Marginalized Group Career Counseling

Persons with Disabilities

Persons with disabilities are among the groups that have for long been facing various challenges in the American society and the world in general despite the belief that the world has progressed. This, however, is not a new phenomenon in the society because marginalization of a given group of individuals has always been there since time immemorial. Marginalization can either occur in active or passive forms. This is equal to saying that marginalization in the society in some cases can be carried out without displaying it openly. As a result of this, the marginalization of the individuals with disabilities has always been evident in various areas where their position has been underrated. This has affected their performance and careers as well as the areas in which they can contribute to in the society in a broader perspective. The term persons with disabilities is often used to refer to those people who have different types of physical impairments which include physical impairments, sensory impairments, intellectual impairments, cognitive issues, mental problems among other types of disorders. 

Why persons with disabilities should get counseling

Disability is an experience that those individuals living without it perceive as a bad experience and something that is undesired. However, those that are disabled and their families have a different view as pointed out by Stuntzner and Hartley (2014). Despite the disabled having positive attitude regarding various disorders, living with disability comes with many challenges to the individuals and the community in general hence making it a primary focus that needs professional counseling. People with different forms of disabilities are often faced with various difficulties and discriminations that affect them in many ways. As a result of these challenges, many of them feel marginalized and in most cases see themselves as not equal to the others in the community. 

Various forms of discrimination affect individuals’ achievement, growth, confidence, and acceptance. However, with the availability of proper counseling and advice, a person with disability can get a service that allows them to understand disability and how to live a good life with it. Counseling programs tailored to match specific needs of a person also enables them to gain acceptance, empathy and personal growth. It also teaches an individual about life and how to be resourceful. People with disability sometimes feel isolated and lonely hence making it hard to remain positive. However, professional counseling offers a place for the affected person to feel accepted and supported.

Statistics

According to Harbert (2016), about 57 million people in the United States have a disability of one way or another. This contributes to a total of 20 percent of the total population. Out of this, only 12 percent of the children living with disability are documented while those with 65 years and above contribute to approximately 50 percent according to the US Census Bureau 2012. These statistics show that people become vulnerable to disability as they grow old. Based on these numbers, various professional counseling strategies can address each of the groups comprehensively. While the old people living with disability are the major, the most sensitive group that needs swift intervention are the young ones because they still need help in their careers and their lives in general

Career counseling theory to be used with the people with disabilities and the process involved

In order for the people with disabilities to be guided into a successful life and future, counselors must be familiar with and open to various theories. However, application of a wrong approach to a given group of people might turn out to be more damaging than it can help hence the need for analysis of applicable approaches before choosing the right one to be used. For people with disabilities, many theories can be applied in counseling them. These theories include Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA), behavioral theory, cognitive theory and humanistic approach. The most appropriate approach that can be used in this case is the Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment (TWA). Apart from this theory being useful in understanding the work trends, career adaptability for the diverse populations and career developments of individuals, it can also be applied to study the people with disabilities and possibly help them and their careers. 

Generally, TWA can be used in the society to identify needs, values as well as the abilities of individuals and satisfy them based on their specific requirements. In workplaces, for instance, Minnesota Theory of Work Adjustment is critical in counseling workers who are dissatisfied with their working environment or those that are not satisfied with their current jobs. This theory provides clear explanation and view of the sources of dissatisfaction which makes it easy for them to be addressed. This strategy also provides directions for counseling hence easy counseling work for the therapists. 

For the people with disabilities, this theory can be used in exploring this marginalized group and identifying an array of possibilities to achieve success and satisfaction in the future. Available research indicates that people with disabilities have unique needs which may influence their satisfaction and their lives in general. The feeling of belonging and acceptance, for example, increases performance and the self-esteem of every individual. With TWA, a psychologist can describe various aspects of a person with a disability and the values that correspond to their needs and predict the factors that will satisfy them. 

The goals of counseling using the TWA involve identifying the needs of a person in the environment, increasing the understanding of the abilities that the person possesses and making the decision on the ways that individual can do to become productive. According to Sherwood and Hanoch (2017), disability is not the factor that psychologically affects the person. However, the subjectivity and the attitudes associated with disability is the one that affects a person most. With a sense of rejection that an individual faces, they can be subjected to low self-esteem, and the gap between the affected person and the society begins to widen leading to loneliness and low self-esteem. This approach is essential in counseling people with disabilities as it allows them to understand their perceptions, needs, and feelings and accept themselves the way they are without lowering their self-esteem. 

