Disability Law Commons^™

Acknowledgments, Matt Wappett

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Advancing Strength-Based Inclusive Mental Health Research In Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Luther Kalb, Joan B. Beasley

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Physical Accessibility And Historic Preservation In Historic House Museums Of The Southeast, Abby Milonas

All Theses

Museums are a public good, as they provide educational recreation and preserve cultural history, and so it is crucial that they are physically accessible to as many visitors as possible. The aim of this study was to understand what architectural features of historic house museums are the least accessible and what has been done to ameliorate these challenges. The survey used in the study was developed using the guidelines for making historic buildings accessible as described in the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards. It was distributed by email to representatives of 220 historic sites, of …

Reaching Consensus On The Future Direction Of A Resource Center Within A Ucedd: A Quality Improvement Delphi Project, Emily J. Hickey Phd, Amy D. Whitehead Mpa, Rachel Weingarten Bs, Leann Smith Dawalt Phd

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families need access to timely, quality information and assistance about relevant services and supports. Despite statewide systems of information and assistance for this population, there is a need for “in-the-moment” assistance for individuals and family members who participate in on-site research, training and or service delivery at the Waisman Center. The aim of this quality improvement project was to clarify the role of an internal Resource Center so as to align with the staff resources available and not duplicate statewide systems of support.

The Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison the …

Accessibility Of Medical School To Students With Physical Disabilities, Shelby A. Cowan

Senior Theses

This thesis is an exploration of perceived and institutional barriers to matriculation into medical school for students with physical disabilities. Factors such as the lived admissions experience, available accommodations and supportive resources, and legal considerations surrounding a student's disclosure of their disability are examined; however, future work is needed to better access this population of students and empower them to become physicians and use their unique perspective to benefit patients.

Paths To Equity: Parents In Partnership With Ucedds Fostering Black Family Advocacy For Children On The Autism Spectrum, Elizabeth H. Morgan, Benita D. Shaw, Ida Winters, Chiffon King, Jazmin Burns, Aubyn Stahmer, Gail Chodron

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Racism and ableism have doubly affected Black families of children with developmental disabilities in their interactions with disability systems of supports and services (e.g., early intervention, mental health, education, medical systems). On average, Black autistic children are diagnosed three years later and are up to three times more likely to be misdiagnosed than their non-Hispanic White peers. Qualitative research provides evidence that systemic oppression, often attributed to intersectionality, can cause circumstances where Black disabled youth are doubly marginalized by policy and practice that perpetuates inequality. School discipline policies that criminalize Black students and inadequate medical assessments that improperly support Black …

Inclusion For Students With Intellectual Disabilities: A Philosophical Reconstruction Of The Student To Expand Access And Its Benefits, Derek Thomas Myles Daskalakes

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation attempts a philosophical rethinking of the concept of the student in educationally relevant disability law for the sake of expanding access to general education settings for students with intellectual disabilities (ID), without committing to the approach known as full inclusion. I show that students with ID receive significantly less access to general education settings in comparison to other student populations, and that empirical studies show this to be harmful to their learning and developmental outcomes. Discussion of this problem in the inclusion literature assumes one of two positions that separately support either maintaining the status quo regarding the …

Exploring Tactile Art-Making With Deafblind Students And Their Families: An Opportunity For Creative Play, Alice Rodgers

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The impact of a deafblind diagnosis on an individual’s mental health and the well-being of the family involved can be profound. However, current research and available literature for the mental health treatment and therapy practices of deafblind persons and their families is limited (Kyzar et al., 2016; “WFDB Global Report 2018,” n.d.). This thesis used the Leeds Family Psychology and Therapy Service principles (Leeds FPTS) and the Expressive Therapies Continuum with established deafblind teaching strategies to facilitate an original arts-based community project entitled: “Things We Like.” This project provided an opportunity for deafblind students (ages three to 22) and their …

Technology As A Tool For Support: Classroom Teachers And Resource Specialists In Collaboration And Communication Practices, Mackenzie Jones

Education | Master's Theses

Classroom teachers and resource specialists face hectic schedules that include supporting students and meeting the core curriculum standards. In order to support students with disabilities in the classroom, collaboration between classroom teachers and resource specialists is essential. With busy schedules and increasing demands that teachers face, there is an urgent need to support teachers with effective systems of collaboration. This research focuses on the problem of unorganized and ineffective systems of support, which teachers face when trying to collaborate and communicate with their colleagues. While many prior studies address the significance of providing time for educators to collaborate in the …

Perceptions Of Special Education Supports By School Administrators, Eric P. Oxford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study analyzed the perceptions of special education supports by school administrators. Specifically, this research discussed comparative findings of perceptions of special education supports between building principals and building-based special education team chairpersons in one Massachusetts public school district. The findings are grounded in the district’s inclusive philosophy and its capability to ensure that all students are provided educational opportunities in the least restrictive educational environment. The problem studied was that many students with disabilities who are unable to find academic success within an inclusive academic environment are typically transitioned into a more restrictive—or substantially separate—alternative education setting. It …

Knowledge And Desires Of Parents Of Middle School Students With Intellectual Disability Regarding Inclusive Education Laws And Practices In South Korea: Qualitative Case Study, Yunji Jeong

Special Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and desires of parents of middle school students with ID regarding inclusive education practices and laws in South Korea. I interviewed seven mothers of children with ID who attended South Korean middle school. Three themes emerged including (a) mother-teacher communication, (b) particular knowledge that suppressed further desires for inclusive education, and (c) culture-based advocacy for inclusive education. I discussed these findings based on Confucianism, collectivism, social and medical models of disability, and Rawls’s theory of justice. The mothers neither knew about inclusive education laws nor valued the laws. Instead, they …

Post-Fry Idea And Section 504: New Intersections And Detours, Amy J. Goetz, Andrea L. Jepsen

Mitchell Hamline Law Review

No abstract provided.

