Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Adults Perspectives Of Friendships And Social Interaction Between Students With And Without Complex Support Needs During A Pandemic, Jorden Morales

Special Education ETDs

Social interactions and friendships are important for all individuals including those with complex support needs (CSN). The voices of adults including parents/guardians, primary caregivers, teachers, and related service providers who responded to a survey provided insight into supporting social interactions and friendships for children with CSN during the Covid-19 pandemic This mixed methods study used thematic analysis to explore participants’ responses to open-ended questions while multiple choice questions were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Additionally, this study included a research narrative to speak to the various roles I hold related to this study (i.e., parent, educator, researcher). Three themes emerged from …

The Threat Of Returning To “Normal”: Resisting Ableism In The Post-Covid Classroom, Sarah M. Parsloe, Elizabeth M. Smith

Feminist Pedagogy

The abrupt switch to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted pervasive ableism; accommodations that had been “impossible” were suddenly available. This critical commentary draws from interviews with 16 students and our own ethnographic accounts as student/professor to understand how COVID shaped disabled experiences in the classroom. As a student with a disability, Elizabeth was hyperaware of her vulnerability to illness, but also experienced herself as less impaired online. She could control her learning environment to minimize sensory and mobility challenges. Additionally, professors’ flexible policies helped her to manage energy, time, and symptoms. However, Elizabeth and her peers feared an …

Representation In Visual Schedules For Individuals With Disabilities, Colleen Fowkes

Masters Theses, 2020-current

A visual activity schedule (VAS) is an evidence-based intervention that can assist individuals to follow a routine, see what is coming next, reduce dependence on others, and aid in transitions. A VAS is a sequence of visuals (photographs, avatars, line drawings, etc.) that can be used to show the user what they are to do in a specific order. A VAS acts as a template for the task the user is supposed to accomplish. Visual schedules can be beneficial for a wide range of users; they have been seen to be especially effective when used with individuals with disabilities, autism …

Coronavirus Disability Survey: Assessing The Impact Of Covid-19 On Young Adults With Disabilities, Hena Rashid

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This paper seeks to inform individuals of the importance of digital inclusivity, diminish the digital divide, and accessibility to technological services of college students who experience a form of disability. The United States has conducted minimal research on the digital disability rhetoric, promoted minimal disability-inclusive measures to protect the rights and well-being of college students, and minimal assistance to mitigate Coronavirus (COVID-19) impacts to this population subgroup. This subject can have a big impact on individuals who suffer from disability stigma, low accessibility issues, and who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Furthermore, this subject will benefit college students …

Assessing Professionals Working With Latinx Families With Special Needs In Monterey County, Jose Francisco Hernandez Rivera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Special Kids Connect (SKC) is a nonprofit organization serving children with disabilities and their families in Monterey County. This capstone project concentrated on the professionals working with children as part of SKC’s Early Start Intervention Program. The project’s objective was to discover local agencies' professional development training needs that serve Latinx families with disabled children between 2 to 8 years. Seventy-five child-care providers, early intervention service professionals, regional center staff, and school district personnel responded to the survey. They indicated an overall 60 % needed an understanding of systems related to IEPs, Early Start Services, Developmental Screenings, Social-Emotional Screenings, Regional …

Inclusive Pedagogy: Connecting Disability And Race In Higher Education, Meredith Persin

All Theses

Higher education was never made for marginalized people. The academy was created based on the privileged white, able-bodied, males who preoccupied higher education for the longest time. While that has certainly changed over the years, the institution itself is still in the past resulting in BIPOC students and disabled students continuing to struggle within higher education. While instructors have begun to take interest in the need for inclusive pedagogy within the last decade, it still has a far way to come in order to help the marginalized students with intersecting identities and students who may not benefit from a one …

Experiential Learning Through Participatory Action Research In An Interdisciplinary Leadership Training Program, Jessica L. Franks, Stephanie D. Baumann, Marvin So, Angela M. Miles, Jorge M. Verlenden, Teal Benevides, Mark Crenshaw, Stephen Truscott, Daniel Crimmins

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Background: Experience in multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare providers, leaders in public health, and educators is essential to effectively address the diverse needs of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and their families.

Purpose: We describe three participatory action research (PAR) projects from an interdisciplinary training program, which used experiential learning to enhance leadership competencies and promote inclusive services. Trainees report their leadership growth as providers and advocates for children with I/DD using experiential learning through PAR.

