No abstract

Social work literature, research, and practice on disabilities has lagged behind other topical areas dealing with oppressed groups. The social work literature remains “expert focused” and generally fragmented into discussions of specific disabilities or subpopulations. A viable general model that deals with the personal experience of disability is not available. This exploratory study presents a social work literature search and analysis as well as interviews with six individuals with disabilities about their experiences with social workers. Individuals with disabilities assert that they were treated as though they had categorically fewer aspirations, abilities, and perhaps even fundamental rights than did nondisabled people. This study provides a base for follow-up research on models of consumer-focused social work practice in the area of disability.

No abstract

No abstract

The exceedingly influential U.S. News & World Report's rankings of the educational quality of graduate schools of social work are based on responses of a small group of deans and faculty members to a single item on a mailed survey. This study evaluated the validity of these "quick and dirty" commercial ratings by comparing the 2004 USNWR results to three more objective measures of overall program quality--admissions selectivity, faculty publications, and program longevity--and by conducting a replication study of 1516 deans, faculty members, students, and practitioners. Results revealed USNWR rankings are consistent with objective indicators of program success and representative of the views of a larger sample of deans, faculty members, and to a lesser degree, of practitioners and students. In spite of this empirical support, the authors recommend strategies for eliminating the reliance on commercial ratings and developing professionally driven and disseminated systems of evaluating graduate schools.