Provider Organizational Transformation And Integrated Employment, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Wally Tablit, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This webinar was so popular, we decided to run it again! Provider agencies across the country are transitioning from segregated “sheltered” workshop options to supporting integrated community careers for people with disabilities. This process of organizational transformation can be both exciting and challenging for provider staff and the people they serve. In this webinar, ICI researcher Jaimie Timmons shared findings from the RRTC on Advancing Employment for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Jaimie shared the results of a Delphi panel of experts who examined 6 characteristics considered essential for provider transformation. Wally Tablit from AtWork in Washington state co-presented …

Work And Community Engagement: Shifting Services And Supports To Help Individuals Have The Lives They Want, Cindy Thomas, Amie Lulinski, Jennifer Sulewski, Erin Leviton, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Significant change is underway to insure that services maximize opportunities for full engagement in the community. This session includes two projects, the RRTC on Advancing Employment for Individual with IDD and the Community Life Engagement Project and panelists from MA and DC to discuss the implications of research findings on service transformation and the integration of work and non-work supports to support individuals to have full and productive lives.

'New Conversations About Integrated Employment' Webinars Shine A Fresh Light On Issues In Our Field, Melanie Jordan, Allison Cohen Hall, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This poster session highlights creative thinking about employment supports. The RRTC on Advancing Employment for Individuals with IDD has launched an interactive and dynamic webinar series with a twist ? to expose participants to new ideas, provoke reactions, and inspire them to think differently about such topics as Employment Professionals as Leaders for Change; the Real Meaning of Informed Choice; and Reframing the Benefits Conversation Around Financial Well-Being.

Provider Transformation And Integrated Employment, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Allison Hall, Tom Heinz

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

No abstract provided.

Engaging Individuals And Families In Conversations Around Employment, John Kramer, Amie Lulinski, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Family engagement is key to successful employment and life planning, with parents and siblings often leading their family members with disabilities on the path to employment through their own role modeling and encouragement. Despite what literature says about the true importance of family engagement, many parents lack the knowledge needed to meaningfully participate in employment planning. One critical gap is thinking about financial well-being for their family member with a disability. This session will provide an overview of themes and strategies identified through research on engaging individuals and families in employment planning, followed by a discussion on key gaps around …

High-Quality Community Life Engagement Supports: Four Guideposts For Success (Engage: A Brief Look At Community Engagement, Issue No. 3, 2016), Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Community Life Engagement refers to supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to access and participate in their communities outside of employment as part of a meaningful day. States and providers report growing numbers of individuals with IDD in Community Life Engagement, yet the role of services related to engagement and participation in community life has to date been largely undefined.

Furthermore, the Department of Justice’s guidance around the provision of day and employment supports in integrated settings (U.S. Department of Justice, 2014; United States v. State of Rhode Island, 2014) has illustrated the need to define and provide …

Policy And State-Level Strategies To Promote Employment (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 3), Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

At the national level, integrated employment has become an important policy priority. Greater expectations are being placed on those charged with delivering employment supports, and disability systems are responding. However, the promise of integrated employment has yet to be realized for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The number of individuals supported in integrated employment by state IDD agencies has remained the same since 2000, participation in non-work services has grown rapidly, and promising practices for employment supports identified in the research are not widely implemented. What are the state-level strategies that can change this trajectory?

This brief: Describes …

Organizational Transformation: Guiding Principles For Community Providers (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 6), Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Amie Lulinski, Cindy Thomas, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

A key area of focus for our Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) is organizational transformation, leading to improved employment outcomes for those served by community provider organizations. Community provider organizations and their staff are the primary source of day and employment supports for people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD). Among this large provider community, variation of services and employment philosophies exists. Many believe that facility-based programs are essential for individuals with disabilities who are having difficulty getting or maintaining competitive work in the labor force, and have limited plans to expand competitive integrated employment. Others believe that all …

Who Are Employment Consultants? Characteristics Of The Workforce That Connects Job Seekers With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities To Employment (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 7), Oliver Lyons, Alberto Migliore, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Derek Nord, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

In 1987, the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston began a series of surveys aimed at providing a longitudinal description of the characteristics and service delivery provided by Community Rehabilitation Providers (CRPs)(Domin & Butterworth, 2012). Despite direct support staff comprising one of the nation’s largest labor market segments, there has been very little research into the wages and stability of that workforce (Bogenschutz, Hewitt, Nord, & Hepperlen, 2014). Additionally, most of the literature regarding employment consultants has focused on service outcomes of the individuals served. However, according to Luecking, Fabian, and Tilson (2004), “…Regardless of …

