Associate Professor
Contact Information
Office: 2007 Little Hall
Email: lpcheatham@ua.edu
Phone: (205) 348-4655
Areas of Interest and Expertise
- Child Welfare
- Disability Issues
- Foster Care
- Justice Involvement
- Transitions to Adulthood
- Health Access and Promotion
Education
- PhD, Florida State University
- JD, Yeshiva University
- MSW, Florida State University
- BS, Florida State University
Bio
Leah P. Cheatham is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Alabama. Her research focuses on the convergence of disability issues and system-involved populations, particularly children and young adults. Informed by legal and social work training, she aims to identify practices and policies that promote social justice.
Selected Publications
Cheatham, L. P., Luo, Y., Hubbard, S., Jackson, M. S., Hasenbein, W., & Bertram, J.* (2021). Cultivating safe and stable spaces: Reflections on a campus-based support program for foster care alumni and youth experiencing homelessness. Children and Youth Services Review, 130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2021.106247
Cheatham, L. P., Randolph, K., Boltz, L.* (2020). Youth with disabilities transitioning from foster care: Examining prevalence and predicting positive outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review, 110, doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104777
Cheatham, L. P., & Randolph, K. (2020). Education and employment transitions among young adults with disabilities: Comparisons by disability status, type and severity. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2020.1722073
Cheatham, L. P., Smith, S., Siler, M., Johnson, K., Turner, C., Wilkes, S., Shah, A., Johnson, L., Swails, P., Lopaczynski, L.* (2020). “Own Your Vote”: A novel approach to teach social workers about voting rights. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 23(2), 55-60.
Cheatham, L. P., Abell, N., & Kim, H. (2015). Development and validation of the social worker’s attitudes toward disabilities scale. Journal of Social Work Education, 51, 379-397.
Cheatham, L. P. (2012). Effects of Internet use on well-being among adults with physical disabilities: A review. Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 7, 181-188.
Cheatham, L. P., Randolph, K., Boltz, L.* (2020). Youth with Disabilities Transitioning from Foster Care: Examining Prevalence and Predicting Positive Outcomes. Children and Youth Services Review, 110,doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104777
Cheatham, L. P., & Randolph, K. (2020). Education and Employment Transitions among Young Adults with Disabilities: Comparisons by Disability Status, Type and Severity. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2020.1722073
Cheatham, L. P., Smith, S., Siler, M., Johnson, K., Turner, C., Wilkes, S., Shah, A., Johnson, L., Swails, P., Lopaczynski, L.* (2020). “Own Your Vote”: A Novel Approach to Teach Social Workers about Voting Rights. Professional Development: The International Journal of Continuing Social Work Education, 23(2), 55–60.
Beech, H. B.*, Sutton, A.*, & Cheatham, L. P. (2020). Parenting, privilege, and pandemic: From surviving to thriving as a mother in the academy. Qualitative Social Work (Special Issue, Reflections on a Pandemic: Disruptions, Distractions & Discoveries) 20(1-2), 625–631.
Laklija, M., Milić-Babić, M., & Cheatham, L. P. (2020). Institutionalization of Children with Disabilities in Croatia: Social Workers’ Perspectives.Children & Youth Services, 41, doi.org/10.1080/0145935X.2020.1752170
Shah, A., Jeffries, S., Cheatham, L. P., Creel, M., Nelson-Gardell, D., … Hasenbein, W. C.* (2019). Partnering with parents: Reviewing the evidence for MI in child welfare. Families in Society, 100, 52–67.
Milić-Babić, M., Tkalec, S., & Cheatham, L. P. (2018). Right to education for children with disabilities from the earliest age. Croatian Journal of Education, 20, 233–263.
Schelbe, L., Randolph, K. A., Yelick, A., Cheatham, L. P., Groton, D. B. (2018). Systems theory as a framework for examining a college campus-based support program for the former foster youth. Journal of Evidence-Informed Social Work, 15(3), 277–295.
Randolph, K. Cheatham, L. P., Keller-Weiss, U., & Williams, J. M. (2018). Exposure to parent and peer alcohol use and the risk of drinking onset and escalation among adolescents. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35(2), 97–106.
Kim, H., Abell, N., Cheatham, L. P., & Paek, I. (2017). Development and initial validation of the Attitudes toward Education for Older Adults (AEOA) Scale.Educational Gerontology, 43, 341–355.
Cheatham, L. P., Abell, N., & Kim, H. (2015). Development and validation of the social worker’s attitudes toward disabilities scale. Journal of Social Work Education, 51, 379–397.
McPherson, J., & Cheatham, L. P. (2015). Evaluating human rights impact in social work education: The Million Bones example. Journal of Social Work Education, 51, 47–57.
Radey, M., & Cheatham, L. P. (2013). Do single mothers take their fair share? FAFSA completion among aid-eligible female students. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 6, 261–275.
Cheatham, L. P. (2012). Effects of Internet use on well-being among adults with physical disabilities: A review. Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 7, 181–188.