Education Commons^™

Defining Inclusionary Practices In Catholic Schools, Sean J. Smith, G Cheatham, Jennifer M. Amilivia

Journal of Catholic Education

The purpose of this article is to provide Catholic educators, administrators, families, and broader parish communities an understanding of critical elements required to effectively include all students, particularly those with disabilities, in Catholic schools. With an understanding that Catholic schools enroll and will continue to add not only students with disabilities, but also other students who may struggle with learning in some manner, the Catholic school community needs to keep abreast of effective practices that facilitate meaningful inclusion. This is especially relevant for those Catholic families who desire a Catholic education for their children with disabilities, as well as their …

Evidence-Based Practices To Promote Inclusion In Today’S Catholic School, Sean Smith, G Cheatham, Maggie Mosher

Journal of Catholic Education

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present inclusionary practices for Catholic education classrooms that emphasize the integration of evidence-based practices (EBPs). Practices that have been developed to address the needs of all students, particularly learners who are at-risk as well as their peers with an identified disability. Over the past two decades, educational reforms and corresponding effective practices have evolved to correspond with the growing expectations that all student should be given the opportunity to participate in the general education experience. Applying the evidence-based practices presented in this article can provide Catholic educators with the needed support and …

The Absence Of Asterisks: The Inclusive Church And Children With Disabilities, Erik W. Carter

Journal of Catholic Education

Congregations are called to be communities of belonging. Yet, many churches struggle to meaningfully include children with disabilities and their families in all aspects of parish life. This article addresses 10 dimensions of belonging and their relevance to the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in their faith communities. To belong involves being present, invited, welcomed, known, accepted, cared for, supported, befriended, needed, and loved (Carter, Biggs, & Boehm, 2016). I address the importance of each of these areas, highlight relevant research, and suggest areas for reflection and response.

Parental Choice Of Charter Schools For Middle School Students With Disabilities, Oluwole Ilesanmi

Special Education ETDs

For many decades, traditional public schools were the dominant public schools available for educating students, including those with disabilities. However, in the current climate of school choice, parents can now choose from a variety of educational options for their children. This study sought to explore the reasons parents of students with disabilities enrolled their children in charter schools. Research questions addressed the reasons parents considered when enrolling their children with disabilities in charter schools, as well as their degree of satisfaction and experiences after enrollment in charter schools. A total of 108 parents of sixth-eighth grade middle school students with …

A Proposed Social Cognitive Career Development Model For Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Amanda M. Giust

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This non-experimental, correlational research tested a hypothesized employment model using the Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) for individuals with ID who have completed high school in Miami, Florida, USA. The variables examined in the study were (a) environmental supports and barriers (e.g., family expectations, available community resources) (b) personal attributes (e.g., self-determination), (c) career behavior, and (d) the outcome of employment. Results of the logistic and hierarchical regression models demonstrated that the hypothesized model accounted for 22.3% of the variance in reported employment attainment. In both regression models, the personal attributes variable was statistically significant to employment outcome and the …

Employment First In A Time Of Pandemic, Julie J. Christensen Phd, Msw

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Supporting English Language Learners With Disabilities In Special Education, Margaret Kramer

Master's Projects and Capstones

The number of English Language Learners, both appropriately and inappropriately, placed in Special Education has risen in the public education system. This requires Special Education classrooms to incorporate language acquisition opportunities into the child’s education, but the school systems are not currently prepared to provide this to the staff and students. There is a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate curricula, limited collaboration between parents and teachers, and incomplete IEPs affecting students placed in Special Education and learning English as a second language. The purpose of the project is to address the needs of staff and families working with students …

Swim Instruction For Individuals With Developmental Coordination Disorder, Susan J. Grosse

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Almost every swim teacher has encountered an individual who had difficulty learning to swim, whose movements appeared dissimilar from peers, or who needed to repeat swim course instructional levels many times. That individual might have had difficulty with sport activities, handwriting, and been clumsy in gross and fine motor tasks. Difficulty with coordination and control of movement may suggest a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Individuals experiencing DCD may feel left out, inadequate, unhappy, frustrated, and embarrassed by his or her ineptness. These feelings may result in an individual withdrawing or refusing to join in and participate in physical …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Alternate Academic Standards And Alternate Testing In Northeast Tennessee, Jodie Bakely

