Education Commons^™

Conducting A Pilot Evaluation Of A Civic-Engagement Program For Youth With Disabilities, Megan Best, Amanda Johnston, Sarah Demissie, Julianna Kim, Ruchi Mendiratta Khanna, Kelly Fulton, Abby Hardy, Catherine Cheung, Timothy Kunzier, Oscar Hughes, Meghan M. Burke, Zachary Rossetti

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the federal law that ensures all students with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education. In the last IDEA reauthorization in 2004, only 1% of public comments were from individuals with disabilities—the population that IDEA serves. To ensure that the feedback of individuals with disabilities is reflected in the next IDEA reauthorization, it is important to support them to learn about IDEA and advocate. To this end, for this pilot study, 16 transition-aged youth with disabilities participated in a 6-hour civic-engagement program across four states to learn about IDEA …

Understanding Family Experiences Of Iep Meetings And Building Skills To Empower Families At The Iep Meeting, Elizabeth J. Golini

Theses and Dissertations

Since the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting is so important both to a student’s progress and educational growth as well as the school’s legal obligations, it is imperative that researchers work to understand parent perceptions of Individualized Education Program meetings (Fish, 2006). Family participation and advocacy are also important at the IEP meeting (Boshoff et al., 2016; Cavendish & Connor, 2018; Duquette et al., 2011; Fish, 2006). This study examined the family’s perceptions of the IEP process and meeting for their child through semi-structured interviews. In order to support the family at the IEP meeting, families participated in coaching sessions …

Ot's Role In Community Accessibility At Public Parks And Playgrounds For Parents With Disabilities, Janae Paulo, Amy Lyons-Brown, Stacy Frauwith, Lena Gipson Showalter

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Public parks and playgrounds play a crucial role in fostering parent-child interaction, social inclusion, and community engagement. However, these essential recreational spaces often remain inaccessible to individuals with disabilities (Lynch et al., 2020). Research underscores the benefits of inclusive playgrounds, yet many are not designed to accommodate adults with disabilities, thus creating barriers for parents with disabilities who wish to engage with their children (Dalpra, 2022; Jacob et al., 2017). Although occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are instrumental in ensuring environmental accessibility within home settings, their involvement in the design of public spaces is limited. Young et al. (2019) advocate for …

A Phenomenological Study Of School Psychologists: The Influence Of Implicit Bias On The Disproportionate Identification Rates Of African American Students Evaluated For Emotional Disturbance, Sonya Coe-Milo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As advocates, school psychologists remain ethically responsible and uniquely positioned to identify social injustices and promote nondiscriminatory practices in prekindergarten through grade 12 public education institutions. Implicit bias and its influence on African American students is one such practice. In public education, implicit bias contributes to discipline disproportionality, differentiated teacher support, pedagogical practices, and adult perceptions and expectations of appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. These factors directly correlate to the disproportionate identification rates of African American students for special education and related services. Therefore, this phenomenological qualitative study examined the personal, lived experiences and perceptions of school psychologists regarding implicit bias …

Moving Beyond The Barriers: Understanding How Youth Development Professionals Advocate For Disability Inclusion Within Mentoring Programs, Genelle C. Thomas

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Despite the proven youth development benefits of mentoring programs, youth with disabilities are often excluded from these opportunities. Fortunately, training and certification programs exist to support organizations in improving disability inclusion strategies and practices. Despite these opportunities, organizations still regularly struggle with making meaningful changes in this area. Therefore, it is important to understand how graduates of these training and certification programs experience facilitators and barriers to disability inclusion, what advocacy strategies they leverage to address these barriers, and how they impact their organizations to become more inclusive of youth with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to further …

Education Out Loud Case Study: School For Life, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Jolanda Butler

International Education Research

Children living in remote rural parts of Ghana experience inequality in basic education, in terms of both access and outcomes. This issue is particularly acute in the north of the country and for girls. For example, 30 percent of children in the north have no school nearby and 20 percent will never enroll. Furthermore, transparency and accountability within Ghana’s education system is weak. Generally, information is not disseminated in a way that is accessible to most citizens (for example it is not produced in a local language), which means they are denied the opportunity to understand and engage with the …

