This Is AuburnElectronic Theses and Dissertations

Rehabilitation Counselors’ Perceptions of Transition Programs, Services, and Practices for Youth with Disabilities

Date

2015-09-29

Author

Dotson, Courtney K.

Type of Degree

Dissertation

Department

Rehabilitation and Special Education

Abstract

Rehabilitation counselors are oftentimes the only link that students with disabilities, transitioning from school to their post-school desires, have to employment; therefore, rehabilitation counselors’ perceptions of transition programs, services, and practices need to be to examined. Having insight into the perspectives of rehabilitation professionals could facilitate greater understanding of perceived transition practices, service delivery, roles, and a means to improving interagency collaboration and adult linkages early on. In an effort to expand the research in this area, a nonexperimental survey design was conducted. An exploratory factor analysis was used to identify an underlying transition factor structure for the Transition Practices Survey for Rehabilitation instrument used for this study. Five transition factor areas are presented and conferred in chapter three. More specifically, this study examined 102 Alabama rehabilitation counselors’ perceptions of transition programs, services, and practices for youth with disabilities. Four research questions guided this study and focused on perceptions of practice taking into account: (a) professional certification held or not held, (b) type of caseload served, (c) length of service, and (d) estimated length of time spent during in-service training in transition within the past two years. Analysis of research questions’ two and four yielded significant differences in perceptions of transition practices across the four factors among rehabilitation counselors. Analysis of research question three yielded significant differences in perceptions of transition practices across the two of the four factors among rehabilitation counselors. Results for research question one were not statistically significant. Additionally, the study identified the perceived training in transition areas of highest interest and need among rehabilitation counselors. Implications and proposed directions for future research are discussed.