Ed.D. Dissertations

In accordance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (2015), Tennessee developed alternate academic standards and an alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities. This study examined teacher perceptions of the alternate academic standards and alternate assessment in Northeast Tennessee. The researcher interviewed nine teachers of students with significant cognitive disabilities who had used the alternate academic standards and alternate assessment with their students in Northeast Tennessee. The study found that the teachers interviewed did not see the value in using the alternate state standards or alternate assessment with their students. The implications of this study included a need for …

Sensory-Based Interventions Used In Schools For Students With Disabilities To Increase On-Task Behavior, Kelsie Fitch

Culminating Projects in Special Education

A review of research looking into implementing sensory-based interventions to increase on-task behavior for students with disabilities. This review looks into 10 different studies. Results found that using sensory-based interventions is not effective in increasing on-task behavior in students with disabilities in the studies reviewed.

Exploring The Lived Experiences And Coping Strategies Of Parents Of Children With Profound Intellectual And Multiple Disabilities, Anne Glaeser Hubach

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences and coping strategies of parents of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD) in Central Virginia. Research questions used to frame this study are: How do parents of children with PIMD describe their experiences as parents of children with PIMD? How do the parents of children with PIMD describe the impact of their experiences on their well-being? How do the parents of children with PIMD describe their understanding of and perspectives regarding their children’s disabilities? How do parents of children with PIMD describe the impact of …

Examination Of Online Accommodation Information For College Students With Disabilities In New England, Emily Rakers

Honors Scholar Theses

The purpose of this study is to report on the status of information available to college students with disabilities on the websites of New England colleges’ centers for students with disabilities. Primarily, this study focused on information about the application process for a student to receive accommodations. Data was generated by compiling a list of common factors on the websites of centers for students with disabilities at colleges not in New England, and then searching the New England websites to see if they included these factors on their own websites. Three separate categories of schools were included in the study: …

Cultivating An Environment Inclusive Of Students With Varying Developmental, Emotional, And Learning Needs, Alisha Ortiz, Victor R. Wilburn, Julie Ray, Melissa Odegard-Koester

Academic Chairpersons Conference Proceedings

The learning needs of students today represent a unique shift in the way we think about student preparedness for the academic experience and our duty to create the optimal learning environment for them. This presentation provides different ways Department Chairs have led faculty to help students with varying needs find success in higher education.

3d Printing: The Effect Of Adapted Mallets On The Participation Of Children With Severe And Multiple Disabilities, Vienna Sa

Pacific Journal of Health

The purpose of this study was to determine the changes in two measures of participation for a small sample of children with severe and multiple disabilities when using adapted mallets for instruments. The two measures of participation were: decibel level (dB) and frequency of sound produced. Three children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old participated in a single music therapy session testing four different popular adapted mallets, and a control mallet. A 3D-printed mallet grip was among the adapted mallets and was customized to the individual’s hand contour. The sessions tested all five mallets in random order …

Effectiveness Of An Intensive Drowning Prevention Program And Skills Retention By Children With And Without Disabilities, Anna L. Forde Otd, Otr/L, Ctrs, Emily A. Zeman Otd, Ms, Otr/L, Lynn Clarke

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This study examined the effectiveness of a drowning prevention program and the retention of swimming and water safety skills for 3-14 year-old children with and without disabilities. The intensive program, SWIM Central, used a top-down approach to teach 6 swimming and water safety skills during 10, 30-minute sessions. A post-participation parent survey results suggested that children ages 3-14 with and without disabilities who had previously participated in SWIM Central retained swimming and water safety skills to a similar degree. The current swim skill assessments showed that there was not an overall difference in swim skill performance in the presence of …

Assessment Of Inclusive Practices In Head Start Preschool Classrooms: Access, Participation, And Supports, Ifthika "Shine" Nissar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to assess inclusive practices in Head Start preschool classrooms. In 1972, Public Law PL 94-242 mandated Head Start enrollment to include 10% of students with disabilities (Allen & Cowdery, 2009). Research on assessment of inclusive practices within Head Start preschool classrooms is limited (Gallagher & Lambert, 2006; Muccio, 2012).

