Digital Commons Network^™

The Integration Of Occupational Therapy In Transition Programs To Improve Outcomes For Students, Morgan Jagiela

Capstone Projects

Numerous studies exist depicting the benefit and efficacy of an occupational therapy (OT) presence within post-secondary transition programs. Both transition programs and occupational therapists aim to help students with disabilities improve independent living skills, vocational skills, and social/communication skills, so they may live functional adult lives with as few supports as possible. Despite this success and the overlap in scope, OT is rarely found in transition programs. The purpose of this doctoral capstone experience (DCE) was to develop a program that would implement occupational therapy into the Empower U transition program. Through the creation and completion of objectives, success and …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Post-Secondary Transition Programing For Young Adults With Disabilities, Mallory Rubley

Capstone Projects

Post-secondary transition programs for young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) are designed to support young adults with IDD in areas of independent living, academics, relationships, financial management, health and safety, and employment. All of which are within the scope of occupational therapy (OT). Within the limited post-secondary transition programs that exist for these young adults, OT is rarely included as a provided service, creating an unintentional disadvantage to the students and clients. The purpose of this Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) was program development and advocacy for the role of occupational therapy within Ready for Life (RFL), a post-secondary …

Implementing The Positive Approach To Care® Methods As An Effective Training Curriculum For Staff At An Adult Day Center, Delaney Acri

Capstone Projects

Dementia, a neurodegenerative disorder affecting multiple brain regions, significantly disrupts daily life (Feurich, 2023). Occupational therapists, guided by the Occupational Therapy and Performance Framework (OTPF-4), address cognitive and functional challenges in individuals with dementia (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020). Therapists employ compensatory strategies to enhance quality of life of people with dementia, as well as their family caregivers. Adult day centers serve as valuable resources for family caregivers, offering respite care during working hours. Despite regulations in most states, Michigan lacks specific dementia training laws in some healthcare settings (Burke & Orlowski, 2015). As a result, many facilities that serve …

Implementation Of An Occupation-Focused Education Program For Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Riley Janssen

Capstone Projects

A Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) and project was completed at the conclusion of Western Michigan University’s Occupational Therapy program with the goal of implementing an occupation-focused educational program dedicated toward topics relevant for community-dwelling older adults. The capstone project took place at the Clinton Township Senior Adult Life Center (CTSC) under the mentorship of Ericka Tringali, CPRP. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) focus area of this project was program development. The program consisted of three educational classes focusing on topics including Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADLs), creating healthy habits and routines, and fall prevention and energy …

A Descriptive Study: Capability For Change In Older Adult Falls Prevention Using An Intelligent And Intuitive Online Learning Platform At A Medical Care Facility, Emily N. Makowski

Capstone Projects

Older adult falls are among the most common, fatal, and costly incidents in the United States, yet they are preventable. The literature related to falls prevention education for the older adult population is vast, but evidence of effective falls prevention educational tools for indirect and direct care providers is scant. Occupational therapists collaborate with several disciplines every day and it is important for the team to work together to prevent adverse events. There is limited evidence of training delivered to an interdisciplinary team via an intelligent and intuitive online behavior change learning platform. This paper captures the impact of the …

Development Of Clinical Practice Tools To Improve Understanding Of Neuro Vision Rehabilitation, Shreena Shah

Capstone Projects

Occupational therapy practitioners have a broad and diverse scope of practice, one of those being, an in-depth understanding of the visual system and how visual deficits impact an individual’ s functioning and overall well-being. This capstone experience was designed to improve practitioner understanding about visual deficits following significant neurological events and increase competency with deficit-driven interventions. Current literature demonstrates conceptual models of the visual system in order to conduct evaluations within the scope of OT , however there are limited publications for evidence-based clinical decision making with regards to vision interventions. The objectives of this capstone experience focused on increasing …

Impact Of Trauma On Development: Creating Training Materials For Effective Trauma Evaluations, Jessica M. Englerth

Capstone Projects

This 14-week capstone project had an education focus under ACOTE standards. This project was completed at Western Michigan University’s Resiliency Center which is part of the Unified Clinics. The focus of this capstone project was to educate new and current staff and students on the administration of trauma evaluations in pediatric and adolescent populations as well as the impact of trauma on development. The purpose of this project was to develop training materials detailing how to administer different assessments that may be used in a trauma assessment including the PDMS-3, the Occupational Regulation Questionnaire, the QNST-3, the BAYLEY-III, the Sensory …

Promoting And Sustaining An Adaptive Sports Program On A College Campus Through Outreach And Resource Developmen, Morgan E. Otero

