Social work and disability management policy: yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Although social work has traditionally been involved with persons with disabilities, our position in the area of disability policy has been less evident. This article presents a brief review of the history of policy toward those with disabilities along with a summary of some philosophical perspectives which undergird those policies. A Disability Systems Case Manager is proposed as a solution to the morass of conflicting rules and regulations currently applied by numerous governmental, vocational, and welfare agencies. This manager would operate from the Structural Paradigm which recommends an initial examination of a client's environment for impediments to successful functioning before focusing on the client's potential vulnerabilities or problems.