Chronic illness and disability (CID) represent a marginalized population that anyone can join at any time. Becoming disabled may be the result of an acquired injury or amputation, congenital differences, or physical and sensory limitations due to age. According to the American Community Survey, 13.6% of the 329 million people living in the United States experience a disability that impacts hearing, vision, cognition, ambulation, self-care, and independent living (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020). Whereas disability is a natural part of the human experience, the 2024 Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) placed a greater emphasis on the inclusion of disability within counseling curriculum with a recognition that “diversity refers to all aspects of intersectional and cultural identity” (CACREP, 2023, Section 3 Introduction). In these standards, disability is recognized as representing a “social barrier that impedes access, equity, and success” across multiple life domains, including work, education, and community inclusion (CACREP, 2023, p. Section 3.A.4).

People with CID represent a diverse group of individuals with varying degrees of strengths, needs, disability identity (Forber-Pratt et al., 2017), and disability pride (Gin et al., 2025). Given the additional barriers to employment (Sundar et al., 2018), lower educational attainment and outcomes (Montez et al., 2017), and higher rates of mental health concerns (Lauer & Lauer, 2017), it is not a matter of if but when professional counselors will interact with persons with CID in various practices settings (i.e., career/vocational, mental health, rehabilitation, school). The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the vital need to infuse disability within counselor education programs, specifically in a course on Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethics (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A).

Positionality Statement

As authors, it is important to acknowledge the influences and potential biases that may influence our writing on the topic of disability and classroom instruction in counselor education programs. The authors maintain a professional identity as counselors and counselor educators with over 150 combined years of experience in practice and academic settings aligning with the rehabilitation counseling specialization. It is important to note that none of the authors identify as having a disability. However, given their professional training and experience, they have been afforded the opportunity to engage, serve, and advocate with individuals with a variety of physical, mental/emotional, neurodevelopmental, and sensory disabilities in myriad settings in public and private rehabilitation, mental health, and substance use facilities. All the authors are certified rehabilitation counselors, four are licensed as mental health professionals, and six have doctoral degrees in counselor education. The racial identities of the authorship are white/Caucasian (n = 6) and Latina (n = 1), and gender expression is mainly female (n = 4; male n = 3).

As authors, we take the position that disability is not purely a medical concept but rather a reference to the interaction of persons with disabilities and environmental, societal, architectural, and barriers that unnecessarily limit accessibility. As such, our work in various counseling practice settings is driven by a passion and commitment to ensuring that we view the whole person and work collaboratively to address each of their needs. Finally, although this paper is written using person-first language, as authors, we recognize the preference for identity-first language by many within the disability community.

Infusing Disability Into a Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethics Course

The foundational counseling curriculum in Section Three of the CACREP 2024 Accreditation Standards applies to all entry-level counseling programs. In this manuscript, we emphasize the professional counseling orientation and ethical practice standards, which provide numerous opportunities to discuss disability (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A). Given the ubiquitous nature of disability in educational, social, vocational, and health settings, and the overall likelihood of CITs interacting with persons with CID on either a personal or professional level, it is advisable that discussion on disability is not seen as a one-time lecture or a topic purely for professional development. Disability and associated knowledge and skills should be included across the entire program of study in a counselor education program rather than a single lecture to comply with CACREP standards.

Lecture Content

The following section draws from the CACREP 2024 Standards accredited programs are required to include as part of their core counseling curriculum (CACREP, 2023, p. Section 3). Reference to specific standards is included to demonstrate the parity across many of the specializations and required knowledge and skills for counselors regardless of their specialization. Whether the counseling specialization is a stand-alone academic program or even within a larger counseling department with multiple specialties, CACREP allows for flexibility in demonstrating adherence to the educational standards. However, given that PWDs are encountered in all societal domains, consideration of how to ethically engage with PWDs should be a prominent topic regardless of the counseling specialization. In the following sections we will address how disability can be infused into a course intended to address the Professional Counseling Orientation and Ethics standards (Standard 3.A.) from a CACREP lens. We will start by addressing the history of counseling and its relationship to disability, then discuss specific disability related pieces of legislation germane to the counseling profession, discuss credentialing and disability, codes of ethics service delivery to PWDs, and then professional counseling associations intended to represent professionals serving PWDs.

