Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

West Side Story: Success Within Special Education Through Arts Integration, Kelly Richardson

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Arts education programs can provide the necessary skills students need for future success, including communication skills and confidence. The Turnaround Arts program at Rosa Parks Elementary School has advanced overall student success, particularly benefiting students in Special Education. Both Special Education teachers and the Arts Specialist at Rosa Parks Elementary were interviewed and the Turnaround Arts Program was observed. Each teacher described their experiences within this program to be noteworthy and recognized the importance it has had on their students’ success in the classroom. Based on an analysis of the data and the relevant research literature, we used what we …

Case Study: Robin Hood Or Criminal? The Case Of A Bank Loan Officer, Vincent Agnello, Joseph F. Winter, Hai Ta

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Employees who deviate from established rules at work face suspension or termination from their employment. Yet, knowing these dire consequences employees may still find themselves walking on a different path of business policy. Most employee wrongful conduct is done with the specific intent of benefitting the employee. In some cases, the authorities are brought in to intervene and criminal charges are brought against the employee, as in the case of embezzlement. Some acts are done by employees who do not believe in their company’s rules and are willing to deviate from them, not for their own benefit, but rather for …

Usury And The Common Good, Jim Wishloff

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

The human person’s social nature makes justice and the common good subjects of immense importance. St. Thomas Aquinas defines justice as “the habit whereby a man renders to each one his due by a constant and perpetual will” (Aquinas, 1948, II-II, q.58, a.1). Looking more closely at the definition, we see that justice resides in and perfects the rational will. By willing to be just we perfect our moral personhood. The essence of the virtue is to give to others what is their right by virtue of their nature as human beings. Thus, justice inclines us to think of and …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

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Editors

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

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Cover

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

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Beyond Binary Gender Identities, Judith Dunkerly-Bean, Camden Ross

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Judith Dunkerly-Bean and Camden Ross—parent and child—share their perspectives on how Camden, who is transgender, navigates a duplicitous existence in a Christian private school.

"Collegiality As A Dirty Word? Implementing Collegiality Policies In Institutions Of Higher Education", Courtney Adams Wooten, Megan A. Condis

Academic Labor: Research and Artistry

Abstract: Collegiality is integral to the healthy functioning of any academic department and is a necessary professional attribute for new faculty, who often spent their graduate school careers with relatively little involvement in institutional politics, to develop. However, the recent trend to explicitly outline tenure and promotion requirements for collegial behavior gives us pause. We question if a collegiality statement for tenure and promotion could function as yet another obstacle between faculty from background that have historically been underrepresented in the academy (women, people of color, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities, etcetera) and their bids for tenure.

Schooling Silence: Sexual Harassment And Its Presence And Perception At Uganda’S Universities And Secondary Schools, Elena Mieszczanski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although reports indicate that a majority of students in Uganda are sexually abused while in school, sexual harassment and its impact on educational attainment is a rampant yet understudied problem (The Uganda National Strategic Plan on Violence Against Children in Schools, 2015). While harassment in schools by teachers and students is not the only factor leading to high dropout rates among students, the behavior of teachers and students in school, and the lack of discipline towards their actions is an internal contribution to this effect. This study aims to better understand the perceptions on what constitutes “sexual harassment” in Uganda …

Somebody Has To Pay Rent: The Critical Autoethnography Of A Low Income Student, Shelbi M. Schadendorf

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Conducted through the qualitative research method of autoethnography, and presented through the lens of critical analysis, this study explores the oppressive experience as a low income student in an institute of higher education. Written as an attempt to make the struggle as a low income students more visible, the focus of this study is both an exploration into the commodification of higher education and the culture surrounding how we treat, or don’t acknowledge, low income students.

Through the presentation of the author’s experience as an autoethnography, the insight gained from first hand experience can be shared through an accessible, but …

St. John’S University Founder’S Week Convocation Keynote Address Date: September 21st, 2017, John Oliver Barres S.T.D., J.C.L., D.D.

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Foxes Have Dens, And The Birds In The Sky Have Nests, But The Son Of Man Has Not Place To Lay His Head.—Mathew 8:20 A Photographic Project, Alex Morel, Joseph De Rege, Sieta C. Leon, Noah J. Letcavage, Wesley T. Martinez, Stefanie M. Perrotte, Nicholas F. Proscia, Fernando Zelaya

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

No abstract provided.

