Rehabilitation Services: An Introduction for the Human Services Professional

By: Jason D. Andrew and Clayton W. Faubion

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Synopsis: The rehabilitation service system, as it has evolved, encompasses services provided through the federally legislated state/federal program, the not-for-profit community rehabilitation programs, and the private for profit businesses. These areas of rehabilitation and rehabilitation service have grown and evolved as an expression of public support of and services for individuals with disabilities. This chapter will attempt to highlight the history of rehabilitation in the United States by identifying the cultural context, rehabilitation-related developments, and resulting federal rehabilitation legislation in the following time frames: pre-1900s, 1900-1920s, 1930-1960s, 1960-1970s, and 1980 to date. Much of what is shared in this chapter has been written before from different perspectives. Much of it is a digest of the following works, the authors of which need to be fully credited: C. Esco Obermann's 1965 History of Vocational Rehabilitation in America;9 The U.S. Role in International Disability Activities: A History and Look Towards Future;5 G. W. Wright's 1980 Total Rehabilitation;16 A. P. Sales' 1986 History of the National Rehabilitation Association Journal of Rehabilitation,”12 and the 1999 Institute on Rehabilitation Issues.6 The reader is encouraged to review these reference sources for further detail and information that is more specific. The history of rehabilitation in the United States is, in reality, a history of the impact of its leadership.