Social Work Admissions and Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) protects students wth disabilities from discrimination by academic and professional programs in higher education. A student with a disability cannot be denied admission to an educational program because of his or her disability if the student is otherwise qualified. This means that a student with a disability who is qualified for an academic or professional educational program cannot be denied admission to a program based solely on the student&s disability. This educational requirement mandated by the ADA applies to all educational fields including social work education. The purpose of this study was to explore how social work programs are dealing with these requirements in their admission and academic accommodation procedures. Twelve social work programs located in the mid-western United States participated in the study. Representatives of each of these programs were given an in-depth interview focusing on their admissions process, academic accommodations, and general topics related to social work education and disabilities. All programs taking part in the research were accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). The CSWE is the national accreditation body for social work education within the United States.     

Premature Return to School following a Psychotic Episode

Abstract

A college mental health service professional often finds that a student who has had an episode of psychiatric illness is eager to return to fulltime status before he or she seems ready for this undertaking. The mental health professional may advise that the student stay out of school for a longer period, but often this advice is rejected.

Approaches to dealing with the problem of return to school following an academic leave prompted by a psychotic episode include the requirement that the student maintain a minimum time out of school and be in treatment during the attempt to return to academic life. The assessment of a student's psychological status at the time of a proposed return often raises the problem of dual agency. Although the college mental health professional is apt to place a high value on maximizing the student's chances of having things work out to his or her liking, the administrator to whom the mental health professional is ultimately responsible is probably inclined to place the needs and well-being of the campus community above those of the student seeking to return.

While the proposed return of a student to academic work following a psychotic episode poses many difficult questions, considerable experience is available to aid in the task of those charged with making this decision. The authors propose two helpful approaches.     

Academic economists behaving badly? A survey on three areas of unethical behavior

This article measures the degree to which academic economists have engaged in unethical behavior and the degree to which academic economists believe the profession as a whole engages in unethical behavior. Three main types of unethical behavior are examined: (1) falsification of research; (2) expropriation of graduate student research or including an undeserving co-author on a research paper; and (3) exchange of grades for gifts, money, or sex. Using a unique data set gathered at the 1998 American Economic Association (AEA) meetings, we find that there is a significant amount of misconduct, particularly in the second category.     

The Medium Is the Mass: Marshall McLuhan's Catholicism and catholicism

Conflicting assumptions have been proffered about Marshall McLuhan's Roman Catholic beliefs: (a) that he was a "compartmentalized Catholic" who kept his Sunday beliefs separate from his Monday-to-Saturday academic thinking; (b) that his Catholicism was ubiquitous, and thus the "global village" is a longing for one world body as camouflaged Teilhard de Chardin; (c) that McLuhan was an academic who addressed all topics, including religious ones, orally and in writing but not with a proselytizing perspective; (d) that as a convert to Catholicism (in the spirit of Chesterton and Lewis) he was a clever and subtle evangelical who infused academe with adapted theology; and (e) that some mixture of these assumptions is likely to be true, although McLuhan kept his articles of faith largely off the record. Based on interviews with McLuhan and with some of his closest colleagues and friends, as well as on research about the religious vein within McLuhan's writing, I report aspects of the "Marist McLuhan," that is, the McLuhan moved by Mary, and by her church, as well as aspects of McLuhan's theological subtext within his writing and thinking.     

Reactivating the ‘communist hypothesis’: Alain Badiou and social work

It has been argued that Alain Badiou could contribute to social work's engagement with social theory. This paper critically responds to this assertion and identifies some of the theoretical problems associated with Badiou's core conceptualisations. Divided into two sections, it will begin by outlining his main thematic preoccupations and will go on to focus on his interpretation of the significance of Saint Paul, the apostle. The second half of the paper will dwell on Webb's attempt to connect Badiou to social work so as to disrupt focal ideas on ‘diversity’ and ‘difference’. This section will conclude by critically exploring Badiou's comments on children, children's rights and abuse. Although, so far receiving no attention in the social work literature, his interventions on these matters are problematic in that they imply that children lie outside the ‘one world’ politics that he promotes. Despite such criticisms, it is concluded Badiou's theorisation needs to be included within the academic literature of European social work.     

Social Control and Emotions

This is the first article in Symbolic Interaction's symposium in tribute to Tamotsu (Tom) Shibutani (1920–2004). The author, a student in Shibutani's graduate course on social control, discusses his teacher's ideas and their evolution into his own. The article provides ample basis for the author's observation: a scholar's contribution can be measured not only by the cumulative corpus of his or her published work, but also by the influence that this individual has had on the work of others.     