Achieving Best Practice In Employment Supports: Defining Measures Of Effectiveness (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 4), Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are among the most likely Americans to be unemployed, live in poverty, or rely on public programs. In 2013, only 23% of working-age people with cognitive disabilities—a broad demographic category that includes individuals with IDD—were employed, compared to 72% of people without disabilities. While over 30 states have adopted an Employment First policy (a declaration that employment is the priority outcome for people with disabilities), a key challenge is ensuring that supports meet the standards for best practice. Employment supports are delivered by what we refer to as “employment consultants.” We use this …

Knowledge Translation And Support For Individuals And Families (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 5), Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

With the persistently low competitive employment rate for working-age people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), a main focus area for the field of disability research has been on the interaction between the individual and the service system. Yet we know much less about the interaction between systems and families around employment. Family engagement is key to successful employment and life planning, often leading individuals with disabilities on the path to employment when family members serve as role models for work ethic and behavior. Family members may also provide logistical support, including coaching and advice, help with planning and organizing …

Understanding The History Of Institutionalization: Making Connections To De-Institutionalization And The Olmstead Act For Persons With Intellectual Disabilities In The State Of Illinois, Nancy A. Cheeseman

Dissertations

What is the historical connection between deinstitutionalization and the Olmstead decision? The purpose of this study was to examine and analyze policy within a historical perspective the connections between institutional care, deinstitutionalization, the Olmstead decision, and the effect on persons with intellectual disabilities lived experience, in the state of Illinois.

The data collected include, the transcripts of interviews with four participants, artifacts from policy documents and historical papers accessed from the Disability Museum online journals. The creation of a table for use in coding themes as associated with 5 (out of 18) core concepts for disability policy.

The Olmstead decision …

Transportation For Students With Disabilities, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne Jr.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Transportation and other related services for students with disabilities are essential, and the costs associated with their delivery can weigh heavily on district budgets and the minds of school business officials.

School districts typically offer transportation to students with disabilities in district-owned and -operated vehicles, in vehicles owned and operated by private service providers, or via public transportation; occasionally, districts may enter into contracts with parents to transport their children to school. When students are unable to access the standard modes of transportation, school officials must make special transportation arrangements. According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations, …

The Limits Of Federal Disability Law: State Educational Voucher Programs, Wendy Hensel

Wendy F. Hensel

The U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating the state of Wisconsin with respect to its administration of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), which provides low-income students with public money to attend private schools. Faced with complaints of disability discrimination by private schools accepting voucher students, DOJ has ordered Wisconsin to oversee and police these schools to ensure compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which applies to states and their agencies, and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which applies to recipients of federal funding. Although conditioning its directive on the state's coverage under these …

The Limits Of Federal Disability Law: State Educational Voucher Programs, Wendy Hensel

Faculty Publications By Year

The U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating the state of Wisconsin with respect to its administration of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP), which provides low-income students with public money to attend private schools. Faced with complaints of disability discrimination by private schools accepting voucher students, DOJ has ordered Wisconsin to oversee and police these schools to ensure compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which applies to states and their agencies, and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which applies to recipients of federal funding. Although conditioning its directive on the state's coverage under these …

Crp Organizational Change (Bringing Employment First To Scale, Issue No. 2), Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Federal and state policy shifts have opened the doors to meaningful community employment for individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD). Progress is apparent across the country: creative outcomes for individuals with significant support needs through customized jobs and self-employment, innovative practices at the provider level, and state investment in an Employment First philosophy. Despite these achievements, the number of individuals supported in integrated employment by state agencies that serve individuals with IDD has remained the same since 2000. While some community rehabilitation providers (CRPs) across the country have transformed their services to focus on integrated employment, including closing facility-based programs, most …

Introduction To Community Life Engagement (Engage: A Brief Look At Community Engagement, Issue No. 1, 2015), Jennifer Sullivan Sulewski, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

As national disability policy prioritizes greater support for community-based integrated employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), the level of participation in services for other daytime activities continues to grow (Winsor & Butterworth, 2012). The role of services related to engagement and participation in community life has to date been largely undefined. The purpose of this brief is to offer a definition of Community Life Engagement, share reasons for its relevance and timeliness, and present results from a Community of Practice with administrators and personnel from seven state IDD agencies hosted by the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) …

Community Life Engagement: Data Sources, Definitions, And Measurement (Engage: A Brief Look At Community Engagement, Issue No. 2, 2015), Oliver Lyons, Allison Hall, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

As state and federal policy makers and Community Service Providers work to refine the concept of Community Life Engagement, they are able to draw upon multiple, public, national data sources. These include: Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI)’s National Survey on Day and Employment Outcomes, National Core Indicators (NCI), ICI’s National Survey of Community Rehabilitation Providers.

This brief provides an introduction to these data sources. It examines emerging Community Life Engagement trends shown in each source, as well as the implications for developing a better understanding of Community Life Engagement based on how it is currently being classified and measured.