Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Provision Of Assistive Technologies In Academic Libraries To Students With Visual Impairment In Ghana: A Case Study Of The University Of Education, Winneba, Ghana, Efua Mansa Ayiah Mrs

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

Assistive technologies are tools used to promote access to information and general education curriculum for students with visual impairment. For students with visual impairment access to a diversity of high and low-tech assistive technologies, including screen readers, magnifiers, electronic braillers, braille n’ print, assist students in accessing materials in a standard print format which are not available to them. Provision of assistive technologies is to “level the playing field”, in conformity with the social model of disability where emphasizes is placed on physical and social barriers experienced by students with visual impairment and considers the problem as a society …

Linda Keith Honored, Jolynne Lyon

Blog Posts

Blog post is about Linda Keith’s longtime service helping the Cache Valley community.

Preliminary Data Of The Smartsignplay Prototype: A Sign Language App For Families With Children Who Are D/Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Caroline A. Guardino, Brianna Balch, Sarah Rearick

DHI Digital Projects Showcase

SmartSignPlay is an app aimed to assist children who are d/DHH and their families learn functional signs to support early communication development. The app is interactive and can be played on smartphones and tablets. The process of developing the app and preliminary results of the pilot study will be presented.

2d1. “You Can Be A Bridge”: Toward Cultural Citizenship In Elementary Classrooms, Noreen Naseem Rodriguez

Education Summit

This paper examines how three Asian American elementary teachers' pedagogical decisions regarding the teaching of Asian American history were influenced by their understandings of citizenship and reveals how broader understandings of citizenship can result in more inclusive cultural citizenship education. The theoretical frame of Asian Critical Race Theory (AsianCrit) was essential to this examination as it centered the Asian American experience in the teachers' decision-making processes, asserting the significance of their common identity as Asian Americans in spite of their personal and professional differences. Through their work, the teachers (re)defined what it meant to be Asian American, to be American …

2s1. Re-Framing Master Narratives Of Dis/Ability Through An Emotion Lens: Sophia Cruz’S Ld Story At Her Intersections, David Hernandez-Saca

Education Summit

Learning disabilities (LD) researchers have produced a knowledge base about the academic side of LD. A gap exists concerning the experiences of individuals with LD, particularly their feeling-meaning-making about having LD. Based on a three-year qualitative study using critical ethnographic methods, I center Sophia Cruz's experiences with LD and the label. Sophia experienced the hegemony of smartness and disability micro-aggressions and voiced the idea that LD is a complex multifaceted construct. I discuss implications for the LD field. In addition, I provide tools for participants to improve their ability to work with historically marginalized team members and populations such as …

The Book Trailer Project: Media Production Within An Integrated Classroom, Karen Festa

Journal of Media Literacy Education

A special education co-teacher in an integrated elementary classroom describes key aspects of media literacy pedagogy for all students, including opportunities for critical analysis and creative media production. After elementary school students learned about author’s craft, purpose, theme/message, three types of writing, and target audience, they began looking at these elements using Super Bowl ads and participated in rich discussions which demonstrated their analysis and reflection on advertising. Students created a book trailer project, working in small groups to create videos to promote a book written by a local author and illustrator. Such work bridges gaps in social-emotional development, communication …

Teaching The Presidential Elections Using Media Literacy In The Ld Classroom, Jaclyn K. Siegel

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This paper examines how an educator at a school for students with learning disabilities (LD) used various types of media to engage her students, to develop their academic and executive functioning skills, and to heighten their awareness of media literacy and the 2012 and 2106 Presidential elections. Teacher-created curriculum materials and activities are provided that support students’ ability to analysis media coverage in the context of a special education history classroom. Both media literacy and academic skills were developed through activities that enabled students to find and select resources from their media use at home.

Social Media Literacy As An Iep Intervention For Social And Emotional Learning, Donnell Probst

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Media literacy and special education communities have largely ignored the impact of digital media useonspecial education students with Autism spectrum disorder and Emotional and Behavioral Disorder. This paper investigates the possibility of using social media literacy education as part of an individualized education plan (IEP) intervention for improving the social and emotional learning outcomes of students with disabilities. Using the example of a “provocative selfie” as a form of media production and consumption, this paper provides a framework for using the NAMLE key questions to teach specific CASEL Social and Emotional (SEL) competencies and address IEP goals and objectives of …

Digital Media Production To Support Literacy For Secondary Students With Diverse Learning Abilities, April Marie Leach

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Producing digital media is a hands-on, inquiry-based mindful process that naturally embeds Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into literacy instruction, providing options for learning and assessment for a wide array of students with diverse learning abilities. Video production learning experiences acknowledge the cognitive talents of some students labeled “disabled.” For some, the discovery of personal abilities activated when learning through the production process may motivate deeper learning. Although challenges of access, quality of teacher preparation and assessment strategies represent significant challenges, digital media production learning experiences offer diverse learners a rich, socially interactive environment that models open communication and …

Disability Tech Advocate: Autonomous Vehicles, Jolynne Lyon

Blog Posts

Blog post is about autonomous vehicle technology.