Correlates of honor ratings in a clinical clerkship employing a faculty forum evaluation system

5he purpose of this study was to determine whether or not suspected variables affected a surgery clerk's chances of being awarded an honor rating. Findings indicated a significant relationship between a student receiving an honor rating and his or her preceptor's predetermined level of student advocacy, the number of completed patient interview and physical examination write-ups, and final examination scores. There was no significant relationship found between honor ratings and the preceptor's status, the sequence in which the student was discussed or the length of time spent discussing the student at the final evaluation meeting, or the number of clinical faculty present at the meeting. These results lend support to the faculty forum evaluation approach, but suggest a need for further scrutiny of some influencing variables to ensure all students are fairly considered and honor ratings judiciously awarded.     

Finding a Sociological Voice: The Work of Mirra Komarovsky*

This article offers a biographical sketch of Mirra Komarovsky in the framework of an analysis of her work as a researcher, writer, teacher and feminist. It demonstrates how the cultural conflicts that existed while she was a college student laid the foundation for her later sociological research. It also illustrates the particular dynamics of a woman's career in sociology, especially with regard to the influence of social supports on a woman's sense of “finding her voice.” Her work after retirement suggests that this period may have particular significance in the lives of academic women. The theoretical foundation and methodological characteristics of her work are additional foci of this article.     

The right to be different: Implications for child protection

This paper traces the historical emphasis of defining the disabled child or adult as ‘abnormal’—to be made ‘normal’! Such an emphasis disempowers the child, who comes to believe that his or her difference is as ‘bad’, ‘unacceptable’, and readily allows him or her to be viewed as ‘useless’. Such disabilist attitudes have fostered the belief that child protection services would not be relevant for this child population. The experiences of disabled women are explored, and clear messages emerge that can help us consider the environment of disabilism and the effects of this on disabled children. It helps us to see that, even before the disabled child is abused, his or her experience is one of oppression.     

Principals and Agents: An Investigation of Executive Compensation in Human Service Nonprofits

This study proposes a revised agency theory for the nonprofit sector, distinguishes between the extent of agency and the extent of monitoring, and compares the magnitudes of the two impacts. Using panel data for 1998–2003, the paper tests whether monitoring by principal-stakeholders such as donors, clients, the government, and the board reduces the opportunity for executive misconduct such as extravagant spending on compensation and perquisites. Given the theory, the findings show that two effects influence CEO salaries. First, while nonprofit endowments provide a fiscal cushion in tough financial situations, by offering “organizational slack” they also increase the CEO’s opportunity to steal or raise her compensation (i.e., agency effect). Second, donors utilize monitoring mechanisms such as auditing or direct observations, which limit the opportunity for misconduct and reduce executive pay (i.e., monitoring effect). In the final analysis, the monitoring effect is greater than the agency effect, which implies that even if agency problems are present, the monitoring that donors provide offsets them.     

Perception of Teacher Sexual Misconduct by Age of Student

ABSTRACT

This study explored whether student age influenced perceptions of teacher sexual misconduct. Participants (300 undergraduates) read scenarios depicting teacher sexual misconduct in which the student's age was varied (9, 12, 15), and then answered questions about their perceptions. Data were analyzed with 2 (respondent gender) × 2 (cross-gender dyads) × 3 (student age) MANOVAs. Experiences involving the youngest student were viewed as the most abusive, followed by the 12-year-old, and the 15-year-old. Gender differences were evident, with women viewing the experiences more negatively. Scenarios involving a male teacher/female student were viewed more negatively than a female teacher/male student dyad. These findings illustrate the importance of educating students and school personnel about teacher sexual misconduct.     

Keeping Sociology in Perspective: Roy Francis' Academic Odyssey*

During a career that has spanned more than 40 years, Roy Francis has made substantial contributions to sociological teaching and research. Building on his experiences as a student, he holds dear the ideals of a liberal education and continues to search for new ways of transmitting those ideals in the face of changing social patterns. A prolific writer, Francis’books and papers often examine the proper relations between theory and research and explore the potential of symbolic interactionism as an epistemological framework. He has been active in sociology's professional affairs, especially in promoting visual sociology as a teaching and learning medium. His roles as a student, professor, administrator, and president of the Midwest Sociological Society round out a career that has encompassed all facets of modern scholarship. In each of these roles, Francis stresses the moral dimensions of the academic life, and he instills in his students the sense of intellectual obligation to their scholarly forebears that he feels toward his own.     

