Investigating the challenges of air travel in the United States: a qualitative study of the lived experiences of wheelchair users with spinal cord injury or disorder.

Study Design: Qualitative exploratory study.

Objectives: To understand the lived experiences of individuals with spinal cord injuries or disorders (SCI/D) who use wheelchairs during air travel in the United States (US), with a focus on the challenges and barriers to accessing this form of transportation.

Setting: Wheelchair users with SCI/D living in the community in the US.

Disability disclosure as an impression management technique used in the workplace: A grounded theory investigation.

Background: In order to overcome obstacles to entry and inclusion in the workplace, individuals with disabilities engage in various impression management strategies to present themselves as the socially acceptable 'ideal employee.'

Objective: This study expands on previous disclosure research by asking individuals with disabilities to share their experiences of identity management and workplace challenges.

Methods: We leveraged qualitative research techniques to explore the reciprocal impact of workplace treatment and disclosure.

Subjective well-being of adults with multiple sclerosis during COVID-19: Evaluating stress-appraisal-coping and person-environment factors.

Background: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have been coping with high levels of stress during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, affecting their employment, physical, and mental health, and overall life satisfaction.

Objective: This study evaluated constructs of the stress-appraisal-coping theory and positive person-environment factors as predictors of subjective well-being for adults with MS.

Method: Participants included 477 adults with MS recruited through the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Providing quality employment services to people living with asthma in the vocational rehabilitation program: A model for meeting the needs of an emerging clientele.

Background: With incidence and prevalence rates of asthma diagnoses steadily increasing in the United States and worldwide over the past 30 years, people with asthma are an emerging vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumer population.

Objective: This article describes the job acquisition and return to work considerations facing employees with asthma.

Methods: Following an overview of the etiology, incidence, prevalence, and career development implications of this chronic respiratory disease, the authors present career preparatory and return to work recommendations to meet the needs of Americans with asthma across the phases of the VR process.

Post-traumatic growth and trauma-informed care in vocational rehabilitation through the lens of the conservation of resources theory.

Background: Trauma has high prevalence rates in populations of people with disabilities, and the effects of traumatic experiences can negatively impact employment.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to review the existing literature regarding post-traumatic growth (PTG), trauma informed care (TIC), and the conservation of resources (COR) theory.

Method: We begin with an overview of PTG, TIC, and trauma in relation to disability and employment.

A "win-win" perspective on workplace accommodations: RETAIN Kentucky's self-advocacy guide to promote successful return to work and stay at work outcomes for workers with disabilities.

Background: Research has long documented the low cost and effectiveness of most workplace accommodations to enable qualified people with disabilities to seek, secure, and maintain employment.

Objective And Method: RETAIN Kentucky's return to work and stay at work intervention involves focused training for participants on requesting needed accommodations from their employers.

Results: In this article, we describe the win-win approach to reasonable accommodations, which serves as the basis for helping Kentuckians with disabilities identify and request on-the-job supports to aid in their efforts to remain in the workforce.

Emerging vocational rehabilitation strategies for people with diabetes mellitus.

Background: People with diabetes mellitus constitute an emerging vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumer population.

Objective: The objective of this article is to (a) describe the characteristics and needs of Americans with diabetes mellitus, (b) examine the often devastating effects that this highly prevalent disease of the endocrine system has on employment and career development, and (c) suggest strategies that rehabilitation professionals can use to improve VR services and outcomes.

Method: Following an overview of the etiology, incidence, prevalence, and impact of this high incidence endocrinological disease, the authors present strategies to meet the service and support needs of Americans with diabetes mellitus across the phases of the VR process.

Anxiety and employment discrimination: Implications for counseling and return to work practice.

Background: The most prevalent mental health diagnosis is anxiety disorder, which remains largely undertreated.

Objective: This investigation considered differences in workplace discrimination against adults with anxiety disorders during two eras of legal history: the original Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990-2008) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA, 2009-present).

Method: Research questions addressed differential (a) numbers and types of allegations, (b) case resolutions, and (c) demographic characteristics of the charging parties.

Return to work considerations in the lingering COVID-19 Era: Long COVID, multiple chemical sensitivity, and universal design.

This article discusses how COVID-19 has impacted the American workforce, symptoms of Long COVID syndrome, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity, and ways to avoid triggering its symptoms when sanitizing the workplace and using Universal Design practices to increase accessibility and decrease transmission of COVID-19 among workers. Interface with healthcare providers, rehabilitation professionals, and employers is emphasized.

Job Retention Among Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: Relationship With Prediagnostic Employment and Education; Demographic Characteristics; and Disease Course, Severity, and Complications.

Objective: To identify how prediagnosis employment, education, demographic statuses, and disease factors relate to job retention among people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: Cross-sectional logit model.

Setting: Data were collected at an academic Medical University and a specialty hospital, both in the Southeastern US.

Examining the Role of Resilience and Hope in Grit in Multiple Sclerosis.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of resilience and hope on grit when controlling for demographic covariates, depression, and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This was a cross-sectional study with a sample of 348 participants with MS. Descriptive statistics were performed to examine participants' demographic characteristics.

RETAIN Kentucky: A return-to-work and stay-at-work program for people with disabilities grounded in the conservation of resources theory.

This article, the first in the Return-to-Work (RTW) Corner series, summarizes a comprehensive RTW and Stay-at-Work (SAW) program in Kentucky, which is funded by the United States Department of Labor. The program, Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network: Kentucky (RETAIN Kentucky), focuses on RTW and SAW strategies, depending upon participants' employment status at the time of enrollment in the project. RETAIN Kentucky services are implemented by RTW Coordinators (RTWCs) who help people with non-work-related injuries and illnesses continue in the workforce.

