Survey of vocational evaluators' assistive technology and usage

Abstract

Technology is a major part of the world today. For Americans without disabilities, technology makes tasks easier. For Americans with disabilities, technology makes things possible. Without consideration of technology during the evaluation process, vocational evaluators are allowing the individual?s current functional limitations to dictate vocational options and could be considered invalid and discriminatory (Langton, 1991). Despite this, assistive technology is being underutilized in the vocational evaluation (VE) process (Langton, Smith, Lown, & Chatham, 1998). Assistive technology is considered any technology that is used during the rehabilitation process (30th Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, 2003). The McCarthy Vocational Evaluation and Assistive Technology Survey (MVEAT) was created and administered to VE professionals to generate current information on this topic. Vocational Evaluator knowledge and usage of assistive technology in this study was similar to data gathered a decade earlier (Reed & Fried, 1995). This study found that the majority of VE practitioners used online resources to find information related to AT. Implications of these findings to the field of VE and recommendations are discussed.