Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Reconceptualizing Assistance For Young Children Of Color With Disabilities In An Inclusion Classroom, Soyoung Park

Graduate School of Education

In this article, we draw on DisCrit to critically analyze how a group of early childhood educators approached assistance with young children of color with disabilities in a Head Start inclusion classroom. Using examples from data collected over one school year, we demonstrate how child-centered assistance advances justice for young children of color with disabilities who are often subjected to a surveillance culture in schools. We critique assistance that aligns with the medical model of disability and aims to change young children of color with disabilities to conform to ableist, racist expectations of schooling. We offer examples of assistance practices …

Principals' Perceptions Of Manifestation Determination Implementation And Disciplining Secondary Students With Disabilities, Felicia Florez

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Students with disabilities are often disciplined differently than their peers in school. This qualitative study focused on eight secondary administrators in the Fort Smith Public School district and their perceptions of manifestation determinations and their understanding of the laws of special education. Participants were interviewed face-toface via an online platform, and results were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Glasser’s Choice Theory guided the research and through the study the results indicated administrators gain insights to a SWD motivation for the behavior before assigning an intervention, punishment, or discipline procedure (Achilles et al., 2007; Glasser, 1998; Louis, 2009; Rose, 1988; Zirkel, 2010). …

Developing An Adaptive Rock Climbing Curriculum For Suny Cortland Outdoor Pursuits 2021, Rebekah Mills

Master's Theses

SUNY Cortland Outdoor Pursuits opened in August of 2015 with the completion of the newly constructed Student Life Center. Outdoor Pursuits is a smaller department within the Recreational Sports Department. Outdoor Pursuits offers rock climbing services at its facility located in the Student Life Center. Currently, Outdoor Pursuits offers Bouldering and Top Roping services only when the Student Life Center is open, these hours are typically 3-10 pm. Monday-Friday and Saturday-Sunday 2-8 pm. These services are only provided to eligible SUNY Cortland faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other affiliated members. As the facility has grown in popularity during its operation, …

Understanding Trauma To Create Effective Trauma Informed Schools, Lauren Murphy

Curriculum and Instruction Undergraduate Honors Theses

Exposure to early trauma can negatively affect a child's learning, behavior, and social emotional well being. Trauma in children can change executive functions in the brain and other neurobiological developmental changes can alter their success rate academically and socially. With the changes in the brain, it can have prolonged effects such as diminishing of brain nerve cells, hormone levels, immune systems, and epigenetic changes. Without proper interventions, these changes can lead to a higher risk of developing health conditions and mental illnesses. Through research presented in the article, is it vital for early interventions to prevent the furthering effects of …

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Program Learning Outcomes Considerations, Karen Lybeck, Jessica Schomberg, Kristin Scott

Library Services Publications

Based on an analysis of 2020-2021 submissions of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) program learning outcome (PLOs) and feedback from curriculum developers, we developed this handout in order to facilitate the development of future impactful outcomes (K. Lybeck, J. Schomberg, K. Scott, May 2021). We hope that our advice for conceptualizing, writing, and reviewing DEI PLOs is useful to faculty. This advice will not resolve DEI problems in the curriculum, but it may help us work toward change.

2. Intercultural Development Inventory, Adrienne Coleman, Traci Ellis, Hannah Anderson

Equity and Excellence Scorecard

The Intercultural Development Inventory^® (IDI^®) assesses intercultural competence—the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities.

Community College Success Of Students With Disabilities, Shayne Brophy-Felbab

Education (PhD) Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify aspects of home life, college life, or high school preparation that supported the success of students with disabilities at community colleges. As students with disabilities are rarely represented in the literature, this study offered a space for students with disabilities to share their voice and further develop their sense of agency. The six participants had a range of disabilities and enrolled in Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) at their community college. They had all completed at least one year and three students were completing their final year and had plans in …

Teacher's Guide To Using Literature To Promote Inclusion Of People With Disabilities, Bruce Menchetti