History of Counseling

Counseling consists of multiple specializations that, over time, grew together to form a singular profession (Leahy et al., 2016). Vocational influences and the industrial revolution in the early 1900s gave rise to the need for better vocational guidance due to the growing division of labor, technological growth, the rise and expansion of vocational education, and the spread of democracy (Gysbers, 2010). As such, both school counseling and rehabilitation counseling have roots in vocational counseling. As educational systems modernized to meet the demand of the workforce, interest in improving vocational guidance within school settings rose and the specialists in guidance with the specific title of “counselors were beginning to be employed in schools” (Gysbers, 2010, p. 46). School counseling has continued to grow and develop as a counseling specialization and has outlined guidance on specific school counselor roles, student-to-school counselor ratios, and professional standard and competencies (ASCA, 2019). Another CACREP standard easily infused in this discussion targets “the counselor’s roles, responsibilities and relationships as members of specialized practice and interprofessional teams” (CACREP 2024, 3.A.3). Although collaborative efforts exist between school counselors and rehabilitation counselors, research indicates school counselors do not fully understand the resources and supports available to students and youth with disabilities through vocational rehabilitation services (Dimond et al., 2022).

Rehabilitation counseling arose in part due to the same vocational guidance movement that influenced school counseling, but also as a result of the combination of wars the United States was involved in and medical advancements that enabled recovery from previously fatal injuries in the late 1800s to early 1900s. As such, a growing number of veterans had physical limitations due to their service but a strong desire to continue contributing in the work setting. Federal legislation aided in the professionalization of rehabilitation counseling with legislation targeting vocational services to veterans (The Soldiers’ Rehabilitation Act of 1918; Pub. 1) and subsequently expanding those services to civilians (The Smith-Fess Act of 1920; Pub. L. 66-236). Master’s-level training programs were created in 1954 stemming from the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1954 that appropriated funds to higher education to train rehabilitation counselors (Shaw & Mascari, 2018). A key part of the deinstitutionalization movement, the Community Mental Health Act of 1963, provided funds for community-based mental health services and many rehabilitation counselors “moved with their patients and clients with disabilities from hospitals and other institutional settings” into the community (Lopez Levers, 2020, p. 30). Thus, clinical mental health has roots in rehabilitation counseling and the specializations are closely related.

The specializations of counseling continued to grow, and in 1952 the American Personnel and Guidance Association was formed and later renamed the American Counseling Association (Shaw & Mascari, 2018). As the profession of counseling evolved, accreditation and professional credentialing took shape helping to strengthen professional counseling identity. Despite some slight historical trends towards the unification of the counseling specialties with statements on unification and a singular counselor identity (Kaplan et al., 2014; Kaplan & Gladding, 2011), the more recent trend seems to be a splintering of the counseling profession across specializations (Shaw & Mascari, 2018). Regardless of the current ideologies on counselor specialization, the “2024 CACREP standards were written with the intention to simplify and clarify the accreditation requirements and to promote a unified counseling profession” (CACREP, 2023). As such, when discussing and lecturing on the history of counseling, instructors should be mindful of the major specializations recognized by CACREP and discuss their respective historical roots and major growth trends. Comparing and contrasting the counseling specialties from their inception to their current iterations would help increase CITs knowledge of the history and philosophy of the counseling profession (Standard 3.A.1), appreciating our shared roots.