Approach: Trainees discuss their engagement with organizations serving children with I/DD and ways that experiential learning supported leadership skill development, …

La Discapacidad En Los Sistemas De Educación En Bolivia Y Chile, Kree Pace

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The flawed approach to the education of disabled students is an issue that plagues countless countries across the globe, and those in Latin America are no different. Bolivia and Chile are two vastly different countries from a cultural and economic perspective. However, one issue that they have in common is the manner in which they attempt to teach disabled students. There are two major models of disability; social and medical. The social model teaches that disabilities are not inherently negative traits to have, and that those who have them should be supported by society. It also emphasizes that the organization …

Accessibility And The University Experience: Where Does Bowling Green State University Stand?, Abigail Mcnichols

Honors Projects

Accessibility is a rather broad term, but this paper focuses specifically on accessibility issues for students with disabilities pursuing higher education. While K-12 institutions have disability legislation like IDEA, higher education is governed by several different acts which work together to create a legal minimum. This paper serves to outline what that legal minimum is, whether Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is in compliance with the minimum, and what BGSU could be doing to go beyond the minimum. Based on an analysis of the ADA, Section 504, the 2008 ADAAA, and expert legal opinion, BGSU does appear to be compliant …

Issue In Equity For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students With Complex Support Needs: A Comparative Analysis Of District-Level Student Data, Rosalia Pacheco

Special Education ETDs

Research has shown that English learners with disabilities should have access to both special education and Title III services as required by law (de Valenzuela et al., 2006, 2018, 2016, 2022; de Valenzuela & Copeland, 2018; Kangas, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021). This quantitative study uncovers issues of educational inequities related to: (a) the identification of these students as English learners; (b) their access to Title III services; and (c) the instructional settings in which they are educated for culturally and linguistically diverse students with Autism (ASD), Developmental Delay (DD), Intellectual Disability (ID), Multiple Disabilities (MD), or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). …

How Important Are Accommodations? Examining The Retention Of Students With Specific Learning Disabilities In Higher Education, Donna Stanic

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Students with disabilities are entering higher education at higher rates than ever before. However, the retention rates of these students are disproportionately low compared to peers without disabilities. More so, students with learning disabilities are less likely to be retained compared to those with other types of disabilities. This study sought to examine the factors that influence first to second year retention of students with disabilities, specifically those with learning disabilities. Among these factors, the study placed a specific focus on the use of accommodations. Utilizing data from the High School Longitudinal Study (HSLS:09), descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted …

School Improvement Plan: Making School Accessible, Angela Duffy

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This school improvement project details the importance of disability acceptance, accessibility, and inclusion. The project details multiple types of disabilities including physical, learning, speech, and intellectual disabilities. Several studies covering topics such as knowledge and representation of disability, types of disabilities, acceptance and inclusion, and assistive technology were studied for this project. The purpose of this school improvement plan is to educate administration on how to make schools accessible and inclusive for students and staff with disabilities in the future. The project will define the term disability, explain some needs students may have due to those disabilities, and guide educators …

Asking The Right Questions: Accessibility And Library Study Rooms, Jessica Schomberg, Christopher R. Corley

Library Services Publications

This article assists administrators who want to ensure their libraries are inclusive of people with disabilities but don’t know where to start. We argue that organizations should understand not only the basic dimensions of ADA law but also dimensions of disability. They should also become familiar with multiple domains of disability and proactively incorporate reflective questions posed by researchers and advocates into the library space planning process. The article uses examples of common missteps in the development of study rooms with some reflection on how to learn from the experience.

Stop Fearing Blindness! Visually Impaired People Reflect On The Ethics Of Sighted Prospective Teachers Simulating Visual Impairment, Anthony J. Maher, Justin A. Haegele, Andrew C. Sparkes

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Disability simulations have developed as a popular professional development tool to help increase knowledge and awareness of disability and facilitate pedagogical learning among prospective and pre-service teachers. The aim of this research is to explore the ethics of sighted people simulating visual impairment from the perspective of visually impaired people. Participants were nine visually impaired adults who read vignettes narrating simulation experiences of prospective physical education teachers in a university setting before being interviewed about their perceptions of what they had read. Interviews were conducted via telephone, and were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to thematic analysis. The themes constructed and …

Breaking Barriers: Creating Inclusive Dance Spaces For High School Students With Cerebral Palsy, Samantha Michelle Barnewolt

Dance (MFA) Theses

Abstract This thesis explores the power of positive mindsets as it relates to creative movement development in dance for students living with Cerebral Palsy (CP) who also use motorized wheelchairs. This research dives into the development of movement mantras used to break negative mindsets and create thinking strategies that encourage movement development for varied bodies. As a result of collaborative efforts between the researcher, a student living with CP, and students living without CP, this study reveals that through the removal of mental barriers which complicate the accessibility of intentional movement in dance, students with CP may overcome obstacles that …

A Cord Of Many Strands: A Case Study Of Inclusive Practice Within The Archdiocese Of Los Angeles, Patrick James Allison

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The foundational philosophy of Catholic schools impels them toward inclusive practice. Scholars have repeatedly established that a moral mandate exists in Catholic Social Teaching for Catholic schools to include all students. However, students with disabilities have traditionally been excluded from Catholic school settings due perceived resource constraints, lack of practitioner skill, and the disposition that students with disabilities are better served in public schools. Many Catholic schools have made tremendous progress in inclusive practice, and stand at the forefront of this work, but these efforts have not been replicated at scale.

