‡e Role of the Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant in Life Care Planning

Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................276 Historical Roots of Vocational Rehabilitation Service Delivery .................................................276 Rehabilitation Counselor as a Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant ....................................... 279 Who Is a Qualied Vocational Rehabilitation Consultant? ...................................................... 280 Pediatric Issues ........................................................................................................................ 282 Pediatric Case Management .................................................................................................... 285 Interview Process ..................................................................................................................... 288 Pediatric Health-Care Team ..................................................................................................... 290 Collaborating with Early Interventionists and School Personnel as Part of the Team ................291 Transition Planning for the Adolescent/Young Adult ............................................................... 294 Loss of Earnings Capacity ....................................................................................................... 300 Impact of Education and Other Demographic Factors ............................................................ 302 Establishing a Foundation ....................................................................................................... 303 Forming a Vocational Opinion ................................................................................................ 303 Case Study .............................................................................................................................. 306

Parental/Family Occupations .............................................................................................. 308 Educational Attainment ...................................................................................................... 308 Evaluation Results............................................................................................................... 308 Developmental Stage .......................................................................................................... 309 Synthesis ............................................................................................................................. 309 Rehabilitation Plan ............................................................................................................. 309

Introduction As part of the continuum of care from childhood to adulthood, vocational rehabilitation consultants provide a valuable service to children, adolescents, and young adults with disabilities in planning for their lifetime needs. ’is chapter examines the unique role of the vocational rehabilitation consultant in the life care planning process involving pediatric cases. Benets to the child and family are discussed, and the value of the vocational rehabilitation consultant as part of the pediatric health-care team is explored by outlining the vocationally relevant needs of a child throughout their developmental years. Discussion focuses on the importance of obtaining client/family information and services specically available to school-age children under federally mandated programs, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to enhance the student-parent-school partnership. Prevocational and vocational issues are examined, including the role of the vocational rehabilitation consultant in the development and implementation of transition plans or habilitation/rehabilitation plans to allow for quality of life preservation as well as to assist children in achieving their highest level of productivity and functional independence. Issues surrounding wage loss and earnings capacity analysis also are introduced and a case example is used to illustrate the role of the vocational rehabilitation consultant in pediatric earnings capacity determination. Selected resources are included at the end of the chapter.