The purpose of programs like this one is to educate students about challenges within the lifespan of individuals with disabilities, the unique social needs, and specialized services that this population may require. The training involved in this program can include a look at the physical, emotional, and social aspects of these physical disabilities and how they can affect the lives of those diagnosed with them.
As a learner in this degree area, you may be tasked with researching common physical disabilities to better understand their manifestation during normal development. While some people are born deaf or blind, there are other degenerative diseases that can cause both over time.
Explaining Deafness, Blindness, and Disability Assistance for Social Work
Deaf Blind Disabilities Social Work can be an incredibly rewarding field for upcoming social work students to pursue. This concentration within social work can allow you to work with children, adults, and the aging population during your career - in diverse settings including the home environment, rehabilitative centers, schools, and in the community.
General MSW Programs Set The Foundation
General social work degree programs can provide you with skills related to assessing the needs of clients and developing treatment plans for client support. In this specialized field, you can use the generalized skills for developing helpful programs for your client's specialized needs.
MSW Programs Have Tracks Specified to Disability Social Work
In order to truly provide knowledgeable and insightful services, your degree program may educate you further on common physical disabilities, how they occur, and methods for providing those with disabilities with access to normal, restriction-free lifestyles.
Hearing and Vision Impairment: Diagnosis and Assistance
This program can also help you learn more about assistive technologies developed for people with hearing and vision impairments, which can be a rewarding experience throughout the process. Part of your role in the field may be assisting your clients with gaining access to these advanced technologies for use in their personal and professional lives.
Beyond the Diagnosis: Social Workers Help
Deaf Blind Disabilities Social Workers can also provide vocational, educational, and emotional services to their clients after completing all required degree programs and licensing requirements. Your knowledge of the rights of disabled citizens may help in supporting your clients as they pursue careers or community resources needed during the daily lives.
Your degree program may also provide you with knowledge of U.S. educational systems and accommodations for children with disabilities. This knowledge can help you become a knowledgeable advocate for children in the school system in need of supportive technologies or classroom accommodations.
For adults and the aging population, Deaf Blind Disabilities Social Workers can also assist their clients with receiving therapeutic services, housing resources, and even services through human services agencies as needed.
Learning more about each condition can provide you with a knowledgeable foundation for providing care to this population. In some degree programs, you may also take courses related to the alternative learning devices used in the hearing and vision impaired, classroom and social accommodations, and varying in-home devices to assist with normal functioning.
In addition to specialty learning about Disability Social Work, this degree program can also provide you with standard social work skills related to individual and group practice, social work policy, and service provision. This combination of course work and knowledge can set the stage for a potentially rewarding and fulfilling career in your future.
Online Social Work Programs
Whether you are new to the college experience or have already completed a bachelor's program, you can find available online options for furthering your education. The online social work degree program can be a convenient way to become qualified for Disability Social Work careers within your state.
Online degree programs include a unique form of flexibility not found in traditional educational programs. Most online programs allow students to complete work at their own pace, which can be an incredibly important aspect for busy adult learners seeking higher degrees.
In the online learning environment, you can access your courses through your universities online campus. Once in your course's web site, you can read about upcoming assignments, review your syllabus, or submit homework for the week. Most courses require that students engage in online discussions with their peers as part of their overall grade.
One of the most desirable traits of online degree programs is that they often allow students to log in at any time of the day or night to review and complete assignments. This is part of what makes online programs the program of choice for adults working full-time or raising families.
CSWE Accredited MSW Programs
The online Bachelor and Master of Social Work programs may also be popular options for individuals interested in any specialized practice within the field of social work. The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) currently reviews and accredits online BSW and MSW programs, making these accredited options extremely reliable resources for your education.
View our review of online CSWE accredited MSW programs.
Accredited online programs can provide you with a reliable learning opportunity that can lead to licensing in your state. You are encouraged to review your state's licensing requirements for social work professionals so that you know which online program to pursue.
The educational path of many upcoming social workers includes a generalist approach at the bachelor's level and then the pursuits of specializations at the master's level. In terms of which programs to pursue, you should choose those closely related to your specialization.
Undergraduate
Online Bachelor's programs like Northwestern State University's or Salisbury University's can provide you with a reliable and approved curricula for upcoming social work professionals. These accredited programs can also allow you to receive a bachelor's-level license if your state licenses professionals at this level.
Graduate
At the master's-level, most students pursue careers in social work choose a generalist social work degree program accredited by the CSWE. Since the CSWE does not accredit social work programs with Deaf or Blind Disabilities, you can pursue a generalist master's program then pursue a specialty certification after graduation.
Accredited online master's programs include those at Boise State University and Delaware State University. The CSWE website can provide you with even more options to consider for your graduate educational path.
BSW Programs Focused on Disability Social Work
Deaf Blind Disability Social Work learners can begin their learning experience as early as the bachelor's level. Online bachelor's degree programs can include a look into general education courses like English Composition and College Algebra.
Look At Specific Coursework
The first 2 years of your bachelor's program may be spent learning the required prerequisite courses established by your university's program. While the first courses are not usually directly related to your practice area, they can help to ensure that you have the appropriate generalized skills in writing, problem solving, and mathematics.
In the later 2 years of your program, you can look deeper into the field of social work from a professional perspective. At this stage you can learn about the development of the field of social work and how it has changed and progressed over time.
The courses in the last part of your degree program can provide you with introductory knowledge about the field of social work and entry-level social work practice. This knowledge is often paired with a practicum or internship experience in the field, creating an excellent opportunity for growth.
Consider Finding an Internship In This Area
Different universities may have different expectations of students during the internship experience. Some college make this experience mandatory for graduation while others allow students to choose between specialty courses or an internship near the end of their program.
