Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Look Again: Making Friends With Sensory Processing Disorder, Lauren Binder

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper explores the impact of sensory processing differences on the development of young children’s peer relationships in early childhood. Current children’s literature on Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is limited in addressing the ways in which SPD intersects with social interaction among students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers. By exploring social scenarios grounded in the lived experiences of one child with SPD, I aim to broaden what counts as acceptable approaches to connection and interaction among young children. I use the social model of disability, the tenets of the neurodiversity movement, and the guiding principles of Disability Critical Race …

Reading Emotions: Designing Digital Tools To Strengthen The “Social Brain” Of Young Children With Autism, Kirsten M. Benjamin

Graduate Student Independent Studies

Autism (ASD) is characterized by impaired development in social interaction and communication. This can affect the ability to develop relationships with peers and family. Being limited in this area leads those with Autism unable to translate their own emotions and the emotions of others. As technology develops, so do methods of teaching facial emotion recognition. Building these skills can increase the social communication abilities of those struggling with Autism. This paper will explore the effectiveness of various educational applications (apps).

Taking the lessons gained from previous iPhone application designs I will attempt to create a new application that incorporates the …

Process & Research Of Dyslexia? A Book On The Demystification Of Dyslexia For Students With Dyslexia, Anna Slavin

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This paper focuses on the ways in which the demystification of dyslexia for diagnosed or pre- diagnosed students alters their ability to self-advocate. It examines effective ways of demystification and, specifically, how literature can be used to directly teach children how to talk about their difference. This review of research highlights positive and negative effects of providing students with learning disability labels. It also notes that the majority of studies on the subject show that providing students with a label for their learning variations positively impacts self-esteem and academic engagement. However, it is noted that a dearth of children’s literature …

Creating Accessibility In Museums For Visitors With Visual Impairments: Teaching Museum Educators How To Write Verbal Descriptions Of Artifacts To Create A Meaningful Museum Experience, Monica Brandwein

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This Integrative Masters Project is a professional development workshop that was created to teach museum educators, staff, and Gallery Educators (the museum's docents) at the Museum of Jewish Heritage -A Living Memorial to the Holocaust how to create accessibility for visitors with visual impairments to increase the richness of the museum's artifacts within the collection.

Racial Disproportionality In Special Education: Causes, Outcomes And Avenues For Change, John Gillies

Graduate Student Independent Studies

In school systems across the United States, disproportionality in special education along racial and ethnic lines is not merely a problem of overrepresentation or underrepresentation, but misrepresentation. African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are given incorrect diagnoses, disproportionate educational designations, and inappropriate placements. The key factors behind disproportionality include racial bias among educators and other service providers, socio-economic status, substandard early childhood environments, and family composition. Inappropriate special education placements can lead to increased rates of school dropout, poor academic achievement, lower-paying jobs, and juvenile crime. Therefore disproportionality is not a problem confined to the education system, it is of …

A Study Of Olga Smyth, Director, High Valley School: 1934 Graduate Of Bank Street, Deborah Stone

Graduate Student Independent Studies

A study is made of the educator Olga Smyth, 1934 graduate of Bank Street. Examins her particular style of working with children, and what it is based on in her history, education, and personality. The continuity of her work and the consistency of her approach is shown, from her days at Bank Street through the making of "Incitement to Reading" (film by L. J. Stone showing her teaching first graders at the Poughkeepsie Day School in the 1950's) to her work at her own school with children whose emotional and learning problems make it impossible for them to succeed in …