Supporting Students with Disabilities in Social Work Field Placements: What is Being Done?

Overview: Social work educators have an obligation to ensure inclusive learning environments for students with disabilities, who comprise 20% of the student population. This session will describe preliminary findings from a content analysis of field education manuals, highlighting best practices for supporting students with visible and invisible disabilities during field placements.Proposal text: The social work profession is driven by a mission of social justice and enhancing the well being of all, including persons with varying learning abilities, physical disabilities, chronic medical conditions and behavioral health needs. The second draft of CSWE’s 2022 EPAS states that accredited social work programs have to implement anti-racist and inclusive practices across their curriculum, which includes a disability justice curricular framework. As social work educators, we therefore have the responsibility to support, empower, and mentor students with disabilities in the classroom and during field placements. By supporting students in navigating the challenges of field education, social work educators can not only positively impact students’ academic success but to increase the representativeness of the workforce.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (2021), a person with a disability is less likely to complete a bachelor's or graduate degree and significantly less likely to be employed in comparison with a person who does not have a disability. A study by Barber (2012) identified factors that increased students’ likelihood of successful educational outcomes, including frequent utilization of campus resources and meaningful relationships with university personnel. As social work educators, it is crucial that we communicate and model a message of openness, support through accommodations and service referrals, self-care and self-awareness, and acceptance of help.

Students with disabilities comprise approximately 19% of the undergraduate and 12% of the graduate population, with the number of students reporting behavioral health needs steadily increasing (Son et al., 2020; USDOE, 2021). A study examining BSW students’ self-reported levels of depression found that approximately half of the social work students reported levels at or above the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) cut point (Ting, 2011). Students in this study reported a number of barriers to seeking support and accommodations, including lack of time and resources and lack of knowledge. Additional barriers included concerns about stigma, fears about breaches of confidentiality, a need for personal control, and concerns about cultural competency skills and quality of services. Another found that students were even more reluctant to request accommodations for their field placement (Sellmaier & Kim, 2021). Students were often not aware of the availability or their eligibility for accommodations in field education. It is therefore critical that social work programs communicate students’ right to accommodations in field placements early and clearly to meet EPAS’ requirements for an inclusive implicit curriculum.

The presenters, members of the Council on Social Work Education’s Council on Disability and Persons with Disabilities, will share preliminary results from a content analysis of field education manuals. Initial findings suggest that, while most field education manuals articulate policies specific to students with disabilities, the depth of these policies varies significantly. With an understanding of the concerns surrounding disability stigma and discrimination, presenters will draw upon excerpts from field education manuals to discuss student self-determination and empowerment in decisions regarding disclosing their disability and requesting accommodations. Presenters will facilitate discussions and sharing of best practices for supporting students with disabilities during field placements.