Disabled members of minority groups may be handicapped not only by physical, mental, or emotional impairments, but also from cultural disadvantages. Being Black in America often means devaluation by the predominant race. . The resultant prejudice in turn leads to disadvantages such as inferior education and lower levels of employment. With an increasing emphasis on affirmative action for including minorities in the mainstream of American life, public rehabilitation agency personnel need to be increasingly aware of Blacks' participation in their programs. The public vocational rehabilitation program by virtue of its philosophy and emphasis on serving the disabled is an appropriate resource for helping disabled Blacks transform their potential into self-fulfilling behavior... Disabled Black people were compared to Whites in this descriptive study using closure data from all the states and territories participating in the public rehabilitation program. On equal treatment of blacks was revealed in all major dimensions of the public vocational rehabilitation process: a larger percentage of black applicants was not accepted for service; of applicants accepted for service, a larger percentage of Black cases was closed without being rehabilitated; and blacks whose cases were closed as "successfully rehabilitated" were more likely than Whites to be in the lower income levels. Black rehabilitation apps were provided less training and education even though their needs were greater because of pre-service lower education levels. These iniquities existed throughout all regions of the U.S. Implications for vocational rehabilitation program remediation are suggested.
Language: en
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