Non-Visible Disabilities and The Power of Peer Mentorship in Social Work Education

Panelist(s)

Patrick Schelle, MSW

PhD Student/Adjunct Professor
The CUNY Graduate Center; Hunter College
Shermira Busby, MSW (she/her/hers)

PhD Student, Adjunct Lecturer
CUNY Graduate Center & New York City College of Technology
Michael Clements, MS (he/him/his)

PhD Student/Adjunct Lecturer
CUNY Graduate Center
Shola Thompson, MHC

PhD Student/Lecturer
CUNY Graduate Center

Moderator(s)

Kathleen W. McKenna, LMSW (she/her/hers)

PhD Student
CUNY Graduate Center

There are many types of disabilities including non-visible disabilities for adult learners. Specifically, for lifelong learners, there is a major need for community-building interventions (i.e. peer mentorship) within higher education to not only help students to get by, but to navigate systems successfully and truly bridge the gap.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, attendees should be able to:

Operationalize non-visible disabilities.
Understand the significance of peer mentorship in the context of social work education
Identify key benefits of peer mentorship, including skill development, emotional support, career advancement, professional networking, and navigating higher education with non-visible disabilities.