Parent Perceptions Of The Transition Programs Completed By Their Adult Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Judithanne Arcaro

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

The lifelong effects of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) impact the living, employment, and social aspects for individuals with the diagnosis and their families. In this study, I sought to determine parent perspectives of school transition programs completed by their adult children with ASD. Guided by the theoretical framework from Bronfenbrenner, Freire, and Mezirow, my purpose was to identify transition practices with which parents were satisfied and dissatisfied, as well as to seek their input about improving transition programming. With the unemployment rate for individuals with ASD reported by the Department of Labor as 80%, improvement of outcomes would reduce the …

Pursuing A Common Goal: Measuring The Comfort Level Of Educational Diagnosticians To Manage A Caseload Of Students With Visual Impairments, Jerry Mullins M.Ed., Michael P. Munro M.Ed.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

This study was conducted to measure the level of comfort and knowledge that educational diagnosticians possess regarding the unique learning needs, assistive technology, special accommodations, agencies, required visual impairment related Individual Educational Plan documents, and special evaluation considerations appropriate for students with a vision loss. Teachers of students with visual impairments were surveyed to gauge their perception of educational diagnosticians’ knowledge of the field of visual impairment and diagnosticians were also surveyed to determine their comfort level in the management of a caseload of students with visual impairments. Research question were based on how TVIs rated the comfort level and …

Event Planner Sensitivity To The Needs Of Individuals With Visual Disability At Meetings And Events, Gina Fe G. Causin Ph.D., Tessa Mccarthy Ph.D.

Journal of Human Services: Training, Research, and Practice

Special events, such as fairs, conventions, ballgames, and concerts are typically activities people attend to participate in the festivities and enjoy with friends and family members. For individuals with disabilities, however, these types of events can create more challenges than enjoyment. Despite a thorough review of the literature, no studies were found which evaluated the experiences of individuals who are blind and have visual impairments at events and meetings. The aim of this study was to determine the current level of accessibility at meetings perceived by consumers who are blind and visually impaired. Respondents to the survey indicated many obstacles …

Post-Acquisition Management And The Issue Of Inaccessibility, Beth Caruso

Charleston Library Conference

Though advocates are calling for publishers to develop born-accessible e-books to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) standards and the EPUB 3.0 measures now backed by the Society for Disability Studies, the realistic timespan for this achievement to become standard practice is far from ideal. To equitably serve users with disabilities, stronger technology and a mindset toward accessibility must become the standard in electronic collections. Librarians are expected to have a strong working knowledge of the library’s collections but receive little training in best practices for assisting patrons with disabilities. We cannot wait …

Keeping Up Accessibility Practices And How It Relates To Purchasing And Collection Development In Academic Libraries: A Case Study At The College Of Staten Island Library, Kerry A. Falloon

Charleston Library Conference

At the College of Staten Island (CSI) Library-CUNY, the library has access to over 160 different electronic resources. A concerted effort started in 2016 to start collecting relevant voluntary product accessibility template (VPAT) statements from new and current vendors and integrate these new practices into acquisition and electronic resources (ER) workflows. The paper will discuss the responsibilities of purchasing agents in libraries, acquisition or ER librarians, in regard to understanding disability law and how these legal mandates apply when investigating, acquiring, and maintaining electronic resources. Relevant tools will be discussed, in particular the use of VPATs and WCAG 2.0 guidelines …

Sweet And Scary Times, Jolynne Lyon

Blog Posts

Blog post about a Halloween event at the CPD.

School Choice Vouchers And Special Education In Indiana Catholic Diocesan Schools, William H. Blackwell, June M. Robinson

Journal of Catholic Education

Catholic schools are now located at a crossroads of school choice voucher programs and special education services. With enrollment in Catholic schools declining over the past several decades, voucher programs that allow parents to use public funds for tuition at private schools – including tuition for students with disabilities – could possibly help to steady or even reverse this decline. This study examined the impact of Indiana’s statewide voucher program on Catholic schools, student enrollment, and special education services in three large diocesan school systems. The findings address issues related to enrollment growth, changing student population characteristics, special education services, …

Providing Access For Students With Moderate Disabilities: An Evaluation Of A Professional Development Program At A Catholic Elementary School, Matthew P. Cunningham, Karen K. Huchting, Diane Fogarty, Victoria Graf

