Promoting Justice for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Strategies for Advancing Anti-Oppressive Social Work Education and Practice

The social work profession has been instrumental in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). However, the lived experiences of people with IDD, particularly the systemic oppression and marginalization they encounter in all aspects of life, have not been given due importance in social work education and practice (Slayter et al., 2023). Genuine anti-oppressive practice necessitates that social workers: (1) dismantle and confront ableism, mirroring the profession’s response to other oppressive systems (e.g., racism), (2) adopt a critical disability framework that acknowledges disability as an identity, culture, and community, (3) address the intricacies of intersectionality, and (4) participate in practices that neutralize power and amplify the experiences, priorities, and rights of people with IDD (Baines, 2017). The disability justice framework and its principles (Sins Invalid, 2019) provide a potent catalyst for addressing the ongoing inequities and injustices faced by people with IDD and underscore the unique role of social work in fostering equity and justice. Through an anti-oppressive lens, the authors critically assess the alignment of social work education and practice with disability justice principles. They also outline specific strategies at micro, mezzo, and macro levels to enhance social work’s involvement with and promotion of disability justice both within and outside the classroom setting. The profession’s responsibility to respond effectively to the historical and current traumas endured by people with IDD through rights-based, trauma-informed support is emphasized

Exploring the knowledge base of trauma and trauma informed care of staff working in community residential accommodation for adults with an intellectual disability

BACKGROUND: Taking a trauma informed care approach has demonstrated positive outcomes for services for people in the general population. Given the increased vulnerability to psychological trauma for adults with an intellectual disability, this study explores what residential staff know about trauma and trauma informed care. METHODS: Thirty‐two staffs representing three staff groups: direct care staff; managers; and specialist practitioners, were interviewed using semi‐structured interviews, which were analysed following a structured framework. FINDINGS: Each staff group held different perspectives in their knowledge of trauma and trauma informed care. Limitations were noted in staffs' knowledge of trauma, implementation of evidence‐based supports, and access to specialist services for adults with an intellectual disability. All participants highlighted their training needs regarding trauma. CONCLUSION: Increased training on recognising and responding to trauma is needed among community staff supporting those with a trauma history if organisations are to move towards trauma informed care

Behavioral Health in Rural America: Understanding Citizen Perceptions and Willingness to Respond to Community Needs

Amid nationwide efforts to address behavioral health needs, rural communities often face unique challenges and a lack of resources. This study presents a bottom-up approach used by one rural community in the Midwest to respond to their needs regarding mental health and substance use. A survey instrument was developed from interviews with community stakeholders and disseminated in both online and paper formats. The survey sought to understand citizen perspectives regarding quality of life, barriers to treatment, and willingness to engage in efforts to address the community’s needs. Data from 1,303 respondents (71.5% women, 54.7% income \u3c$42,000) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses. Results indicate that cost of treatment, shame, and lack of privacy were a barrier for most citizens’ treatment-seeking behavior. In addition, many citizens were willing to engage in strategies to address the community’s needs, including increased county spending, forming a neighborhood watch, and donating money. Differences associated with gender and income emerged across perceptions and willingness to support efforts. Implications for community efforts are discussed

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Social Work Students: Burnout and Resilience During a Global Pandemic

COVID-19 had a profound impact on teaching and learning at academic institutions across the globe. This study examined the experiences of social work students (n = 884) during the pandemic and their associated level of burnout. Using a mixed methods approach, data from an online survey within a school of social work at a large Midwestern university were examined using stepwise regression and thematic analysis. Student demographics, academic characteristics, and experiences with COVID-19 were examined as predictors of burnout. Resilience was tested as a moderator of the association between COVID-19 experiences and burnout. Regression models accounted for 34.3% to 45.5% of variance across three domains of burnout (i.e., exhaustion, cynicism, and professional/academic efficacy), with COVID-related experiences accounting for most of the variance. Although resilience had a significant main effect, the interactions of resilience and COVID-19 experiences were not significant. Quantitative results were illuminated by thematic analysis of the qualitative data from which emerged four major themes: online teaching pedagogy, impact of COVID-19, transition of teaching and learning, and affective domains of learning. Engaging in humanistic education is discussed as a possible approach to circumvent burnout, bolster student resilience, and encourage academic success

