Employment after SCI: Experiences of Employers and State Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors

Research Objectives: To investigate employers who hired or rehired individuals with SCI (i.e., demand-side) and state Vocational Rehabilitation counselors (i.e., supply-side) stakeholders' experiences and perceptions of the Vocational Resource Facilitation (VRF), an early vocational intervention for individuals with SCI; as well as their experiences and perceptions on returning to work after SCI.

Design: This study was conducted using a qualitative research design. Eight semi-structured interviews were conducted.

Setting: The study was conducted in community settings, including state Vocational Rehabilitation offices, community organizations, and private for-profit businesses.

Participants: Participants in this study included five rehabilitation counselors from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (DVRS) who have worked with VRF participants with SCI, and three employers who have hired or rehired VRF participates with SCI.

Interventions: N/A

Main Outcome Measures: The main outcomes included facilitators and barriers reported by DVR counselors and employers as they were engaging in working with VRF participants with SCI.

Results: The participants highlighted a range of facilitators working with individuals with SCI in the return to work process, including development of positive attitude, empathy, and knowledge related to SCI, learning about return to work process, appreciated opportunity to utilize counseling skills. The barriers included limited knowledge and confidence in addressing SCI-related adjustment and employment issues, as well as confusion caused by multiple service providers involvement.

Conclusions: VRF is an effective early vocational intervention in improving returning to work and employment outcomes for inpatients with SCI. Current poster presents the findings from interviews with DVRS counselors and employers.

Author(s) Disclosures: All authors listed do not have any conflicts