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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Vocational Rehabilitation Service Delivery Using Telecommunication, Rebecca Goe, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute
Vocational Rehabilitation Service Delivery Using Telecommunication, Rebecca Goe, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute
Employment
Telecommunication offers a low cost solution to increasing client and counselor contact during the vocational rehabilitation (VR) process, particularly for clients at a distance from the VR office. Despite the advantage telecommunication provides, however, counselors report using email with fewer rural as compared to urban clients (Ipsen, Rigles, Arnold, & Seekins, 2012). In part, this may relate to counselor perceptions that rural clients have less Internet access than their urban counterparts (Ipsen et al., 2012). This disparity may be diminishing, however. Government incentives and public access in libraries and community centers are improving telecommunication infrastructure across the country, especially in …
Client Perspectives On The Use Of Telecommunications To Deliver Vr Services, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute
Client Perspectives On The Use Of Telecommunications To Deliver Vr Services, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute
Employment
Evidence shows that rural clients receive fewer Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) services than their urban counterparts (Ipsen, Rigles, Arnold, & Seekins, 2010; Johnstone, Price, Bounds, Schopp, Schootman, & Schumate, 2003). One explanation for this discrepancy is that travel to provide services to rural clients is costly and difficult to deliver on an as-needed basis. In fact, the costs associated with rural service delivery among 1,187 counselors amounted to $1.2 million in gas costs and represented 51,000 hours of staff time (Ipsen, et al., 2010). Increased use of telecommunications is one strategy to boost client and counselor contact during the VR process, …
A National Report On The Use Of Telecommunications To Deliver Vr Services, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute
A National Report On The Use Of Telecommunications To Deliver Vr Services, Catherine Ipsen, University Of Montana Rural Institute
Employment
It can be difficult for VR counselors to provide face-to-face services to rural clients. Large caseloads reduce counselors’ available travel time to travel to outlying rural communities, and rising fuel costs make such trips expensive (Metzel & Giordano, 2007; Riemer-Reiss, 2000). Telecommunications can increase counselor-client accessibility and provide flexibility to supplement face-to-face services. Telecommunications refers to a variety of information technology (IT) that allows people in different locations to engage with one another, while reducing boundaries of time, distance, and location. Access to telecommunication services, however, may be limited. For instance, people living in rural areas may lack access to …