Editor's Comment.

This issue covers a broad philosophical spectrum, beginning with the theoretical article "Revisiting the principles of free will and determinism:.." Phemister discusses how some counseling approaches may foster autonomy while others may foster dependence in rehabilitation clients. In an article that examines how HMO policies and practice can affect satisfaction, Grabois and Young explore the experiences of people with disabilities within that system. While HMOs tend to get (only) bad press these days, Grabois and Young found that participants liked many characteristics of their HMOs (low cost of doctor's visits, medications, preventive care) and two-thirds developed a good relationship with their primary care physicians. Problems were reported however, in difficulty meeting special needs, referrals to specialists, and obtaining medications not covered in the plan. This report presents a very informative (and balanced) discussion of the experiences of people with disabilities within the HMO system. A very different system of service delivery is discussed by Hampton, who describes evolutionary changes in the rehabilitation service delivery system of the People's Republic of China, the country with the largest population of people with disabilities.

The article by Thomas, Menz and Rosenthal examined the consensus of expectancies of services provided by community rehabilitation agencies. They generally found agreement among both the agencies and receivers of these services, a positive but perhaps unexpected finding in the complex system of service delivery. Wilson, Harley and Alston revisit the issue of differences in acceptance rates between African Americans and Whites applying for services with public vocational rehabilitation agencies. Replicating a previous study in a different state, they found the difference small but real, and suggest that counselors need to be sensitive to ethnic and racial minorities seeking services.

Loneliness, an important quality of life issue for people with disabilities is investigated by Hopps, et. al., who find that it is possible to identify those individuals who are at higher risk for experiencing loneliness. Risk factors include (less) physical independence, (poorer) social skills and social anxiety. Saxon, Holmes, and Spitznagel examine the impact of cochlear implant on job functioning. They found that both users and supervisors reported the recipients were more able to hear warning signals, understand conversations and to identify sounds in the environment.

The final article in this issue is a follow up to the winter special issue on spirituality. Green, Benshoff and Harris-Forbes surveyed rehabilitation counselor education programs to evaluate the extent of spirituality inclusion in the curriculum. Respondents were ambivalent, tending to perceive that spirituality is a part of the counselor's role, but being divided regarding whether it should be a required part of the curriculum. Rehabilitation counselor education programs that offered concentrations in alcohol and drug abuse were more likely to offer coursework in spirituality.

I would also like to remind you that, as noted in an earlier announcement, the Journal of Rehabilitation will be publishing a special issue related to international rehabilitation with an emphasis on what we (Americans) learned or can learn in relating to international partners. Manuscripts will be peer reviewed. The timeline for manuscript submission is December 15, 2001. The peer review process will be shortly after with an approximate two-month turnaround time. For further information and manuscript submission, please contact the special editor,

Paul Leung, Ph.D., CRC
Professor, Department of Rehabilitation, Social Work
& Addictions
University of North Texas
P.O. Box 310919
Denton, TX 76203-0919
[phone]
[phone] (fax)
email: [e-mail]