The purpose of this study was to explore how …

Facultas Marginem: Assessing Disability Data And Public Aau Universities’ Affirmative Action Plans For Systemic Barriers Facing Faculty With Disabilities, Joseph Carlton Barry

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This dissertation contributes to education equity scholarship produced by academics seeking to develop understandings of disability, Persons with Disabilities (PWD), and how both are situated amongst faculty in institutions of higher education. As such, this dissertation centers on a study of public US universities belonging to the Association of American Universities (AAU). This study looks for institutional level associations between respective rates by which college and university faculty with disabilities (FWD) are employed, certain aspects of disability policy drawn from each institution’s 2020 Affirmative Action Plans (AAP), and various other instances of empirical disability data (EDD).

While this study contributes …

Faculty Perceptions On Working With Students With Learning Disabilities, Ashley Jezik

Masters Theses

Students with specific learning disabilities in higher education have been rapidly increasing. Legislation has been a large factor in the equality in education for individuals with disabilities making it easier to attend higher education. College students with disabilities have the hard and important choice of self-disclosing their disability, with many choosing not to. A main role for faculty is to support their students. This qualitative study aims to identify the knowledge faculty have about this student population and how they work with their disability services office. The research shows that faculty's knowledge on students with disabilities are solely based on …

Increasing Awareness Of Inclusive Stem Education Through A College-Level Student Research Group, Sami Kahn, Tiffany Agyarko, Grace Lanouette, Sean Lee, Courteney Wiredu

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

The underrepresentation of persons with disabilities in STEM reflects not only a moral failing in society’s commitment to equity but also a practical dilemma as science benefits from the contributions of people with diverse perspectives. While teacher education programs attempt to address equity at the K-12 level, societal biases and misconceptions about who is “able” in science present persistent barriers for people with disabilities throughout the STEM pipeline, in higher education, employment, and beyond. How can we ensure that students with disabilities will encounter professors, employers, coworkers, and peers who are supportive of their efforts in STEM? To address this …

Race, Dis/Ability, And The Potential Of The Co-Taught Classroom: Exploring Co-Teachers' Interruptions Of Inequity, Mallory A. Locke

Theses and Dissertations

Although the co-taught classroom is the fastest-growing inclusion model in U.S. public schools, an increasingly-diverse student population coupled with the continued overrepresentation of students of color in special education threatens to undermine its potential as an inclusive space that ensures success for all students. This multiphase, critical qualitative study explored how three pairs of co-teachers navigated race and dis/ability within co-taught classroom spaces serving students with multiple, intersecting identities. Informed by Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), Critical Race Spatial Analysis, and the DisCrit Classroom Ecology framework, this study sought to examine how co-teachers’ own educational histories and beliefs about race …

Accessibility As A Foundation For An Equitable Digital Civic Engagement Infrastructure, Allison D. Rank, Rebecca Mushtare

eJournal of Public Affairs

Individuals and organizations in both higher education and civic engagement have become increasingly aware of their obligation to foster a sense of belonging among students and support historically under-represented populations within their work. As part of this effort, we argue the civic engagement infrastructure—a term we use to capture the full range of organizations and associated resources directed toward improving civic engagement within higher education that stem from actors both on and off campus—must pay more attention to digital accessibility. We document this need by establishing the degree higher education institutions rely on off-campus organizations and resources in civic engagement …

Ableist Ideologies Stifle Neurodiversity And Hinder Inclusive Education, Marie Adrienne R. Manalili

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

This paper makes the case that ableist ideologies hinder trends towards inclusion on a broader global scale and beyond Anglo-American standpoints, as evidenced by key literature and legislations on inclusive education. I also discuss the issues, challenges, and dilemmas generated by these ableist ideologies in my professional context as an autistic speech-language therapist from the Philippines. I conclude with my reflection on how practitioners can help change the trajectory towards emancipatory inclusive practices that are informed by the neurodiversity paradigm. To respect the preference of the communities and the intersection of identities I represent, this paper uses inclusive identity-first language …

Faculty Perception Of Inclusive Instruction At Three South-Central Community Colleges, Karen R. O'Donohoe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enrollment rates for student with disabilities in higher education continue to rise, particularly in 2-year colleges, but graduation rates have not kept pace due to barriers not addressed by traditional disability supports (Black et al., 2014; NCES, 2019; Smedema et al., 2015). Inclusive instruction is a low-cost, high-impact solution that can be implemented on any campus (Black et al., 2014; Lombardi et al., 2013; Roberts et al., 2011). This quantitative study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive non-experimental research design that explored faculty self-reported attitudes and actions associated with inclusive instruction at three of the largest degree-granting, two-year institutions in a single …