Education Out Loud Case Study: The Gear Alliance, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Sam Boering

International Education Research

This case study is part of a larger body of work funded by the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Out Loud (EOL) programme. It explores the advocacy and policy influencing (API) activities of the GEAR Alliance, a transnational alliance of four East African civil society organisations (CSO) receiving funding from EOL, and the process, results and impact of action research project they conducted in partnership with MDF/ Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), an EOL ‘Global Learning Partner’ (GLP). EOL is the GPEs fund for advocacy and social accountability. The fund aims to support CSOs to be active and …

Toward Equal Access: A Model For Lay Advocacy Programs Serving People Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Melissa Bell

JADARA

Advocacy programs are prevalent among state government agencies that specialize in serving persons who are deaf or hard of hearing around the United States. The work is crucial to ensuring equal access and equal opportunity, yet the lay advocacy profession is not yet formalized with certification, ethical standards, or training programs for advocates serving this population. Research was conducted to advance efforts to maximize these programs’ effectiveness by compiling components of an ideal model for lay advocacy programs. Directors from state agencies that specialize in serving this population around the country refined the model and described the structure of their …

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 …

Flipping The Script As A Black Mother Living In My Community: A Self-Advocate's Perspective From Baltimore, Jessica Salmond

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Loving My Skin: A Self-Advocate’S Perspective From Dayton, Ohio, Shari Cooper

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Effects On Youth Experiencing Homelessness In Public Schools, Abby Golish

Counselor Education Capstones

Abstract

An examination of the issues of youth who are experiencing homelessness is crucial in supporting this vulnerable population. Public schools have a responsibility to assist these students in their academic, career, and social-emotional development. With unique, personal needs, students who are homeless must be understood by school counselors and other school personnel to be appropriately supported. Homelessness can be identified through many characteristics and identified needs. It is key for school counselors to recognize these characteristics and consider the impacts that the school and resources can make on the student’s life. Throughout the paper, the causes of homelessness, potential …

Educating College Students’ About Laws Regarding Children With Disabilities, Desirey Contreras

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many individuals may be unaware of the laws regarding children with disabilities. Individuals who are going into helping professions who are not fully educated about laws regarding children with disabilities may not be able to be proper advocates for children with disabilities. This lack of education in adults can leave children with disabilities more susceptible to bullying and segregation in schools, poorer quality of education, and exclusion in interscholastic sports. This project focuses on educating college students about laws regarding children with disabilities. The project was executed completely asynchronously. Participants were given three learning outcomes to meet and successfully met …

Early Intervention Occupational Therapy Program Development Abroad, Hattie Fleming, Karen Park

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This program aimed to address the disparity in access to early intervention (EI) occupational therapy (OT) services which exists in certain communities abroad. This project worked with The Inspiration Center (TIC) in Belize, a community identified through needs assessment as having limited access to OT services, to expand current programming to include EI OT services, to increase understanding of the role of OT, to advocate for the OT profession within Belize, and to increase access to EI services for families with children with disability and/or developmental delay within the country. An emphasis was placed on caregiver coaching and culturally responsive …

Autism To Higher Education: Tools For Parents, Amber L. Jordan, Shannon Emery

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Over the years, a marked increase in the number of students with High Functioning Autism (HFA) attending colleges and universities has occurred. This can be attributed to: (a) the passage of legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA); (b) revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM); and (c) early intervention and treatment (Pillay, 2012). Although the increase in enrollment may be an indicator that a more welcoming climate for individuals with HFA has been created, many institutions are not adequately prepared to accommodate these students and parents have …

Build Your Own Body Mod: Empowerment Through Prototyping And Design, Anaiss Arreola, Katherine R. Ganim

