This article was downloaded by: [UQ Library]On: 23 November 2014, At: 23:53Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH,UK

Journal of Social Work inDisability & RehabilitationPublication details, including instructions forauthors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/wswd20

PrefaceCarol B. Cohen PhD, LCSW-C aa Department of Social Work , Gallaudet University ,800 Florida Avenue NE, Washington, DC, 20002, USAPublished online: 23 Sep 2008.

To cite this article: Carol B. Cohen PhD, LCSW-C (2007) Preface, Journal of SocialWork in Disability & Rehabilitation, 6:1-2, xxix-xxxi, DOI: 10.1300/J198v06n01_b

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J198v06n01_b

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Preface:Disability and Social Work Education

Carol B. Cohen, PhD, LCSW-C

Vision is dynamic……It alters what its reflects:

an individual’s history, a particular time and place,an ideology, cultural identity

the collective experience of a peopleIt redefines and reshapes the larger world

(Wells, 1993, p 83)

A vision can be more than a dream; a vision can be converted to pub-lic action, it can change the plight of an individual and it can change so-ciety as a whole. Social workers in the field of disability have a vision;this vision redefines the social construction of disability and incorpo-rates the general principles of social justice for all.

This special volume was developed to enhance the knowledge, skilland value base of social work educators and students working with pop-ulations who interface with disability; addressing some of the gaps inthe literature on social work education and disability. The contributorshave extensive knowledge in the field of disability and have selectedtopics based on their extensive expertise in the field.

Carol B. Cohen, PhD, LCSW-C, Associate Professor, Department of Social Work,Gallaudet University, 800 Florida Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002 (E-mail:carol.cohen@gallaudet.edu).

[Haworth co-indexing entry note]: “Disability and Social Work Education.” Cohen, Carol B. Co-pub-lished simultaneously in Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation (The Haworth Press, Inc.) Vol.6, No. 1/2, 2007, pp. xxix-xxxi; and: Disability and Social Work Education: Practice and Policy Issues (ed:Francis K.O. Yuen, Carol B. Cohen, and Kristine Tower) The Haworth Press, Inc., 2007, pp. xxi-xxiii. Singleor multiple copies of this article are available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service[1-800-HAWORTH, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (EST). E-mail address: docdelivery@haworthpress.com].

Available online at http://jswdr.haworthpress.com© 2007 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. xxix

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The basic tenets of social justice; accessibility to services and humanrights as well as the social construction of disability that connotes inferior-ity are themes that are ubiquitous and addressed throughout most of the ar-ticles in this special issue. The authors integrate diverse perspectives forchange on all levels (micro, mezzo and macro) of social work practice inorder to address specific challenges in (work with disabled populations) thefield of disabilities.

This special volume is a resource for social work educators, studentsas well as practitioners who want to embrace diverse and creative waysof integrating a generalist social work model in their work with varioussize systems that interface with disability. It is our aim to advance thetraining of social work students and practitioners who provide servicesfor individuals, families, group and larger systems.

What are the challenges that social workers need to be aware of?Nancy L. Mary describes her educational experiences as a student whowas exposed to the field of disabilities. Emphasizing the importance ofeducation, she developed a model curriculum on disabilities that incorpo-rates diverse perspectives of social work practice with individuals whohave physical, cognitive and psychiatric disabilities. Sandra Altshuleremphasizes the importance of understanding and keeping abreast withpolicy changes in order to protect the legal rights of children for appropri-ate education. Knowledge of the historical changes and amendments toPL 94-142 are discussed in order for social workers to function as advo-cates for children and their families. This article focuses on the implica-tion of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) policy and theramifications for social workers in their attempts to advocate for adequateand appropriate education for children. Principles of policy and its impli-cations for social action is further expanded by Reiko Hayashi who usesthe bill known as MiCASSA (Medicaid Community Attendant Servicesand Supports Act) to highlight the importance of empowerment civilrights of disabled individuals to have access to community living. In herexplanation of the grass roots history of the disability-rights movementthat has led to the development of MiCASSA bill, she provides vivid ex-amples of how disabled individuals have taken social action using Sec-tion 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans With Disabilities Actand the Supreme Court’s Olmstead Decision to act as change agents inorder to secure basic rights such as housing and medical care.

How do social work educators make accommodations necessary toteach social work students who are disabled? Ashleigh Smith, a deaf blindstudent, and Teresa V. Mason, her teacher, share their experiences in orderfor the reader to gain knowledge and insight into the academic process ofhelping students who are disabled achieve their academic goals.

xxx DISABILITY AND SOCIAL WORK EDUCATION

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Moving to the work setting, Jean A. and John T. Pardeck detail the histor-ical and essential components of the Americans with Disabilities Act, notingkey decisions made by the Supreme Court. Specific techniques/strategies foradvocacy on the macro level are expatiated in order for social workers to fa-cilitate accessibility and equal rights in the work environment. Randall R.Myers enhances one’s knowledge of macro approaches by using his experi-ence of development of the Standards of Care for the Delivery of MentalHealth Services to Deaf and Hard of Hearing Persons to expound on variousstrategies of intervention for macro change.

Diana Strock-Linsky and Diane W. Keller provide a historical overview offamily policy and practice as it relates to children and adolescents who are dis-abled. This article focuses on a family centered practice model of social workpractice to address the diverse needs of children and adolescents.and highlightsthe diverse roles of social worker as advocate, collaborator, team member andfamily resource. As one approaches adulthood, the focus on intervention maychange as exemplified in adult cases described by Donna Napolitano andCarol B. Cohen The biopsychosocial framework is used as an assessment toolto develop interventions focusing on adaptations/life choices that are necessaryto adequately meet psycho/social/developmental needs and enhance the selfesteem of individuals who are disabled. Cathy Orzolek-Kronner elaborates onthe use of the therapeutic relationship, in particular the clinical issues that arisein her work as a disabled social worker, expanding on the use of psychody-namic and ecological approaches to social work practice. One’s religious andspiritual beliefs can facilitate or hinder one’s acceptance of oneself and one’sdisability. Jane Hurst outlines the therapeutic/value issues related to one’s reli-gious and spiritual belief and the interface with disability. Focus is placed onthe expansion of one’s knowledge of social workers to help clients developadaptive religious and spiritual views.

Sharon N. Barnartt discusses disability protests and movements; both in re-spect to the objectives of the protest and as well as the implications those de-mands haveon socialwork practice. PatriciaWelch Saleeby shares her extensivework on the Capacity Approach and the International Classification of Function-ing, Disability and Health which are used as tools to help social workers makeaccurate understanding of the client in an environmental situation. In hopes thatour colleagues and students pursue research agenda in the field of disabilities,Elizabeth Eckhardt and Jeane Anastas provide basic guidelines for individualswho wish to undertake research about and with people who have disabilities.

REFERENCE

Wells, D. (1993). We have a dream: African American visions of freedom. New York:Carroll & Grat Publishers.

Preface xxxi

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