FACILITATING THE SOCIAL WORK FIELD PLACEMENT EXPERIENCE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Renee Michelsen, LCSW

ADA definition of ‘disability’ with respect to an individual –

•   (a) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual;   (b) a record of such impairment; or   (c) being regarded as having such an impairment.”

http://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.htm#12102

Goal

• An inclusive design in field education for social work graduate students with disabilities. 

• SWD’s acquire the CSWE Core Competencies and Practice Behaviors.

In this presentation let’s look at…

• Constraints in regard to field education for students with disabilities (SWD)

• The conversations that need to be had with stakeholders

• The different types of support needed for SWD in field education

Strategy

• Constraints = need for collaboration• Conversations = coaching• Types of support  = commitment to accessibility

• A unique plan for each individual student = creativity

Spotlight on students with disabilities

TerminologyModification vs. Accommodation

• A modification means a change in what is being taught to or expected from the student. Making an assignment easier so the student is not doing the same level of work as other students is an example of a modification.

• An accommodation is a change that helps a student overcome or work around the disability. A different way of doing the same work. Allowing a student who has trouble writing to give his answers orally is an example of an accommodation. This student is still expected to know the same material and answer the same questions as fully as the other students, but he doesn’t have to write his answers to show that he knows the information.

http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/accommodations/

Mindset

• Recognize the challenges• Not lower the expectations

Educational Policy 2.3—Signature Pedagogy: Field Education

• Signature pedagogy represents the central form of instruction and learning in which a profession socializes its students to perform the role of practitioner. 

• In social work, the signature pedagogy is field education. 

• It is a basic precept of social work education that the two interrelated components of curriculum—classroom and field—are of equal importance

• Field education is systematically designed, supervised, coordinated, and evaluated based on criteria by which students demonstrate the achievement of program competencies.

http://www.cswe.org/File.aspx?id=13780

Field is Unique

• Field practicum is a course, but different from any other school related element

• Requires different accommodations than other courses because it is not classroom based. 

Interrelated Players

school

student

agency

Each Brings Constraints

• Constraints of the school• Constraints of the agency• Constraints of the student

LET’S START WITH THE SCHOOL’S CHALLENGES

Why is it the School’s Issue?

• Once you admit a student you have a commitment to provide an accessible curriculum

Challenges for the School

• Designing the learning platform –how much and what can you bend in our curriculum and practices?  (How, where, when??)

Constraints of the educational institution

• How is the structure of our programs a barrier?  What are our true constraints?– Confines of the semester– Distribution of required hours (at least 900 hours for accreditation of the program)

UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES (ODS)

Role and Purpose of ODS

• Protocol to determine if an individual has a disability

• If deemed disabled then a letter of accommodation is developed that the student gives to the instructor of his/her courses

Usual MO

• Office of Disability services is accustomed to accommodations in the classroom 

Standard University Accommodation Plan

• Provision of readers, note-takers and interpreters

• Test-taking needs – extra time, change in location, change in format (oral vs. written)

• Equipment loans• Assistance with architectural barriers – changing classes to accessible locations

• Assistive technology devices

Room for Education: Field Faculty's Role

• Why is field different and why the usual accommodations don’t fit

• Explaining what the student will face in a field placement

• Helping to draft the actual accommodations needed

Accommodations for SWD in Field Education(a few examples)

• Architectural provisions –ramps, elevators, wheelchair wide hallways

• Allowance for the attendance of a personal aide• Assistive devices, such as grab bars in the bathroom, telephone headset,  office equipment - special chairs or desk

• Time for rest periods• Time for walks outside for stress relief• Use of technology – e.g. using an iPad when interviewing clients, specific software applications

Common accommodations for SWD in Field Ed (con’t)

• Information delivered in multiple formats• Use  of a computer for all writing and documentation (many agencies still use paper and pens)

• Permission to eat at their desk• Near public transportation• Use of a cart in the hallway so that materials do not have to be carried

• No lifting –  especially in placements with kids or where there is a lot of moving chairs around for groups etc.

Benefits of Specialized Accommodation Plans

• Everyone has the same expectations• Process helps students fully examine their situation

• Brings together all parties from the start of the process 

NOW FOR THE AGENCY’S CHALLENGES

Field Placement in Your Community

• How do we impact what is out there?

Agency constraints

• Liability• Lack of technology• Funding• Misperception of “more work”• Beliefs and attitudes of staff toward PWD• Physical location

The student

 

THANK YOU!

Student Constraint - To disclosure or not to disclose?

• Want to try it without accommodations• How to disclose• How to deal with the perceptions of others• Confused about what they need 

Fears that the SWD expressed

• Wray et. al. (2005) – Stigma– That they would be perceived as a nuisance or burden

– Afraid that if they admit any weakness they won’t be seen as competent to be a social worker

We turn to the experts…

Literature Review

• Canadian• UK – most comprehensive • Wray, J., Fell, B., Stanley, N., Manthorpe, J., Coyne, E. Best practice guide: disabled social work students and placements. The University of Hull, 2005.

