Most social work students receive only limited instruction about disabilities in their general coursework despite a growing need for trained social workers in this area. In this paper, we argue that coursework dedicated to the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) needs to be implemented as an essential component of a…

This manuscript discusses how the use of service-learning in social work macro practice courses provided a foundation for the transformation of ourselves as instructors. By transforming macro practice courses with service learning components, our central goal was to help students improve their self-efficacy in macro practice skills and, therefore,…

Although the human rights philosophy has relevance for many segments of the social work curriculum, the latest version of accreditation standards only includes a few behaviors specific to human rights. This deficit can be remedied by incorporating innovations found in the social work literature, which provides a wealth of material for…

This article discusses the course design and strategies for a graduate-level Spanish social work practice course developed by faculty at a southern California MSW program. The primary focus of the course is to develop and improve clinical and professional vocabulary and, in the process, increase cultural knowledge and understanding. An overview of…

Diversity is what makes a person unique, with the intersection of diversity characteristics potentially a strength or a barrier to accessing healthcare, and thereby affecting health and well-being outcomes. Many older people with diverse needs are not accessing appropriate services to meet their needs, leading to suboptimal health and well-being.…

Assistive technology (AT) benefits many individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The appropriate application of accommodation solutions, whether they involve the use of AT or not, can be a complex process involving a team of people with various backgrounds. This article describes an in-service AT training program that…

Social work is a discipline that emphasizes personal contact and has traditionally been taught face-to-face. This paper examines whether online learning is appropriate for educating social workers about family violence. It describes a newly-developed online course in family violence and evaluates its effectiveness. Two surveys of the class and an…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives are for trainees to: (1) explore aspects of individual empowerment; (2) understand the role of family democracy in fostering empowerment in families; and (3) learn to use people-oriented skills…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives include: (1) identifying the needs of those involved in the foster care process; (2) examining the decisions involved in placing a child in foster care; (3) focusing on the family in which the…

The set of five self-training modules was developed as a companion document to the Institute on Rehabilitation Services study on rehabilitation of disabled public assistance recipients. The training sessions were designed primarily for use by teams working together in this priority area, especially at the level of the counselor/social worker…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) the organization of a social services foster care system; (2) the functioning of human systems and the rules governing their operation; and (3) the difficulties complex systems…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) the importance of biological parents' involvement to a foster child; (2) the relationship of biological parents' involvement to children's adjustment to foster care; (3) the foster…

This module is part of a training program for foster parents and foster care workers offered at Colorado State University. The module's learning objectives address: (1) child development in the contexts of family and social development; (2) the physical, social, mental, and psychological tasks of adolescence; (3) the range of normal adolescent…