White Privilege: A Primer for the Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor

Vocational rehabilitation outcome discrepancy studies point to a lingering disparity in outcomes between Northern European- Americans (white) and racial minority groups in the United States. Despite the history of the study of white privilege and its impact in many fields and disciplines, the possible connection between vocational rehabilitation outcome discrepancies and the values and attitudes engendered by white privilege are rarely discussed in rehabilitation literature. This paper explores the possible role of white privilege in disparities between vocational rehabilitation outcomes experienced by racial minorities and those experienced by whites.