Capstone Projects

Participation in physical activity is essential for an individual’s health and well-being. However, persons with disabilities have limited access to physical activity due to personal, environmental, institutional, and/or social barriers. This limited access increases a disabled individual’s likelihood of developing secondary health conditions, decreased mental health outcomes, and feelings of social isolation. To combat this, it is important that these individuals have equitable access to and knowledge of adaptive physical activity opportunities such as adaptive sport, recreation, and fitness. To address this need, this capstone project focused on promoting and sustaining an existing adaptive sports and recreation program through the …

Pediatric Developmental Milestones And Surveillance; Understanding Pediatrician, Ot, Slp, Bcba, And Respective Pre-Professionals’ Current Knowledge, Roles, And Confidence, Gabrielle A. Jones

Capstone Projects

Limited literature exists on developmental surveillance, particularly occupational therapist’s role, and clinicians’ current knowledge and understanding of the CDC milestones. A pilot study was conducted to better understand the current knowledge, role, and confidence of primary care pediatricians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Occupational Therapists and respective pre-professionals regarding utilization of updated CDC developmental milestones and developmental surveillance. My objectives involved gaining knowledge and collaborating to create, administer, collect data, and analyze data using an anonymous survey. This also included collaborating to create, edit, and submit an HSIRB application. Results of this study provide supporting evidence that …

Utilizing The Functional Mobility Assessment/Uniform Data Set (Fma/Uds) Registry To Conduct Research Related To Wheelchair Repair Frequency, Brooke Wilson

Capstone Projects

Issues with wheelchair equipment is a common experience for users, but access to repairs and maintenance isn’t always the most efficient process. A large portion of occupational therapy’s (OT) patient population includes wheelchair users, so it’s important to consider the impact of wheelchair breakdown on a patient’s daily function. There has been a lack of research on wheelchair repair frequency during the first year of ownership, so this capstone project focused on developing a manuscript for journal submission on this topic. This was achieved utilizing data from the Functional Mobility Assessment/Uniform Data Set (FMA/UDS) Registry. Client characteristics were extracted from …

Wild Wheels: Meaningful Art Program Designed For Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Alexis Bailey-Lauchie

Capstone Projects

The Wild Wheels program was designed to offer adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) an opportunity to engage in meaningful and purposeful art-based activities. The aim supports the distinctive value of occupational therapy (OT) defined as enhancing the health and quality of life (QOL) of individuals by promoting participation and engagement in meaningful daily activities. Typically, for individuals with IDD options for meaningful engagement are limited due to various physical/mental limitations and increased need for assistance. The Center for Disability Services (CDS) at Western Michigan University (WMU) introduced the Wild Wheels program to enable participants to create unique artwork …

Development Of Enzyme-Based Biotechnology For Removing Stickies And Regaining Fiber Quality In Paper Recycling, Yun Wang

Dissertations

Producing paper with recycled paper consumes about 30-70% less energy and emits less GHG than using virgin wood. However, with current recycling practices, more foreign matters are commingled with the recycled paper including hot-melt adhesives, food residues, inks, resins/sizing agents, and coating adhesives, which result in stickies issues in the paper remanufacturing process. On the other hand, recycled fibers inherently have lower quality due to mechanical treatment, heating, chemical processing, and aging in various types of application/use of paper products, limiting the production of high-quality paper grades from recycled fibers. The goal of this dissertation research is to address both …

The Effects Of Combined Evaluative And Memo, Matrix, And Graphic Objective Feedback On Performance When Receiving Fixed Pay, Amber L. Derthick

Dissertations

The purpose of this current study was to examine the relative effectiveness of written feedback in the form of a memo that displays the performer’s current performance (memo feedback), written feedback in the form of a matrix that displays the performer’s current performance along with past performance (matrix feedback), and graphic feedback that displays the performer’s current performance along with past performance on a line graph (graphic feedback) when individuals receive fixed pay. The memo, matrix, and graphic feedback displayed “objective” feedback. Participants were 70 undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. Participants attended a …

Say Her Name: A Phenomenological Study On Black Women’S Experiences With Fearful Encounters With The Police, Marilyn Shantey Buford

Dissertations

Police violence is a historical, systemic issue that continues to plague the Black community to this day. Research discussing the systemic oppression of police violence on Black people has seen an increase over the past decade. However, little has been discussed on the effects of police violence on Black people’s health and wellness, particularly their mental health. The research that exists surrounding police violence and mental health is largely concentrated on the experiences of Black men. Little is known about how Black women personally experience police violence or how these experiences impact their mental, emotional, and physical health. Not exploring …

Hidden Opportunity: The Advantages Of Synchronizing Multiple Knowledge Bases, Emily Gross, Soley Somma, Jon Crossno

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Presentations

There are many advantages to synchronizing your knowledge bases that benefit your library. However, with reduced staff, the rapid changes across e-Resources, and working with multiple vendors, synching knowledge bases can seem daunting. Panelists will share why and how they chose to synchronize knowledge bases to support their library's strategy.