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

When you don’t have a hand, what could you have instead? This article introduces the impact of inviting youth with disabilities to learn tools and technology to design their own solutions and advocate for their own future. This approach to programming is rooted in a mindset of designing WITH, not FOR. Not only are design outcomes improved when users are incorporated into the process, but this approach has been shown to improve confidence in creating one’s own solutions. These programs include hands-on “design-your-own-body-mod” workshops, as well as a budding inclusive design consultancy led by youth with disabilities. Through this programming, …

You Had Me At Student Advocacy: Creating A Space For Students To Succeed In A Covid-19 World, Marina Morales

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The focus of this Capstone Project is on the effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students' success. This is important because the level of student advocacy during this unprecedented time is a direct reflection of some of the deeper issues surrounding equity engraved into the current education system. Identifying and addressing these issues allows the movement to be made towards fixing them. This creates a better chance of permanent change long after the pandemic. The primary stakeholder perspectives chosen were parents, students, and educational professionals. Three action options emerged from an analysis of the data and were explored as …

Conceptualizing One’S Self-Efficacy As Advocate: Parents’ Perceptions As Embodied In Social And Cultural Capitals, Karmen Binion

Doctor of Education in Special Education Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to understand and generate theory relevant to educator-parents’ and non-educator parents’ perceptions of their efficacy as advocates for their own child(ren) with exceptionalities, as embodied in social and cultural capitals, as espoused by Bourdieu (1986). The present study was guided by the following research questions: How do educator-parents and non-educator parents perceive their efficaciousness as advocates for their own children with exceptionalities? How do educator-parents and non-educator parents construct the narrative of their efficaciousness as advocates as embodied in cultural and/or social capital?

Constructivist Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2000, 2006) was chosen for the …

Supporting Biracial Students Through An Equity Lens: Multicultural Literature And Advocacy In School Libraries, Jacqueline Ahlborn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biracial students make up a substantial allocation of the school population, and their demographics are only expected to increase within the coming years. With this emergence of a larger Biracial community, schools need to consider how they will implement equitable resources and practices to meet the needs for this unique population. School librarians, serving as instructional leaders, can provide the necessary materials and strategies to support their students who are Biracial in order to foster positive racial identity. The purpose of this study is to explore school librarians’ perspectives on the influence of multicultural literature on students’ acceptance and understanding …

Stigma And Disclosure Of Chronic Pain In Higher Education: A Qualitative Study, Jennifer K. Davenport

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Students with chronic pain represent an overlooked population in higher education institutions, due to the barriers their conditions present and the stigma associated with chronic pain. There is existing research examines treatment of elderly populations and best practices for university students with disabilities, facing discrimination. This study sheds light on a gap in the existing research, where a niche population of students in chronic pain navigated disclosure issues and stigma in the academic environment. The purpose of the qualitative research study was to examine how anticipated or experienced stigma associated with chronic pain conditions influenced disclosure of chronic pain for …

Exploring Self-Determination And Recreational Sports Participation For Adolescents With Disabilities, Samantha K. Papp

Honors Theses

Self-determination is a vital skill for individuals with disabilities and provides significant benefits, such as more positive adult outcomes and greater quality of life. Recreational sports participation is another fundamental aspect of life for individuals with disabilities, as it leads to increased physical activity, enhanced self-esteem, and improved peer acceptance. Despite the well-researched benefits of both self-determination skills and recreational sports participation, a literature review revealed few studies that examined the relationship between self-determination and recreational sports participation for individuals, particularly adolescents, with disabilities. This mixed methods study was designed to fill this void, using questionnaires, interviews, and observations to …

For The Culture: The Importance Of A Critical Social Theory Within The Music Education Classroom, Brianna Thomas

Senior Honors Theses

This paper will analyze the history of music education in the United States and discuss how the music classroom can contribute to and dismantle social inequalities including social class, gender, and race. Class effects music education by creating barriers to necessary resources and opportunities as a result of economic positions.[1] Gender is the second focus because music has historically been a male-dominated profession. As a result, many textbooks and curriculum highlight the achievements of men while erasing the contributions of women which has taught women to devalue their own work.[2] The last focus is race. While the arts …

The Importance Of Advocating For Lgbtq+ Youth In Schools And The Community., Stefanie N. Hassing

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

This presentation is aimed to provide professionals who work with children, including educators, administrators, counselors, and adult volunteers, information regarding the increased risks and needs for the LGBT+ population between the ages of 10-19 and how to advocate for them within community and school settings.