Open Educational Resources

The Teacher’s Guide to Using Literature to Promote Inclusion of People with Disabilities has been designed to assist teachers who wish to use literature to promote inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of life. The Guide consists of two parts. Part 1 is a rubric for evaluating how short stories, books, poems, TV programs, movies, digital media, and other forms of literature portray characters with disabilities. Part 2 of the Teacher’s Guide to Using Literature to Promote Inclusion of People with Disabilities is a curriculum guide with learning objectives, lesson activities, and strategies for outcome evaluation. The curriculum …

K-12 Economically Disadvantaged Students, Poverty, And Education: Ecological Narratives Of Successful Raised-In-Poverty, Texas Educators, Rebecca N. Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research study aimed to understand how successful Texas educators who grew up in poverty understood and improved the educational experience of economically disadvantaged students. This study utilized a structural ecological theory and three theories of social relationships (Social Identity, Standpoint, and Cultural Capital). This phenomenological and qualitative study used a cross-sectional, descriptive, online case study design rooted in narrative nonfiction. Virtual interviews with six successful Texas educators that grew up in poverty were conducted. A narrative method of analysis was utilized to generate codes then organize them into themes, and to construct and compare the narrative findings. The results …

Book Choices Of Girls During The Transition To Middle School: Empowerment Through Reading, Ilona Poole

Human Development and Family Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to fill a research gap on the reading interest of early adolescent girls and to reveal whether the books these students are reading feature strong female leads. The literature review suggests that the transition to middle school is often a challenging and critical time for children, particularly for females. It also reveals the importance of book reading and relatable and strong girl characters to guide female students. These students can learn from the actions of the protagonist through character education. Based on this information, an online pilot survey was distributed to 4^th and …

Systemic Functional Linguistics In The Community College Composition Class: A Multimodal Approach To Teaching Composition Using The Metalanguage Of Sfl, Jennifer James

Education (PhD) Dissertations

This qualitative research study sought to understand the affordances and limitations of a systemic functional linguistics (SFL) approach to teaching composition at the community college level. The study took place over the course of a semester in two developmental college composition classes using the language of SFL to teach writing through multimodal assignments. The study was developed in response to the increasing diversity in writing skills and educational goals of students in the community college composition class. The increase in diversity is a result of legislation in California that restructures developmental class offerings and affects placement in the transfer-level composition …

Speech Sound Disorders Syllabus And Unit Plan: Mini-Unit, Basic Ssd Assessment., Jenica Joseph

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Learning About Healthy Relationships And Sexuality For Adults With Disabilities, Vanessa Karjack

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities receive little to no sex education; as a result, they often struggle to have fulfilling and healthy relationships, experience limitations in physical interactions, and are at risk of being taken advantage of by others. Sommaro et al. (2019) explained that individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and developmental disabilities (DD) are often placed into one of two categories: they are treated as either eternal children or sexual deviants. These ideas are based on old knowledge and are known to be inaccurate. However, current systems of care struggle to move forward from these notions. A …

Implementing Lgbtq+ Curriculum In Early Education Classrooms, Mahri Walker

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many elementary schools have LGBTQ+ content missing from the curriculum, with gender identity and expression and diverse family structures notably absent. The issue that arises is children from LGBTQ+ families, or who may be LGBTQ+ themselves, do not feel represented in the curriculum. If children are provided with the knowledge of what it means to be LGBTQ+, then they are more likely to have a healthy relationship with themselves and their peers who may be included in that community. In order to address this issue, I created a three-day lesson for Kindergarten through first graders at San Lorenzo Valley Elementary …

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 …

Adaptive Video Gaming In The Classroom, Lauren Ferrell, Daniela Mari Recinto, Desarae Finck-Fugazi, Christine Angela Manalang, Noémie Von Kaenel

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Background: Limited resources exist to support adaptive gaming in school programming using Microsoft® Xbox Adaptive Controller for children. On the other hand, there is abundant evidence supporting motor, cognitive, and social benefits to gaming in rehabilitation.

Objectives: The goal of this program development project was to create a virtual gaming toolkit to support the interdisciplinary team’s use of adaptive gaming during school programming.

