SSE – 110Introduction to Social

Welfare and Social Work

Chapter 16Physical and Mental

Disabilities and Rehab

History of Rehabilitation Practices

• There are an estimated 60 million people with a disability in the U.S.

• Attitudes towards the disabled have ranged from being perceived as being possessed by demons to viewing them as saint-like, with the community having a responsibility to care for them.

• The Elizabethan Poor Law of 1601.• During colonial time a disability was seen as a

result of God’s punishment.• In the 19th century gradual recognition was

given to the needs of people with a disability in the U.S.

History of Rehabilitation Practices

• Thomas Gallaudet opened the first school for deaf in 1817 in Hartford Connecticut.

• In 1832 the first school for the blind was opened in Massachusetts.

• The first university for the deaf opened in Washington, D.C.

• The first sheltered workshop opened in 1850 in Massachusetts.

• In the last half of the 19th century the orientation switched from education of those with cognitive disabilities to custodial care (due to Darwinism).

History of Rehabilitation Practices

• The first hospital opened in Williamsburg, Virginia in the 1850’s.

• In 1917, the Federal Government passed the Smith-Hughes Act – made federal monies available for Vocational Education.

• In 1935 the Social Security Act was passed.• In 1943, the Barden-La Follett Act extended

rehab services to the mentally ill.• During the 1950’s and 1960’s people with

physical disabilities began to speak out.• In 1973 the Congress passed the Vocational

Rehab Act.• In 1990 the Congress passed the American with

Disabilities Act.

Developmental Disabilities

• See page 513 for a definition.• Autism• Cognitive disability – see table 16.1 – page

514.• Causes of cognitive disability – see page 515

– 517.

Society’s Reaction to Disabilities

• Our society places a high value on having a beautiful body.

• As a society we make people with disabilities feel inferior.

• We sometimes assume that a person with one disability has other disabilities.

• We are all just one accident away from being disabled.

Current Services• Rehabilitation centers

1. Vocational evaluation2. Sheltered employment3. Work adjustment programs4. Counseling services5. Placement services6. Respite Care7. Support Groups for Caregivers8. Recreational Programs

• Educational programs• Residential services

1. Group homes, halfway houses and nursing.2. Residential treatment centers.

Current Services

• Day care centers• Hospital services• Home services

1. Meals on Wheels2. Home Health Services3. Homemaker Services

• Federal and state assistance programs1. Vocational Rehabilitation Funding2. Medicaid3. Old age survivor / disability, etc.4. SSI5. Foodstamps6. Worker’s Compensation Programs

Roles of Social Workers

• Counseling clients• Counseling families• Taking social histories• Serving as a case manager• Serving as Liaison between the family and

the agency.• Being a broker• Doing discharge planning.

Empowering Consumers of Services

• Normalization• Maximize Self-Determination• Innovation• Facilitate and Enhance Family Support