A qualitative analysis of vocational rehabilitation counselor perspectives on the process of interagency collaboration in transition services for high school students with disabilities

Policy requirements and incentives emphasize interagency collaboration (IDEA, 2004; WIOA, 2014). Research supports that strong interagency collaboration among state-federal vocational rehabilitation systems and schools improves postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities (Luecking & Luecking, 2008; Kwiatek et al., 2023). However, there are noted challenges that may occur within collaborative alliances that may impact the effectiveness of collaborative employment-focused transition services (Carter et al., 2019; Park et al., 2022; Saleh et al., 2019). Reconceptualizing research on interagency collaboration to emphasize collaboration theory may provide new insights into the process of interagency collaboration that may better address barriers to interagency collaboration (Thomson & Perry, 2006; Wood & Gray,1991). An exploratory qualitative study was conducted. Vocational rehabilitation counselors in central Illinois were asked to describe the process of collaboration in the provision of school-to-work employment-focused transition services. Three themes were developed: Structure, Coping Capacity, and Interpersonal Relationship. The findings provide evidence of the theoretical constructs, especially the five domains of collaboration (Thomson & Perry, 2006). The findings also support previous research, which highlights the importance of clear roles and responsibilities, trust among collaborators, and the negative impact of staff shortages (Carter et al., 2020; Saleh et al., 2019). Policy and practice implications, as well as future research directions, were also discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Community Health

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Strauser, David George

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kosciulek, John
• Richards, Kevin
• Rice, Laura
• Austin, Bryan

• Interagency Collaboration
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Counselor Perspectives
• Employment Focused Transition Services

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 David Strauser

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/127179

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F127179