Accessibility in Social Work Internships: Barriers to and Opportunities for Inclusion

Background & Purpose: Students with disabilities comprise approximately 19% of the undergraduate and 12% of the graduate population, with the number of students reporting behavioral health needs steadily increasing (Son et al., 2020). Despite the passage of the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) Act in 1990 and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) in 2008, persons with disabilities continue to experience disparities in educational and employment. Field education, also called a practicum or internship, is the signature pedagogy of social work education, offering future practitioners the ability to engage in supervised, professional work (CSWE, 2022). Yet, few studies have described the experience of students and educators with disabilities in the context of this quintessential learning environment (Hearn et al., 2014; Healy et al., 2015; Kiesel et al., 2018). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to address this gap by exploring: (1) practicums within the field of disability; (2) accommodations for students with disabilities during their required internships; and, (3) inclusion of educators with disabilities in the practicum experience.

Methods: Online surveys were distributed, via email and listservs, to directors of field education at 863 accredited social work programs in the United States. After multiple recruitment attempts throughout 2021 and 2022, seventy-five (N=75) individuals participated. The survey, which was administered via Qualtrics, included closed- and open-ended questions in the following domains: (1) respondent and institutional demographics; (2) disability-related field placement characteristics; (3) students with disabilities (e.g., disability type, accommodation process); (4) field instructors with disabilities; and, (5) field liaisons with disabilities. Descriptive statistics were conducted for all closed-ended responses. A six-step thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) of open-ended responses was also undertaken by the research team, including: (1) becoming familiar with the data; (2) generating initial codes; (3) searching for themes; (4) defining themes; (5) reviewing themes; and, (6) write-up.

Findings: Respondents were predominantly White (72%), identified as female (85%), and had an average of nine years of experience. Three individuals (4%) disclosed having a disability. As per the directors, schools partnered with an average of 100 agencies each year to place students, with less than 10% of those settings having a primary mission of supporting persons with disabilities. Students most commonly sought accommodations for learning disabilities, chronic and/or serious health conditions, and mental health needs. Directors reported partnering with campus disability resources offices to facilitate students’ accommodations, which most often involved requests for more flexible schedules. Few directors knew of or tracked the number of supervisors and liaisons with disabilities that their schools partnered with; those who did reported fewer than two per year.

Conclusion & Implications: Although social work is driven by a mission of social justice and enhancing the well-being of oppressed populations, this and other studies (Sellmaier & Kim, 2021) suggest that the discipline often does not center the needs of students, educators, or affiliates with disabilities. Findings from this study also highlight opportunities for meaningful change, including opportunities to apply universal design principles to internship policies, procedures, and practices.