experience of conflict. The areas differed substantially in the amount of violence they had experienced. The results indicated that young people's experience of violence varied in relation to the town in which they lived. Boys' experience of violence appeared to be related to their religious affiliation. Experience of conflict and ideological commitment, two attributes that were positively related, interacted to predict both mental health and self-esteem. The importance of ideological commitment to our understanding of the impact of political conflict on young people is discussed.

Compared with other ethnic minorities in the United States, numbers for the Hispanic population are significantly escalating. In the study described here, a chi-square test of proportions was used to examine the vocational rehabilitation (VR) acceptance rates among Hispanics and non-Hispanics. The test statistic revealed a statistically significant difference between race/ethnicity and VR acceptance. In particular, Hispanics are more likely to be accepted for VR services than are non-Hispanics in the United States. Implications for VR counselors are discussed.

Changing demographics require human service workers to become more multiculturally competent. Using the multicultural counseling competencies as a foundation, the presenters outlined strategies to develop competencies within the awareness, knowledge and skill domains of multicultural competence. The authors propose implications for improving advocacy for multicultural social justice.

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive ability of vocational rehabilitation services for deaf and hard of hearing consumers who received college and university training. The RSA-911 database for fiscal year 2004 was analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of 21 services in leading to competitive employment. A model predicting competitive employment included job search assistance, job placement, maintenance, rehabilitation technology, transportation, information and referral services, and other services. Results from the logistic regression analysis are discussed in relation to the implications to practitioners and educators.

Contemporary demographics reveal that the Asian Population is the fastest growing minority in the U.S. Thus, vocational rehabilitation counselors must be prepared to face cultural dynamics that can influence outcomes in the treatment process. While many people may view Asians as a homogenous population, people who are of Asian descent come from many places including, but not limited to Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, Vietnam and Asian/Pacific Islander population. The present study provides information about the Asian culture relative to people with disabilities and seeks to give clinicians more tools to apply when working with people who are of Asian descent. Asians represent 4.8% of the civilian non-institutionalized population. Since the Asian/Pacific Islander population is a large racial ethnic group in the U.S., it is important to understand how vocational rehabilitation counselors educate them to live in their new land.

The reported study examined whether African Americans, European Americans, Native Americans/Alaskan Natives, and Asians/Pacific Islanders with disabilities would differ in their rates of vocational rehabilitation (VR) acceptance in the United Sates. The test statistic revealed that a significant difference existed regarding ethnicity and VR acceptance. Moreover, a small but significant association emerged between ethnicity and VR acceptance (Cramer's V = .023). The results revealed that in the United States, European Americans are more likely to be accepted for VR services than are African Americans. The author discusses possible barriers to VR acceptance for underserved and underrepresented groups in the United States.