Search

The dehumanizing effects of neoliberal, white dominant regulations, laws, policies, and cultural assumptions seep into the everyday practice of social workers in frontline and mid-level positions. Many social workers are learning various antioppressive practices and becoming aware of how microaggressions and other oppressive dynamics can manifest in workplaces but lack models to guide efforts for small-scale action. This article describes how the RE/UN/DIScover heuristic can be used to interrupt and shift oppressive processes during everyday moments of practice within organizations and systems by social workers and their interested colleagues who have some awareness of oppressive and antioppressive dynamics. The RE/UN/DIScover heuristic is an iterative set of three practices: (1) tend to self with compassionate REcover practices; (2) engage in curious, critical reflection to UNcover full understandings of the power dynamics, impacts, and meanings of specific challenges; and (3) DIScover and try out just, humanizing responses with creative courage, individually and with other colleagues. The heuristic uses a dual focus on self and situation with an ad hoc group of other colleagues to raise awareness; cultivate humanizing spaces; and implement antioppressive, relational responses. The article describes the heuristic practices and how to apply the heuristic with two composite practice applications.

In this reflection, three social work colleagues discuss three different perspectives on one statement about racism. We detail our emotionally challenging conversations about racism, microaggressions, and the meaning of social justice in social work to build a different bond and sense of understanding. We delve into how we understand each other, our differing viewpoints on the murders of Black people in American society such as George Floyd, and our perspectives on social workers’ relationships to social justice, racism, and social change in the context of the 2020 turmoil.

Decolonizing Human Behavior in the Social Environment: A Reader for an Anti-Oppressive Approach challenges the socialization of preservice social workers by examining the complex features of individuals, families, groups, and societies and how they present themselves within the context of the multiple and simultaneous influences on behavior, cognitions, and emotions.This text is divided into three distinct units. Unit I development at the individual level and the influences that shape human behavior, including adverse childhood experiences, identity development through social media, resilience, and chronic illness. Unit II focuses on interpersonal dynamics with articles that explore grief theories, the transgender experience, intergenerational trauma, privilege, and more. Unit III examines structural social systems such as institutional racism, religious-based prejudice, and structural violence.Written to help social work students and professionals begin the process of decolonizing their education and practice, Decolonizing Human Behavior in the Social Environment is an essential and timely reader for courses and programs in social work. It is also an exemplary resource for practitioners at all levels.

College graduates need to have specific leadership-related skills, behaviors, and traits when entering the workforce. Campus involvement is one way for students to develop such areas. Therefore, this qualitative study explored the self-reported leadership skills of first-generation college students who were actively participating in intramural sports. Twelve students from a 4-year public university in the Northeast were interviewed about the research-driven photographs they submitted depicting leadership skills they engaged in during intramural sports participation. Photograph captions and interviews were analyzed using Kouzes and Posner's (2014) leadership model. Findings revealed that students reported engaging in behaviors and actions aligned with the leadership practices described by Kouzes and Posner (2014). These findings can help inform the decisions campus recreation professionals make about the role leadership development plays in program offerings.

Background: Despite national and institutional policies, American colleges do not currently provide student-athletes with disabilities equal access to sports opportunities. Disabled youth who wish to pursue their academic and athletic dreams in college thus have prohibitively limited options, even with popular American sports such as basketball. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics and factors that may facilitate the development and perpetuation of collegiate wheelchair basketball programs in the United States. Methods: Five qualitative interviews were conducted with coaches and/or program administrators of established college wheelchair basketball programs. Interviews were coded and analyzed to explore common themes. Results: Thematic data analysis uncovered five common themes important to the development and maintenance of these programs: a) coach characteristics, b) actions to recognize and address equity, c) boosters, d) institutional barriers, and e) network effects. Conclusion: These common factors are important in the development, sustainability, and longevity of college wheelchair basketball programs and should be considered by those interested in starting similar programs. 

Play in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often atypical, yet consensus regarding effective occupational therapy strategies for improving play is not established. To examine the efficacy of strategies used in occupational therapy to improve play in ASD, authors completed a systematic review of papers from January 1980 through January 2019. Search terms included autism, Asperger’s, ASD, autistic in combination with play, playfulness, pretend, imagination, praxis, creativity, and generativity. Twenty papers met inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Reviewed interventions included parent education, modified play materials or environments, imitation of the child, and modeling by an adult, a peer, or video. Moderate to strong support exists for the specific strategies of imitation of the child and modeling for the child, with lesser or mixed support for other strategies. Certain strategies commonly used in occupational therapy may be effective in improving the occupation of play in ASD.

This study assessed perspectives of NCAA D-II and D-III Athletics Directors (ADs) regarding the possible implementation of competitive e-Sports on college campuses. It examines if ADs view e-Sports as a legitimate sport in parallel with others that are traditionally offered by athletic departments, and their perspective regarding where on college campuses e-Sports should be housed. Results demonstrated that ADs view e-Sports differently than other sport programs (F = 13.439; p = .001), and this was key in determining where they thought e-Sports programs should be administered (F = 6.696; p = .013). However, some expressed a willingness to consider implementing e-Sports due to the opportunity it could present (F = 2.209; p = .021). These results suggest that an apparent conflict exists between ADs’ perceptions of e-Sports and of its potential as a growth opportunity. However, if colleges decide to implement e-Sports as an athletic program, consideration should be given to governance concerns, budgetary concerns, and the health and wellness of participants.