Community Legacy Project

The profession of rehabilitation counseling was legislated into being in the late 1950's-early 1960's with the rise of professional training programs. As a result, our first generation of graduates entered into the profession and grew through the profession en masse. Along the way they literally created the science and practice of rehabilitation counseling. The history of their actions in service, education, research, politics, and advocacy describes our identity as professionals; their stories tell us who we are, what we value, and how we came to be. Today, these pioneers are retiring and taking their stories with them. In an effort to both honor them and save our heritage for future generations, we have established the Community Legacy Project.

There are two equally important goals for this project. The first is to systematically collect, archive, and disseminate the stories and recollections of the leaders of the rehabilitation counseling profession. The second is to engage the members of the profession such that they take ownership of this process in all its phases.