Self-employment: An under-utilised vocational rehabilitation strategy
Titel:
Self-employment: An under-utilised vocational rehabilitation strategy
Auteur:
Kendall, Elizabeth Buys, Nicholas Charker, Jill MacMillan, Sarah
Verschenen in:
Journal of vocational rehabilitation
Paginering:
Jaargang 25 (2006) nr. 3 pagina's 197-205
Jaar:
2006-12-06
Inhoud:
Over the last two decades self-employment has become an increasingly attractive option for many individuals, including people with disabilities. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that vocational rehabilitation service providers continue to hold negative views about self-employment as a service delivery option for their clients. Given the lack of Australian research in this area, this study examined attitudes of rehabilitation counselors towards self-employment. Data were collected from 143 rehabilitation counsellors across Australia using a survey instrument developed by Ravesloot and Seekins. Results indicated that rehabilitation counselors generally held positive attitudes towards self-employment as a vocational outcome for their clients, providing it was financially viable and clients possessed requisite social skills. However, they also reported a lack of organisational support for self-employment as a placement option. The implications of these results for policy and practice are discussed, including the need for more government intervention in this area to encourage rehabilitation providers to offer self-employment to consumers.