A Wide-Angle View Of Prekindergarten Through 12th-Grade Teachers’ Beliefs About Language Correction, Mike Metz, Matthew J. Gordon, Thanh Nguyen

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This article explores patterns in teachers’ reported correction of student language use in speech and writing. The authors use the concept of language correction in student writing and student speech as a proxy for prescriptive approaches to teaching about language. By conducting a large-scale survey of all language and literacy teachers from preschool through 12th grade across an entire state, the authors were able to identify patterns in teachers’ approaches to teaching about language that smaller case studies and nuanced qualitative studies have not yet documented. They examine differences in teachers’ self-reported correction of student language use across teacher characteristics …

Disability Representations And Portrayals In Picture Books With The Coretta Scott King Award, Sohyun Meacham, Shuaib J. Meacham, Irenea Walker, Bryce Davis

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study analyzed how people with disabilities are portrayed in picture books with the Coretta Scott King Award (CSKA) to address the intersectionality of African/African American racial identity and disabilities. Disability critical race theory was foundational for this study. The pool of 134 picture books that received the CSKA from 1971 to 2020 was used as the data for the systematic content analysis. For analysis, the researchers utilized a qualitative approach that guided axial coding and selective coding in looking for emerging themes. They found that 13 picture books portrayed African/African American characters with disabilities. The majority of these books …

Senior Recital, Concetta Brehmer

Honors Theses

My honors thesis was presented in the form of my senior clarinet recital. It was performed on Sunday, February 4th at 3pm. The music in this program consisted of unaccompanied solo repertoire such as Blush by Jean Ahn, and a Bach Cello Suite on bass clarinet. There will be accompanied works such as the Mozart Clarinet Concerto 1st movement, and Premiere Rhapsodie by Claude Debussy. Lastly, the recital will also contain chamber music, such as my clarinet quartet playing Histoire Du Tango by Astor Piazzola, and a vibraphone/clarinet duo called Oil & Water by Josh Gottry. This recital encompasses works …

Accessibility In Asl Through Dance, Jocelyn Supanich

Honors Theses

My honors thesis project was a dance for camera or a dance film that I created as my senior capstone project for my BA dance degree. I wanted to create a film that increased awareness surrounding the accessibility of American Sign Language (ASL) for dancers and through dance. I wanted to show how dance and ASL can be seen as similar through the lense of them both being languages and ways of communicating using movement of the body. This idea is where the title stems from: “Expression in Motion”. Both ASL and dance are forms of expressing oneself, and they …

Osces’ Impact On Occupational Therapy Student Learning: Insights From Second- And Third-Year Focus Groups, Craig R. St. Jean, Karin Werther, Mary R. Roberts

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are widely used in health programs to assess clinical skills. We present results of a qualitative study investigating occupational therapy students’ perceptions of OSCEs’ impact on their learning and readiness for clinical practice.

Method: Six second and six third year students in the University of Alberta’s Master of Science in Occupational Therapy program were interviewed in separate focus groups. Independent reviewers applied thematic analysis to the focus group transcripts to identify, analyze, and report themes in the data.

Results: Five themes were constructed from the data: from learning to action, transition …

Practice And Recommendations For Universal Design For Learning In Occupational Therapy Client Education, Heather L. Panczykowski, Lynne F. Murphy, Victoria Christmas, Whitely Macintyre

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an educational framework that describes flexible approaches to teaching and learning, can be used to address problems related to limitations in health literacy in health care settings.

Methods: This exploratory observational study, using a web-based online survey, was undertaken to discern how occupational therapists use the principles of UDL in educating their clients and to determine if differences exist between degree type or practice settings and UDL implementation.

Results: Of the 147 respondents only 30.6% indicated prior awareness of UDL principles. The most frequently cited means of client engagement were displaying …

Relationships Between Sensory Processing, Temperament Characteristics For Effortful Control, And Executive Function In School-Age Children, Rachel B. Diamant, Natasha Smet

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Sensory processing behaviors, the temperament characteristic for effortful control, and executive function promote self-regulation, activity engagement, and problem-solving. This study examined inter-relationships between executive function, effortful control, and sensory processing in school-aged children between 7 and 10.11 years of age.