Working With Immigrant And Refugee Deaf Students: Strategies And Decision-Making Processes Of Interpreters, Carly R. Fischbeck

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

This study investigates the work of educational interpreters working with D/deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students who are refugees or immigrants. This investigation occurs at the intersection of several fields of study: American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting, Deaf education, and immigrant and refugee education. Despite the overlap in these fields found in interpreters’ work with DHH refugee and immigrant students, to date no research has studied this work. This pilot study, conducted through four interviews of interpreters working in K-12 settings with DHH refugees and immigrants, explores the current practices of these interpreters in these settings. These practices are …

Exploring Deaf Physicians’ And Physician Trainees’ Experiences With Designated Interpreters, Todd S.K. Agan

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

The term “designated interpreter,” introduced by Hauser, Finch, and Hauser (2008), continues to be an emerging concept in the field of signed language interpretation. Whereas this role has been discussed by deaf professional and designated interpreter teams, or by interpreters themselves, there is a lack of perspective on this role exclusively from those deaf professionals who work with interpreters. Using a demographic survey and an ethnographic interview, deaf physicians and physician trainees were asked about their experiences with interpreters for this pilot study, and to conceptualize what a designated interpreter is and does. Results of this study suggest that a …

Language Preferences Of Deaf Employees At The Department Of Defense, Trisha H. Montgomery

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

In the last 10 years, the workplace setting has become a new research topic in the field of signed language interpreting. This research, an adapted study from Birr (2010), looked at the language preferences among Deaf employees at the Department of Defense (DoD). Participants assessed an interpretation from spoken English to American Sign Language (ASL) and a transliteration from spoken English to contact sign. They then provided feedback regarding the two language models and which language model they preferred for each of eight specific settings commonly found in the federal government environment. This study considered various factors influencing the language …

Discourse Features In An Asl Catholic Homily: Pausing, Listing, And Mouthing, Nancy Dekorte Sullivan

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

This paper describes an initial discourse analysis of a homily (sermon) given in American Sign Language (ASL) at a Catholic mass in the presence of a Deaf congregation. The data for the analysis was obtained using a digital video recording made as the homily was being presented. Using ELAN, a program developed for linguistic analysis, the homily was transcribed. Discourse features that make this homily coherent, interesting, and engaging were noted. While many features were observed, three were chosen for analysis: pausing, listing, and the prolific presence of mouthing English words throughout the ASL discourse. The structure of the Catholic …

Exploring The Racial Microaggressions American Sign Language–English Interpreters Commit, Cheryl Gallon

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

This phenomenological case study explores the racial microaggression committed by ASL– English interpreters. Data regarding microaggression events were collected by documenting experiences of Deaf People of Color through semi-structured interviews. To date, there is not any identified research investigating this topic. The field of professional sign language interpretation has a historical praxis of centering White epistemologies, while marginalizing the lived experiences of both Deaf and hearing People of Color in both formative interpreter education, as well as professional trainings. The growing interest in topics relating to social justice in the field of sign language interpretation has brought about an increase …

Meeting The Interpreting Needs Of Deaf And Hard Of Hearing High School Students, Ursula P. Dierauer

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

This small scale pilot study asked how deaf and hard of hearing high school students currently perceive the effectiveness of their educational interpreting services and how those same students suggest interpreting services could be improved. In order to do so data was collected via survey and focus group from deaf and hard of hearing students attending a large Midwestern school district. Results yielded themes regarding student comfort with interpreters, student satisfaction with interpreters, logistical issues with an interpreted education, interpreter attributes, and ways in which students could work alongside interpreters. From these results recommendations to the school district and educational …

Exploring The Work Of K-12 Interpreters At One School For The Deaf, Lena K. Stavely

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

Emergent signers are Deaf students with a spoken language foundation who are learning within educational environments where ASL is the shared and dominant language. Emergent signers’ growing presence within Deaf school classrooms has created a new opportunity in educational interpreting research because they require spoken language interpreting services while learning within these settings. Interpreting is produced primarily from ASL to spoken English. This pilot case study illuminates the factors that influence interpreters’ decision-making in an ASL-dominant K-12 educational setting, at one school for the Deaf. Furthermore, the study documents strategies used by interpreters in response to those factors. This project’s …

The Evolution Of Coda Interpreters, Athena Crosby-Martin

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

Hearing children born to deaf parents, known as Codas are born into a world where they are bimodal bilingual, as well as bicultural. They must navigate the distinct differences between spoken and signed languages and hearing and Deaf communities, often acting as interpreters for situations well beyond their maturity level. Codas simultaneously belong to both worlds, but to neither. Many Codas go on to become professional interpreters, and their unique childhood experience and identities create a space of complexity within the interpreting community. Older Codas grew up in a time before technological aids to the Deaf were available, or professional …

Characterizations Of Conference Interpreting By Sign Language Interpreters, Amanda M. David

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

The definitions and characterizations of conference interpreting work found in the literature primarily refer to the work done by spoken language interpreters. As many American Sign Language (ASL)-English interpreters currently work in conference settings, it is important to define and characterize conference interpreting for this group of practitioners. A mixed methods approach was used to learn about the experiences of sign language interpreters working in conference settings. This paper will discuss the inherent features of conference environments experienced by sign language interpreters, ways in which conference work differs from generalist work, and the changes in the process by which sign …

Collaboration With Interpreters In K-12 Education, Karen E. Brimm

Master of Arts in Interpreting Studies and Communication Equity Thesis or Action Research Project