The Conscience Of Little Women: Beth's Epic, Mcewen Baker

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

From its conception, and through countless retellings, there is no doubt that Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is an American classic that has stood the test of time. Kate Hamill’s stage adaptation affirms and extends this legacy; the playwright adopts a contemporary feminist approach that defies gender norms and exclusivity in casting and encourages an actor-centered approach. This essay explains the importance of this adaptation and its influence on my portrayal of Beth March in Belmont University’s Fall 2021 production. It touches on the often overlooked significance of the second youngest sister as well as how my personal battle with …

Holding Close Both The Wonder And The Wounds, Kevin Timpe

University Faculty Publications and Creative Works

Brian Brock’s recent Wondrously Wounded is a welcome addition to the growing theology of disability literature. Despite its many virtues, I think Wondrously Wounded runs the risk of distorting the Church’s identity with regard to how it has responded to disability. Drawing on Hilde Lindemann’s work on ‘holding’ and ‘letting go’ of identities, I try to strengthen Brock’s call for the Church. Our collective work toward the realization of the gospel requires that together we hold the Church’s wounds, and not just its wonders, as part of the narrative we recount.

A Systematic Review Of Literature: Synthesizing Bullying And Extracurricular Activity Participation Correlations Among Students With And Without Disabilities, Kaycee L. Bills

Journal of Research Initiatives

Social issues about bully victimization are a topic receiving national attention in social work literature. Therefore, social workers must establish potential predictors of bullying victimization to eliminate them among at-risk populations, such as students who have disabilities. Adolescent and teenage students with disabilities are an oppressed population at risk of experiencing higher levels of bullying victimization. In addition, this population also experiences harsher socio-emotional outcomes because of bullying.

The purpose of this study was to synthesize past literature relating to the direct relationship between extracurricular involvement and bullying victimization. Research articles were retrieved across eight databases to assess past research …

Affirming Strength-Based Practices In Disability And Inclusion: A Shared Autoethnographic Study Of The Experiences Of A Teacher, Alina Kewanian, Edwin Creely, Jane Southcott

The Qualitative Report

In this autoethnographic article we focus on the issues of “disability” and “inclusive education” and the challenges of being positive and affirming in this area of research and practice. As a teacher, I (Alina) continue to encounter regularly the dominant deficit view of “disability,” in spite of the extensive body of literature that advocates for the rights of people with disabilities as well as the benefits of inclusive education best built on strength-based thinking. The autoethnographic methodology allowed me to explore my experiences as an educator and reflect on specific events, presented through four vignettes that capture how my beliefs …

Accessibility And Usage Of Cultural Heritage By The Disabled Users: Understanding Of Parents’ Points Of View, Valentina Perciavalle, Elisabetta Sagone

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Background: Italian educational system express a growing attention toward the strategies utilized for improving the accessibility and participation for all individuals, but not always for the disabled users’ needs, underestimating the value of inclusive education in various contexts of everyday life. Method: A preliminary study with 82 parents of children and preadolescents with intellectual disability, sensory impairments, and physical disability was carried out adopting the “inclusive research paradigm” to investigate parents’ perceptions, levels of satisfaction, and attitudes toward obstacles/facilitators to accessibility and usage of cultural heritage sites in Sicilian context. Results: Using an online questionnaire, parental satisfaction degree …

“Does Your Arm Hurt?” A Content Analysis Of Upper Limb Differences In Children's Books, Amber Meyer, Vince Genareo

Michigan Reading Journal

Approximately 1,500 children are born with upper limb differences (ULDs) each year in the United States. Recently, public media attention has brought a greater awareness of individuals with upper limb differences (ULDs), but educational research on the PreK-12 experiences, available curricular materials, and effective educational strategies are lacking for this group of people. Researchers in this study identified and performed a content analysis of 24 children’s books with characters with ULDs. Findings indicated more of these books were being published recently, that they represented a number of genres, and were largely informative about experiences of people with ULDs. Most were …

Spaces And Societal Interactions: Foundations Of The Critical Disabled Cultural Lens Of A Child Of Disabled Adults, Amelia-Marie Altstadt

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

CoDisA are present on our campuses, but not present within research. This autoethnographic study focuses on providing the foundation of the critical disabled cultural lens of a Child of Disabled Adults (CoDisA) for future study of CoDisA within higher education research. The findings of spaces and societal interactions are presented through the accessible format of autoethnodrama. This two act show is a fun and immersive way to take you on a college tour trip “up the 5," from San Diego, California to Rohnert Park, California in Sonoma County. Act 1, the findings chapter with thorough scene descriptions, helps frame where …