Mr. Chairman, for your review, and for the record, I am also attaching the 1973 Fact Sheet, mentioned above, on the impact of the possible loss of federal support for the training of rehabilitation personnel. The fact sheet was prepared by the Council of Rehabilitation Counselor Educators.

COUNCIL OF REHABILITATION COUNSELOR EDUCATORS, 1973 FACT SHEET

INTRODUCTION

Because of the impending loss of RSA funds for training rehabilitation workers, the Council of Rehabilitation Counselor Educators undertook the task of determining what effect this loss will have on university training programs. To this end, CRCE surveyed 67 (75% of the total) college and university training programs around the country. Included in the survey are undergraduate programs, Masters programs, Ph.D/Ed.D. programs, certificate programs and various combinations of programs. Of the 67 programs surveyed, 53 were public institutions and 14 were private institutions.

BACKGROUND

In the past three years, the programs surveyed have graduated a total of 4812 students. Of this total, 2864 students were supported, at least in part, by RSA funds, including 8 Bachelors degree students, 2742 Masters degree students and 114 doctoral degree students. At present, these universities award 1551 RSA traineeships to students and average 4480 applicants for traineeships per year. If more traineeships were provided, these universities could accept 2135 more students per year.

For the academic year 1973-74, these programs have received 3797 applications of which 2099 will require financial support. Sixty-three percent (63%) of those students requiring financial support belong to special target groups, i.e., non-white, poor white, or handicapped. If financial support is not available, the programs anticipate they will lose at least 1403 students they could otherwise accept. Nine-hundred-eighty three (983) of the students that would be lost belong to the special target groups. Although there are other sources of financial support besides RSA traineeships, only 50% of the programs felt that these sources could be expanded or utilized effectively.

The specific responses of the programs participating in this survey are represented in tables and presented in the following five categories: (I) Impact on Student Enrollment; (II) Impact on Faculty and Support Personnel; (III) Impact on Program Size and Quality; (IV) University Response to the Reduction in RSA funds; (V) Impact of Loss of Funds on the Profession of Rehabilitation Counseling. Included in the summary are additional impressions and concerns as expressed by the coordinators of the programs.

TABLE II.—Impact on faculty and support personnel

Part-time and full-time faculty: Total, 449; university support, 292; nonuniversity support, 157; anticipated loss, 79; assigned other, 65.

In addition there are 291 support personnel currently being supported by RSA.

27-081-74-pt. 26

TABLE III.—Impact on program quality

A. No. of courses offered-Programs: Courses will be eliminated or substantially reduced, 14; courses will be reduced somewhat, 35; no change, 18. B. Special enrichment programs supported by RSA:

TABLE IV.—University response to reduction in RSA funds

Complete withdrawal of university support_.
Continue present level, but no additional funds_---
Increase support to fully compensate for teaching funds but not for stu-
dent funds___

4

41

11

Increase level of support to fully compensate for loss of both teaching and student support---.

2

Provide additional support for students but no increase for faculty support

1

TABLE V.-Impact of loss of funds on the profession of rehabilitation counseling

Response:

Number

None

Decrease in all student enrollments.......

Reduction in enrollment for special target groups-

Decrease in in-service training for rehabilitation agencies....
Reduction in rehabilitation research__.

Fewer trainees and counselors available for State and Federal pro

grams and private agencies___

Reduction in training standards_.

Lowered professional standards__.

Lowered quality of client services_-_

SUMMARY

Fifty-five (55) of the programs feel that RSA support is essential to train the kind of personnel needed to deliver services in the state-federal rehabilitation programs. Five programs felt that RSA support was not necessary for this purpose and five programs were uncertain. Fifty-four (54) of the programs felt that RSA support is essential to the quality of their program.

