Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

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, …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

Teacher Training Workshop For Educators Of Students Who Are Blind Or Low Vision, Cary A. Supalo, Thomas E. Mallouk, Danielle Dwyer, Heather L. Eberhart, Natasha W. Bunnag

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The Independent Laboratory Access for the Blind (ILAB) project has developed a suite of speech accessible tools for students who are blind or low vision to use in secondary and postsecondary science laboratory classes. The following are illustrations of experiments designed to be used by educators to introduce them to the ILAB tools, and to demonstrate how these tools can be incorporated into standard laboratory experiments. Information about the Lawrence Hall of Science’s SAVI/SELPH curriculum is also discussed.

Increasing The Accessibility Of Science For All Students, Samantha Langley - Turnbaugh, Glenn Wilson, Lynn Lovewell

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This paper evaluates the accessibility of selected field and laboratory high school science activities, and provides suggestions for increasing accessibility for students with disabilities. We focused on GLOBE (Global Learning Observations to Benefit the Environment) protocols, specifically the new Seasons and Biomes investigation currently being developed as part of the GLOBE program. Five university students with disabilities majoring in science or technology were recruited to test the GLOBE protocols, and 10 protocols were evaluated for accessibility. Based on our results, we make several suggestions with regards to instructions, equipment, safety, outcomes and activity significance that will increase the accessibility of …

From The Co-Editors

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.

Preparing Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders For Employment, Princess M. Cullum, Demetria Ennis-Cole

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The work experiences and job histories of adults with ASD were examined to determine whether or not they corroborate findings in the literature. Incidences of ASD are on the rise, and children diagnosed with ASD will become adults who will need employment opportunities. Most employers are using a variety of technology tools to increase productivity, communicate, perform record-keeping tasks, save time and money, and conduct business. Individuals with ASD gravitate toward technology, and employment opportunities that capitalize on the use
technology may allow them to be productive in the
workplace. Semi-structured interviews using
open-ended questions reviewed and approved by
founders …

Camp Shriver – A Free Inclusive Summer Sports Camp For Children With And Without Disabilities, Mark Spolidoro, Barbara Gildea, Kathleen Ghio, Gary N. Siperstein

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Camp Shriver at UMass Boston is in its 9th year, providing a free and fully inclusive summer recreational program for children in the communities of Boston and Quincy.

Having served almost 1,000 campers, Camp Shriver at UMass Boston reaches out to children and families who have few opportunities, particularly families of children with disabilities.

Impact Of The Young Athletes Program On Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders In Quincy Public Schools, Christopher B. Denning, Kathleen Ghio

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Center for Social Development and Education (CSDE) and the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) are supporting the implementation of the Young Athletes (YA) program for preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Quincy Public Schools.

50-73% of children with ASD have significant motor delays compared to normative peers. Concerns include:

Delays in overall gross motor skills, including manual dexterity, balance, gait, motor coordination, and ball handling skills.
• Motor development appears to slow for two- and three-year-old children with ASD.

Young Athletes is a theoretically-based program designed to improve the motor development of children with disabilities (ages …

Pacific Visual Impairment Project, School For Global Inclusion And Social Development, University Of Massachusetts Boston, College Of Education And Human Development, University Of Massachusetts Boston, University Of Guam - Center For Excellence In Developmental Disabilities Education, Research & Service

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The primary goal of the Pacific Vision Impairment Project (VIP) is to increase the pool of fully credentialed, effective personnel educating students who are blind or have a Vision Impairment in remote areas where services either do not exist or need additional support.

Massachusetts Hospital School Program Evaluation Enhancing Transition To The Community, Russell Schutt

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Throughout the years, MHS has responded to the changing medical needs of children and young adults in MA and continues to be a model program nationally. Currently, MHS educates approximately 87 students from 58 MA communities. Since 2003, about 10-17 students have graduated each year. At age 22, young adults with disabilities transition from students to emergent adults living in the community. Students graduating from the Massachusetts Hospital School (MHS) are faced with opportunities and choices with respect to how and where they will live, work, study, socialize and receive ongoing medical care. In order to understand how well current …