Is the Assumption of the Autonomous Individual Holding Us Back in Vocational Rehabilitation?

Abstract

Despite a move toward sophisticated conceptual work in the field of vocational rehabilitation, an assumption that the subjects of intervention are autonomous ‘individuals’ continues to be taken for granted. This has many effects, including how services are funded and the way that practitioners think about what it is they do; these effects flow on into what is possible for people who experience disability. Although the field of vocational rehabilitation is not the origin of the assumption of the autonomous individual, it may be a useful place for challenging it. This article provides a brief analysis of the assumption and its effects, with the purpose of exploring what it makes visible, and where a focus for action could be.