The internship may take place during a semester close to the end of your program. In order to participate, you may need to locate a social service agency or social work organization that is willing to take you on as an intern and submit documentation of your completion once finished.
The entire bachelor's experience can be around 4 years in length for most students. If convenience is what you are looking for in your career, online programs may be the best option for you.
MSW Programs Focused on Disability Social Work
Once you have graduated from the Bachelor of Social Work program or even from a bachelor's program related to social work, you can begin seeking out relevant master's programs in your field. Many students pursue the general Master of Social Work degree program since it can provide diversity in terms of career opportunities after graduation while others enjoy the benefits of specialty master's programs.
Typical Length of a MSW
The Master of Social Work program can last anywhere from 1.5 to 3 years for enrolled students. Your enrollment status can influence the amount of time it takes you to complete your degree and can also influence the flexibility you experience during the program.
Since a lot of the generalist terms and knowledge is covered at the bachelor's level, the master's program can allow you to dive into the advanced topics related to social work practice in the field. The master's path can lead you into social work licensing or even clinical social work, so there are courses related to mental health practice and ethics included at this level.
Social work practice is another component that is focused strongly in this program, including topics related to individual and group social work and community social work. The goal of this program is to prepare learners for practical or clinical paths after graduation.
Finding an MSW Track Focused on Social Work in Deafness or Blindness Assistance
If you are considering a Deaf Blind Disability concentration for your master's program, you may also take courses related to these disabilities within your general social work curriculum. When adding a specialty, the social work practice component may focus specifically on your chosen treatment group and their unique needs in the social environment.
Pursuing the Master of Social Work with a concentration in Deaf Blind Disability Social Work can give you a foundation of expertise for engaging in general social work practice, social work leadership, or even potential clinical social work in the future.
Typical Master’s Coursework to Expect
The courses included within a Master of Social Work program with concentration in Deaf Blind Disabilities can allow you to explore the lifespan of individuals with disabilities and their journey through society. This program can provide you with insight into the needs of this community as well as the methods for accommodating their needs during your career.
Diagnosis through Childhood
Courses like Diagnosis through Childhood can assist you in learning more about disabilities present in young age. This perspective can prepare you to assisting children in schools and within the community obtain services and supports needed to live happy and comfortable lives.
This course can also provide learners with knowledge about specialized in-home resources that can allow children to live in their least restrictive environment and have access to normal developmental learning tools for their age group.
Community Services and Supports
Community Services and Support is another course that can further educate learners on the services available to disabled citizens within the community. This course can also outline methods for obtaining needed supports for clients as well as delve into individual rights associated with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
As a social work student, you may also take courses like Supporting Families through Change. This course can focus on providing emotional and environmental support to families that are supporting members with disabilities as they work through intense treatment programs.
Social work professionals that specialize in Deaf Blind Disabilities may work to find services for their clients while also ensuring that their families also have access to needed resources throughout the process.
What Types of Jobs or Careers?
Once you have made your way through the educational requirements for social workers in your state, you may be wondering where to begin on your path in the field. Deaf Blind Disabilities Social Workers can be incredibly influential and valuable resources for individuals in need and can find careers in many diverse areas.
State Agencies
Social workers in this treatment area can obtain careers for state agencies like the Department of Children’s Services and Adult Protection Services. Knowledge of common disabilities, the rights of disabled people, and treatment planning can make you can incredibly important professional within these social work areas.
Long Term Treatment Facilities
Long-term treatment facilities and rehabilitation centers may also employ Disabilities Social Workers to assess client needs and develop relevant treatment plans for clients currently residing within these agencies. This type of career can involve ordering needed therapeutic services, working with families, and assessing progress during the treatment program.
Schools
Deaf Blind Disabilities Social Workers can work in schools that provide educational services to children with disabilities. A social worker’s role in the school environment can include participating in individual education plans and ensuring that children receive all recommended services within and outside of the school environment.
Clinical Settings
Social workers that engage in extra supervised training after completion of their master’s degree may also qualify for licensing at the clinical level. Licensing as a clinical social worker may require 2-3 years of a supervised clinical experience and successful passing of a clinical board examination prior to achieving licensing.
Clinical social workers in this specialized field can provide mental health assessments to their clients and therapeutic interventions. Clinical social workers can also work with families of disabled individuals as they work through the emotional effects of change throughout the process.
Top Disability Organizations You Should Know
As a new Deaf Blind Disabilities Social Worker in the field, it can be a great step to participate in professional organizations within you field. Professional organizations can provide you with access to resources about new research, technology, and learning events within your community.
National Center for Deaf-Blindness
The National Center for Deaf-Blindness is an incredibly resourceful and inclusive professional organization for upcoming professionals in this social work concentration. The NCDB provides members with access to gatherings, community events, and programs associated with assistive technologies for this treatment group.
Helen Keller Services for the Blind
Helen Keller Services for the Blind is a large-scale organization that focuses on providing specialized care to individuals with blindness. This organization can provide you with resources, information pertaining to government resources, and career-specific knowledge about social workers in this field.
National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled
Supportive technologies for individuals with Deaf Blind Disabilities can also be an excellent source of knowledge for you as your enter the field. The National Library Services for the Blind and Print Disabled not only provides learners with resources pertaining to this disability class but also provides organized access to resources for individuals with these disabilities.
Project Ideal
Learning resources for upcoming Deaf Blind Disabilities Social Workers can also be found through online professional organizations. Project Ideal provides the public with access to learning modules and video lessons in special education law, classroom accommodations, and student rights in the educational system.
Each of these organizations can provide you with specialized knowledge relevant to common community disability services, providing services to children in the school system, and finding needed technologies for those being served.
As you enter into new social work positions in the field, you can utilize these resources to meet others within your field, learn more about specific disabilities and their impact on clients, and provide learning resources to clients throughout the process.
