Psychometric Validation of the Digital Competence Profiler in a Sample of Rehabilitation Counselors

Modernizing the digital infrastructure of government agencies can result in long-term cost savings and empower the government to deliver more secure, efficient, and user-friendly experiences to the general public. Increasing digital competence is a priority across federal and state workforces. State vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies are modernizing their digital infrastructure to improve online service delivery for people with disabilities. It is crucial to assess and enhance the digital competence of counselors to ensure they can provide secure and effective virtual services. Identifying training needs and post-training skill levels requires a reliable, psychometrically sound instrument to accurately evaluate the digital competence of rehabilitation counselors in state VR agencies and community rehabilitation programs (CRPs). This study examined the psychometric properties of a modified version of the Digital Competence Profiler (DCP) in a sample of 431 state VR counselors. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor structure: (a) Digital Management & Social Engagement, (b) Content Creation & Multimedia, and (c) Communication & Navigation. The DCP demonstrates good reliability and construct validity, suggesting that it can be used to effectively assess the digital competence of rehabilitation counselors in state VR agencies and CRPs.