Elizabeth B. Lightfoot
Director, Ph.D. Program
Associate Professor
Office: 285 Peters Hall
Phone: (612) 624-4710
E-mail: elightfo@umn.edu
Mailing address: 105 Peters Hall
Degrees & Institutions
Ph.D., Public Policy, Indiana University, 1998.
M.S.W., School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, 1991
Interest Areas
Social Welfare Policy, Community Practice (Community Organizing and
Advocacy), Disability Policy and Services, Gerontology, Child Welfare,
International Social Work
Current Research
- HIV and Disability in Namibia. I will be working in Namibia through a Fulbright during 2008 with community based agencies in researching models for HIV prevention for people with disabilities
- Child Welfare and Disabilities. This is an ongoing project examining the intersections of child welfare and disability. I am currently focusing on examining prevalence data of kids with disabilities in child welfare, the efficacy of transition programs and experiences of youth with disabilities, and parents with disabilities involved in child welfare.
- Web 2.0 and Community Organizing. I am studying how international organizations use newer technologies for advocacy.
- Aging and Disabilities.
Recent Publications
Lightfoot, E. (2007). Disability. In Blackburn, J. & Dulums, C. (Eds.)
Handbook of Gerontology: Evidence based approaches to theory,
practice and policy. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Lightfoot, E., LaLiberte, T., & Hill, K. (2007).
Guide to
Legislative
Change: Disability status in termination of parental rights
and other
child custody statutes. Minneapolis: University of
Minnesota.
Lightfoot, E. & LaLiberte, T. (2006). Approaches to child protection
case
management for cases involving people with disabilities.
Child Abuse &
Neglect, 30 (4), 381-391.
Lightfoot, E. & Lum, Y. (2006). Work behavior of older people with
disabilities in the era of the Americans with Disabilities
Act. Journal of
Social Services Research, 32 (4), 171-191.
Lightfoot, E. (2006). Social Work Practice with Older Adults with
Developmental Disabilities. In Berkman, B. & D¿Ambruoso, S.
(Eds.)
Oxford Handbook of Social Work in Aging. Oxford
University Press.
Lightfoot, E. & Gibson, P. (2005). Universal Instructional Design: An
innovative framework for accommodating social work students.
Journal of Social Work Education, 41 (2): 269-277.
Lightfoot, E. (2005). International social welfare treaties:
Implications
for the United States. In Hokenstad, M. & Midgley, J. (Eds.)
Lessons
from abroad: Adapting International Social Welfare
Innovations.
Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Lum, Y. & Lightfoot, E. (2005). Effects of volunteering on the
physical
and mental health of older people. Research on Aging,
27 (1): 31-55.
Umbreit, M., Vos, B., Coates, R. & Lightfoot, E. (2005). Restorative
justice in the twenty-first century : A social movement full
of
opportunities and pitfalls. Marquette Law Review, 89
(2), 251-304.
Lightfoot, E. (2004). Community Based Rehabilitation: A rapidly
growing
method of supporting people with disabilities.
International Social
Work, 47 (4): 455-468.