Vocational rehabilitation, also abbreviated VR or voc rehab, is a process which enables persons with functional, psychological, developmental, cognitive, and emotional disabilities, impairments or health disabilities to overcome barriers to accessing, maintaining, or returning to employment or other useful occupations.
However, it generally focuses on improvements to the socialisation, healthcare and physical and mental wellbeing of the person receiving the services.
[1] However, vocational rehabilitation is unique as it is largely reliant on employer compliance and willingness to involve themselves in the process.
[1] It is believed to be beneficial for people to return to work and to experience full integration into society, which is typically assisted by vocational rehabilitation.
[7] Developed countries such as the US, UK and Australia have had systems in place for rehabilitation services for many years.
[7] As a result, there is a lack of vocational rehabilitation programs in these countries which in turn has consequences on the economic and social development within them.
[7] The World Health Organisation, however, have implemented programs within developing countries in order to better establish their rehabilitation plans for people with disabilities.
[7] Whilst it is a popularly used form of intervention throughout many countries, vocational rehabilitation is often criticised for being inefficient and unsuccessful.
[8] Furthermore, some critics claim that there is not enough emphasis placed on women with disabilities in need of vocational rehabilitation services.
Occupational therapists assist their clients in reaching their maximum level of function with the aim of meeting the physical and emotional demands of their job.
[10] Occupational therapy interventions in vocational rehabilitation include developing assertiveness; communication and interpersonal skills; controlling anger; and stress management, adapting environment, identification and use of compensatory strategies to enable functions within the job.
[17] Some programs offer clients education services in conjunction with their rehabilitation, which has been shown to improve their occupational outcomes.
[19] Of people who suffered traumatic brain injury and used vocational rehabilitation services in the state of Missouri, only 17% were successful in their employment at the time of their case closure.
[20] Furthermore, 20.5% of people with disabilities enter the United States labour force and on average they are paid about 37% less.
[21] There are different agencies in the US that run VR programs, including the following:[22] Vocational rehabilitation has been in practice in the UK since the early 1900s.
Firstly, they provide Disability Employment Advisors which supervise the process of somebody returning to and staying in the workplace.
[8] Whilst a large amount of money is put into such services, the average payback period for people who successfully maintain employment is as long as 20 months.
[44] From 2006, the Australian government introduced a policy where people who were capable of seeking and maintaining employment had an obligation to do so.
[45] To be eligible for vocational rehabilitation services an individual must have some form of a disability that is preventative of employment retention.
[45] It was an important factor in better improving job security for people with disability by providing them with increased social and economic freedom.
[50] The Stimulating Healthy Participation and Relapse Prevention (SHARP) approach is used for individuals with CMDs who experience many sick absences from work.