Cultural Beliefs and Disability: Implications for Rehabilitation Counsellors

Paige Dunlap

Abstract

This article discusses cultural beliefs and disability and how they can impact the rehabilitation process. It specifically addresses the importance of understanding and acknowledging how different cultures view disability. Diversity considerations for counsellors when working with clients from differing backgrounds are also discussed. Due to the ever-changing demographics of the worlds population, it is imperative that counsellors have a working knowledge of the cultural impact of disability. Acquiring, retaining and cultivating how different cultures respond to disability is an ongoing process for counsellors and for their multicultural competence development.