Knowledge of legislation and its potential impact on service delivery is a knowledge requirement CITs are expected to develop during their pre-service training (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A.8). “Advocating on behalf of and with individuals receiving counseling services to address systemic, institutional, architectural, attitudinal, disability and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success” is a standard grounded in both knowledge and action (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A.3). One way to address this requires the inclusion of the Disability Rights Movement in lectures focused on the Civil Rights Movement. The Disability Rights Movement occurred at the tail end of the Civil Rights Movement and saw PWDs and supporters advocating for basic human rights. Demonstrations and protests were commonplace during this historical period in the United States and the efforts and achievements of Judy Heumann, Ed Roberts, and other disability rights pioneers led to legislation that addresses many of the architectural, institutional, and environmental barriers that impede full societal inclusion and access for PWDs (Skotch, 2009). Knowing the struggle of the individual is a key component of advocacy. The “Nothing About Us Without Us” slogan used during the Disability Rights era symbolized (and continues to symbolize) the desire of PWDs to be autonomous and respected individuals (Skotch, 2009). Being familiar with legislation impacting PWDs like the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended [P.L. 93-112] and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 [P.L. 101-336] aids CITs in developing their understanding of how environmental or social barriers may limit access to employment, transportation, public accommodations and services, telecommunication, and other aspects of social inclusion (areas targeted by the key pieces of legislation). Table 1 outlines brief summaries of key disability-related legislation.

Table 1.Significant Disability-Related Legislation in the United States
Legislation Year Summary
Smith Hughes Act 1917 Established the joint federal and state funding partnership for vocational education, creating a federal department of vocational education
Soldier’s Rehabilitation Act (Smith-Sears Veterans Rehabilitation Act) 1918 Expanded vocational education services to include rehabilitation services for injured soldiers returning home from World War I; in conjunction with Smith Hughes, this created the foundation for the modern Vocational Rehabilitation System
Smith Fess Act 1920 Expanded the “Soldier’s Rehabilitation Act” to include civilians with disabilities, establishing the first federally funded disability services for civilians
Social Security Act 1935 Provided for permanent functioning of vocational rehabilitation services, established income support for those unable to work such as those with disabilities, and ensured funding assistance to provide services to those who were blind and children with disabilities
Randolph Sheppard Act 1936 First legislation to mandate priority for remunerative opportunities for individuals with disabilities by establishing federal mandates that vending machines on federal property be operated by individuals who are blind
Wagner O’Day Act
(Subsequent Javits-Wagner-O’Day Act 1971)		 1936 Expanded federal mandates of prioritizing purchasing goods and services from individuals who are blind and later expanded to include prioritizing goods and services from non-profits employing people with significant disabilities
Barden Lafollete Act (Vocational Rehabilitation Amendments of 1943) 1943 Expanded eligibility for vocational rehabilitation services to include those with cognitive and psychiatric disabilities, expanded services for the blind, and increased services available for physical disabilities
Rehab Act Amendments of 1954 1954 Increased federal funding for vocational rehabilitation and enhanced services available to individuals with psychiatric and cognitive disabilities. Significantly, this act also established grant programs to fund training for rehabilitation counselors, essentially establishing the rehabilitation counseling profession
Community Mental Health Centers Act 1963 Established the National Institute of Mental Health which was directed to create and fund community mental health centers, acknowledging the shortage of and need for services to assist individuals with psychiatric disabilities
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (amendments 1974, 1978, 1986, 1992 and 1998) 1973 Considered the first civil rights law for individuals with disabilities, this legislation mandated greater consumer involvement in rehabilitation services, individualized written rehabilitation planning, post-employment services, and was the first legislation to prohibit discrimination for individuals with disabilities. Title V is considered the civil rights legislation for individuals with disabilities with sections 501-504 establishing prohibition from discrimination in employment as well as ensuring equal access to transport and non-discrimination in federal employment settings. Subsequent amendments developed
Education for All Handicapped Children (Renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990) 1975 Mandated a free and appropriate public education to all children with disabilities and provided financial benefits for states to comply with this new legislation
Americans with Disabilities Act (as amended in 2008) 1990 Granted civil rights to people with disabilities the same as had been offered in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to other groups of individuals. Consisting of five titles, the legislation extended discrimination protection for individuals with disabilities in the private sector, not just federal employment (Title I), required all public transportation to become accessible (Title II), prohibited discrimination in accessing goods and services in public settings (Title III), required telecommunication accessibility to individuals with hearing disabilities (Title IV) and other miscellaneous provisions (Title V). Subsequent amendments changed the definition of disability to include a wider array of individuals, including mental health and substance use disabilities

