The Blind Social Worker and the Client-Worker Relationship

Abstract

□ Blindness itself is not a handicap in casework. It becomes a handicap when the social worker is uncomfortable about it and unable to deal with whatever problems, real or felt by clients, it produces. The blind caseworker must be constantly attuned to his environment. For example, when I heard the footsteps of a psychotic client turning away from my office instead of turning into it, I immediately called her back to the correct doorway. A blind social worker's attitude towards himself is the key factor in his ability to use himself effectively in a casework relationship. This is not the total answer, of course, since clients’ deep feelings and strong defenses sometimes make handling of the problem very difficult. Nor is it a final answer, since the relevance of a social worker's blindness to casework practice is a question which must be dealt with again and again, hopefully with progressively greater insight by every blind social worker.