Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Literacy And The Most Marginalised Children, Megan Robinson

International Developments

Researchers, practitioners and policy makers interested in the field of inclusive education gathered at a roundtable meeting to discuss synergies across the Australian and international development education policy arenas regarding literacy interventions for the most marginalised children.

The Research-To-Practice Gap: Practical Strategies For Common Core In The Inclusive Classroom, Jillian M. Gentry

University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects

No abstract provided.

The Pitiful Bellringer: The Implications Of Representations Of Disability In Media & Literature, Elizabeth A. Dolski

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

This project investigates how throughout history, those who were different or atypical were often relegated to a marginalized life; this perspective was indicative in literature of previous eras as well as in historical documentation. As indicated in this research, even though literature and media has moved away from personifying disability in an overwhelmingly negative light, it has consequently moved toward characterizing people with disabilities as the antihero worthy of pity. The unintentional, prejudicial view of people with disabilities in popular culture perpetuates the idea that disability is something that must be overcome. This disconnect hinders student awareness and acceptance, and ...

Academic Support Experiences And Perceptions Of Postsecondary Students With Disabilities: A Public And Private University Comparision, Heather T. Wizikowski

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Legislation, social awareness, and advancements in medicine and assistive technology have created meaningful postsecondary opportunities for students with disabilities over the past 30 years. Mainstreaming, inclusion, and transition planning in elementary and secondary schools also greatly contributed to the increased achievement of students with disabilities. Today, 15% of students with disabilities attend four-year colleges. Current federal data show 88% of private and 99% of public universities report students with disabilities enrolled at their institutions. Much of the current research focuses on institutional practice and need. There is a gap in the research when looking at student needs and experiences.

This ...

A Collective Case Study Of The Perceptions And Implementation Of Self Advocacy From Four Educators Of Students With Disabilities, Heather Heap

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study identified four educators' perceptions and their implementation of teaching advocacy to students with disabilities within a public secondary educational setting. Federal mandates, such as Public Law 94-142, requested educators including administrators, counselors, special educators, and general educators to help facilitate self advocacy skills in the public educational setting. Using observations, comprehensive interviews, and available documentation, this collective case study identified four educators' experiences (an administrator, a counselor, a special educator, and a general educator) in developing student self advocacy as it pertains to the educators' perceived role in working with students with disabilities. This study identified their ...

Effect Of Racial Socialization And Racial Identity In Adolescent African American Males On Academic Achievement, Rasheema Pitt

Open Access Theses and Dissertations from the College of Education and Human Sciences

This study examined possible influences of racial socialization and racial identity in minority’s academic achievement. Qualitative data sources (in-depth, personal interviews, focus groups, and a survey) were collected from 10 minority students and 8 administrators. In addition, a quantitative survey was used to supplement qualitative data. The researcher established her own set of questions for the interviews and focus groups. The pre-established measures used were the Does Your School Have High Expectations for All Students survey and the School Climate survey.

Thematic and theoretical analyses procedures were used to identify emerging themes and patterns, with particular attention to what ...

Acculturation And Identity Development Of Deaf Ethnic Minorities, Glennise Candice Schlinger

Masters Theses

This study examined whether experiences in the family and the education systems could influence Deaf ethnic identity development. Data were collected via administration of the Deaf Acculturation Scale (DAS). Participants’ responses were assessed as outlined by the developers of the DAS (Maxwell-McCaw & Zea, 2011). Results suggested that parents’ attitude towards their child’s deafness may affect the deaf individual’s identity development. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with four deaf ethnic minority participants: One Venezuelan American and three African American. Two hearing parents (both mothers) also participated in the interview: one Venezuelan American and one African American. Thematic analysis was used to code and identify patterns among the participants’ responses. Some themes discussed were: the role of spirituality and how it shaped deaf ethnic minority parents’ attitudes toward their child’s deafness; the impact of educational experiences and Deaf identity development, and what factors determined whether an individual identified with their ethnicity or Deafness first. The study suggests that familial/parental attitude toward deafness and experiences in the education system strongly influence Deaf identity development. Limitations and suggestions to further research are also discussed.

