Document Type
Article
Publication Date
9-2012
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is considered to be a complex disability; impacting far more than mobility and creating several barriers to employment. To better understand dynamic factors related to employment over time this study analyzed the changing demographics of consumers with spinal cord injury (SCI) who received state vocational rehabilitation services between 2004 and 2008. The entire population of 23,135 individuals with an SCI who closed in status 26 (employment outcome) or 28 (no employment outcome) between 2004 and 2008 were included in the study. Several changes were observed. There was a disproportionate decline in the number of consumers with SCI served by the state VR system between 2004 and 2008. The percentage of women served by the State VR exceeded the estimated general population of women with SCI by over 15% and the proportion of African Americans with SCI who received services during this same period trailed the estimated population by 10%. An expanded method of data collection may be beneficial to confirm the demography of individuals with SCI. Changes in the use of customer supports at application was also observed. An awareness of these changes may assist in outreach efforts and agency collaborations.
Recommended Citation
Schoen, B. A., & Leahy, M. J. (2012/Jul-Sep). An analysis of the changing demographics of individuals with spinal cord injury who received state vocational rehabilitation services between 2004 and 2008. Journal of Rehabilitation, 78(3), 11-19.
Comments
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.