Race as a Correlate of Vocational Rehabilitation Acceptance: Revisited

Abstract

The new millennium seems certain to bring profound changes in the physical appearance of the typical United States (U.S.) citizen (Rehabilitation Services Administration, 1993; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1996). By the year 2010, White Americans will find themselves in the minority in several U.S. cities (U. S. Department of Labor, 1987). Leong (1991) reported that the United States will comprise more racial minorities and women in the workplace, yielding a more diverse workplace. As part of this overall forecast, more minority customers are likely to seek vocational rehabilitation (VR) services, a troubling trend since race appears to influence the overall disability rate between minorities and non-minorities (Allen, 1976; Bowe, 1984; Brown, 1993; Ficke, 1992; Hayes-Bautista, 1992; U.S. Department of Education NIDRR, 1992; Walker, Adbury, Maholmes, & Rackley, 1992). African Americans, for example, are more likely to present with both disabilities and significant disabilities than White Americans (Allen, 1976; Marshall, 1987; Walker, 1988). Since this demographic transformation is already underway in the United States, can predict that VR counselors will see more racial minorities than ever, making the issue of racial and ethnic eligibility a critical concern within the VR system. According to Van Der Veer, Van Ijzendoor, and Valsiner (1994), one of the most well-known rules of scientific methodology states that researchers should endeavor after repeatable or replicable experiments and results (p. 11). Replication is often called an interesting paradox because researchers usually recite the need for replication (Wheaton, 1995; Wilson, 1999, 2000), however, studies are seldom replicated (Hacking, 1983). Citing Hacking's ironic observation, Miedema and Biesta (1994) concluded that a significant amount of lip service is paid to replication, but only a limited amount of theoretical reflection appears on the topic in the standard texts and reference books. The authors adduced that the scarcity of study replications mentioned by Miedema and Biesta, can also be observed, or lack of, in professional journals in rehabilitation education and counseling. Principally, because so many studies of VR outcomes among African Americans and White Americans recommend replication in other states using Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA)-911 data (Dziekan & Okocha, 1993; Wheaton, 1995; Wilson, 1999, 2000), the investigation at hand set out to replicate the Wilson's (1999) investigation on VR acceptance among African Americans and White Americans with disabilities. Finally, of the eight studies that have examined race and VR acceptance since 1980, none has constituted a replication of a previous study of acceptance by race. Race and VR Acceptance The first study to investigate discrepancies between African Americans and White Americans was conducted by Atkins and Wright in 1980. Atkins and Wright found African Americans were accepted less for VR services than White Americans in most of the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) regions in the United States. However, after recalculating the data from the study of Atkins and Wright, Bolton and Cooper (1980) questioned whether a 5.5% discrepancy was sufficient to support the conclusion that African Americans and White Americans received unequal treatment in the VR system. Nevertheless, the study of Atkins and Wright retained its historical authority because it was the first investigation of race and VR acceptance. Subsequently, several research teams set out to confirm or refute the assertions adduced by Atkins and Wright. Interestingly enough, Atkins and Wright failed to apply a statistical test to race and VR eligibility to see whether the proportions observed between African Americans and White Americans were significant. Over a decade later, Herbert and Martinez (1992) sought to determine whether race/ethnicity (American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or White) correlated with case service statuses. …

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