Educational interpreting for students who are Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH), like other interpreting specializations, involves much more than linguistic competence, message management skills, and cultural competence. An educational interpreter uses those skills and competencies within the K-12 environment populated by other educational professionals (e.g., related services personnel and teachers). Best practices in educational interpreting suggest that collaboration between the interpreter and the rest of the IEP team is fundamental. However, strategies for such collaboration are not outlined in the literature. This two-phase study examined collaboration in the K-12 school setting between educational interpreters and other educational professionals (OEPs) …

Childhood Development: How The Fine And Performing Arts Enhance Neurological, Social, And Academic Traits, Katherine Rowe

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract

Childhood development has always been a major topic when studying psychology and biology. This makes sense because the brain develops from the time a child is conceived to the time that child has reached around the age of twenty-seven. Doctors, psychologists, and sociologists look at numerous things when studying childhood development. However, how common is it for researchers to study how the fine and performing arts affect childhood development? Sociologists tend to be extremely open and mindful of all aspects of things such as culture, sexuality, religion, and even age. By taking a sociological standpoint when studying the arts …

The Heart Of K'E: Transforming Dine Special Education And Unsettling The Colonial Logics Of Disability, Sandra Yellowhorse

American Studies ETDs

This paper takes up the roles of ideology and spatiality as they impact Diné students and learners in understanding conceptions of normativity, neuro-diversity and bodily variance. I am concerned with how the movement and creation of Indigenous schools and their praxis still maintain and often times produce settler colonial ideologies of being, personhood, difference and ability. I illustrate the challenges that Diné planners and educators face in entrenching cultural knowledge and language into their educational initiatives, while some of the problematic manifestations and expressions of normativity present themselves through state polices, federal law and mainstream curriculum.

I focus on the …

The Inclusive Orchestra: Adapting String Instruments And Instruction For Musicians With Special Needs, Eric Baker

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

In recent years, there has been progress in strategies for teaching students to play string instruments in orchestra. However, special education in correlation with the string classroom is still lacking with useful information that can be used to aid our students and teachers. Due to this lack of information, it is difficult for teachers to have all their students feel involved in their class. After a thorough review of string special education literature, I compiled a list of resources that can be used to move this profession forward. These findings range from different teaching strategies to manipulating the instrument to …

Examining Jordanians' Attitudes Towards Five Types Of Developmental Disabilities, Najah Zaaeed Drph, Mohammad M. Mohammad, Peter Gleason, Khaled A. Bahjri Md, Naomi Modeste

Journal of Refugee & Global Health

Background: The diagnosis and reported rates of persons with developmental disabilities (PWDDs) in Jordan is steadily increasing. Although initiatives have been implemented to improve the lives of PWDDs, attitudes towards PWDDs hinder successful inclusion in the Jordanian society.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between Jordanians socio-economic status and attitudes towards persons with developmental disabilities: autism, blindness, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and muscular dystrophy.

Methods: Jordanians (N=259), ages 18-65 were recruited for this convergent parallel, mixed-methods study. Participants completed the modified 40-item Community Living Attitude Scale-developmental disability (CLAS-DD) and the modified Intellectual Disability Literacy Scale consisting of five vignettes, representing each …

Leading From The In-Between: Disability, Leadership, And Identity, Xochitl Mendez

Lesley University Community of Scholars Day

The daily lives of individuals challenged with physical disabilities shed light on the intersections, as well as the friction, between the identities we forge as individuals, and the social identities of the public space. In this interdisciplinary presentation, I will explore the fault lines between the social concepts of disability and the personal realities and specifics of biology and adaptation.

Exploring my own experiences with disability, pedagogy, and art, I will further delve on how the social realm (Arendt, 1958) evaluates and judges identity from expected modes of interaction that are often not available to the disabled person. Further, using …

Effective Instruction For English Language Learners With A Learning Disability In Higher Education In Egypt, Rania M Rafik Khalil

English Language and Literature

There is a large number of students with learning disabilities (LD) today in many private higher education institutions in Egypt. It is fair to say that their challenges although have gained some attention from academics and researchers that they are still under-studied. Many of those students also happen to be English language learners (ELLs). This complicates matters even more not just for the student with the learning disability, but for the untrained instructor in the classroom. Research indicates that ELLs with LD are less likely to engage actively in classroom tasks and are more prone to failing. Providing an inclusive …

Are You Supporting White Supremacy?, Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt

Faculty Publications

Dr. Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, professor of English at Linfield College, provides an opinion piece in the form of a checklist of 15 “troubles” she has identified to help others in academe recognize (un)conscious contributions to white supremacy.

This essay originally appeared as part of Conditionally Accepted, a career advice blog for Inside Higher Ed providing news, information, personal stories, and resources for scholars who are, at best, conditionally accepted in academe. Conditionally Accepted is an anti-racist, pro-feminist, pro-queer, anti-transphobic, anti-fatphobic, anti-ableist, anti-ageist, anti-classist, and anti-xenophobic online community.

Front Matter, Joonna Smitherman Trapp, Brad Peters

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

Front Matter