Professional Credentialing

Imparting information on the credentialing process for counselors is a required standard for CACREP programs (Standard 3.A.7). The processes associated with licensure and certification can be confusing for CITs but these credentials communicate professional knowledge and capacity to the public. Certification is a national-level credential and denotes knowledge and skill resulting from professional academic training. Licensure is a state-level credential authorizing one to apply one’s profession within the professionals’ state of residency; states typically have a scope of practice statement that delineates the recognized professional capacity of the licensee. Credentialing first appeared on the national level with the emergence of the Certified Rehabilitation Counselor credential in January of 1974 (Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC), 2021) and the National Board for Counselor Certification (NBCC) started offering national certification to counselors shortly thereafter in 1982 (NBCC, 2025). Virginia started to license counselors in 1976 and, since that time, licensure for counselors has grown to all 50 states (Lopez Levers, 2020). With recent developments like the Counseling Compact and licensure portability, where only 8 states at the time of this writing have not enacted or filed legislation on licensure portability (Counseling Compact Commission, 2025), credentialing continues to evolve. Including the CRC designation in a discussion of credentialing gives proper homage to the growth and development of certification and subsequent licensure laws.

Ethics

Depending on professional credentialing and association membership, counselors will be responsible for adherence to ethical standards delineated by their specialization and/or the larger counseling field. In coursework devoted to the teaching of “ethical standards of professional counseling organizations” (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A.10), it is likely that discussion will focus on codes of ethics and ethical decision-making models from one or more of the following: American Counseling Association (ACA), American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA), American School Counselors Association (ASCA), and/or the NBCC. Similarities across the codes of ethics include the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, justice, nonmaleficence, and veracity and the inclusion of a statement on client welfare and other important values.

One code of professional ethics that may be overlooked but overlaps nicely with counseling ethical codes and enhances discussion on ethical consideration in counseling settings working with PWDs is the Code of Professional Ethics for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors (CRCC, 2024). The CRCC Code of Professional Ethics is written with the perspective that PWDs are the primary recipient of services. First developed as initial guidelines in the 1970s, the first iteration of the CRCC Code of Ethics was publicly available in 1987. Like other codes of ethics in counseling and related fields, the CRCC Code of Professional Ethics has undergone periodic updates, with the most recent updated code made available in 2023 (Landon et al., 2023). Although most codes of ethics infuse multicultural considerations within their various standards, a unique aspect of the CRCC code, and particularly poignant given the current political climate, is a standalone section outlining standards specific on multicultural aspects of service provision (Henry et al., 2023). See Table 2 for greater explanation of these overlaps.

Table 2.Similar Sections Across Counseling Codes of Professional Ethics
Domain ACA AMHCA ASCA CRCC NBCC
The Counseling Relationship Section A Section I. Section A.5 Section A Section 2
Confidentiality and Privacy Section B Section A.2 Section B
Advocacy and Accessibility Section I.F.1. Section C
Multicultural Considerations Section A.10 Section D
Professional Responsibility Section C Section I.C. Section B. Section E Section 1
Relationships with Other Professionals Section D Section II Section A.6 Section F
Forensic Services Section G
Evaluation, Assessment, and Interpretation Section E Section I.D. Section A.14 Section H Section 4
Supervision, Training, and Teaching Section F Section III
Section IV.A.		 Section D Section I Sections 3 and 5
Research and Publication Section G Section IV.B. Section J Section 4
Distance Counseling, Technology, and Social Media Section H Section I.B.6. Section K Section 6
Business Practices Section I.E. Section L
Resolving Ethical Issues Section I Section VI Section F Section M

Note. This is only a representation of the major domains, not specific topics or standards which may be included across the codes but in different sections.

