Elspeth Slayter

Elspeth Slayter, MSW, MA, PhD is a professor emerita of social work at Salem State University. Currently, she coordinates a post-master’s certificate program in equity-minded practice, a partnership between the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and Salem State University School of Social Work focused on providing post-master’s continuing education for management-level social workers. Dr. Slayter was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award by Salem State University in 2024.

Dr. Slayter has practiced for over 25+ years as a forensic social worker, researcher, evaluator, trainer, and educator with expertise in the area of disability-affirming social work. At the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Division, the Bronx Defenders and Community Resources for Justice, she worked in child welfare, educational advocacy, juvenile justice, and public criminal defense.

Her current research, evaluation, and consulting centers primarily on disability, race, and ethnicity in the child welfare service sector and disability-responsive treatment in addiction treatment.  She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and trade journal publications as well as offered over 100 juried and invited presentations at a range of prestigious conferences locally, nationally, and internationally. She has published two textbooks: A primer on practice evaluation: How to participate in evidence-based practice and Social Work Practice and Disability Communities: An Intersectional Anti-Oppressive Approach.

Dr. Slayter received her PhD and MA in social policy at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, where she was supported on fellowships from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the American Association on University Women’s American Fellowship. Her MSW degree in social work was awarded from New York University, and her BA degree in history was from Macalester College.

Mbao, M. and Slayter, E. (2026-forthcoming).Infusing Disability-Affirming Practice Into the Successful Aging Concept: An Evaluation of Care Manager Training. Educational Gerontology.

Slayter, E., Johnson, L., Flynn, S. and Thomas, C. (2026-Forthcoming). Attention to Disability in Child Protection Policies in the United States. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. Volume and issue to be announced.

Slayter, E. and Mbao, M. (2026-Forthcoming). Embracing disability-affirming practice. Social Work. Volume and issue to be announced.

Leiner, J., Jeanbaptiste, M., Simmons, L., Johnson, L. & Slayter, E., (2026-forthcoming). Words count: From race to anti-racism in prominent social work journals. Critical Social Work. Volume and issue to be announced.

Singh, R., Yakas, L., Wernick, L., Kattari, S., Slayter, E. and Taylor, S. (2024). Anti-ableist and disability justice pedagogies in social work education. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare. 51(1).

Simmons, L. and Slayter, E. (2024). Intersectional anti-racist practice with the disability communities. Intersectionalities: A Global Journal of Social Work Analysis, Research, Policy and Practice. 11(1). 102-123. https://intersectionalities.mun.ca/index.php/IJ/article/view/2424

Singh, R. and Slayter, E. (2024). Community-based disability accessibility assessment. Special issue: Teaching Disability (Self-) Advocacy as We “Return to Normal” in Higher Education. Feminist Pedagogy.

Johnson, L., Slayter, E., Flynn, S. and Thomas, C. (2024). Attention to Disability in Child Protection Policies across Four Liberal Welfare Regimes. Journal of Public Child Welfare.

Goldkind, L., Slayter, E., Parga, J. & Shelley, P. (2024) It all started with a Tweet: Calling White social work educators in - to a professional learning community. Reflections: A journal of professional helping. Volume and issue to be determined.

Simmons, L.D., Slayter, E. & Johnson, L. (2024). Using anti-racist, equity-minded lens in assessment of teaching and learning. Social Work Education.

Slayter, E. (2024). Tough nuts to crack: Initiating an imperfect racial justice accountability process within one School of Social Work from one perspective. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping. Volume and issue to be determined.