Affiliations: Department of Special Education, Utah State University, Logan, Utah | Eastern Montana College, Billings, Montana
Note: [] Glen L. McCuller, Tennessee Technological University, also contributed meaningfully to the development of this study.
Abstract: High-quality rehabilitation services are critical for successful vocational outcomes for adults with disabilities. The quality of human services provided by rehabilitation facilities depends primarily on the personnel who deliver them. Previous research on supervisors in rehabilitation facilities examined their preservice credentials, the inservice training they received, and the criteria used to hire them. This study extended that research by comparing supervisors' compensation, working conditions, job responsibilities, and needed skills to that of special education teachers. Data were collected via structured telephone interviews and mailed questionnaires. Eighty-one percent of the total population of facilities responded. Audio-tape recordings of phone interviews permitted the reliability of the coding of information to be independently evaluated, yielding 100 % agreement. The findings indicated that floor supervisors with bachelor's degrees earned 48 % of special education teachers' average salary. They received more limited benefits, less training, and more difficult working conditions, even though their responsibilities and skill demands are similar. Moreover, 75 % of the floor supervisors did not have college degrees and their comparison to special educators was even less favorable. These findings have implications for the vocational outcomes for adults with disabilities.
