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Distance education gives a diverse group of social work students access to further education. Research addressing the overall experiences of Canadian distance education social work students is limited, and even more so for distance education social work students with mental health (dis)Abilities. By means of a qualitative research project using narrative inquiry, I listened to the stories of social work students with mental health (dis)Abilities studying online as they each shared points of access and barriers within their distance education. Six study participants from two Canadian universities narrated multifaceted storied experiences of adapting, coping, and navigating through their distance courses and programs, highlighting attitudinal and institutional changes that would be supportive of their learning. Using narrative auto-ethnography, I also integrated my own experiences into the research. Through participants' storied experiences, I conceptualized recommendations for social work distance education programs.

The storied experiences of a (dis)Abled student negotiating postsecondary education in Canada are highlighted within this article, including advocacy strategies and a critique of related policies. Persons with (dis)Abilities are a particularly marginalized population, traditionally excluded from society, with modern day views of pity or heroics (MacDonald & Friars, 2009). While society has made strides in reducing explicit oppression faced by (dis)Abled persons, covert oppressions persist. Pervasive negative assumptions continue to exist about (dis)Abled people and have led to the propagation of policies that inhibit (dis)Abled people from engaging with society, including being part of the university system. Through a storying process, numerous barriers to accessible postsecondary education will be exposed. Universities are the "think tanks" of tomorrow, a place where critical thought is encouraged and "thinking outside the box" is welcomed. Postsecondary institutions have an opportunity to truly effect change, to pave the way to a barrier free zone, one that is truly accessible structurally and intellectually, providing a welcoming and safe learning environment for (dis)Abled students. Through storying the experiences of one (dis)Abled student, it is hoped that the reader's consciousness will be raised, barriers to postsecondary education will be better understood and ultimately, fully accessible education can be envisioned.

Chronic pain treatment programs in North America are based predominantly on a behavioral science model of contingency management, whereby the focus of treatment is directed toward the psychological aspects of [...]

Social workers come into the lives of disabled persons on a daily basis. Yet, few schools of social work have a strong disability curricular focus. The researchers report on findings of a survey of disability and social work education in the United Kingdom. The findings include data on course offerings, curricula, field experiences, policies, equity policies regarding admission, and the number of disabled faculty and students in each program. Similarities and differences in supporting the unsettling of ableism, as well as advances pertaining to disability inclusion are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]