Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

College Organizational Structure And Its Impact On Accessible Distance Learning For Students With Disabilities, Mana Kariman

Dissertations

This research focuses on the impact of organizational structure in colleges on accessibility in distance learning for individuals with disabilities. Research remains limited on the effect of the organizational structure that supports online/web-based courses regarding accessibility. Policies that outline the laws guide faculty to ensure the published online courses are accessible to everyone, including students with disabilities. Further, types of accommodations available to students with disabilities are discussed. Accessibility needs to be addressed by trainings for all faculty who provide accommodations. In conclusion, the accessibility laws affect the organizational structure in institutions and the impact of policy implementation.

Autism In Transition From High School To College, Stephanie Grace Bledsoe

Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Communication Disorders Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research project explored the transition from high school to college for individuals who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Data was collected using a semi-structured interview that focused on perceived goals for supporting students with autism who are college bound. Six faculty/staff members – two from a local high school and four from a major university – and two college students with autism spectrum disorder participated in the study. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed word-for-word. The analysis consisted of identifying common themes across the participants. The faculty and staff at the college and high school level …

Bridging The Gap: Understanding, Anticipating, And Responding To The Needs Of Student Veterans In A Bachelor Of Science In Nursing Program, Larry Michael Stowers

Doctoral Projects

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA) of 2008 and the Post-9/11 Veterans Assistance Act of 2008 have afforded veterans the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. Since October 2001, over 2 million American men and women in uniform have deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). While thousands of returning combat veterans take advantage of recent legislation that helps pay for their education, they face new challenges in the classroom. This nation’s veterans represent a group of diverse individuals who bring different experiences, thus different perspectives than traditional college-aged students. …

Development And Preliminary Evaluation Of A Transition Planning Guide, Shalee Thompson

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Transition planning for students with disabilities is often a difficult process for students, their families, and their teachers. Families are often unsure of how best to help their student and often feel unheard by the professionals with whom they are working (Defur, Todd-Allen & Getzel, 2001.) Teachers are also unsure of how to best implement transition planning strategies in the classroom (Thoma, Pannazzo, Fritton & Bartholomew, 2008). Transition planning is often poorly aligned with the desired end outcomes for students (Thompson, Fulk & Piercy, 2000) and parents and teachers lack systematic guidance in decision making for transition planning.

This project …

Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place: Exploring The Lived Experiences Of College Students Who Do Not Request Accommodations, Denise P. Reid

Educational Studies Dissertations

For this phenomenological study, thirteen participants from two private universities, located in the western region of the United States shared their lived experiences of being a college student who does not request accommodations. The author used recursive analysis to analyze qualitative data from semistructured interviews. Initial codes were combined to create interconnected families of codes. A second level of analysis resulted in seven spaces in which participants described their lived experiences. Findings suggest participants experience various tensions, ranging from incompatible options to competing perspectives, as they negotiate their identify and environment. including the principle of opportunity cost. Recommendations for college …

Creating The Back Ward: The Triumph Of Custodialism And The Uses Of Therapeutic Failure In Nineteenth Century Idiot Asylums, Philip M. Ferguson

Education Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"My focus in this chapter is on the origin of the back ward rather than its demise. Where did the “back wards” that [Burton] Blatt and [Senator Robert] Kennedy witnessed come from in the first place? What 3 exactly were those “antecedents of the problems observed” that Blatt cited? This chapter reviews that history and argues that, in fact, there is a specific narrative to the evolution of the institutional “back ward” as an identifiable place where people with the most significant intellectual disabilities were to be incarcerated and largely forgotten."

Tracking In Middle School Mathematics, Alexis Geisler

Mathematics Graduate Theses

This paper is a review of research pertaining to the issue of tracking in middle and high school mathematics. More focus is given to middle school because this is usually where tracking begins in mathematics. It supports research on the rationale behind detracking our schools and moving towards heterogeneous classrooms. Research behind the psychological effects of tracking is also provided, along with how tracking can segregate our school systems. There is a variety of research on the effect of tracking in mathematics. One of the most prevalent issues is how tracking is detrimental to the low tracked students. It not …

Negative Social Constructions Of “Disability” And How Individuals With Disability May Better Transition From Childhood To Adulthood In The United States, Estella Li

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The objectives of this study are to assess the meaning of “disability” through etic and emic frameworks, to bring awareness to effects that negative social constructions have on individuals with disabilities’ self-worth, and to find more accommodating approaches to not only help individuals with disabilities grow in inclusive classrooms, but to also help them apply confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills to their community after the age of 21 in the United States. Since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) fall short of providing individuals with disabilities adequate services and support for adulthood …

Idea And Alternative Dispute Resolution: A Primer, Charles J. Russo, Allan G. Osborne Jr.

Educational Leadership Faculty Publications

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) procedures are the cornerstone of the provisions in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that mandate the timely resolution of disagreements between parents and school officials.

