Equity in social work employment: opportunity and challenge for social workers with disabilities in the United States

Abstract

People with disabilities in the United States have had low levels of employment for decades, and the employment rate of people with disabilities remains virtually unchanged despite efforts to improve employment participation. This qualitative inquiry explored barriers and opportunities related to employment for social workers with disabilities through understanding their experiences of seeking, obtaining, and maintaining social work employment in the United States. Five themes emerged: anticipation and experience of hiring discrimination, accommodation confusion, disappointment with the social work profession, disability makes one a better social worker, and this could be different (and better). Findings suggest implications for employers and the social work profession. Points of interest• The literature regarding employment of people with disabilities as professional social workers is extremely limited and not empirically based.• This study explored barriers and opportunities related to employment for US social workers with disabilities through understanding their experiences of seeking, obtaining, and maintaining social work employment.• Participants expressed belief that disability made them a better social worker.• Challenges were experienced in the pursuit of employment, the need for accommodation, feeling accepted and supported, and being able to fulfill one's potential as a social worker. • This article contributes to varying degrees a sense of disappointment in the profession of social work and social work employment. • However, there were also clear examples of what works and what could be better to ensure the inclusion of qualified social work professionals with disabilities in the workforce.

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

“…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.…”

Autistic Adult Knowledge of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Employment-Related Rights

“…Differentiating employment based on disability status legally constitutes discrimination [44][45][46]. It is interesting to note that, with the onset of the ADA, overall employment of individuals with disabilities may have dropped in the early 1990s [47][48][49][50]. Researchers have attempted to explain this phenomenon, with the most popular explanation being an overall increased expense in hiring and maintaining workers with disabilities [48][49][50], though research to the contrary exists [51,52].…”

“…It is interesting to note that, with the onset of the ADA, overall employment of individuals with disabilities may have dropped in the early 1990s [47][48][49][50]. Researchers have attempted to explain this phenomenon, with the most popular explanation being an overall increased expense in hiring and maintaining workers with disabilities [48][49][50], though research to the contrary exists [51,52]. Given these reports, knowledge of the ADA's provisions is an essential skill for autistic workers.…”