Dear Readers,
I would like to thank all of our IARP editorial board members and contributors for their insightful manuscripts, reviews and recommendations for vocational rehabilitation practice shared in this edition of the Rehabilitation Professional. I would also like to thank the IARP members who have submitted manuscripts for review and publication in our journal. We encourage all IARP members who present at our conferences to consider submitting manuscripts for peer-review and publication.
We appreciate the work of Sonya Peterson for her prior hard work as the Editor of the Rehabilitation Professional and for her informative article Estimating Job Numbers for Vocational Expert Testimony in Social Security Disability Appeal Hearings. This article provides an overview of resources typically utilized by SSA’s Vocational Experts. It includes recommendations for approximating the numbers of full-time jobs that are available in the current U.S. labor market for use in testimony in SSA disability appeal hearings considering the recent SSR 24-3p ruling.
Our second article from Emily Brinck, Gina Oswald and Garret Huck is an empirical pilot study, Study Abroad Perceptions and Travel Experiences of Undergraduate Rehabilitation Students with and without Disabilities: A Pilot Study. This research effort collected data from undergraduate rehabilitation programs at four state universities in the United States. One hundred and fourteen students fully completed the survey. Results of the study are broken down into four categories: (a) participants past experiences of traveling, (b) participants past travel activity experiences, (c) participants perceptions of study abroad, and (d) participants perceptions of travel experiences where differences can be seen between states and disability.
Our third article Applying Universal Design for Workplace Inclusion of the Blind and Visually Impaired Employee is from Tara Parker and Amy Peterson. In this manuscript the authors explore the barriers encountered by blind and visually impaired Americans, as well as the associated and institutionalized challenges and pitfalls linked to the lack of universal design in architectural or physical environments, and safety protocols, as noticeably found in the workplace.
Our fourth article Feeding Tube Use and Employment is from Karen Linstrum. This manuscript examines the possible barriers to employment for a person who is using a feeding tube for nourishment. This narrative literature review will illuminate the information concerning the use of a feeding tube and returning to work after medical treatment for head and neck cancer.
We are grateful to Michele Mahr, Connie Mancera, Aldo Juarez and Nichole Noble for their manuscript, The Benefits of Exercise for Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury: A Positive Psychology Approach. This is a comprehensive literature review exploring the positive effects of exercise and positive psychology for individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI). This review details the benefits of implementing a positive psychology approach utilizing the core tenets of this theoretical orientation. Specifically, this review summarizes the advantages of implementing exercise and positive psychology in rehabilitation counselors’ treatment plans for patients with TBI.
Our final article Vocational Rehabilitation Needs of Bahamian University Graduates with Disabilities Living in the Bahamas is from Sasha Smith. This is an interesting article that utilizes a transcendental phenomenology qualitative research methodology to describe the employment experiences of transition-aged Bahamian university graduates with disabilities from the perspectives of adults who either successfully navigated this transition or who still faced challenges with obtaining and/or maintaining employment.
We hope you find this issue informative and useful for your professional practice. I look forward to serving IARP over the next three years and thank you for your ongoing support of our IARP journals.
Sincerely,
Scott Beveridge, Editor-in-Chief