Professional Associations

When considering how to discuss “professional counseling membership organizations, including membership benefits, activities, services to members and current issues” (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A.6), there are a number of professional associations with which CITs can associate and from which they can learn. These associations typically align with their specialization, training, and personal interests. The main associations are ACA, AMHCA, and ASCA. The twenty specialty divisions within the ACA give a nuanced professional home to counselors and counselor educators interested in myriad topics like aging (Association for Adult Development and Aging), assessment and research (Association and for Assessment and Research in Counseling), multicultural (Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development), and disability (American Rehabilitation Counseling Association).

Professional associations for counselors working with PWDs do exist, with the National Rehabilitation Association, American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (a division of ACA), International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals (largely comprised of counselors employed in private practice/expert witness testimony settings), and the National Rehabilitation Counselor Association being some of the biggest (Phillips et al., 2022). Additionally, the National Association of Multicultural Rehabilitation Concerns (NAMRC) was formalized in 1969 as the National Council on Non-White Rehabilitation Workers and has been a division of the National Rehabilitation Association since 1992 (NAMRC, 2023). Recent efforts have suggested the consolidation of these groups could help advance advocacy efforts, lobbying and legislative efforts, and generally help advance the awareness of disability-related counseling concerns (Phillips et al., 2022).

Teaching Aides and Activities

Classroom Discussion

Identity development should be a topic familiar within the counseling curriculum. Erik Erikson’s (1968) theory of psychosocial development is likely taught in most human growth and development courses. Whereas disability has the potential to impact everyone on personal, familial, and social levels, discussing disability identity can help CITs better understand their “role and [overall] process of… advocating on behalf of and with individuals receiving counseling services to address systemic, institutional, architectural, attitudinal, disability, and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success” (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A.4).

Disability Identity. Disability identity is both individual and socially oriented. Disability identity is personalized in that it is a unique phenomenon that shapes the way persons with disabilities view themselves and their body, and their interactions with the world around them based on their disability (Forber-Pratt et al., 2017). Thus, as an example, when you meet one person with autism, you have met one person with autism. Assuming individuals have the same lived experience based on a similar diagnosis could lead to egregious errors in clinical judgment. It is imperative for counselor educators to help CITs recognize the need to engage with everyone as a unique person with unique desires, goals, and needs and not view them based on a grouping of similar diagnostic standards (Smart, 2019).

Disability identity is socially oriented as many PWDs will galvanize as a group around specific characteristics traits, with some eschewing “disability” as an identity. The Deaf (capital “D”) Culture does not see hearing impairment as a disability. They view themselves as having a unique culture and language and that it is societal constructs that create lack of access. Autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other neurodivergent diagnoses are being “reclaimed” by respective members of their groups denoting pride in their similarities and demanding social integration and accommodation. The blind and visual impairment as well as the Deaf communities have enjoyed a long history of success in lobbying for accommodations and legislation improving their access to social, economic, and educational settings.

Potential Discussion Questions

  1. How do you define culture? How does disability align with or differ from that definition?

  2. If disability is so prevalent, why does such a high rate of societal stigma remain?

  3. In what ways can we normalize conversation around disability and culture?

The Language of Disability. Another key element of disability identity is the recognition of disability-affirming language (Dunn & Andrews, 2015). As counselor educators, we can help CITs develop a strength-based approach to case conceptualization and service delivery, as opposed to a deficit-based approach. Deficit approaches focus on what is wrong with an individual, what the individual cannot do, and views the individual largely from a medical model orientation where the disability is to be cured or fixed. Strengths based approaches focus on the individual’s abilities and strengths and view barriers resulting from the disability because of a lack of accommodation and understanding within societal structures (see Table 3).

