"Client participation" is a popular ideal and object of rhetorical commitment in social work service. But the much-touted potential of this concept requires careful and critical scrutiny. This article reports on a study of client-participation initiatives in the Hong Kong welfare sector. The study identified significant differences in…

Cultural beliefs about disability and related systems of special education affect the experience of children with disabilities and their parents. This article reviews research on the perceptions and experiences of parents who have preschool or elementary school-age children with disabilities in the United States and Japan. Parents' experiences…

Native Hawaiians constitute 401,000 or 0.1 percent of the total U.S. population, with approximately 60 percent residing in the state of Hawai'i. In Hawai'i, Native Hawaiian elders ("na kupuna") face a number of social and health disparities when compared with their non-Native Hawaiian counterparts: higher rates of poverty, greater…

Article provides information regarding amended Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the impact of those changes on children's education rights. Some changes and practice implications discussed include expansion of categories of children with disabilities; new requirements for mobile, homeless, or culturally diverse populations and…

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act has had a profound influence on social workers and social services administrators in virtually all work settings. Because of the multiple elements of the act, however, assessing the validity of claims can be a somewhat arduous and complicated task. This article provides a "decision tree" for…

This article documents the prevalence and national profile of American Indian/Alaskan Native (AI/AN) grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, based on data from the American Community Survey/Census 2000 Supplementary Survey. In 2000 there were estimated to be nearly 53,000 AI/AN grandparent caregivers age 45 and older in the United…

Young children with disabilities are significantly more likely to live in poverty than their peers without disabilities. Exposure to poverty creates additional risk of adverse outcomes for these vulnerable children. In this article, the following key circumstances contributing to this increased risk of impoverishment are analyzed: elevated costs…

Interviewed 155 general assistance recipients aged 50 through 64. Found many had suffered long-term disabling conditions and could not be expected to return to paid work. Implies the appropriateness of case advocacy on their behalf to increase the likelihood of receipt of federal disability benefits. Advocates liberalizing Supplemental Security…