The Relation Between High School Teacher Sense Of Teaching Efficacy And Self-Reported Attitudes Toward The Inclusive Classroom Settings, Heather Wright

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate if collective sense of teaching efficacy, general sense of teaching efficacy, or personal sense of teacher efficacy influenced teacher attitude toward inclusive classroom settings. Additionally, the study sought to determine if teacher attitude toward inclusive classroom settings differed when taking into account primary student disability type. Prior research indicates that there is a direct link between teacher sense of efficacy and student disability type when determining teacher attitude toward inclusive classroom settings. The sample population for the survey consisted of a convenience sample that represented only a select number of teachers, thus ...

The Incorporation Of Deaf American Culture And History In Secondary Education Classrooms, James B. Smith

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects

Bilingual-Bicultural Education (Bi-Bi) has a positive impact on language development and social-psychological development of Deaf children (Baker, 2011; Scott, 2010; Humphries & Humphries, 2010). This development is predicated on the child’s access to American Sign Language (ASL); however, the role of Deaf culture and history in Bi-Bi is not well-defined (Ladd, 2003). Children at Bi-Bi schools and programs often acquire cultural aspects through social interactions among their Deaf acquaintances rather than in the classroom. The socialization and cultural sensitivity of Deaf children does not constitute a formal instruction and mastery in all the elements of culture, as often believed in Bi-Bi education. The cultural development through social interactions at school and in the dormitory atmosphere, extracurricular ...

Able Flight At Purdue: Opportunities In Technology, Erin E. Bowen, Jennifer Kirschner, Scott R. Winter, Kevin Crombie, Bernard Wulle

Aviation Technology Faculty and Staff Publications

Developing aircraft piloting skills takes years of training with experts to meet flight certification requirements. Not everyone can reach those standards, and the challenge is even greater for those with physical disabilities. There are opportunities to modify aircraft and train physically impaired students to be pilots; however, due to the high cost, few are able to do so. Able Flight seeks to change that by providing scholarship opportunities for people with disabilities to learn to fly and opening up new educational and career opportunities. Over 30 individuals with various disabilities have received scholarships since Able Flights inception, and all have ...

Health Care Inadequacies For Disabled Americans, Emily Housecamp

Undergraduate Review: a Journal of Undergraduate Student Research

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper.

Many disabled individuals, including the mentally retarded, the physically disabled, and the elderly, face constant erasure in American society. Rarely, if ever, are people with disabilities portrayed in television commercials, and if they are ever present in a movie or television show, they commonly portray such disabled stereotypes as "supercrips." They also must face many unnecessary difficulties, including discrimination in the workplace, various abuses, and a lack of handicap accessibility. One of the most difficult aspects of life for a disabled American, however, is the inability to ...

Assessing The Readiness Of Higher Education To Instruct And Support Students With Asperger's Disorder, L. Marc Ellison

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This study explores the current ability of higher education to effectively educate and support college students diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder. As the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders increased dramatically during the past decade, it is estimated that tens of thousands of individuals diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder are preparing to enter colleges and universities in the United States. Emerging research details specific service systems and resources necessary to effectively educate and support college students with Asperger’s Disorder. Public, four-year institutions of higher education were surveyed (N=578) to assess their current readiness to use identified best-practice methods of ...

Transitions And Turning Points: Exploring How First-In-Family Female Students Story Their Transition To University And Student Identity Formation, Sarah E. O' Shea Dr

Dr Sarah E O' Shea

The purpose of this article is to explore how one group of students reflect upon their transition into the higher education environment. This qualitative research project followed one group of female undergraduate students as they moved through the first year of study. All of the participants were the first in their fam- ily to consider further education and each participated in four semi-structured interviews over one year. Drawing on the conceptual lens of ‘turning points’, the intent is to provide a ‘close-up’ analysis of the complex process of identity formation within the university landscape. By revisiting the students at various ...