• Australia• Other related disciplines such as psychology• Other disciplines such as geology

Global Issue for Social Work SWD in Field Education

• Wray et.al. (2005) found that in the UK the issues for students were:–Workload– Disclosure– Relating to the field agency and field instructor

Proactive Team Approach

• A way to look at SWD which develops/  flexes structures to allow the greatest openness and opportunity to pursue the MSW degree

Proactive Team

Student

Office of Disabilty Services

Liaison

Field FacultyStudent Support Advisor

Career Services

Alumni Assn

Agency/field instructor

Field Faculty have the Lead Role

• Counseling the students • Communicating with ODS• Strategizing with the agency

Pre-placement planning with students

• students often need help to differentiate the accommodations because they are not used to thinking of themselves in a field placement environment

Conversation with student

• Framing the disability and how student deals with it

• Conveying confidence in student’s abilities• Demonstrating a level of comfort with oneself • Exemplifying being a self-advocate• Willingness to educate others about one’s disability

Challenging the Norm

• Usual letter to the instructor from ODS indicating the academic accommodations that are needed

• Field faculty challenge this process by needing to be involved in the development of the specialized plan

Conversation with ODS - translating the types of accommodations needed

• Scheduling• Setting• Materials• Instruction

SWDs need confidence to talk about:

• Skills• Experience• Abilities• Needs / accommodations

The student within the context of the agency. Where do I fit in?

• “The field can also be thought of as social space. ..this domain is enacted typically within specific environments that are themselves inscribed with sets of exclusive social identities (Hall et. al. 2002).” 

• Note Hall et al. are from the field of Geography in the UK

Hall, T., Healey, M., & Harrison, M. (2002).  Fieldwork and disabled students: discourses of exclusion and inclusion. Royal Geographical Society, 27, 213-227.

We are seeking…

• The agency that has an understanding of diversity and inclusion and sees that as part of its success and how can this student field placement contribute to their mission.

Vetting of field placements

• Comprehensive inventory about the agency to determine the explicit and implicit openness and welcoming to students with disabilities

• Physical environment• Essential tasks of the placement• Any policies or practices that exemplify their commitment or involvement in serving individuals with disabilities

Identifying potential field agencies that embrace technology

• What synergy can be nurtured for mutual benefit?

• What are the barriers to agencies catching up with the possibilities offered by technology?

Digging deep for resources

• Alumni Association• Career Services

• When the disability is not permanent. Does it matter?  Can we tell the student to take the course later?  What does that do to course sequencing? 

• Invisible conditions• Intermittent accommodation needs

Most challenging scenarios

Mental Health Conditions

• Variability of the condition, situation, medication

• Increased stigma and resistance to disclosing to agencies – How do we assess the student’s “stability” to work with vulnerable populations?

SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE

Student Support Advisor

• Remains constant through to graduation• Global support and advising to identify any barriers and provide a warm safe environment

Regular check-ins

• Key to success.  Ongoing communications with all parties.

Watch for Blocks to Success

• Pre-conceived ideas• Hasty closure • Attachments to a specific outcome• Personal issues• Values, morals, ethics, spiritual boundaries

Continuous Check-ins

Needs of the student

Constraints of the agency

Integrity of the curriculum

Use of technology

Resources of the University

Geography 

Solutions with a Strategic Vision

• Compelling mix of social work methods and technology

• Integrated team approach• Enhanced monitoring and support

Partnerships

– Create and an strengthen collaborations across University entities primarily with ODS

– Expand understanding of disability in a context of field education – ODS and the agencies

– Agencies – Look for agencies that promote diversity and inclusion and see that as part of their success.  How can this student field placement contribute to their mission?

Mentoring

“… the critical part a person in an individual’s profession can play in integrating a new person into an appropriate professional role (Gutierrez, 2012, p.1).”

Whose agenda is this?

• University- wide agenda• Agencies - local agenda• CSWE - promote a national agenda

This approach…

• allows us to widen our work and promote the agenda of inclusion

Going Forward

Smith (2009) quotes Phillip Ouellette of Indiana University who is

• developing a prototype organization that allows social workers to provide more direct service using technology.  “In addition, this virtual aid organization could also be used to provide additional field work opportunities for students experiencing difficulties accessing a quality internship…”

Consumer Input

• Focus groups of the agencies that have had field students who needed accommodations 

• Focus groups of students who had a field education disability accommodation plan

CSWE – Council on Disability and PWD

• Part of the charge from the commission is: “To identify and advocate for redress of procedures within academe and social work education that impede full participation of persons with disabilities”

http://www.cswe.org/cms/15551.aspx

Desired Outcome

• Growth of the number of SWD entering and completing the MSW program

• The kind of growth that improves the profession through diversity and inclusion

Conclusion: Successful placements for SWD require:

• Specialized fieldwork planning • Targeted communication with the student, agency/field instructor, field liaison and the University Office of Disability Services 

• Ongoing mentoring• Community Connections with Agencies• Social change to increase the access to the working world of the profession

QUESTIONS &

REFLECTIONS

CONTACT INFORMATION

Renee Michelsen, LCSW

Clinical Associate Professor, Field Faculty

973-970-9156 office (eastern time zone)

email michelse@usc.edu