ADR procedures are in the form of mediation and resolution sessions that are held before culminating in due process hearings. The sessions are designed to be speedier, less costly, and less adversarial than litigation. Subject to infrequent exceptions, disagreements can be subject to judicial review only after parents and education officials have exhausted the administrative remedies under the IDEA. The provisions establish time frames that parties must meet before …

Teaching The Universal Language Of Creativity: A Guide To Training., Carlie R. Arnone

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Teaching the Universal Language of Creativity: A Guide to Training.

The purpose of education in any regard is to provide knowledge and information, to teach something. Parents, educators, and professionals alike are experiencing some difficulty in education, in that they are not being properly taught how to nurture some particular needs of individuals with developmental disabilities, specifically on how to use creativity to do so. Educators, parents, and professionals in the field need to start advocating for a balance between strict regulations and creativity. In the recent years, there has been quite the push for creativity and innovation in businesses, …

Bridging Music And The Early Childhood Curriculum In Listening And Spoken Language Programs For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Whitney Wright

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Music is an integral aspect of human life. Its impact weaves through arts, culture, communication, recreation, and education. In addition to benefits of enjoyment and entertainment, music is a vital component of early childhood educational settings. Educators routinely utilize music as an embedded component of instruction to meet both group and individual needs of young children in early childhood classrooms. In fact, specialized musical instruction can be particularly beneficial for children with disabilities, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) (Gfeller, Driscoll, Kenworthy, & Van Voorst, 2011). Children who are DHH are at significant risk for speech, …

Capturing Awareness: The Perception Of Higher Education At An At-Risk, Urban Middle School, Kristen M. Upp

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study is to understand at-risk, urban middle school students’ perceptions of higher education through the minds of young students from a diverse, inner city schooling background. This study sought to understand barriers preventing students from attending college and the positive contributing factors encouraging them to do so. Written interviews were conducted in an 8^th grade urban middle school in the southern United States.

One hundred five (105) students voluntarily participated in the research study, writing their thoughts pertaining to higher education and their feelings on the topic. The following themes were found: Family Involvement, Financial …

Effect Of Direct Instruction Programs On Teaching Reading Comprehension To Students With Learning Disabilities, Jennifer Parker

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this quasi experimental research study was to examine the effects of two direct instruction programs, SRA Reading Mastery Signature and SRA Reading Success on reading comprehension skill acquisition of middle school students who qualify as a student with a specific learning disability. Furthermore, the study was used to compare the reading comprehension achievement of students who participated in SRA Reading Mastery Signature and students who participated in SRA Reading Success using the reading portion of the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. The treatment groups were located in a moderate size school district in the Upstate region …

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Evidence-Based Practices In Mentoring Students With Disabilities: Four Case Studies, Norma J. Stumbo, Jay K. Martin, Dan Nordstrom, Tina Rolfe, Sheryl Burgstahler, Jean Whitney, Samantha Langley - Turnbaugh, Lynn Lovewell, Babette Moeller, Randy Larry, Ed Misquez

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities are attending postsecondary institutions at higher rates than ever before, although many struggle to adjust in college environments. On one hand, higher education positively correlates with better employment outcomes, while on the other, higher education represents more stringent academic requirements and more diffused disability supports. One intervention used to check the ‘trauma’ of transition from high school to postsecondary education is mentoring. This article describes four successful mentorship programs, in various stages of maturity, which are currently funded by the National Science Foundation. The case studies describe the structure of each program, recruitment strategies, the students involved, …

Increasing Stem Accessibility In Students With Print Disabilities Through Mathspeak, M.D. Isaacson, Dave Schleppenbach, Lyle Lloyd

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Individuals with print disabilities have difficulty processing information through visual means and rely heavily on spoken input. Mathematics and fields that have a heavy emphasis on mathematics are difficult for these individuals because of ambiguity inherent in typical everyday spoken renderings of mathematical expressions. MathSpeak is a set of rules for speaking mathematical expressions in a non-ambiguous manner. The present study tested the efficacy of MathSpeak rules for disambiguation of auditory renderings of spoken mathematics. Findings suggest that MathSpeak is efficacious for disambiguating spoken mathematics.

An Exploration Into The Barriers And Facilitators Experienced By University Graduates With Disabilities Requiring Personal Assistance Services, Norma J. Stumbo, Bradley N. Hedrick, Courtney Weisman, Jay K. Martin

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore the residual barriers and facilitators for a selected group of individuals with severe physical disabilities who had been afforded a comprehensive set of strategies and services aimed at meeting their basic personal as well as academic needs. Their perceptions of both barriers and facilitators, experienced while in school and post-graduation, were the focus of this qualitative research study. Due to the funding source, differences between individuals who majored in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM fields were also explored. Personal interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of …

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Curriculum To Teach The “Soft Skills” Necessary For The Future Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing Laboratory Technician Workforce, Annemarie D. Ross, Todd Pagano

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

There is often a particular void in the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students who intend to become competent working laboratory technicians. Inasmuch as certain basic professional skills (“soft skills”, in this case) are not generally taught in traditional science courses, a new curriculum has been developed in order to enforce these skills. The “soft skills” of focus in this study are safety awareness, technical writing, and teamwork/conflict resolution. The development of the pedagogical tools used to teach these specific “soft skills” are discussed, as well as an assessment of the augmentation in student understanding in each skill area. By …