Challenges, Barriers, and Opportunities: Social Workers With Disabilities and Experiences in Field Education

Kiesel, Lisa; DeZelar, Sharyn; Lightfoot, Elizabeth

doi:10.1080/10437797.2018.1507365

Cited by 27 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…As illustrated in the findings, 16 students disclosed mental health issues, four had dyslexia and one had physical health issues, which affected progression. Research evidence suggests some practice learning settings may struggle to accommodate social work students with disabilities (Finch, 2010;Kiesel et al, 2018;Zuchowski et al, 2019), with one reporting (Kiesel et al, 2018) students were required to self-manage their situation and either downplay or not claim disability status for fear of stigma and discrimination. Based on disability discrimination legislation, employers are legally required to make reasonable adjustments for students and staff who declare a disability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To fail or not to fail: enhancing our understanding of reasons why social work students failed practice placements (2015–2019)

Roulston¹,

Cleak

Hayes³

et al. 2021

Social Work Education

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Social Work qualifying programmes teach students the necessary knowledge, skills, and values during a series of taught modules. Formal opportunities to integrate knowledge into practice are provided through practice placements in social work agencies. Each practice placement enables agency and/or academic staff to gate-keep entry into the profession, through assessing student competence against agreed practice learning requirements, readiness to practice, and adherence to professional social work standards. This research study seeks to expand our understanding of the incidence of and reasons why students failed their practice placement whilst studying social work on the island of Ireland. On receipt of ethical approval, Practice Teacher reports and minutes of Practice Assessment Panels were used for data collection. Sixtythree students (19 male, 44 female; mean age 34 years) failed placement 2015-2019, with the majority (58.7%) failing first placement. Reasons for failing were categorised into knowledge, skills, values and personal reasons. The most common reasons for failing were a poor understanding of the professional social work role, poor time management, poor written work, the inability to follow direction, limited application of knowledge to practice, and poor professional conduct. Results suggest most students disclosed mitigating circumstances, which affected engagement and competence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

To fail or not to fail: enhancing our understanding of reasons why social work students failed practice placements (2015–2019)

Roulston¹,

Cleak

Hayes³

et al. 2021

Social Work Education

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show abstract

“…Finally, it has been argued that efforts to be more inclusive of trainees and practitioners with disabilities in the various helping professionals, including those with mental illnesses, is necessary to enhance public health (Gill et al, 2003;Kiesel et al, 2018Kiesel et al, , 2019Lund et al, 2014;Marks & McCulloh, 2016;Waliany, 2016). Among other things, practitioners with disabilities are believed to be more sensitive to oppression and disenfranchisement, and more likely to point out ways in which the disciplines may perpetuate structural injustices that disempower the individuals they seek to serve and better able to point their fields in new directions.…”

Section: Benefits Of Lived Experience Of Mental Illness In the Helpin...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The quandary: Disclosing a mental illness in applications to helping professional academic programs.

Salzer¹

2022

Stigma and Health

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An increasing number of college students are seeking services for mental health issues. Many of these students may be interested in pursuing graduate studies in a health-related discipline, such as psychology, social work, or medicine, to enhance their economic and personal well-being, as well as contribute to the health of others. However, they may experience a quandary in the course of completing their applications in that they may desire to disclose their mental illness as a driving motivation to pursue that field, or out of pride in their resilience in the face of such challenges, or feel obligated to disclose, but are unsure about whether such a disclosure will impact the likelihood of their being admitted to their desired program and discipline. This article reviews the current research literature about disclosure on applications, and especially in personal statements, across disciplines. Overall, while few studies have been conducted in this area, and some of them being quite old, the evidence consistently suggests that disclosing a mental illness on applications is considered by admissions committees, may be viewed unfavorably, and may diminish one's chances of getting admitted, even for strong applicants. The implications of these findings for applicants are discussed, including a call for caution when making a decision about disclosure, as well as implications for admissions' committees when reviewing such applications to avoid bias, and potential legal liability, as well as how they can demonstrate the values of the field in welcoming and embracing such applicants.

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“…A recent study found that disabled students experience more stress than their peers in eldwork (Rajapuram et al, 2020). Further, they have limited knowledge of the future clinical settings (Horkey, 2019), which can in uence their decisions regarding disclosure of their accommodation needs (Kiesel et al, 2018;Ozelie et al, 2019).…”

Section: Students Living With Disabilities In Health Professions Fiel...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Disabled Students in Fieldwork Education: Academic Coordinators’ Perspectives on Accommodation Process

Mayer

Mira

Zaman

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Learning in a fieldwork setting is a requirement of many professional postsecondary programs, and prominent in health professions education. However, fieldwork education requirements can create additional challenges for disabled students. Academic coordinators, who are responsible for students’ placements, hold an important role in supporting disabled students in their fieldwork education. Nevertheless, studies on the roles and experiences of academic coordinators supporting students who require accommodations are limited. This exploratory study examined the perspectives of academic coordinators regarding their practices in supporting disabled students in health professions programs. The study employed a mixed methods design. Fifteen academic coordinators from occupational therapy programs completed a quantitative survey. Then, five of the academic coordinators participated in semi-structured interviews that supported the interpretation of the quantitative results. Academic coordinators faced complex barriers in providing disabled students the support they needed to succeed in fieldwork. Two main themes emerged: (1) ACs constantly navigated tensions with institutional norms regarding fieldwork and (2) ACs manage fieldwork accommodations within ever-changing human dynamics and social norms. Collaborative practices with fieldwork educators enabled the academic coordinators to overcome some of these barriers and create a more inclusive fieldwork education experience for disabled students. Further institutional and community resources are required.

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Challenges, Barriers, and Opportunities: Social Workers With Disabilities and Experiences in Field Education

Cited by 27 publications

References 32 publications

To fail or not to fail: enhancing our understanding of reasons why social work students failed practice placements (2015–2019)

To fail or not to fail: enhancing our understanding of reasons why social work students failed practice placements (2015–2019)

The quandary: Disclosing a mental illness in applications to helping professional academic programs.

Disabled Students in Fieldwork Education: Academic Coordinators’ Perspectives on Accommodation Process

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