RCS 4300 Vocational Aspects of Rehabilitation

( ___ Credits)

Prerequisite: For Rehabilitation Services majors or by permission of instructor.

 This course is designed to familiarize students with the field of Rehabilitation, especially vocational aspects of rehabilitation, as well as to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the:

1. History and philosophy of vocational and independent living rehabilitation.

 

2. Major pieces of vocationally focused disability legislation.

 

3. Effects of disability on individuals and families.

 

4. Major barriers to independence and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

 

5. Theories of vocational choice and career decision making.

 

6. Physical, emotional, and mental disabilities in our society.

 

7. Vocational rehabilitation process, paradigm, and outcomes.

 

8. Services and support resources for preparing individuals with disabilities for adult independence.

 

9. Supported employment and transitional services.

 

10. Career opportunities in public and private rehabilitation.

# 1 1/8-12 Historical Roots of Modern Rehabilitation Text Ch. 1

Practices

# 2 1/16-19 Understanding the Disability Experience Rds. Packet # 1-2

# 3 1/22-26 Current Rehabilitation History: 1970-1992 Text Ch. 2-3

and the Americans With Disabilities Act

# 4 1/29-2/2 Philosophical Considerations to Disability Text Ch. 4;

Rights and Rehabilitation Programs Rds. Packet # 3

*Deadline for abstract requirement and student

presentations: January 31, Wednesday.

# 5 2/5-9 Sociological Aspects of Disability, Empower- Text Ch. 5;

ment, and Mentoring Rds. Packet # 4

# 6 2/12-16 Societal Values and Ethical Commitments Text Ch. 6

That Influence Rehabilitation Services

*Deadline for Examination # 1: February 14,

Wednesday.

[continued]

# 7 2/19-23 Rehabilitation Clients and Their Needs: A Text Ch. 7;

Theoretical Model of Vocational Rehabilitation Rds. Packet # 5

Work: Value, Meaning, Demands

DOCS Model for Decision Making Rds. Packet # 6

# 8 2/26-3/1 The Role and Function of the Rehabilitation Text Ch. 8

Counselor

Major Theories of Vocational Choice and

Career Decision Making

# 9 3/4-3/8 The Vocational Rehabilitation Process: Text Ch. 9;

Evaluation Phase Rds. Packet # 7

A Trait Factor Approach to Rehabilitation

# 10 3/11-3/15 The Vocational Rehabilitation Process: Planning Text Ch. 10

and Implementation of Rehabilitation Programs

*Deadline: Examination # 2, March 15, Friday.

3/18-22 SPRING BREAK WEEK

# 11 3/25-29 Utilizing Rehab. Facilities and Support Services Text Ch. 11;

Building Social Support Rds. Packet # 8

# 12 4/1-5 Job Placement Text Ch. 12

*Deadline for field experience requirement and

student presentations: April 5, Friday.

# 13 4/8-12 Supported Employment and Community Rds. Packets

Transition # 9, 10, 11

# 14 4/15-19 Independent Living Text Ch. 13

Assistive Technology Text Ch. 14

# 15 4/19-23 Private Rehabilitation Text Ch. 15

*Deadline: Examination # 3: April 23, Friday.

Student learning will be facilitated through use of a variety of strategies. Instructional methods will include: lecture, audiovisual aids (e.g., overhead and videotape), presentations by guest experts, student presentations, demonstration of rehabilitation methods, discussion, self-appraisal, role playing, examinations, writing short papers, readings, and fieldwork.

Students are expected to be active and responsible learners. This includes:

· 100% attendance

· keeping up with reading assignments

· brief presentations (5 minutes) on abstracts and fieldwork

· participating in class discussion

· note-taking on presentations by instructor and guests

· positive and assertive interaction style

% Max. Points

Examinations (3 x 25% each) 75% 150

Abstracts (2 x 5% each) 10% 20

Fieldwork 15% 30

_____ ______ 200 100%

% Points

A = 90-100% 180-200

B = 89-89% 160-179

C = 70-79% 140-159

D = 60-69% 120-139

F = 59% or less 119 & less

January 31 (Wednesday) Abstracts on Vocational Issues and Student Presentations

February 14 (Wednesday) Examination I

March 13 (Friday) Examination II

April 5 (Friday) Fieldwork Paper and Student Presentations

April 23 (Friday) Examination III

Explanation of Requirements/Assessment Measures 

Brief explanations follow of four course requirements: (1) abstracts on vocational issues and student presentations; (2) examinations; (3) fieldwork; and (4) course participation. Additional explanation, as needed, will be offered during the course.

Vocational Abstracts and Presentation Requirement (Due January 31) 

Prepare two abstracts of an individual reading related to vocational aspects of rehabilitation. Abstracts should be limited to one page, single-spaced (150-300 words). Begin with a reference of the source (author, date, title, access information).

Abstracts may be based on journal articles, manuscripts, newspaper articles, books, films, videos. Abstracts should be informative summaries and critiques of the original source. Content may be related to a vocational issue, service process, or vocational/employment outcomes. Summaries of success stories of positive vocational/employment are especially encouraged.

Students are also to prepare and make brief, five-minute presentations, covering 1-2 of their individual readings, to a small focus group of about 10 students. The abstract requirement is 10% of the final grade.

Examination Requirement (Due February 1, March 13, April 23)

There will be three examinations scheduled for February 1, March 13, and April 23, 1996. All exams will be objective and mostly consist of multiple choice questions. Each exam has a maximum value of 50 points and is 25% of the final grade. All three exams represent 15% of the final grade. It is likely that each exam will consist of 50 questions, each worth one point each.

Examination questions will be based on the required readings and lecture material for the beginning, middle, and end phases of the course. Examination I (February 14) will be based on course content covered in weeks 1-6 of the semester. Exam II (March 13) will be based on course content covered during weeks 6-10. Exam III (April 23) will be based on course content covered during weeks 10-15 of the semester.

Fieldwork Requirement (Completion Date: April 5) 

Students are to complete one of two fieldwork options related to vocational aspects of rehabilitation. Each option represents about 20 hours of work and reflects 15% of the final grade. Each option has three components, consisting of experiential fieldwork, a brief paper, and a brief presentation.

The written paper for both fieldwork options should be brief. Write about a 2-5 page summary and reaction paper about this experience.

The presentations for both fieldwork options should be limited to about five minutes. This sharing will be done in small focus groups of about 10 students.

Participation Requirements 

This course is part of a career preparation program for developing professionals. Course work in many respects is like a job. Quite obviously, individuals can’t participate unless they show up and assert themselves. Class attendance will be taken as an indication of participation. Contributions to class discussions, student presentations, and fieldwork will also be considered as indicators of participation.

Although participation is a non-graded requirement per se, it will be considered for students who are on the border between grades and may slightly boost or reduce grades by a 1/2 grade point. For instance, a student with a B+ with excellent participation could receive an A-. In turn, a student with a B+ average but poor participation might receive a final grade of B.

Bottom line? Please participate ¾ actively, consistently, constructively.

Reading Packet # : One or two required reading packets should be purchased from Target Copy.

Two vocationally focused articles or related materials, in which students are required to prepare abstracts and make brief presentations.

Supplemental Material (required)

Some supplemental required content material will be communicated through presentations and lectures, from the instructor or guests. Some of this information will complement required readings and is fair game for examinations. A small amount of required reading may be supplemented during the semester.

Bibliography: (not required)

The following list is a sampling of additional material that students may choose to read during or after this course. This is recommended reading. This list is not comprehensive and is not required.

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