Quality of life and experience with the national multiple sclerosis society strategic plan priorities for people with multiple sclerosis: Findings from a path analysis.

Background: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) strives to ensure that people affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) can live their best lives. This mission is reflected in the Society's strategic plan, which establishes the roadmap for the Society's continued commitment to a world free of MS.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to add to the understanding of both the scope and complexity of the impact of MS and MS-related supports on quality of life (QOL).

Barriers and Facilitators to Employment: A Comparison of Participants With Multiple Sclerosis and Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective: To compare self-reported barriers and facilitators to employment among employed and unemployed participants with multiple sclerosis (MS) and spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Cross-sectional study using self-report assessment obtained by mail or online.

Setting: Medical university in the southeastern United States.

Personal, health and function, and career maintenance factors as determinants of quality of life among employed people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an intrusive disease that significantly affects labor force participation.

Objective: This study examined the extent to which factors at the personal, health and function, and environmental/career maintenance levels contribute to the predictability power for quality of life among employed people with MS.

Method: Participants consisted of 523 members of nine National Multiple Sclerosis Society chapters representing 21 states and Washington, DC.

The employment discrimination experiences of younger and older Americans with cancer under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Purpose: The goal of the research was to describe discrimination, both actual and perceived, that has occurred against younger individuals with cancer (i.e., 35 years of age and under) in comparison with older individuals with cancer (i.

A conceptual framework to promote career development for vocational rehabilitation consumers with traumatic brain injuries.

The purpose of this article is to describe the Illinois Work and Well-being Model (ILW2M), a multi-domain framework for conceptualizing the employment development of people with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). The model emphasizes the interaction of contextual and career development domains to improve participation in the areas of work, society, community, and home. A brief discussion of potential implications regarding vocational rehabilitation research and service is offered with the overall goal of reinforcing employment development as the foundation of vocational rehabilitation services for adults with TBIs.

The Workplace Discrimination Experiences of Individuals with Cancer in the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act Era.

Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the patterns in allegations of workplace discrimination filed by individuals with cancer. Objective The goal of the research was to describe discrimination, both actual and perceived, that has occurred against individuals with cancer in comparison to a group of individuals with other general disabilities (GENDIS) through analyses of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Integrated Mission System (IMS) database. Methods An ex post facto, causal comparative quantitative design was used to examine Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA) Title I complaints received by the EEOC from people with cancer from 2009 through 2016 (n = 10,848) in comparison to the GENDIS group over the same time period (n = 13,338).

Employment and Job Benefits Among Those With Spinal Cord Dysfunction: A Comparison of People With Spinal Cord Injury and Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective: (1) Identify the proportion of participants with spinal cord dysfunction (SCD) reporting each of 10 job benefits and compare the proportions between participants with spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS); and (2) examine if diagnostic criteria, demographics, education level, and functional limitations are associated with the number of job benefits received.

Design: Econometric modeling of cross-sectional data using a 2-step data analytic model of employment and job benefits.

Setting: Medical university in the southeastern United States.

Employment and Gainful Earnings Among Those With Multiple Sclerosis.

Objective: To identify demographic, educational, and disease-related characteristics associated with the odds of employment and earnings among participants with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Design: Cross-sectional using self-report assessment obtained by mail or online.

Setting: Medical university in the southeastern United States.

Qualitative case studies of professional-level workers with traumatic brain injuries: A contextual approach to job accommodation and retention.

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a multi-systemic disability that causes a wide range of difficulties with personal and social functioning.

Methods: Four individuals with TBI participated in an evaluation of barriers to their continued employment following graduation from college. A trained interviewer completed the Work Experience Survey (WES) in teleconsultation sessions with each participant.

Project Career: An individualized postsecondary approach to promoting independence, functioning, and employment success among students with traumatic brain injuries.

Background: Project Career is a five-year interdisciplinary demonstration project funded by NIDILRR. It provides technology-driven supports, merging Cognitive Support Technology (CST) evidence-based practices and rehabilitation counseling, to improve postsecondary and employment outcomes for veteran and civilian undergraduate students with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Goal: Provide a technology-driven individualized support program to improve career and employment outcomes for students with TBI.

Quality of life among people with multiple sclerosis: Replication of a three-factor prediction model.

Background: This article presents a replication of Rumrill, Roessler, and Fitzgerald's 2004 analysis of a three-factor model of the impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) on quality of life (QOL). The three factors in the original model included illness-related, employment-related, and psychosocial adjustment factors.

Objective: To test hypothesized relationships between QOL and illness-related, employment-related, and psychosocial variables using data from a survey of the employment concerns of Americans with MS (N = 1,839).

Multiple sclerosis: Etiology, symptoms, incidence and prevalence, and implications for community living and employment.

Background: This article presents an overview of multiple sclerosis (MS), one of the most common neurological disorders in the Western Hemisphere. We explore the impacts of MS on employment, career development, and community living, and the implications for rehabilitation professionals.

Objective: The objective in this article is to provide a current and comprehensive review of the etiology and symptoms, incidence and prevalence, and current treatment strategies for MS, and the effects of MS on vocational and psychosocial outcomes.

Disease-related and functional predictors of employment status among adults with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Due to the extent and complexity of its physical, cognitive, and psychological accompaniments, multiple sclerosis has tremendously negative effects on employment outcomes for adults with the disease.

Objective: This article extends the current understanding of the relationship between disease-related and functional factors and employment status among adults with multiple sclerosis.

Methods: Findings are reported in terms of descriptive statistics and logistic regression.