At the end of the survey, the coordinators made any comments they wished. The most often expressed feeling was that the loss of RSA funds would prevent many minority students from being trained in rehabilitation. The coordinators were also concerned about the fact that student enrollment would be curtailed not only due to the elimination of stipends, but also due to the elimination of the faculty supported by grant money. Because the number of faculty will be smaller, fewer students can be admitted. Another concern of the coordinators is that due to the loss of funds, rehabilitation programs may become combined with other university programs and lose identity and impact.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE, SOCIAL AND REHABILITATION SERVICE, Washington, D.C., November 6, 1978. To: State Rehabilitation Agencies (General), State Rehabilitation Agencies (Blind), Regional Commissioners, SRS.

Subject: Fiscal year 1974 rehabilitation training.

Content: Fiscal year 1974 phaseout plans for the rehabilitation training program have been revised to provide support for State vocational rehabilitation agency in-service training, short-term training and long-term training in highly specialized rehabilitation fields.

Inquiries: Commissioner, RSA.

The FY 1974 phaseout plan for the rehabilitation training program has been revised and funds have become available for the support of certain rehabilitation training activities this year. These activities include State vocational rehabilitation agency in-service training, short-term training, and long-term training in the areas of rehabilitation of the blind, rehabilitation of the deaf, post-entry rehabilitation counselor training, rehabilitation facilities administration, and prosthetics-orthotics.

Grants for State vocational rehabilitation agency in-service training will be available in FY 1974 at the FY 1973 national support level. Funds will be distributed Regionally on the basis of State agency manpower data, but the amount available to any individual State may vary from the FY 1973 level. It is expected that the FY 1974 staff development activities for which special grant support will be provided will emphasize the rehabilitation of the severely disabled, the rehabilitation of the disabled public support recipient, improving the placement function in State agencies, implementation of Title XVI of the Social Security Act and the implementation of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Rehabilitation short-term training will also be conducted in FY 1974 and funds will be made available for the support of national and Regional workshops, conferences, and seminars focusing on priority interest areas of the public rehabilitation program.

Long-term training grant awards to supplement previously awarded phaseout grants will be available to selected projects in certain areas. These areas include non-academic training programs in which alternative student support under the general Office of Education student aid program is not available, and highly specialized and expensive academic training areas which are not normally maintained in university curricula.

CORBETT REEDY, Acting Commissioner.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Thank you very much, Dr. Hansen.

First I want to express my appreciation for how clearly you put together your statement.

Perhaps you could comment on a couple of questions. What new burdens on rehabilitation training programs will be imposed by the requirement of the new law that counselors direct their work toward persons with the most severe handicaps? Will that new emphasis mean new directions in your own training programs in the counseling field? Dr. HANSEN. Let me answer that question from two standpoints. First, if we look historically over the 53 years that we have seen State and Federal funding for rehabilitation programs, we have seen the guidelines for rehabilitation counselors that read from the Federal Register, that counseling, guidance, referrals, and placement for handicapped individuals, including followup and follow-on, and postemployment services, are necessary to assist such individuals to maintain their employment. Basically the rehabilitation counselor has been involved with counseling, guidance, working with the community, working with followup, and placing disabled clients within the labor force.

Rehabilitation counselor training programs have oriented themselves in this manner for the last years. The problem we are now facing is that we are facing disabling populations who are more severely disabled and this will call for greater knowledge and insight on the part of the counselor to understand the medical, psychological, and whole social aspects relating to and concerned with the severely handicapped.

I would say historically one of the first directions that started rehabilitation counselors moving toward looking at more in-depth type of problems came a couple of years ago when there was a strong emphasis on the disabled, disadvantaged citizen within this country. Rehabilitation counselor education programs met this responsibility, I believe, by beginning to reorient their curriculum to include course work and to look at the needs of the disabled citizen within this country, the citizen that was on and receiving welfare. I believe this is what we need to see at this time, there will have to be a change in our curriculum to develop programs that will attune themselves to the more severely disabled as we move more and more into this program to serve these particular individuals.

Mr. BRADEMAS. I will not ask you to respond with figures now, but I would be grateful if you could submit for the record any indications, particularly any statistics or figures you can that substantiate the point you make on page 7 of your statement where you site studies. that conclude that rehabilitation counselors trained at the masters degree level are more likely to accept high risk clients, that is those with the most severe handicaps, than would rehabilitation counselors who had not done their masters work.

