The Preferences and Anticipations of People Referred for Vocational Rehabilitation

Abstract

Client expectations are beginning to receive increasing attention in rehabilitation research and practice. This study provides preliminary data about the expectations, conceptualized as preferences and anticipations, of individuals seeking vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. Sixty-five people (33 women and 32 men) referred to a state VR agency completed an open-ended survey. A grounded-theory, qualitative methodology was used to identify and categorize the themes that emerged from the survey responses. The results suggest that individuals (a) enter the VR process with their own unique sets of preferences and anticipations, (b) have fairly clear ideas about what services they wish to receive but are uncertain about what services they will receive, and (c) want clear and specific information about all aspects of the VR process.