Vocational rehabilitation!
We can say that vocational rehabilitation is a broad concept that includes many person-
centered interventions aimed at facilitating the physical, cognitive and psychosocial
independence of individuals in the workplace, fulfilling their lost roles in daily life and
accelerating the process of returning to work.
Vocational rehabilitation, which was formalized with the Federal Occupational
Rehabilitation Law in the USA in 1923 and accepted as an industrial approach in the
1970s, has a long history in the occupational therapy literature.
When we look at the past, in the 1880s, the first vocational rehabilitation interventions
emerged with activities to increase work tolerance by providing tuberculosis patients with
nutrition recommendations and exercises in the fresh air. Later, during the First World
War, occupational rehabilitation became more common with the therapy program of
occupational therapists and physiotherapists aiming to improve the skills of the individual
under the name of 'Occupational Therapy', and today it is a popular rehabilitation method
used to recruit disabled individuals.
One of the things that come to the fore in order to increase the employment of people with
disabilities in our country is Subject 30 of the Labor Law No. 4857. In addition to this
law, it is seen that the opening of protected workplaces and the state are supported by the
Law No. 5378 on the Disabled, which entered into force in 2005.
If we list the general objectives of vocational rehabilitation;
• To increase the quality of life of working individuals, to reduce the potential for possible
injury and illness.
• Facilitate the return of individuals to their former independence after injury and illness
• Encouraging individuals to participate in society by increasing their well-being
What can therapists do in this process?
Therapists need to decide on the appropriate interventions for the individual in line with
the evaluations. The main focus of interventions is to discover or expand job preferences,
to increase skills and to maintain the employee's role.
What can we do to improve working performance?
• Training for injury prevention, stress coping techniques, correct use of body mechanics,
pain management, joint-energy conservation techniques
• Training of behavior and skills required for work
• Job modifications and adaptations
• Training to the employee or employer for the adaptation of the tools and equipment used
at work and the work environment
• Collaboration with other employees, employers, services and organizations