Having said that, would you be able to give us some such figures? Dr. HANSEN. I would have to ask what type of figures are you asking for?

Mr. BRADEMAS. You cite studies on page 7 of your statement, several of them, to the effect that counselors who have been trained at the masters degree level are more likely to accept high risk clients than would rehabilitation counselors who have not had their masters work. What I am requesting is that you subsequently, not now, supply us the statistical evidence from those studies or, indeed, any other studies that may be relevant.

Dr. HANSEN. I understand.

Mr. BRADEMAS. Can you do that?

Dr. HANSEN. I will do that, I will supply that evidence and I believe we will see this evidence coming through when we talk about the severely handicapped, not only working with the population of the severely disabled but also the mentally ill and mentally retarded also. [The information requested follows:]

NATIONAL REHABILITATION COUNSELING ASSOCIATION,
Washington, D.C.

To: Congressman John Brademas.
From: Carl E. Hansen.
Re: Trained vs. nontrained counselors in the delivery of rehabilitation services.
In testimony provided 11/30/73 mention was made that graduate trained
counselors accept more clients for service than nontrained counselors. This
information was taken from a national study of 84,699 applicants for services
from vocational rehabilitation agencies in the United States involving 2,448

counselors (Dishart, 1965). Chart XII of this study indicates that Master's level trained counselors accepted for services 56% of their applicants. As the level of training decreased so did the acceptance of clients.

One of the important areas where graduate trained counselors have their greatest impact is in the area of counseling. Brinson & Alston (1973) point out the Master's trained counselors' ability to function effectively in a counseling situation is significantly better than non-trained counselors. Bronson, Butler, Thoreson, & Wright (1967) demonstrated that graduate education is significantly related to professional concern. Professional sensitivity and greater counseling expertise will be necessary in working with the more severely disabled client. With the thrust to develop more concentrated services for the severly disabled, rehabilitation counselors can expect this population to have more serious problems of adjustment calling for greater professional concern and counseling expertise.

This is further highlighted by studies and reports dealing with severe handicapped conditions.

(1) Kreideu, N. A case study of a chronic and progressive disability. Journal of Rehabilitation, November, 1968.

This article deals with the gradual worsening physical condition of a client who is continually forced to readjust mental and emotional and vocational plans. It is pointed out that this type of client is in continual need of the services of the vocational counselor so that the individual has a better understanding of himself and of his environment.

(2) Nolan, J. Vocational assessment of the coronary patient. Journal of Rehabilitation, March, 1966.

This particular article points out the important factors influencing the vocational adjustment of cardiac patients. Vocational assessment and vocational counseling are two important factors in helping individuals adjust to a traumatic disability such as a heart condition.

(3) Savino, M., Belchick, T., & Bureau, E. The quadraplegic in a university setting. Rehabilitation Record, November-December, 1970.

This particular article deals with the application of rehabilitation counseling services pointing out the needed coordination and continuity of services necessary to provide adequate rehabilitation planning for quadraplegics within a university setting.

(4) Overs, R. R. & Healy, J. Educating stroke patient families. Final Report, Media for Rehabilitation Research Reports, Curative Workshop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

This final report describes a four year project of which two years were an intensive counseling casework demonstration of stroke patients and their families. Many more studies and reports are available pertaining to the problems encountered by the severly handicapped. The aforementioned articles point to the greater concern and counseling expertise needed by the rehabilitation counselor in order to work with the severly disabled.

In a final study conducted by Johnson and Koch (1969) it was reported that rehabilitation clients were more satisfied with their rehabilitation programs when counseled by Master's trained counselors. They also reported that former clients of trained counselors were consistently more successful in obtaining promotions, and received greater increases in weekly salary, than were clients of untrained counselors.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brinson, L. & Alston, P. Graduate and undergraduate training: a comparison of the impact on counselor performance and job satisfaction. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 1973, 4 (2).