Fair play: creating a better learning climate for social work students in social care settings

This paper describes a pilot study and subsequent evaluation undertaken by the author which arose from his experiences as a practice teacher working with a student in a day care facility. The catalyst for the study arose from one student's comments about the confusion he and others on the placement site experienced regarding his role as a social work student in a setting where there was no defined social work role.

It led to a study of students' views in a range of settings across South & East Belfast Trust, some of which may be deemed to be ‘social work settings’, i.e. with a defined social work role, while others may be considered ‘social care settings’, i.e. with no defined social work role. The aim of the study and subsequent evaluation was to consider problematic issues which arose for students in social care settings and how the quality of learning opportunities for them could be improved.     

Holding Mutual Vulnerability in Brilliant Sanity

Others’ suffering impacts the body-mind of the clinician, thus exposing his or her own vulnerability during the encounter. Self-defensive reactions naturally arise, probably reflecting one’s own embodied relational history and thus the difficulty to hold difficult affects. Reflecting on some contemplative aspects of Francisco Varela’s life, this paper explores how mindfulness and compassion practice may help therapists in establishing an open and nondissociated relation toward inner and intersubjective worlds. It suggests how particular qualities of being present may act as implicit modeling to mutually regulate and integrate experience. A clinical case investigates the interest of acknowledging mutual embodied vulnerability co-emerging in the encounter, fostering the therapeutic space potential for deep dialogue, connection, and mutual transformation.     

The Reflective Learning Model: Supervision of Social Work Students

A key task for the field education supervisor is to facilitate reflection in beginning practice, and to promote in the student a sense of ownership, mastery and understanding of his or her clinical process. At the same time the supervisor is charged to instruct and guide the student. A major challenge for the supervisor is to balance these two dimensions of supervision and maintain a focus on the student's experience rather than the supervisor's expertise. The authors present a Reflective Learning Model which identifies the importance of both facilitative and didactic interventions within effective supervision. A case study is provided to demonstrate the model in action.     

Service user and carer feedback: simply pass/fail or a genuine learning tool?

Social Work Students in Britain are required to submit feedback from Service Users and Carers as part of their Practice Learning portfolios. The purpose of this is twofold—to demonstrate evidence of the student’s ability and to provide information for the student to reflect on and learn from. Members of the Service User and Carer Advisory group attached to a Social Work degree course believe this represents an opportunity for users and carers to influence future social work practice. In reality however, does this feedback actually make a difference? Group members reviewed user and carer feedback contained within student portfolios submitted during one academic year. They found that whilst there were some excellent examples of constructive criticism, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive towards students. The findings raised questions about how gathering Service User and Carer feedback is viewed and undertaken. Is the feedback seen more as a pass/fail issue or as an opportunity to learn from? Could there be better ways to gain constructive feedback for students? What conditions enable students to learn from the feedback that is gathered? This paper starts to explore these questions and suggests ideas for further research and training.     

For Better or For Worse? State-Level Marital Formation and Risk Sharing

Why do some U.S. states have higher levels of marital formation than others? This paper introduces an economic model wherein a state’s representative individual may choose to marry in order to diversify his or her idiosyncratic income risk. The paper demonstrates that such a diversification motive is enhanced for some utility functions when a state’s level of undiversifiable risk becomes larger, and when a state’s initial income is lower. A test of the model’s predictions, using cross-sectional data for the 50 U.S. states, provides some suggestive evidence for a risk sharing motive in marriage formation and joint spouse labor participation.     

Effects of Parental Involvement and Family Structure on the Academic Achievement of Adolescents

Abstract

Using the 1992 NELS data set, this study assessed the effects of three aspects of parental involvement and family structure on the academic achievement of those children. The results indicate that family structure and two of the three aspects of parental involvement were associated with higher adolescent academic achievement, when gender, race, and socioeconomic status are controlled for. Family structure was the single greatest predictor of academic achievement. The extent to which parents discussed school issues and attended school functions also had a positive impact on adolescent academic achievement. Whether a parent checked on a child's homework and checked on his or her friends did not have a positive impact, and sometimes had a negative effect, on academic achievement. The significance of these results is discussed. To the extent that parental family structure is, in itself, partially a measure of parental involvement, the relative influence of family structure and other measures of parental involvement on children's academic achievement is discussed.