Developmental Disabilities
A Teaching Resource Web-Kit
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American's with Disabilities Act
Administration for Children and Families
OVERVIEW: DISABILITY AND SOCIAL WORK VALUES
Self-Determination
Social and Economic Justice
Non-discrimination
Respect and appreciation for diversity
Social Work values provide an ethical framework for social work practice related to disabilities. The most common value statements relevant to disabilities are self-determination, social and economic justice, nondiscrimination, and respect and appreciation for diversity. The Social Work profession generally defines these as:
Social Work Code of Ethics
In this section you will find several activities designed to enliven these
values for students as they work with peoples with disabilities. Some are
in-class activities and some are web or outside resources. You will also
find handouts and activities that have proven to be helpful. Additionally,
these activities may be used to inform other content areas such as Human
Behavior in the Social Environment, Practice, and Policy.
From a Social Work perspective, disability is a civil rights issue. We cannot
simply expect individuals to change to fit society, but society must change
to accommodate all people. People with disabilities are entitled to full
and equal participation in society. The American with Disabilities Act of
1990 (ADA) was enacted to assure protection of legal rights and prohibit
discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, access to public
services, public accommodation, commercial facilities, and requires telephone
companies to offer telephone relay service for people who use telecommunication
services for the deaf (TTY’s) or similar devices. But the ADA has
not eliminated discrimination or attitudinal barriers for people with disabilities.
The traditional model of providing services to people with disabilities places the control over services with service providers. Disability rights advocates promote a move to greater self-determination for people with disabilities. This is consistent with social work values – even though such self-determination has not and is not always practiced by social service and other programs serving people with disabilities. Self-determination means having the freedom and authority to manage one’s own life and make choices. This often means having control over where to live and who to live with, what support staff will be hired and the training of such support staff, choosing community connections and activities, choosing who will help with planning, having authority over resources, and making decisions about employment and education. In other words, having the same rights and opportunities as people without disabilities.
Social workers often serve in role of advocate. Recognizing that people
with disabilities can be self-advocates and assisting them in that role,
when appropriate, is consistent with empowerment. Social workers must recognize
that people with disabilities are capable people who deserve to be treated
with respect and held in esteem. Social workers need to identify strengths
and abilities and work to remove barriers that prohibit full participation
in activities of living. Disability is a complex interaction between person
and environment. One may be considered as having a disability because of
a physical condition, however, it is barriers in the environment that turn
disability into impairment and prevent full participation.
Myth: People with disabilities have a poor quality of life and deserve sympathy, pity, and charity.
Reality: The quality of a person’s life
depends on the quality of their living conditions, their access to community
activities and social relationships, and their opportunity to contribute to
society.