We are in the process of a broad awareness campaign that highlights CRCs in their own words. We've seen videos and other testimonials as part of this campaign, driving CRCC's reach and engagement on social media and on our website to all-time highs. And we cannot do this without CRCs who take the time to tell us about their work and why it matters. Dr. Abigail Akande is a CRC and tenured associate professor of rehabilitation and human services at Penn State Abington. She submitted testi...

For many professionals who find this field, an interest in mental health is what draws them toward a deeper understanding of the full disability spectrum. The education and training to become a CRC incorporates mental health, but goes much deeper into the ways in which mental health impacts things like life and work, as well as other disabilities one might be experiencing. Meaghan Flaherty is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor with Path Forward Counseling and Creative Wellness, and sh...

The need for strong transition education and services is rooted in a broader cultural and public commitment to equity, access, and full community participation for people with disabilities. In the United States, youth with disabilities continue to experience disproportionately lower rates of employment, postsecondary enrollment, and independent living compared to their peers without disabilities. These gaps are not simply individual challenges—they reflect systemic barriers in education, work...

The transition from high school to college is tricky in general and involves a lot of adaptation and changes to routines, support systems, and structures. For students with disabilities, losing structured support provided by an IEP or 504 plan can make an already daunting transition more difficult. We’re not talking about just a handful of isolated cases either; the National Center for Education Statistics reports that nearly 1 in 5 college students has a disability, and despite 88% of ...

Across organizations and agencies, disability services are reaching peak demand. The Case for Inclusion 2026 report finds that turnover for professionals working with disabled clients is the lowest it has been since 2014, and wages and employment rates are rising for individuals with disabilities. Despite this, funding for private and public programs across the United States is in question. How does this make sense? Well, it really doesn’t, and the threat isn’t just to services and prog...

Nobody gets more questions here at CRCC than our Certification Department. Certification Supervisor Jen Marcu works with her team to answer questions, clarify steps in the certification process, and connect with thousands of certificants and future CRCs across the US every week. Jen returns as our guest this week, and we will explore some of the questions she hears most from CRCs and CVEs that are set to renew their certification. We made a list of the top 10 most frequently asked quest...

The Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY), founded in 1978, is a Manhattan-based non-profit organization advocating for the civil rights and independence of New Yorkers with disabilities. In 2024, CIDNY served over 40,000 consumers, connecting them to community programs and prodiving peer-support to address the challenges of living with a disability in a major metropolitan area. Our guest for this episode is Sara Schacter-Erenburg, CRC, Director of Vocational Employment Re...

During the week this episode is releasing, we observe Veterans Day, and as we all know, military service and the veteran community are the bedrock of how rehabilitation counseling came to be. Many Certified Rehabilitation Counselors themselves are veterans or have close ties to the veteran community, including those who directly work with individuals to find employment and navigate their return to civilian life. Julianne Hansen is the Founder and CEO of Team Hansen Education and Empowerment. ...

Since the late 1970s, the Pittsburgh Public School system has hired Certified Rehabilitation Counselors to provide services for students with disabilities, ranging from ensuring accommodations are in place to providing transition services that prepare them for life after high school. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 7.5 million, or 15% of all public school students, receive special education services. Because these services are so vital, Pittsburgh Public Schools prio...

According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological disorders globally. One of the challenges of epilepsy is that folks experiencing the disorder can’t always get a precise diagnosis. On top of that, many people misunderstand epilepsy, leading to stigma and a lack of public awareness of how to help someone experiencing a seizure. That’s where organizations like the Epilepsy Foundation of Georgia come in. T...