Understanding pre-service teachers' construct of disability: a metacognitive process

This study identified pre-service teachers' understanding of disability as it relates to students they might teach and people they might meet in public, and determined the development of their understanding. Participants' voices were elicited through semi-structured interviews. Themes uncovered included: (a) many people with disabilities were 'hidden away'; (b) participants were afraid of people with disabilities; (c) participants lacked self-efficacy in teaching people with disabilities; (d) participants believed that people with disabilities lacked the ability to learn the same syllabus as typical students; and (e) participants also felt people with disabilities belonged and had rights in society. Conclusions drawn include the fact that in this Asian context, having a close relative with a disability did not presume that the participants would have a positive outlook on people with disabilities. Furthermore, there is a need for acceptance of people with disabilities in daily life activities, including in schools and other recreational activities.     

Inclusion of children with disabilities in mainstream child development research

This study investigated whether children with disabilities are excluded from mainstream child development research. Fifteen per cent of 533 articles from Child Development and Developmental Psychology (1996–2010) were randomly selected. The exclusion rate was 89.9% when no mention of participants with disabilities was interpreted as exclusion and 66.7% when only studies mentioning disabilities were surveyed; 74% of studies did not provide justification for exclusion. Most studies could have included children with disabilities. Inclusion could be increased by adopting universal design principles and accommodations so that more children with disabilities can gain equal access to research opportunities and the benefits that accrue.     

Governmental intrusiveness in the family: A continuing dilemma

This discussion examines the ongoing controversy between critics of and advocates for child protective services. Although this controversy is often identified as taking place between lawyers and social workers, it is a problem that must be faced by society as a whole. The needs of society and the needs of individuals relate directly to each other. When these needs conflict with each other, modification in procedures designed to carry them out becomes crucial. Interventions must be designed so as to achieve that which is in the “best interests of the child” as well as in the best interest of society.     

The assessment of parent-led prevention programs: a preliminary assessment of impact

This article reports on a preliminary study of the impact of parent-led prevention groups on youthful drug and alcohol use. In addition, the study assessed the extent to which families involved with parent-led prevention programs reported improved family relations and increased parental control of children's social activities--two major mechanisms by which parent-group advocates claim their activities alter youth substance use patterns. Consistent with the claims of parent-group advocates, the study results suggest that the parent groups did have some impact on family relations and on parental control of children's social activities. The evidence for an impact on drug and alcohol use was, however, weak. A somewhat unexpected finding was that parents who become involved in parent-led prevention activities may not be those parents whose children are at highest risk.     

Voices from Vietnam: experiences of children and youth with disabilities,and their families,from an Agent Orange affected rural region

This study examines the experiences of young people with disabilities from ethnic minorities, and their families, in central Vietnam. The study is set in an area contaminated by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Data were gathered from interviews with youth with disabilities and interviews and focus groups with mothers who had children with disabilities. Respondents expressed confronting multiple barriers to inclusion, education, health and well-being similar to other persons with disabilities and their families from around the world. Participants sought broad-ranging human rights as they described experiencing stigmatization and marginalization from negative social reaction toward disabilities and by residing in a location known for dioxin contamination. The participants’ voices are not only important in informing program responses to support implementation of Vietnam’s new National Law on Persons with Disabilities, but also timely as the US government considers proposed legislation providing material support for Vietnamese nationals affected by Agent Orange.     

It takes two to tango: the integration of people with disabilities into society

The concept of integration is not well defined. It not known how people with disabilities experience integration. In this study qualitative methods were used. The aim of the article is to define a model of successful integration based on the perspectives of people with disabilities and people within their social environment. Integration consists of five elements: functioning ordinarily without receiving special attention, mixing with others that are not disabled, taking part in society, trying to realize one’s potential and directing one’s own life. Integration is obtained through a process of interaction between a person with a disability and society. This process is influenced by personal, societal and support factors. The individual with a disability and society have a mutual responsibility with respect to integration.     

From advocacy to service provision: state transformation and the disability rights movement in Taiwan

This research uses the development of the disability rights movement in Taiwan as a case study to analyze the impact of state transformation, in particular marketization of social welfare policy, on the disability rights movement. First, the institutionalization of the disability rights movement enabled it to expand its organizational structure and become involved in shaping policy. Secondly, when disability rights organizations started to undertake state-funded projects, their focus shifted from advocacy to service provision. Thirdly, competition for limited state-funding gave the organizations led by urban-middle class advocates a significant advantage over small, community-based NPOs and gathered significantly greater resources. Finally, this paper suggests that, in a context in which the state did not provide basic social services for its citizens with disabilities, the institutionalization of SMOs turned advocacy groups into service providers. Although the number of disability civic organizations increased, the voices of advocacy groups were weakened.     