Chartering The Way To A Free And Appropriate Public Education (Fape): The Challenges For Charter Schools To Provide Fape, Michael J. Seltzer Mr.

LUX: A Journal of Transdisciplinary Writing and Research from Claremont Graduate University

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are an integral part of the school choice movement, following a market-model of education based on autonomy, competition, and choice. However, charter schools are also mandated to adhere to all laws and regulations in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) when educating students with disabilities. The education of students with disabilities within the charter school environment can result in policy tensions. This paper will examine the salient issues surrounding special education as it pertains to the state, authorizer, and operator in the areas of transparency, processes, and outcomes.

"All Areas Of Suspected Disability", Mark C. Weber

Mark C. Weber

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires school districts to assess children “in all areas of suspected disability.” It further provides that each child’s individualized education program (IEP) must contain measurable annual goals designed to “meet each of the child’s . . . educational needs that result from the child’s disability,” and a statement of special education and related services that will be provided for the child “to advance appropriately toward attaining annual goals.”

Courts have strictly enforced these requirements in the last several years, remedying violations of IDEA when school districts fail to assess in all areas of ...

Our Stake In The Lives Of Today’S Youth: Homosexual Men In The Field Of Education, Tyler A. Weaver

Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference

No abstract provided.

Is Weak Oral Language Associated With Poor Spelling In School-Age Children With Specific Language Impairment, Dyslexia Or Both?, Jillian H. Mccarthy, Tiffany Hogan, Hugh W. Catts

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that word reading accuracy, not oral language, is associated with spelling performance in school-age children. We compared fourth grade spelling accuracy in children with specific language impairment (SLI), dyslexia or both (SLI/dyslexia) to their typically developing grade-matched peers. Results of the study revealed that children with SLI performed similarly to their typically developing peers on a single-word spelling task. Alternatively, those with dyslexia and SLI/dyslexia evidenced poor spelling accuracy. Errors made by both those with dyslexia and SLI/dyslexia were characterized by numerous phonologic, orthographic and semantic errors ...

Effect Of Alternative Assessments On Behavior Of Students In A Secondary Art Classroom, Kristy Jo Carper

Master's Theses

Regular paper tests are used in the classroom as a way to test learned knowledge, but students with learning disabilities often have trouble successfully passing these tests. It is plausible to examine this learned-knowledge through alternative assessments. Student behavior may also be a factor in successful test completion. Alternative assessments will be implemented in the art classroom as a way to positively influence behavior. This thesis will compare the scores of high school students on a regular paper test to their scores on an alternative assessment and see if their behavior is affected by the change of assessment.

The Effect Of Play On The Literacy Development Of Students With Severe Disabilities, Lindsay Marie Kelly

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

The purpose of this six week study was to better determine how my students with severe disabilities and I could use play-based literacy activities to achieve their literacy goals and support their literacy development. I designed this study specifically to target three students' individual needs and interests to see how play activities might help them advance in their learning. Conducting this study has helped me notice the positive effects that play-based literacy activities can have on student learning and literacy development.

The experience of researching a topic that is relevant to my teaching practices and one that I find directly ...

Dyscalculia: Characteristics, Causes, And Treatments, Gavin R. Price, Daniel Ansari

Numeracy

Developmental Dyscalculia (DD) is a learning disorder affecting the ability to acquire school-level arithmetic skills, affecting approximately 3-6% of individuals. Progress in understanding the root causes of DD and how best to treat it have been impeded by lack of widespread research and variation in characterizations of the disorder across studies. However, recent years have witnessed significant growth in the field, and a growing body of behavioral and neuroimaging evidence now points to an underlying deficit in the representation and processing of numerical magnitude information as a potential core deficit in DD. An additional product of the recent progress in ...