Environmental/personal barriers preventing a client from finding work

People with disabilities face numerous barriers both environmental and personal that may prevent them from getting work. These restrictions include attitudinal, communication, policy, and physical barriers. Attitudinal barriers, for example, may make it difficult for people with disabilities to participate in everyday events and carry out daily activities. Some of the obstacles that may affect the client from accessing opportunities include stereotyping, stigma and prejudice or discrimination. This involves making assumptions that those people with disabilities are unhealthy due to their impairments and may be denied job opportunities as a result. Moreover, some people in the society see disability as a form of punishment which needs to be cured. As a result, they deny them work opportunities hence preventing them from getting employment. 

Communication barriers are other obstacles that block people with disabilities from finding work. These barriers mainly affect those people with hearing, speaking, writing impairments among others hence cannot communicate effectively with their colleagues or carry out some tasks effectively. Another barrier that affects persons with disabilities from assessing employment opportunities are physical barriers which can either be as a result of structural designs both natural and manmade which block movement or access. Some of these barriers include areas that require individuals with disability to stand or steps that block mobility as well as the absence of areas that accommodate wheelchairs. This lowers the morale of an individual or forces the non-disabled individuals to be hired leaving those with various disorders to be sidelined. 

Policy barriers are also some of the common issues that prevent the employment of individuals with disabilities. This is primarily as a result of lack of awareness or total failure to enforce the regulations that have been put in place that require various activities, opportunities and programs to be accessible to everyone including those individuals with disabilities. Some common policy barriers include denying people with certain disorders opportunity to benefit from different work opportunities or services that are provided either by the government or by private organizations. Another policy barrier is blocking qualified people with disabilities from performing specific job functions and accessing some accommodations which end up lowering their performance or completely denying them working opportunities. 

Local resources available to help the client obtain work

People with disabilities can get work opportunities by utilizing various resources that are available. Vocational Rehabilitation, for instance, helps the persons with disabilities to define their goals of employment and to identify job opportunities. Apart from helping the eligible individuals get job opportunities, vocational rehabilitation provides training opportunities, counseling, and education, among other services that aid individuals to work. They can be used by both youth and adults that are eligible to get support services and even build their careers. 

Workplace training opportunities are also essential in enabling people with disabilities to acquire skills and experience that make them attractive to the employer. Some of such training includes apprenticeships, support internships among other methods of training that provide real workplace training and education programmes with work experiences. With proper training programs for the disabled, they can gain experience and confidence that will allow them to live just like other people in the society. 

Assistive technologies are also among the resources that can be used to help a person with a disability to participate and engage in various activities. These technologies can help in enhancing the functionality of individuals and also provide them with the much-needed independence, therefore, making daily tasks in their places of work simple. These devices can be the hearing aids, wheelchairs, magnifying glasses, speech recognition devices among others that help a person to move from one place to another, communicate with others in places of work, learn and participate in different activities altogether. 

In conclusion, people with disabilities are among the most delicate members of the society that need to be treated well for them to participate in daily activities. With the proper application of counseling theories such as TWA, the clients can be understood better and the challenges they face sorted out before they can damage the morale of an individual. Moreover, with the proper application of counseling techniques and training as well as the use of assistive devices, people with disabilities will be able to participate in different activities within the society just like the ordinary people. The application of proper counseling theories in helping clients can also be helpful in aiding clients to identify their needs and abilities and enable them to live with their disabilities confidently. 

References

Herbert, J. T. (2016). COUNSELING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. American Counseling Association , 1.

Livneh, H. (2017). Application of Personality Theories and Counseling Strategies to Clients With Physical Disabilities. Journal of Counseling and Development .

Lu, C. Q. (2014). Does work engagement increase person–job fit? The role of job crafting and job insecurity. Journal of Vocational Behavior , 142-152.

Swartz, J. L. (2014). Applications of Psychological Theories for Career Development. Career Development and Vocational Behavior of Racial and Ethnic Minorities , 103.