Ecological Systems and Vocational Rehabilitation Service Provision for Individuals who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Abstract

Vocational Rehabilitation counselors (VRCs) serve a diverse disability consumer population that varies with respect to background, skills, and criteria that qualify them for career placement services. The effectiveness of services the VRCs provide depend on the ecological factors present within two interdependent ecological systems: that of the VRCs and that of the consumer. Utilizing a grounded theory approach, the purpose of this study was to investigate how VR professionals tailor or adapt the way they work with these systems to improve employment outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) consumers. Analyses of interview data revealed challenges and adaptations at both individual and systemic levels, including need to develop strategies to increase communication access, manage resource scarcity, and facilitate effective collaboration with multiple organizations. Emergent themes from the analyses, including proposed dual systems approach to understanding VR services for DHH individuals, are discussed with implications for practice.