Methods: Through our needs assessment and collaboration with our community partner, we discussed the parent and caregiver need for guidance in order to use the Microsoft® Xbox Adaptive Controller and facilitate gameplay with peers. Through an extensive …

A Comparative Case Study Exploring The Experiences Of Women Leaders In Academic Affairs And Administration In Higher Education Through The Lens Of Intersectionality, Johniqua S. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

There is an increasing concern about the absence of women in senior positions in academia and administration within institutions (Johnson, 2016). There is limited research to compare the journeys of women leaders in academics and administration. This study is an examination of women’s experiences of perceived barriers to leadership roles in faculty and administration. Using comprehensive interviews, this study explores personal accounts to emphasize apparent barriers to career advancement. The goal of the study is to explore women in senior positions in academia and administrative paths to leadership. The male dominated society has made it challenging for women to grow …

Developing The Key Constructs Of Career Literacy: A Delphi Study, Kesha S. Valentine, Michael F. Kosloski

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Career literacy is a concept that is often misunderstood, yet it is something that can be developed to enhance youth’s potential for career readiness and career growth. This study sought to determine the knowledge and skills required for career literacy and to identify the optimal time to acquire these skills. A four-round Delphi study was designed and implemented to determine such skills and the ideal corresponding time of acquisition for each. The research indicated a final list of 50 skills and knowledge, all of which fall under the categories of functional, interactive, and critical skills a student needs to be …

Building-Level Administrators And Collaborative Special Education Iep Meetings: Addressing Barriers To Active And Inclusive Participation, Trevor A. Addis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors serving as barriers to effective building-level administrator participation in special education individualized education program (IEP) meetings. For the purposes of this study, research was conducted in the multidisciplinary areas of social cognitive theory and self-efficacy, along with an examination of school-building administrators as instructional leaders, the role(s) of building-level leadership in special education and building administrator knowledge and understanding of special education policies and practices. A qualitative research approach was used to examine local building-level administrator participation in the special education IEP process. Building Level Administrators, in the district were …

A Study Of Student Experiences In The Secondary Transition Program Through Student, Parent, And Teacher Perceptions, Kelley M. Sells

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine and analyze the perceptions of students with mild-moderate disabilities, teachers, and parents regarding the students’ experiences related to their secondary transition plan. More specifically, the qualitative single-case study sought to identify areas of alignment and divergence of these three key members’ perspectives since experiences and perceptions are unique to an individual based on the context and individual’s perspective of the event. These findings suggested that the district showed experiences of valuable student presence and input in their IEP meetings and trusting supportive student-teacher relationships. The study also revealed that significant barriers …

Utilization Of Disability Services By Students With Nonvisible Disabilities, Cristina A. Figueroa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A qualitative case study was conducted to examine ways to increase the use of disability services at 4-year universities. Individual interviews were conducted to see how students and staff members felt the use of disability services could be improved. Five students with nonvisible disabilities and four disability and student services staff members participated in the study. Interviews focused on transition, use of campus services, self-advocacy, and knowledge of disability services. A thematic analysis was conducted on the data, and a total of 20 themes were derived from the interviews. Themes focused on the following topics: self-identification is personal, faculty attitude …

Chronic Absenteeism At One Arkansas High School, Michelle Miller

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic absenteeism is a fairly new concept in education. Many schools have only started tracking chronic absenteeism with the start of Every Student Succeeds Act. The following research studied chronic absenteeism at an Arkansas High School, which answered the two research questions in this study. The first research question studied the demographics of the chronically absent student which included grade level, race/ethnicity, Special Education and English Language Learner status, and free or reduced lunch status. The second research question studied the class period of the chronic absence which included the time of day and type of class. High School X …

Removing Barriers To Language Sample Analysis: Computer-Automated Microstructure Scoring (Cams), Carly Fox

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Language sample analysis (LSA) is an important practice for providing a sensitive and accurate measure of a child’s language abilities. Several research-validated progress-monitoring tools are currently available that are designed to measure language quality through narrative samples in school-age children. While these tools provide clinically important information about a child’s language abilities, they can be time-consuming to code, and challenging to code reliably. In recent years there has been a surge in the use of automated essay scoring (AES) systems for the scoring of high-stakes written assessments, but few programs has been designed to automate clinical assessments. Narrative microstructure, an …