Table 3.Deficit-Based/Exclusionary Language vs. Neutral/Strengths-Oriented Language
Deficit-based/Exclusionary language Neutral/Strengths-oriented language
Suffers with/from (condition) Diagnosed with, experiences (condition)
Them, they (non-pronoun) Name of population (e.g. students, clients)
Treatment/cure for [condition] Options to respond to [condition]

Potential Discussion Questions

  1. How does language strengthen and empower personal identity?

  2. In what ways does our language unintentionally harm and minimize those with CID?

Disability and Counseling Competencies. Much of the preparation of CITs focuses on key performance indicators, knowledge acquisition, and skill development. These are hallmark features of assessment in CACREP-accredited programs. When looking at a general discussion on counseling competencies related to interactions with PWDs, the Disability-Related Counseling Competencies put forth by ARCA and ratified by the ACA Governing Council is a great starting point (Chapin et al., 2018). These competencies are “intended to serve as a resource and provide aspirational guidelines to help shape best practices in counseling… [and] to encourage counselors to better understand and assist PWDs” (Chapin et al., 2018, p. 1). Sectional topics within the guidelines include: (a) understanding and accommodating the disability experience, (b) advocating for PWDs and supporting the self-advocacy of PWDs, (c) the counseling process and relationship, (d) testing and assessment, and (e) working with or supervising PWDs in various settings.

A glossary of disability-related terms and concepts is also included in the ARCA Disability-Related Counseling Competencies. The inclusion of these disability competencies in counseling curriculum focused on ethical service delivery and orienting to the counseling profession aids CITs as they learn to recognize and value disability “as a part of personal identity and cultural diversity and in affirmation of their professional commitment to social justice” (Chapin et al., 2018, p. 1).

Potential Discussion Questions

  1. How do the Disability-Related Counseling Competencies align with professional codes of ethics?

  2. In what ways can you more intentionally incorporate these competencies in your clinical practice?

Activities and Assignments

Counselor educators are tasked with helping CITs learn “labor market information and occupational outlook relevant to opportunities for practice within the counseling profession” (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A.9). This should include the ability for all counseling specialties to engage in work with the disability community. In discussing the various practice settings where PWDs are often served, counselor educators are helping CITS learn about the “professional roles and functions of counselors across specialized practice areas” (CACREP, 2023, p. 3.A.2), including rehabilitation counselors. Rehabilitation counselors have a skill set that spans myriad practice settings and employment options. Rehabilitation counselors working in state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies assist individuals with work related impairments to obtain/retain work. Counselors working in the Veterans Administration in either the Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment or Health Administration settings are required to have and maintain the CRC credential and represent one of the higher paying practice settings. Rehabilitation counselors have been found to be one of the better compensated counseling specializations generally (ACA, 2014) and often earn over $100k annually when working in the private sector (Beveridge et al., 2022).

Ethics-Based Case Studies

Case studies are a robust activity for applying ethical principles and codes within the counseling profession. As instructors are likely already including these activities in their ethics courses, counselor educators can infuse disability into real life scenarios to provide CITs the opportunity to examine ethical dilemmas and models and apply ethical principles and decision-making concepts within counseling situations working with PWDs. The activities can be implemented for classroom discussion or as an asynchronous discussion assignment. When designing case studies for class analysis, we encourage counselor educators to consider the universality of disability, how culture impacts disability, and what evidence-based practices exists for specific disability populations; such an approach will help to ensure a realistic scenario that is rich with detail and aids the learner in conceptualizing the holistic needs of PWDs. Two examples of case studies involving disability can be found in Appendix A. The objective of the cases with Mr. Jones and Mrs. Gonzalez is to examine ethical dilemma models in counseling when working with people with disabilities. These activities can be implemented for classroom discussion or as an asynchronous discussion assignment.

For counselor educators unfamiliar with disability-related concepts and ethical considerations, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can be a useful tool for generating case studies for use with students. However, AI should not replace active efforts on the part of the counselor educator to learn from and understand PWDs and their lived experiences. Detailed prompts can be used to create a robust case addressing the application of ethical codes with an intersection of disability identity. Appendix B contains a case developed using the following prompt using Chat GPT: “Write a case study about an 30 year old Asian American male infused with ethical dilemmas and mental health concerns that would be ideal for counselors working with people with mental health to learn about identifying ethical dilemmas in their service delivery, ground your writing in the ACA and CRCC code of professional ethics.” As with all AI-generated content, counselor educators should ensure the accuracy of the information and its appropriateness to the developmental level of the students in the course.

