Social workers’ experience with the concept of empowerment: voices from the disability field

Abstract

ABSTRACT The concept of empowerment is one of the fundamental building blocks of social work practice. This concept plays a key role in liberating people who feel pressured, such as individuals with disabilities. The main aim of this study is to explore the relationship between social workers in the disability field and the concept of empowerment. This study seeks to understand how social workers perceive the concepts of disability and empowerment, the roles in which they attempt to empower their clients, and the factors that prevent them from applying the empowerment approach. To this end, phenomenological design, a qualitative research method, was used, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 social workers. Social workers are insightful about the concept of empowerment and their approach to disability. They generally practice at the micro level due to neoliberal policies and the aid-oriented service models. Additionally, there are structural and mentality obstacles that impede the application of the empowerment approach, consequently affecting empowering practices.