Involving People with Disabilities in Volunteer Roles
Results of a Community Survey
Author:
Lee Ann Mjelde-Mossey a
| Affiliation: | a Ohio State University, College of Social Work, Columbus, OH, USA |
DOI:
10.1300/J198v05n02_02
Publication Frequency:
4 issues per year
Published in:
Journal of Social Work in Disability & Rehabilitation,
Volume
5,
Issue
2
June
2006
, pages 19
- 30
Formats available:
PDF
(English)
View Article:
View Article (PDF)
Abstract
According to the 2002 National Health Interview Survey, 33.7 million non-institutionalized Americans have limitations in usual activities. A recent poll on community participation found that, overall, people with disabilities have lower rates of community participation compared to those without disabilities. An analysis of that same poll concluded that people with disabilities continue to be treated as second class citizens by being excluded from the mainstream of everyday life. Social role valorization theory proposes creating and supporting socially valued roles for people who are kept at a social distance. It is through these valued social roles that they gain equal access to other opportunities that society has to offer. One such socially valued role is that of a community volunteer. Volunteer activities can foster a social environment where people with disabilities are seen as credible coping individuals. This paper reports the results of a survey of twenty-six community agencies which regularly use volunteers. The purpose of the survey was to identify barriers to volunteer opportunities for people with disabilities and to explore openness to methods to remove the barriers through community collaborations.
|
| Keywords: Disability; volunteer; barriers; inclusion; social work |
| view references (27) |

Download Citation
CiteULike
Del.icio.us
BibSonomy
Connotea