Creating a Trauma-Informed Community Through University-Community Partnerships:An Institute Agenda

The impact of trauma on wellness has been identified as a community health crisis. The alliance of universities and communities is a plausible response to address the scope of the problem given their wealth of resources. The Institute on Trauma and Trauma-informed Care (ITTIC) is an exemplar of a university-community partnership and unique approach that has fostered a common language within and between organizations to foster at the community level an awareness and understanding of trauma. The present article provides an overview of university-community partnerships and their importance to social work practice. It describes the formation of the Institute and discusses its model and contributions to the local community and abroad. The implications of ITTIC for the School, University and community are discussed. An iterative process that includes active engagement, evaluation, and reflection, is recommended for the integration and advancement of trauma-informed care through university-community partnerships

Development of a Geropathology Grading Platform for nonhuman primates

A geropathology grading platform (GGP) for assessing age-related lesions has been established and validated for in inbred strain of mice. Because nonhuman primates (NHPs) share significant similarities in aging and spontaneous chronic diseases with humans, they provide excellent translational value for correlating histopathology with biological and pathological events associated with increasing age. Descriptive age-associated pathology has been described for rhesus macaques and marmosets, but a grading platform similar to the mouse GGP does not exist. The value of these NHP models is enhanced by considerable historical data from clinical, bio-behavioral, and social domains that align with health span in these animals. Successful adaptation of the mouse GGP for NHPs will include 1) expanding the range of organs examined; 2) standardizing necropsy collection, tissue trimming, and descriptive lesion terminology; 3) expanding beyond rhesus macaques and marmosets to include other commonly used NHPs in research; and 4) creating a national resource for age-related pathology to complement the extensive in-life datasets. Adaptation of the GGP to include translational models other than mice will be crucial to advance geropathology designed to enhance aging research

Genomic insights into the host specific adaptation of the Pneumocystis genus

Pneumocystis jirovecii, the fungal agent of human Pneumocystis pneumonia, is closely related to macaque Pneumocystis. Little is known about other Pneumocystis species in distantly related mammals, none of which are capable of establishing infection in humans. The molecular basis of host specificity in Pneumocystis remains unknown as experiments are limited due to an inability to culture any species in vitro. To explore Pneumocystis evolutionary adaptations, we have sequenced the genomes of species infecting macaques, rabbits, dogs and rats and compared them to available genomes of species infecting humans, mice and rats. Complete whole genome sequence data enables analysis and robust phylogeny, identification of important genetic features of the host adaptation, and estimation of speciation timing relative to the rise of their mammalian hosts. Our data reveals insights into the evolution of P. jirovecii, the sole member of the genus able to infect humans. Cisse, Ma et al. utilize genomic data from Pneumocystis species infecting macaques, rabbit, dogs and rats to investigate the molecular basis of host specificity in Pneumocystis. Their analyses provide insight to the specific adaptations enabling the infection of humans by P. jirovecii.Peer reviewe

Rhesus Macaque CODEX Multiplexed Immunohistochemistry Panel for Studying Immune Responses During Ebola Infection.

Non-human primate (NHP) animal models are an integral part of the drug research and development process. For some biothreat pathogens, animal model challenge studies may offer the only possibility to evaluate medical countermeasure efficacy. A thorough understanding of host immune responses in such NHP models is therefore vital. However, applying antibody-based immune characterization techniques to NHP models requires extensive reagent development for species compatibility. In the case of studies involving high consequence pathogens, further optimization for use of inactivated samples may be required. Here, we describe the first optimized CO-Detection by indEXing (CODEX) multiplexed tissue imaging antibody panel for deep profiling of spatially resolved single-cell immune responses in rhesus macaques. This 21-marker panel is composed of a set of 18 antibodies that stratify major immune cell types along with a set three Ebola virus (EBOV)-specific antibodies. We validated these two sets of markers using immunohistochemistry and CODEX in fully inactivated Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) tissues from mock and EBOV challenged macaques respectively and provide an efficient framework for orthogonal validation of multiple antibody clones using CODEX multiplexed tissue imaging. We also provide the antibody clones and oligonucleotide tag sequences as a valuable resource for other researchers to recreate this reagent set for future studies of tissue immune responses to EBOV infection and other diseases