The grace of motherhood: disabled women contending with societal denial of intimacy,pregnancy, and motherhood in Ethiopia

This study aimed to provide better understanding of intimacy and marriage, pregnancy, birth, and motherhood experiences of women with disability in Ethiopia. Qualitative, in-depth, and semi-structured interviews along with personal observations were used to explore the full experiences of participants, as told in their own words. The result of the interviews indicated that relationships and motherhood proved a very rewarding option for women with disabilities. They also expressed their need for intimacy regardless of society’s denial. Challenges identified include negative societal attitudes toward women with disabilities regarding relationship, pregnancy, and child-rearing. Accessibility of health centers in addition to the ignorance and negative attitudes of the physicians are also reported to be major challenges for the interviewees. This study highlights how rewarding the experience of motherhood was for the interviewees and also shows that women with disabilities face challenges at every step of their experiences, because of society’s prejudices toward disability.     

Women with disabilities and their lived experiences of physical,psychological and sexual abuse in Croatia

This research aims to generate a better understanding of the abuse of women with disabilities through a qualitative study with 28 women with disabilities in five towns in Croatia. The results show that more than half of the research participants had experienced physical, psychological and sexual abuse, and financial exploitation. Participants stressed the need for education and empowerment of women with disabilities as well as better training for professionals and ensuring that a formal support system is available in every local community. The role of social workers in emerging countries like Croatia needs to include developing individual, group and community support for women with disabilities and raising public awareness of the abuse and violence shown towards women with disabilities through political and community networks and events.     

Violence towards caregivers of persons with developmental disabilities

OBJECTIVE: Violent and disruptive acts committed by persons with developmental disabilities are a potential work environment problem for caregivers. This study developed and tested an instrument for describing and analyzing violence among persons with developmental disabilities. METHODS: Personnel from four units of one facility recorded daily on a simple form all violent and disruptive acts occurring in a limited range of situations. RESULTS: Acts of violence were associated with a small minority of individuals, but grossly underreported and unrecognized in formal reporting systems. None of the nearly 3000 incidents recorded during the six-week study required sick leave. Violent and disruptive acts occurred most often when an individual was requested to do something he or she did not want to do, when the individual was denied the opportunity to do something they did want to do and when waiting or under-stimulated. Personnel used the data in discussing countermeasures that could be integrated with the care and treatment of the individual. CONCLUSION: Hitting, kicking, pinching etc. of personnel are a work environment problem due to their high frequency and effects upon employee morale. The instrument and procedures can be used to reduce incidents of violence, which would improve the working environment of employees and assist persons with developmental disabilities as they move from institutional environments.     

Through Adversity Comes Strength: Volunteering and Self-Esteem Among People with Physical Disabilities

The goal of the present study was to examine differences in self-esteem between volunteers with physical disabilities and their counterparts who do not volunteer. Another goal was to examine the contribution of the characteristics of the volunteering experience (motives for volunteering, satisfaction with the rewards of volunteering, and the quality of relationships with beneficiaries) to explain self-esteem among volunteers with physical disabilities. The research sample included 160 Israeli participants with different physical disabilities. Of these, 95 volunteered and 65 did not volunteer. Participants who volunteered had higher self-esteem than those who did not. The findings highlight the compensatory role of volunteering for people with disabilities: The contribution of volunteering to enhancing self-esteem was mainly evident among participants with poor socioeconomic resources (low education, low economic status, and unemployed). Egoistic and altruistic motives for volunteering as well as satisfaction with the rewards of volunteering contributed to explaining self-esteem.     

‘I am bodied’. ‘I am sexual’. ‘I am human’. Experiencing deafness and gayness: a story of a young man

This paper examines experiences of Deaf gay people through the eyes of a young Deaf man growing up in the predominantly hearing and heterosexual society of the Czech Republic. In the current disability and gender studies discourse there are several personal accounts of people with disabilities who also identify as gay or lesbian, but narratives about Deafness and gayness are rare or missing. To ‘queer’ the issue of Deafness and disability a little further, most Deaf people claim to be a linguistic and cultural minority, not disabled. Being Deaf and gay suggests a double identity and quite often exclusion from the majority hearing and heterosexual society. The story of 24‐year‐old Jan illustrates the struggle and challenges of a minority within a minority.     

Australia's leading social work authors: the devil in the detail

Abstract

Many care leavers with disabilities face difficulties as they transition from out-of-home care (OoHC), and suffer multiple, ongoing forms of disadvantage after they leave care. This paper is drawn from a study comprising six focus groups, involving 21 participants employed in disability and OoHC services in Victoria, Australia. The findings suggest that care leavers with disabilities do not receive the transitional and postcare support and housing they need. Many are transitioned into housing options that are unsuitable for their needs, or unsafe. The argument of this paper is that care leavers with disabilities may benefit from adult guardianship legislation. When appropriate an application for a guardianship order should be made prior to the young person exiting care, to enable a smooth transition between the child and adult systems. Adult protection services with an advocacy function should be given the opportunity to advocate for care leavers with disabilities.     