Method: Descriptive correlation research design was used to examine relationships of outcomes from three caregiver-reported, standardized questionnaires of behaviors related to sensory processing (Sensory Profile-2), effortful control (Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire) and executive function (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-2) in daily activities (N = 19).

Results: Data …

State Of The Journal: Introducing The Policy And Advocacy Category, Diane Powers Dirette

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

John Gower: The Minor Latin Works, Robert J. Meindl, Mark T. Riley

Accessus

A translation, with introductions, of the minor Latin works of John Gower.

"I’M Not Teaching Them Per Se": Designing And Delivering Asynchronous Undergraduate Online Stem Courses, Regina L. Garza Mitchell, Whitney Decamp, Brian Horvitz, Megan Grunert Kowalske, Cherrelle Singleton

Instruments for Measuring Online Teaching Practices

Although online courses have been a part of academia for nearly 30 years, they are still perceived as “different” than face-to-face instruction. Through in-depth interviews with four instructors, we explored how STEM faculty approach teaching asynchronous online undergraduate STEM courses. The faculty interviewed for this study viewed online courses as “not regular class[es]” and teaching those classes as “not teaching per se.” Each of the instructors had assumptions about what a classroom was and about good instruction, but even for instructors who taught online for multiple years, those assumptions remained grounded in the face-to-face environment. There is a need for …

Developing An Observation Protocol For Online Stem Courses, Brian Horvitz, Whitney Decamp, Regina L. Garza Mitchell, Megan Grunert Kowalske, Cherrelle Singleton

Instruments for Measuring Online Teaching Practices

The use of online instruction for undergraduate STEM courses is growing rapidly. While researchers and practitioners have access to validated instruments for studying the practice of teaching in face-to-face classrooms, analogous tools do not yet exist for online instruction. These tools are needed for quality design and control purposes. To meet this need, this project developed an observational protocol that can be used to collect non-evaluative data for the description, study, and improvement of online, undergraduate STEM courses. The development of this instrument used a sequential exploratory mixed methods approach to the research, design, pilot-testing, refinement and implementation of the …

Getting To Disability Justice: A Critical Conceptual Review Of Disability Models In U.S. Social Work, Kathryn M. Wright

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In 1983, scholar Mike Oliver coined the term the “social model of disability.” While the medical model presents disability as an inherent, immutable, and pathological defect, the social model suggests that disability emerges from external and social barriers (Oliver, 1983). Little research within social work has engaged with sociocultural paradigms of disability and how they might impact social work practice. American social workers generally approach disability as a biological category and an obvious deficit. This paper draws attention to the need to analyze the category of disability through social and cultural lenses in social work research and practice. Via a …

Geological And Environmental Sciences - 2024, Dept. Of Geological And Environmental Sciences

Geological and Environmental Sciences News

• Greetings from the Department Chair
• Thank You to our Donors
• Faculty Updates
• Emeritus Faculty Updates
• MGRRE Updates
• MGS Updates
• Geosciences Advisory Council
• Student Clubs
• Awards and Honors, 2024
• Department Graduates
• Publications 2023–24

Anti-Ableist And Disability Justice Pedagogies In Social Work Education, Rose C. B. Singh, Laura Yakas, Laura J. Wernick, Shanna K. Kattari, Elspeth Slayter, Sarah Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Our personal and collective experiences of ableism and disability brought us together to envision anti-ableist and disability justice pedagogies in social work education. We begin by describing, defining, and reviewing key terminology and concepts, including disability, ableism, and saneism, by drawing on social work and interdisciplinary literature and situating disabled students’ and educators’ experiences in social work education. We provide definitions of anti-ableism and disability justice (e.g., Sins Invalid, 2016, 2019) and a brief overview of how anti-ableism and disability justice have been articulated in social work and related literature. We highlight the broader pedagogical approaches that have inspired our …

Engaging Impasse: Nurturing A Culture Of Dialogic Engagement On A University Campus, Patricia Ann Hawk

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Universities have historically fostered spaces where students, faculty, staff, and administration can fruitfully engage in discussion around contentious issues. Current political divisions have had a chilling effect on these discussions inside and outside the classroom. To nurture a campus culture of dialogic engagement, the communication studies department in collaboration with the DEI office began a campus dialogue project that invited faculty, staff, students, and administration to participate in monthly dialogues focused on cultural impasse topics. This 5-year project has demonstrated that university communication studies departments can be instrumental in helping community members cross organizational boundaries to engage in challenging dialogues …