Resources

Course Readings

Selecting course readings for a counseling foundations course centered on disability and counseling can be difficult. There are many textbooks and journal articles to choose from with varying degrees of sponsorship and support from professional associations and accreditation bodies. Some suggested readings for an introductory course into counseling and ethical service provision that are inclusive of disability are as follows.

Textbooks

Dr. Julie Smart has over 20 years of experience as an author and educator in the field of rehabilitation counseling. Her texts address the reality that people with disabilities can be seeking services from professional among all the counseling specialties. Her books are intended as an introductory text with practice guidance and recommendations for students in counseling.

  • Smart, J. (2019). Disability definitions, diagnoses, and practice implications. Routledge.

  • Smart, J. (2021). Disability across the developmental lifespan: An introduction for the helping professions (Second edition). Springer.

  • Smart, J. (2025). Disability, society, and the individual: An introduction to disability (4th ed.) PRO-ED.

While specific to the CRCC Code of Professional Ethics, Stano’s (2022) text provides detailed case studies and explanations for the application of the professional code, which natural infuses disability examples.

Readings on Disability and Service Provision

There are many articles published on serving individuals with disabilities and best practices associated with service provision. The following articles are recommended as a positive starting point for understanding disability and associated discrimination, as well as application to the counseling profession.

  • Chapin et al. (2018). Disability-related counseling competencies.

  • Kelsey & Smart. (2012). Social justice, disability, and rehabilitation education.

  • Kwiatek et al. (2025). Pivotal legislation supporting college and career readiness for students with disabilities.

  • Levine & Breshears. (2019). Discrimination at every turn: An intersectional ecological lens for rehabilitation.

  • Nerlich et al. (2021). Advocacy in the time of COVID: A “shot across the bow” for rehabilitation counseling.

  • Smart & Smart. (2006). Models of disability: Implications for the counseling profession.

Readings on Professional Associations

A 2022 special issue of the Rehabilitation Counselors and Educators Journal (RCEJ; a publication formerly aligned with the National Counselors and Educators Association) was focused on professional associations primarily serving PWDs. The special issue was focused on the need for and interest in consolidation amongst the various professional associations rehabilitation counselors are likely to join. The eight articles can be found here. The following titles are contained in the special issue:

  • Preface: The Future of Rehabilitation Counseling Professional Associations

  • Prologue: The Future of Rehabilitation Counseling Professional Associations

  • Contemplating Consolidation: Acting on A Decades Old Call to Survey Professionals in the Discipline

  • The Pros and Cons of Consolidating Rehabilitation Counseling Associations: A Qualitative Analysis of Views from the Field

  • Addressing the Sticky Issue of How to Consolidate Rehabilitation Counseling Professional Associations

  • Diversity and Equity in Rehabilitation Counseling Professional Associations: An Evaluation of Current Perspectives and Future Directions

  • Rehabilitation Counseling Associations and the Disability Community: A Return to Social Action

  • Predicting Membership in a Consolidated Association: If We Build it, Will They Come?

Conclusion

Infusing disability into the educational requirements of CACREP-accredited programs can be done thoughtfully and purposefully. It need not be a one-time discussion in one class at one point in time during a CIT’s program of study. Disability remains one of the few marginalized groups any one of us could join at any given time due to accident, injury, illness, aging, or any number of reasons. Mental health is the fastest growing disability group in the United States and addressing mental health from a holistic and strength-based standpoint will be imperative for all CITs. Additionally, PWDs often have higher need for medical and mental health services, suggesting CITs will at some time in their practice be confronted with the proposition of working with a PWD. Professional orientation and ethics courses offer a solid platform for infusing disability concepts. Counselor educators can help lay the foundation for the way counselors and helping professionals address disability-related concerns in their own practice by normalizing disability and demonstrating how to advocate for PWDs in the educational setting.