Journal of Catholic Education

After a significant policy change led to the admittance of students with moderate disabilities, St. Agnes School (SAS; pseudonym)—a Catholic PK-8 school in Southern California—implemented an 18-month professional development (PD) program to improve teachers’ inclusive classroom practices. Grounded in the theoretical framework of Universal Design for Learning (UDL; Center for Applied Special Technology, 2015b), the PD program included cyclical, one-on-one instructional coaching sessions that were led by trained UDL coaches and consisted of lesson demonstrations and personalized feedback. While SAS teachers held state credentials, most had very little training to work with students with special needs prior to this PD; …

A Content Analysis Of Catholic School Written Discipline Policies, Daniel L. Philippe, Claudia M. Hernandez-Melis, Pamela Fenning, Katie N. B. Sears, Emily M. Mcdonough, Elizabeth Lawrence, Michael Boyle

Journal of Catholic Education

School discipline has traditionally endorsed the use of exclusionary practices (i.e. suspension and expulsion). Such practices can have a negative short- and long-term impact on student lives, and tend to be enforced disproportionately with certain student populations. Although public school discipline policies have received increased scrutiny in recent years, Catholic school policies have received very little attention. This study presents the results of a content analysis of the written discipline policies of 33 Catholic secondary schools from two dioceses within a major metropolitan area. Results suggest that although variability exists in the types of behaviors included in formal written policies, …

School Partnership Brings Tradition Of Volunteerism, Jolynne Lyon

Blog Posts

Blog post about volunteering within the community.

Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, And American Capitalism, Kris Principe

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Pope Francis’ writing of both Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) and Laudato Si’ (On Care For Our Common Home) has led several in the popular press to comment on the Pope’s distrust of capitalism. Here, the pope’s commentary is reconciled with the American perspective on capitalism. Consumer sovereignty and corporate governance, carried out in accordance with the three pillars of Catholic Social Justice of human dignity, solidarity and subsidiarity, can fulfill the Pope’s mandate in Evangelii Gaudium.

On Evangelii Gaudium: An Asia/Pacific Perspective, Young Back Choi

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Evangelii Gaudium is largely divided into two parts: one is on evangelism and the other concerns the social and economic conditions of the time in which evangelism is to take place. The chief aim of Evangelii Gaudium is to restore, as an integral part of sharing the joy of the Gospel, the dignity of the poor, which is presumably lost because of inequality in the modern society. Pope Francis admits that “… neither the Pope nor the Church have a monopoly on the interpretation of social realities or the proposal of solutions to contemporary problems”. Pope Francis offers his views/diagnoses …

Evangelii Gaudium: A European Perspective, Salvatore Moccia

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

In order to understand the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, we have to analyze the strategic roots of this Pope, a shepherd who lived his life with the smell of the sheep. Only if we recognize the “great enemy” we can fully understand all the Papal “No’s” of the Encyclical: no to an economy of exclusion, no to the new idolatry of money, no to a financial system which rules rather than serves, and no to the inequality which spawns violence. We believe that Pope Francis, with his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, has updated most of the Franciscan reflections on the …

Africa And An Economy Of Universal Human Solidarity: In The Footsteps Of Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium, Laurenti Magesa

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

In his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium or The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis indicated the shortcomings of capitalism, the economic order dominant in the world today. The inhuman social conditions Francis has attributed to global capitalism can be observed concretely in the lives of the peoples of the African continent. As a result, there exists within Africa itself, on the one hand, and between Africa and other regions of the world, on the other, a cavernous gap between the rich and the poor classes. The main problem is that poverty revolves around fundamental injustices in the creation, distribution, …

Latin America: When The Pope’S Economic Message Finds Home, Denise Chrispim Marin

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

When Pope Francis wrote that “we have to say ‘thou shalt not’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality”, this new “commandment” could not find a more challenging audience than in Latin America. According to United Nations Development Program (UNPD) data, Latin America was the only region in the world that has managed to reduce the income inequality in the last decade. In this same region, alternative forms of doing business are flourishing as a result of the social, cultural and environmental engagement of old and new companies, either for the sake of their image or for their own conviction. …

Economy Of Exclusion: Global Perspectives On Pope Francis On Capitalism, Charles Clark

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

Twenty-eight years after the fall of communism and final victory of capitalism, there is increasing unease with the ideology and lived reality of capitalism around the world, and even in America (the Cold War victor). While it is impossible for any one entry to fully represent a continent’s perspective, it is hoped that geographic diversity will also reflect the diversity in the lived experience of capitalism. In challenging capitalism, Pope Francis is thus joining a long tradition of popes who have critiqued both the ideal and the reality of it. The values of capitalism are those that led the rich …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

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Editors

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

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Cover Page

Journal of Vincentian Social Action

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Paper Urging Monitoring Of Vitamin D, Jolynne Lyon

Blog Posts

Blog post about is about how Utahns are deficient in Vitamin D, with potential consequences for mothers and children.