Factors Influencing Persistence Of Students With Learning Disabilities At Four-Year Institutions, Abigail Frye

Masters Theses

This study investigated the persistence and transition of college students with learning disabilities at a mid-sized Midwestern university. The qualitative, narrative approach was used to determine which factors influenced the persistence of students with learning disabilities at a four-year, mid-sized university and which college services and resources students with learning disabilities utilized. This research found that students do utilize college services and supports to assist through their transitions into college. The participants in this research relied on the support of their family and friends while they approached and navigated their college transition. This study found that students with learning disabilities …

Understanding The Transition To College For Students With Learning Disabilities, Breanna Rehor

Masters Theses

This study sought to investigate the transition to college for students with learning disabilities at a mid-size Midwestern university. A qualitative approach was used to provide insight in student's perspectives on the transition from high school to college. Three undergraduate students with learning disabilities were individually interviewed to gain understanding of the transition to college. The results demonstrated a critical need for institutions to address the transition to college for students with learning disabilities and create incentives that guide support for student success. Students utilizing various support systems like academic student services, and peers. The transitions to college for students …

Law-Based Arguments And Messages To Advocate For Later School Start Time Policies In The United States, Clark J. Lee, Dennis M. Nolan, Steven W. Lockley, Brent Pattison

Homeland Security Publications

The increasing scientific evidence that early school start times are harmful to the health and safety of teenagers has generated much recent debate about changing school start times policies for adolescent students. Although efforts to promote and implement such changes have proliferated in the United States in recent years, they have rarely been supported by law-based arguments and messages that leverage the existing legal infrastructure regulating public education and child welfare in the United States. Furthermore, the legal bases to support or resist such changes have not been explored in detail to date. This article provides an overview of how …

Parental Concerns Surrounding The Care And Education Of Military Dependent Children With Autism: A Phenomenological Study, Charles Tidwell

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Autism continues to be a growing concern in America and there is indication that the rate of autism among the sub-population of military dependent children is potentially higher than the general public. This hermeneutic phenomenological study focused on the concerns and experiences of parents of military families raising and educating their children with autism. Data was collected from nine military families across the United States. Six fathers and seven mothers participated through an initial questionnaire, interview, and a written reflective timeline. Findings demonstrated the stress, strain and sacrifice of families serving in the military with children with autism. Continuity of …

Praxis With Self-Advocates: Exploring Participatory Video As Radical Incrementalism, Kathleen C. Sitter, Amy C. Burke

Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum

In this article, the authors report selected findings from a larger study where self-advocates from the disability rights movement created a series of short videos as part of a participatory research project. Self-advocates subsequently integrated these videos into a greater community organizing initiative. While the research process of this study has been published elsewhere, this piece will explore the idea of bridging participatory video, a collaborative research methodology, with community-based advocacy initiatives. The authors contend that this presents an opportunity for radical incrementalism in which to create a praxis driven predominantly by the voices on the margins versus the academic …

Creating A Comprehensive Supportive Policy That Provides Equal Educational Access For The Mentally Ill Student: A Policy Advocacy Document, Lesley S. Roberts

Dissertations

The purpose of this policy advocacy document is to create a comprehensive policy supporting the education of students with mental illness disorders. Critical issues of school attendance, credit recovery, reintegration, and staff professional development formed the four parts of the policy statement. An examination of critical issues impacting students with mental illness, as well as an analysis of the educational, economic, social, political, moral, and ethical issues were used to inform the creation of this policy. Stafford High School in Stafford School District (psuedonym) is highlighted as an implementer of the proposed policy, as as a model for other districts …