Exploring the Career Counseling Experiences of Middle-Aged Adults with Disabilities: A Look at Supports and Barriers

Background and Purpose: While existing literature has examined career counseling experiences among individuals with disabilities, most studies have primarily focused on younger populations, such as recent graduates or young adults transitioning into the workforce, typically within school-based, university, or state-run career counseling settings. As a result, the unique career counseling needs and experiences of mid-life adults with disabilities remain underexplored. This study sought to address these gaps by exploring the career counseling experiences of middle-aged adults with disabilities across both non-profit and state-run career counseling settings. Specifically, it aimed to identify the factors that motivate middle-aged adults to seek career counseling and to explore both positive and challenging experiences.

Methods: Participants were recruited through a U.S. nonprofit disability organization. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 middle-aged adults with disabilities who had recently sought employment or were currently seeking employment and had used non-profit or state-run career counseling services. Participants were interviewed regarding their motivations for seeking career counseling and their experiences with the services. Participants were aged 40 to 67 (Mean=52, SD=8.39), and most had multiple disabilities, including physical, cognitive, and mental disabilities. All interviews were conducted via Zoom for 1 to 2 hours, were transcribed in modified verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two coders independently coded transcripts and resolved discrepancies, with peer debriefing and an audit trail to enhance rigor.

Results: Initial findings revealed three themes related to career counseling experiences among the middle-aged adults with disabilities: motivations to seek these services, positive experiences with them, and recurring challenges. First, participants reported various reasons for accessing these services, including the desire to find employment that accommodates their health conditions, the opportunity to learn from others with disabilities, the need to develop general job search strategies, and recommendations from others. When speaking about positive experiences with career counseling services, participants mentioned increased self-advocacy and greater confidence in job searching, including help with making decisions about when to disclose their disabilities, recognizing the importance of learning assistive technology, and accessing financial support during the job search process. Despite these positive experiences, participants often mentioned a lack of alignment between job options and their professional backgrounds or qualifications, and significant service delays, with some wait times of six months or more. Some expressed feeling overlooked or misunderstood by their career counselors, citing a lack of understanding of their complex disabilities and the urgency of their employment needs.

Conclusions and Implications: This study highlights the experiences of middle-aged adults with disabilities who use non-profit or state-run career counseling services. Findings suggest that participants experience many benefits from engaging in these programs, but systemic issues such as service delays and a lack of career-aligned job options must be addressed. Policy-level interventions are needed to bridge the gap between participants’ professional backgrounds and available job opportunities, ensuring that career counseling leads to meaningful and sustainable employment for this underexplored population.