Our Mission
The Social Work Disability Justice League (SWDJL) advances equity, access, and liberation for disabled, d/Deaf, Mad, and chronically ill people within social work education, research, and practice.
We believe social work must move beyond accommodation toward transformation, where every classroom, clinic, and community space embodies care, access, and interdependence.
Guided by the principles of Disability Justice, we center lived experience, collective healing, and intersectional leadership in all that we do.
Nothing about us without us
In practice, in policy, and in pedagogy.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Our Values & Principles
SWDJL's work is grounded in the ten principles of Disability Justice, developed by disabled queer and trans people of color, including Patty Berne, Mia Mingus, Leroy Moore, and the Sins Invalid community:
What We DoSWDJL works at the intersection of education, practice, policy, and movement-building. Our work includes:Education & Training: We provide annual, online, and free "Unconferences" for social work students, educators, and practitioners on disability justice frameworks, ableism in social work, and transformative practice. We develop curriculum and pedagogical resources that center disability justice in social work education.Practice Transformation: We support social workers in reimagining their practice through a disability justice lens. We create tools, frameworks, and peer consultation spaces for practitioners committed to anti-ableist, liberatory social work.Policy Advocacy: We analyze and challenge ableist policies in social services, healthcare, criminal justice, housing, and other systems. We advocate for policies grounded in disability justice principles and led by disabled people's expertise.Community Building: We create spaces—virtual and in-person—for connection, mutual support, and collective strategizing among social workers and allies committed to disability justice. We prioritize accessibility, care, and sustainability in how we gather.Knowledge Production: We contribute to social work scholarship and practice literature from a disability justice perspective. We elevate the voices of disabled social workers and challenge the ableist assumptions embedded in social work theory and research.Movement Collaboration: We build relationships and solidarity with disability justice organizations, disability rights groups, and cross-movement partners working toward collective liberation.Who We ServeSWDJL exists to serve multiple communities:Disabled social workers, students, and educators who need community, support, and resources to navigate and transform an ableist profession.Non-disabled social workers and allies committed to unlearning ableism and building disability justice into their practice.Social work programs and institutions seeking to meaningfully integrate disability justice into curriculum, field education, and institutional practices.Disability justice organizers and advocates who engage with social work systems and need allies within the profession.Communities impacted by social work systems—particularly disabled people, Mad and neurodivergent people, and chronically ill people navigating social services, healthcare, child welfare, criminal justice, and other systems where social workers hold power.Our VisionWe envision a world where:Social work is fundamentally transformed by disability justice, centering disabled people's leadership and wisdom in all aspects of the profession.Disabled people have the resources, support, and autonomy we need to live full, self-determined lives in community.Social workers are accomplices in movements for disability justice and collective liberation, not gatekeepers of oppressive systems.Ableism is recognized as a fundamental axis of oppression that must be addressed in all social justice work.Interdependence, collective care, and access are valued over independence, self-sufficiency, and normalization.Social work education prepares practitioners to challenge systems of oppression, not merely to help individuals adjust to unjust conditions.The knowledge, culture, and leadership of disabled people shape how we understand health, wellness, community, and justice.We know this vision requires radical transformation—of our profession, our institutions, and ourselves. SWDJL is committed to the long-term, sustained work of building this future together.