Helene Bumbalo, Associate Director, Graduate Professional Development, School of Business, VCU

Beyond the Appointment: Reimagining Career Counseling in the Age of AI

How can we intentionally integrate AI into coaching to help students and clients become more self-aware, resilient, and career-ready? Artificial intelligence has the potential to do much more than generate resumes or cover letters—it can fundamentally reshape the coaching process. In this session, I will share an emerging framework for AI-enhanced coaching that is informing my work with graduate business students. Together, we'll explore a broader question that guides my work: How can we intentionally integrate AI into coaching to help students and clients become more self-aware, resilient, and career-ready? I hope to engage participants in a conversation about how AI can support reflective practice, strengthen individual agency, and expand opportunities for meaningful coaching while preserving the uniquely human role of the counselor. I also welcome discussion about assessment, ethical implementation, and opportunities for collaborative research and practice across counseling, advising, and student development.

Christopher Cloude,
Assistant Professor, Rehabilitation Research and Training Center, VCU

AI-Supported Workplace Communication Training for People with Developmental Disabilities

This presentation will describe our ongoing work evaluating Noora, an AI-supported conversational practice platform designed to strengthen workplace communication among autistic people and others with developmental disabilities. I will discuss our initial research, planned efficacy and scale-up studies in community rehabilitation settings, and important methodological and ethical questions related to outcomes, generalization, implementation, and responsible use. I also hope to invite discussion about shared evaluation approaches and opportunities for future collaboration.

Trent Landon, Associate Professor, Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling
Utah State University

Nichole G. Tichy,
Assistant Professor, Counseling, George Washington University

Sara Park,
Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation and Health Services, University of North Texas

Ethics, Research, and Teaching, Oh My! Navigating AI Across Rehabilitation Counseling

In this presentation, rehabilitation counselor educators examine how the field can adopt artificial intelligence responsibly, and where it still lacks the measures, guidance, and preparation to do so. It opens on the ethical landscape surrounding AI in rehabilitation counseling, including the disparity in its use across disciplines and among the people we serve, the guidance vacuum practitioners face. We also discuss the emerging response, including the CRCC Ethics Committee's AI Work Group and its FAQ guidance document for certified rehabilitation counselors. From there, the session shares several efforts by the presenters to get a clearer read on where the field actually stands. A national baseline study of AI adoption among rehabilitation counselors was conducted. The study includes validation of the AI TAP (Technology Adoption Propensity) scale and the TCoRK (Technological Counseling and Rehabilitation Knowledge), an instrument that uses the TPACK framework to measure rehabilitation counselors' AI-related competence. To enhance research-to-practice, a classroom study testing whether integrating AI into DSM-5-TR case-study analysis improves diagnostic confidence in counselors-in-training — measured pre- and post-intervention with the TCoRK. The presentation closes with the directions this group is most invested in building together, including an AI ethical decision-making aid and AI literacy support for both students and clients.

Kourtney Layton,
Principal at Kourtney Layton & Associates; and an instructor in the Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling program at Utah State University

From Guidelines to Evidence: Building a Research Agenda for Continued Ethical AI Governance in Rehabilitation Counseling

This presentation explores the development of a research agenda for ethical AI governance in rehabilitation counseling, drawing on the recent creation of national AI ethics guidelines to highlight critical gaps in the evidence base.

Developing the ethical guidelines exposed numerous unanswered empirical questions. I plan to cover some of the research gaps we identified, with numerous questions considered for the purpose of further building the evidence needed for ethical, trustworthy and responsible AI implementation in rehabilitation counseling.

Although there are a numerous research questions, one critical question is “At what point is it unethical NOT to actively adopt AI in one’s practice?

Hung Jen Kuo, Associate Professor, Counseling and Counselor Education, Michigan State University

Optimizing Career Exploration with AI-Powered Assessment Automation

As Artificial Intelligence evolves, the critical questions arise around integrating its advantages into our daily routines and maximizing its capacity without compromising ethical standards. In this presentation, we will demonstrate the use of an AI agent that connects multiple applications and tools to achieve labor-intense and complicated tasks in the assessment process. Using assessment as an example, we will also share how to customize AI-powered workflow supporting rehabilitation practitioners.

Jinhee Park, Associate Professor, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, Auburn University

Use of AI in Rehabilitation Counseling Education and Practice: Perspectives from Students and Practitioners

The purpose of this presentation is to summarize research on the use of AI in rehabilitation counseling education and practice, conducted by a research team at Auburn University. A study describing class activities that incorporate AI in rehabilitation counseling courses, along with students’ reflections on their experiences, and a focus group study with rehabilitation counseling professionals working in public and private settings will be presented. The implications for the professional and ethical use of AI in counselor education and practice will also be discussed. 

Ayse Torres,
Florida Atlantic University, Associate Professor, a joint appointment in the Department of Counselor Education and the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Florida Atlantic University

AI, Disability, and Workforce Development

This presentation explores how artificial intelligence is transforming workforce development opportunities for people with disabilities. We will examine AI-driven tools and show how these solutions can reduce barriers, strengthen skills, and create new career pathways. It will also highlight current research focused on developing innovative tools and practical strategies for building more inclusive workplaces.