How Social Workers Can Bridge the Gap for Students with Disabilities
Nearly 8 million children are expected to be diagnosed with a disability this school year. Only 20% of them will go to schools with the resources to care for their needs. That means more than 6 million children will be left to learn on their own – without the mental health or educational support that could help them succeed. While the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that schools provide educational opportunities for students with disabilities, the numbers show that this simply isn’t happening. Fixing our education system to provide reliable support for every student starts by committing to a holistic, community-centered grounded in expertise and understanding.
For far too long, we have tried to help students with disabilities through a siloed approach. Policymakers, school administrators, teachers and parents – while each essential to a student’s success – cannot bear the burden alone. Often, these students are unable to express their needs clearly, making it difficult for their support system to act as such. Social workers, on the other hand, are trained to assess and treat these issues. Their specialization allows them to treat students and, just as importantly, to help the adults in their lives know how to better care for and support them on their educational journey.
Social workers begin by working with students to identify any barriers that prevent them from learning. They go deeper than a simple diagnosis, diving into other challenges that could be compounding students’ struggles and causing greater difficulties in the classroom. Mild disabilities could be worsened by a host of challenges such as unaddressed emotional issues, home conflict or poverty. Social workers are trained to holistically assess a student’s needs and alleviate these burdens before they prevent students from receiving the education they deserve.
Once a social worker understands a student’s situation, they can serve as a mediator between school faculty and students with disabilities. Teachers are often juggling large classes and heavy workloads, leaving them with little time to become an expert in one student’s specific situation and needs. Social workers can work with teachers to provide insight into behavioral issues and different strategies that can help a child regulate their emotions and needs productively. By helping teachers understand their student’s needs, social workers can improve the classroom experience for the teacher and each student.
Outside of school, social workers can connect with the family to ensure their child is receiving holistic care in all areas of life. Performing home visits allows social workers to gain deeper insight into the experiences and needs of students. Additionally, they can counsel parents on how to support their children or connect them with resources that can remove stress from families. Parents are often expected to assume responsibility for the success of children with disabilities, despite the lack of education and available resources to help them succeed at this task in addition to the regular duties of life. Social workers can come alongside parents, helping them understand how to better support their children to ensure their success inside and outside of the classroom.
Social workers have an opportunity to improve the educational system for students by helping policymakers understand the urgent need for more funding. Unless state legislatures and city counsels grasp the importance of greater financial support for students, families, and schools, the situation will continue, costing more children the chance at a successful education. By offering research and success stories that highlight how social workers can help students with disabilities thrive, social workers can start to secure more funding for these students.
Committing to providing wraparound support to students with disabilities is how change starts. These students are not problems, they are opportunities. Without the training or time to understand each student’s situation and needs, schools and parents struggle to know how to help them succeed. However, with social workers providing their expertise to every school, schools and parents can support these children as they learn to thrive in school and, ultimately, in the world.
