Critical Disability Theory and Social Work Values: Critical Concepts for Inclusive Social Work Education

Overview: Disability competency is worthy of attention, and critical conversation should be initiated to include Critical Disability Theory in social work curriculums. This presentation will explore how CDT and social work values align, and how to promote student learning by creating an awareness of disability, social work values, and societal bias.Proposal text: In the United States, 26% of adults and 17% are living with a disability (CDC, 2021; CDC, 2020). Most people will experience disability in some form, that could be temporary or permanent (WHO, 2021). Despite disability affecting most of the population, only 18% of social work programs have a course dedicated to the disability-related course (Ogden et al, 2017). Social work education programs should strive to make disability visible, focusing on an ability-focused perspective and awareness of implicit bias (Kim & Sellmaier, 2020). As such, a critical conversation should be initiated to include Critical Disability Theory in social work curriculums.
Disability is a social construct that is seen through able-bodied lens (Ashby, 2012; Siebers, 2011). When disability is seen as a pathology, one that needs to be fixed, it further perpetuates the medical model of disability (Kattari et al, 2020; Rioux & Valentine, 2006; Siebers, 2011). Education curriculum can perpetuate a stereotypical view of disability through a deficit model, and thus educators should examine their discomfort and bias (Erevelles, 2005; Kim & Sellmaier, 2020). Critical disability theory was born out of the need for voices of the disability community to be heard and to bring attention to human rights (Meekosha & Shuttleworth, 2009). CDT core tenants speak to promoting the social model of disability and challenge the social construct of what is considered normal. CDT seeks to "accept and value disabled people as equal integrated members of society" (Hosking, 2008, p. 8). By incorporating CDT into the social work curriculum, we can promote empowerment, visibility, diversity, inclusion, value of diversity, inclusion, acceptance, worth of uniqueness, self-determination, and the social model of disability (Knox, 2021).
The social work curriculum typically accepts a diagnostic approach that may focus the social worker on being the "helper" which may facilitate ableism (Kattari et al, 2020). However, CSWE (2018) has made strides to develop an inclusive curriculum to facilitate the ecological perspective, while honing in on social work values and connecting the core values of the disability-competent care model. This includes a person-centered approach, respect for self-determination of choice, equal access to care while decreasing barriers and bias, the social construct of disability and focus on ability and function rather than the diagnosis or disease (Source for Integrated Care, 2017).
Critical Disability Theory (CDT) will be explored to align social work core values, to facilitate practice skills to enhance student competencies. The core social work values of Service, Competence, Social Justice, Integrity, Dignity and Worth of the Person, and the Importance of Human Relationships and how each connects to concepts of CDT including Voice, Multi-Dimensionality, Rights, Valuing Diversity, Transformative Politics, and Language (Hosking, 2008). By merging these two important theoretical frameworks several themes such as invisibility, disempowerment, use of the medical model, exclusion, social injustice, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and disempowerment are identified. This paper presentation will explore how CDT and social work values align, and how to promote student learning by creating an awareness of disability, social work values, and societal bias.