This study implemented a quantitative, descriptive design approach. Correlational analysis was conducted to explore answers to the research questions according to access, participation, and supports constructs (DEC/NAEYC, 2009). An Inclusion Crosswalk model was introduced. Data revealed that the underlying factor structure of the …

Accessibility Across The Curriculum: An Oer Website On Accessibility, Amy Wolfe

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This white paper shares my process for creating my OER website Accessibility Across the Curriculum, located at https://accessibilityacrosscurriculum.awolfeworks.com. This website is an Open Educational Resource (OER) learning object (LO) and learning object repository, conceived as a resource to increase general knowledge on accessibility and increase the teaching of accessibility. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes access to information and communications technologies, including the Web, as a basic human right. One of the various definitions of Digital Humanities (DH) focuses on how DH integrates teaching and the use of technologies, online platforms, research methods, …

A Qualitative Study Of School Transiency Among Students With Disabilities, Laura R. Nugent

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

This qualitative multi-phase study explores the impact of school transiency on students with and without disabilities through interviews with teachers and administrators in six school districts in Vermont. The goal of the study is to describe the effects of school transiency on the education and socioemotional development of students with disabilities, expose the causes of school transiency, and provide guidance to educators on mitigating the impact of these factors on student growth. Repeated interviews were conducted with 11 teachers and administrators between 2017 and 2020.

This research was primarily focused on determining whether students with disabilities are more likely to …

Classroom Activities That Motivate Teens To Spend Leisure Time Reading, Laura A. Scott

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines practices which foster an appreciation of reading in teens with disabilities. Research shows that when given choice and opportunity, young people are more inclined to read for pleasure. The purpose of this thesis is to find out how teachers can improve their classroom practices in ways that motivate these young people. Teens with learning disabilities in reading can be reluctant to engage in reading activities due to past negative experiences and failures. Teachers must help the students overcome any obstacles in the way of success and teach the importance of proficient reading skills. Readers enjoy a more …

The Effects Of Three Service Delivery Models On Vocabulary Learning By Second-Grade Children, Laura Stone

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) provide services to children in schools across the United States primarily in a direct small group service delivery model outside of the regular education classroom. To date little research exists to indicate that direct pull-out service delivery is an effective model in elementary schools for students requiring speech and language therapy. One area that has been studied is the effectiveness of vocabulary intervention among service delivery models. Preliminary findings suggest that students with language and literacy deficits learn vocabulary well within a regular education environment with SLP support. However, there is little consensus on how service delivery …

Transitional Experiences Of Post-Secondary Students With Non-Disclosed Disabilities, Sierra E. Headrick

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the transitional experiences of undergraduate students with non-disclosed disabilities and gain insight on the intentions of students choosing the route of non-disclosure in higher education. It was found that students with non-disclosed disabilities have significant challenges with managing their workloads and stress in their transition into college. Additionally, changes in support from high school to college have a significant influence on self-disclosure of disabilities. With parental guidance lacking from the participants’ support systems in post-secondary education, it was found that changes in support among the group’s transition into college may be a …

Employers’ Attitudes Towards Individuals With A Physical Disability During The Hiring Process, Alix Jean-Joseph

Theses and Dissertations

Decades of research in the field of disability and employment have recorded various negative and positive employer attitudes towards the disabled. In comparison to other disability categories, the physically disabled tend to evoke more negative stereotypes, attitudes, and misconceptions in employers. Physical appearance and physical deformities continue to be a barrier to full participation in employment. Thus, additional research is needed to understand and explore how these attitudes are impacting employment experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine employers’ attitudes towards individuals with a physical disability during the hiring process.

An online survey was completed with the collaboration …

Improving Educational Experiences Of Students With Disabilities At A Private Postsecondary University, Levenle Jean-Joseph

Theses and Dissertations

The problem addressed in this research study was that students with disabilities were experiencing challenges at a private postsecondary university in the United States that were impacting their educational experience. The purpose of this research study was to discover the challenges individuals with disabilities experience at a private postsecondary university and to find possible resolutions to those challenges. It was anticipated that this research study may improve the education experiences of students with disabilities at a private postsecondary university in the United States. It was equally important to discover (a) challenges experienced by students with a disability in a private …