Examining Construction And Reproduction Of The Educational Opportunity Gap: The Nation’S School Board Members Respond, Hallet Demouy

Honors Theses

This thesis explores opportunity gaps, often related to achievement gaps, in education via the analysis of school board members’ responses regarding challenges that face future education, students, and the public school system. The perceptions of these school board members serve to address the sources, prevalence, and effects of inequities that exist in widening (perpetuating) this gap between students. After discussing and elaborating upon the perceived challenges and barriers located in the institution of education, school board member responses will again be used to present potential ways and opportunities through which the achievement gaps, relating to the success rates and testing …

A Look Into Transition Programs For First Year Students With Disabilities In Higher Education: How To Create A Transition Program To Support Student Success, Gillian R. Lazzarini

Masters Projects

Students with disabilities face a myriad of challenges to persistence and success in higher education (Weis et al., 2016). This is largely caused by the fact that there are different laws and policies that govern secondary education and higher education, which can result in an adverse impact on transition services for students with disabilities. Therefore, this project analyzes the transition from secondary education to higher education for students with disabilities and looks at transition programs as a tool to support student success. Students with disabilities often have issues building community, navigating support services and accommodations, as well as practicing self-advocacy …

How Does This Benefit Me?: A Case Study Of The Impact Of Long Term Circle Of Friends Participation, Casey Webb

Honors Theses

This thesis examines Circle of Friends and the impacts of long term participation (greater than 2 years) in the program. Participants were selected from a Circle of Friends group that met weekly from 2012-2017 in the lower Midwest. There were 5 white female participants ranging in ages of 21-22 at the time of the interviews. Participants completed interview questions focusing on friendship, the COF program, and the impacts it had on them. Interviews were then transcribed and coded. Many of the participants discussed what it means to be a friend, including the specific activities of friendship, such as eating meals …

Access To Quality Education For The Underprivileged, Jayant Kumar '23, Ayati Lala '23, Jacqueline Zhang '23, Julius Wardlow '23

Student Leadership Exchange (SLX)

Education is something that everyone deserves; however, throughout the USA, there are extreme inequalities in the education system. In Illinois specifically, districts in affluent neighborhoods, such as districts 204 and 203, have graduation rates more than 10% above the state average, along with more opportunities like clubs, extracurriculars, sports, and easier access to tutoring. Conversely, districts such as 189 and 131, which are in less affluent areas, see graduation rates 10% below the state average, as well as fewer opportunities for their students as stated in the Illinois State Report Cards. As a result, we hereby propose a solution that …

From Barriers To Success: How Elementary School Principals Strategically Lead Schools To Become 21st Century Learning Exemplar Schools, Heather Gold

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the barriers and support systems elementary principals describe, through the lens of Activity Theory, they experienced while leading their schools to achieve 21st century learning exemplar status.

Methodology: This phenomenological study examined the perceptions of 15 elementary and K-8 principals and their respective assistant principals regarding the barriers and support systems they experienced while leading their schools to achieve 21st century learning exemplar status. Participants were selected based on the criteria that they had been identified as exemplary by the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21); were public, non-private, …

Review Of Schooling Of Learners With Disabilities And The Manifestation Of The Hidden Curriculum Of Time, Theodoto Ressa

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Postsecondary outcomes remain difficult to attain despite their significance to learners with disabilities. This qualitative study investigated the impact of a hidden curriculum of time on the education of five undergraduate students with disabilities at a Carnegie Research One institution in the midwestern U.S. Participants in their quest for an education experienced a hidden curriculum of time in the form of physical impairments, educational costs of ill-health, and disability discrimination. The academic barriers participants encountered in reaching their educational goals suggest that addressing the hidden curriculum of time is essential for authentic inclusion and achievement of postsecondary education outcomes.

Overview Of The Proceedings Of The 2020 Inclusion In Science, Learning A New Direction, Conference On Disability (Island), Cary Supalo, Jasodhara Bhattacharya, Daniel Steinberg

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

No abstract provided.