In today’s rapidly changing society, counsellors need to have knowledge and skills to work effectively with a diverse consumer population. A review of rehabilitation counsellor education programs in the United States applying for CORE (Council on Rehabilitation Education) re-accreditation between 1991–1994 revealed that two-thirds of the programs had content deficits in multicultural and gender issues. Australia and other countries besides the United States have experienced increases in the number of cultural minorities entering the workforce. The role of women in the modern workforce also has undergone significant change. These issues need to be considered by rehabilitation counsellors in all countries. The importance of infusing these content areas in graduate training is addressed. The authors offer suggestions for infusion of cultural and gender issues into rehabilitation counselling curricula.

Recent studies on the rehabilitation of children with hydrocephalus have demonstrated the need for those planning such rehabilitation programmes to have a clear understanding of the neuropsychological and psychosocial aspects of this disorder. In an attempt to provide such information, the neuropsychological and psychosocial functioning of a group of 17 children with hydrocephalus between the ages of eight and fourteen years old was investigated. Performance by the sample with hydrocephalus was compared to that of a ‘normal’ control sample. Participants with hydrocephalus and control participants were matched on the variables of sex, age, years of education, and socio-economic status. Relative to control participants, the participants with hydrocephalus were impaired on measures of intellectual, attention, verbal and visual memory, and visuo-spatial abilities. Language alone was relatively preserved. The children with hydrocephalus also exhibited poorer self-esteem, fewer adaptive competencies, and more problem behaviours than the ‘normal’ controls. For the children with hydrocephalus, the relationship between their impaired intellectual abilities and their psychosocial functioning was investigated.

The prevalence of substance abuse among people with disabilities is a major concern in the field of rehabilitation. Recent research has indicated that substance abuse increases incidents that lead to disability and undermines rehabilitation gain. However, most rehabilitation counsellors lack sophistication concerning the dual problems of substance abuse and disability because of their unfamiliarity with and inadequate training for substance abuse and disability issues. This paper provides an overview of (a) important issues related to substance abuse and disability, (b) procedures and techniques for identifying, assessing, counselling and referring clients with substance abuse problems for treatment, and (c) implications for rehabilitation counselling training and practices.

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is an under recognised, often misunderstood condition that is wrongly perceived as a simple habit(s). Due to the hetrogenous nature of the symptoms, severity and effects of TS, this condition is individualised in terms of its impact on people living with TS. This paper reports five case studies of people living with TS, ranging from mild to severe diagnosis and provides an insight into some of the difficulties and successes people living with TS experience in obtaining and maintaining employment. Treatment methods, aetiology issues and implications for rehabilitation counsellors are also discussed.

An estimated 600 people seek hospital and/or medical assistance for recently acquired brain injury each week in New Zealand. Many of these people return to work only to find themselves unable to function at the same level as achieved prior to injury. The reasons for this are frequently not understood either by the individual with the injury, the individual's colleagues or by the various professionals approached for advice. Common deficits identified impact significantly on an individual's work performance indicating comprehensive vocational rehabilitation services are required. Rehabilitation counsellors have a key role to play in the vocational rehabilitation process of people with head injuries. This requires that rehabilitation counsellors possess a knowledge of brain injury sequelae, their effects on everyday functioning and of the recovery process from the injury.

Computer technology is constantly improving the means of people with a disability to access information. From the earliest electronic bulletin board systems, to listserv software on mainframe networks, to gophers, and now world wide web software, access to a vast amount of disability-related information is becoming much easier and affordable. A brief overview of these developments and several resources for disability-related information are presented in this review.