William Miller Usdane, Ph.D.
Synopsis
Dr. William M. Usdane had a distinguished career in rehabilitation—focusing on vocational opportunities for people with significant disabilities, earning a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counseling, and chairing the Department of Special Education at San Francisco State University. He played a key role in the early development of SourceAmerica, advocating for the connection of people with disabilities to meaningful jobs, and is honored annually with an achievement award in his name.
The Full Story
Dr. William M. Usdane had a distinguished and diverse career in rehabilitation, and a specific interest in providing vocational opportunities to people with significant disabilities. Bill received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Washington, served in the Army during World War II, and worked as a counselor in a psychiatric unit at a V.A. hospital. He was the second person to receive a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counseling from New York University and went on to chair the Department of Special Education at San Francisco State University.
In 1962, Bill was awarded a Fulbright Senior Fellowship. He spent a year in England studying the Remploy System—a program for people who had been significantly disabled as a result of the bombing during World War II.
After his return to the United States, he joined what is now the Rehabilitation Services Administration. He first was head of Research and Demonstration, and then after a brief interval at the Department of Labor, he returned to RSA as Assistant Commissioner of Program Development. He also served as the Director of the Bureau of Demonstrations and Manpower.
Bill was both a scholar and an activist. He was always interested in the interaction between events in Washington and the future of rehabilitation psychology. He believed in translating theory into action and used this position at RSA to help create NISH—now SourceAmerica.
Bill was with SourceAmerica in the beginning. He urged our organization to do more—to reach further to connect people with disabilities to meaningful jobs. We are pleased to remember and honor Bill with an annual Achievement Award in his name.
