[HumanSer] Introduction: I'm new to the list

Sat Mar 21 00:46:48 UTC 2026

Hi Sydney,

It’s nice to meet you. I too am new to this list and am currently working on my MSW, so I know how it feels to be trying to figure out what your future career might look like. I would encourage you to utilize  any internship opportunities you may have as part of your degree to explore  areas of interest. Internships are a great way to learn what you like and what you don’t like, which is useful to know about yourself as you continue in the profession.

In my current field placement I provide psycho education for youth engaging in problematic sexual behavior and next  year  I will be doing clinical work with young adults. Feel free to reach out to me directly if you would like to connect further. I am happy to share my experiences. . 

 On Mar 18, 2026, at 6:42 PM, JD Townsend via HumanSer <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello Sidney.
> 
> Yes.  Social work is a broad field and offers many possibilities.  Like Amy I have 45 years in the field.  I have found good purpose working with people with mental illness, with unhoused people, with people adjusting to blindness.  I have supervised social workers working in state Vocational Rehabilitation and Blindness Services.
> 
> Glad to have you with us as a social worker and in this NFB Division.
> 
> 
> John David “JD” Townsend		
> Licensed Clinical Social Worker, SW3765
> 386 852-5177
> 
> Confidentiality Notice:  
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> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HumanSer <humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org <mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org>> On Behalf Of Justin Williams via HumanSer
> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 5:49 AM
> To: 'Human Services Division Mailing List' <humanser at nfbnet.org <mailto:humanser at nfbnet.org>>
> Cc: Justin Williams <justin.williams2 at gmail.com <mailto:justin.williams2 at gmail.com>>
> Subject: Re: [HumanSer] Introduction: I'm new to the list
> 
> One thing you can do is,
> If you want to keep doing social work, but still work with the disability population,  You can work with a center for disability.
> All states have them.
> 
> Centers for disabilities work with persons with disabilities on empowerment.
> 51 percent of their employees, and their board have to be someone with a disability.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Justin
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HumanSer <humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Amy Ruell via HumanSer
> Sent: Tuesday, March 17, 2026 8:04 PM
> To: humanser at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Amy Ruell <aruell at comcast.net>; humanser at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [HumanSer] Introduction: I'm new to the list
> 
> Hello,
> Welcome to the list. It’s great to see you looking at your options so early in your career. I have been a social worker for over 45 years and I’ve worked with a variety of populations. Depending upon the population you want to work with and what you want to do, at least in some states you may need to get an advanced degree, which would allow you to provide therapy or essentially to have advisory and administrative positions. I think the ability to use a social work debris in a rehabilitation setting varies from place to place. I know that in many states in the northeast, agencies, usually hire people with rehabilitation degrees, but I’m sure this varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
> Hope this is helpful, keep those questions coming!
> Amy Ruell, LICSW.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 17, 2026, at 7:25 PM, Sidney Horn via HumanSer <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> Hello,
>> My name is Sidney. I'm a 20-year-old college student living in Illinois.
>> I've been a part of the NFB for a little bit now; I'm in the Nabs 
>> division, and am a part of the NFB of Illinois.
>> I'm currently attending college, majoring in social work. I'm a 
>> Sophomore in college, and am still finishing out my gen eds classes.
>> This semester should hopefully be my last semester of gen eds. I'm 
>> currently taking 5 classes this semester, and one of them is intro to social work.
>> I'd love to hear from any of you who are either later on in the 
>> career, or later on in your major, getting closer to going out in the workforce.
>> I know social work is a very broad field, so in particular, I'm 
>> thinking of working with youth and young adults either doing 
>> counseling services, or providing services, like outreach to others.
>> Can you also be a VR counselor with a social work degree? I have 
>> thought of that as well.
>> Kindest regards and I'm excited to hear from you all on here,
>> 
>> 
>> Sidney
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> 
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