From blindness to visual impairment: terminological typology and the Social Model of Disability

The Social Model of Disability holds that persons are impaired for a number of reasons, but that it is only by society that they are disabled. As a product of that disabling society and a key component in psychocultural representation, it is terminology on which the paper focuses. Consisting of ableism, disablement and impairment, a tripartite typology is proposed, the first phase of which is rendered outmoded, the second regressive and the third progressive. This hierarchical categorisation provides a basis for the suggestion that terminology like blindness and the blind might be rejected in favour of that which denotes only visual impairment, the progressive terminology that corresponds with insights gained from the Social Model of Disability.     

Social Workers’ Roles in Supporting the Sexual and Relational Health of Children with Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to understand social workers’ roles in meeting the sexual and relational health needs of children (aged 3–11) with disabilities. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 social workers from a range of practice settings. A phenomenological lens privileged the perspectives of social workers in their definitions of disability and sought to convey the meaning they assigned to their experiences of working with children in practice concerning matters related to sexual and relational health. Social workers enacted a broad definition of disability and often came to work with youth in contexts labeled as sexually problematic. In the provision of sexual health services, social workers embodied commonly adhered to roles including as practitioners, enablers, advocates, brokers, and managers. Services are needed that promote positive sexuality and relational health among children with disabilities. It is important that social workers be proactive advocates for the full inclusion of people with disabilities as equal sexual citizens.     

Development Assistance: disability and education in Southern Africa

This paper discusses development assistance on disability and education in southern Africa. Development assistance for people with disabilities has for a long time been based on the charity and medical models. It has not been perceived in the context of national development. Many development agencies and charitable organisations tend to emphasise their own agenda, which may not necessarily be that of the local people with disabilities. As a result, the anticipated impact of development assistance in the region for people with disabilities has not been realised. This paper challenges this position and advocates for a more participatory approach by the locals. Using Lesotho as an example, the paper shows how development assistance can be made to be more successful through community participation and change of attitudes across all sectors of the community.     

Involving People with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities in Social Work Education: Building Inclusive Practice

Abstract

Service user and carer engagement is a foundational requirement of social work education. Despite this, questions remain about how diverse experiences are represented and who might be excluded from involvement. This paper focusses on one group of people who it is suggested are excluded from involvement, people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Evidence is presented which demonstrates the extent to which this group have been marginalised and excluded from processes of involvement. The paper then provides a case study of one universities’ experience of developing work in this area, when a man with profound and multiple learning disabilities was commissioned to design and deliver specialist teaching for a group of qualifying social work students. We argue that the main barrier to inclusive involvement for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities is the attitudes and assumption of others about what they are capable of. We demonstrate how involvement in social work education helps to address these barriers by challenging the assumptions of students, the academy and society more broadly.     

Abuse and Disabled People: Vulnerability or social indifference?

This paper analyses current literature surrounding issues of abuse and disability, and discusses whether the forms of abuse experienced by disabled people results from an individual vulnerability, or as a consequence of social attitudes towards disabled people. Three case studies form supportive evidence, and have been compiled from personal research, they represent a combination of abusive features, rather than any one individuals situation. The study hopes not to suggest that all disabled people are especially vulnerable to abuse, but asks if society and existing welfare services acknowledge and respond to allegations of abuse without prejudice to disability. This study formed my dissertation paper as a student on the BA (Hons) Social Work and Welfare Studies at the University of Central Lancashire, and I would like to thank my dissertation tutor, Bob Sapey, for his guidance and support throughout the study.     

Crowded Advocacy: Framing Dynamic in the Fracking Controversy in New York

In the hydrofracturing controversy in New York advocates hotly contested notions of the problem, what should be done, by whom, and how. This controversy can be characterized as “crowded advocacy,” involving intense mobilization and counter-mobilization of advocates with competing perspectives. Extant theories about the expansion of advocacy organizations are unclear about how advocates’ interactions shape the policy arena, particularly when there is competition within and across multiple coalitions. This article contributes by asking: How do advocates’ interactive framing dynamics shape public discourse when advocacy is crowded? It assumes that advocacy in general, and framing in particular, evolves as advocates respond to each other. I find that competing “discourse coalitions” collectively influence public discourse by articulating divergent notions of (1) what constitutes credible knowledge, (2) who can speak with authority on the issues, and (3) what institutional arrangements should be activated to manage risks. The consequence is that advocates have to react to others' framing on these issues—to defend their knowledge, their credibility, and specific institutions, rather than arguing their case on the merits. The implication is that advocacy is not only the means of influence (strategy) but also creates the context of advocacy in particular ways in a crowded field.