Accessibility Commons^™

Advancing Accessibility In Higher Education: A Community-Based Approach To Addressing Rising Student Accommodation Needs Requests In The Post-Covid-19 Era, Mariah Lossing

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Accommodation requests for students with disabilities have increased in higher education over the past decade, with the sharpest rise occurring in the post-COVID environment. Most requests over the past five years have been related to mental health. Faculty, especially adjunct instructors, often lack access to training and resources that address the growing challenges efficiently and effectively. Faculty are balancing academic rigor with flexibility and accessibility while universities experience increasing pressure to retain both students and faculty amidst rising demands and resource limitations. This study explored a community-based approach to addressing accessibility and professional development in the changing landscape of post-COVID-19 …

Book Review: Creating Inclusive Libraries By Applying Universal Design: A Guide By Carli Spina, Katrina Williams

School of Information Student Research Journal

Creating Inclusive Libraries by Applying Universal Design: A Guide is a practical and useful resource for improving libraries so that they are accessible to the broadest range of people possible. The format is well organized, and the case studies illustrate principles in engaging and recognizable ways. A reader who starts with no knowledge of Universal Design would acquire a working knowledge and be able to assess their own spaces with the guidance provided through examples and checklists. Rather than focus on resources for disabled patrons, Spina encourages readers to adopt a reflective practice for considering the needs of all library …

Academic Librarians With Invisible Disabilities Carry An Invisible Workload That Limits Their Career Potential, Katrina Heiderich Williams

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

A Qualitative Study Of Iranian Efl Teachers’ Perceptions Of A Digital Diversified Education, Seyed Mohammad Reza Marvasti Zadeh, Azizollah Dabaghi Varnosfadrani Advarnosfadrani, Mohammad Amiryousefi

The Qualitative Report

Because Iran is a country of learners of diverse languages, socio-economic classes, genders, and ages, digital diversified education seems appropriate to address needs in English language education. However, there is a notable gap in research on teachers’ perceptions about this type of education. To fill this gap, this study aimed to investigate the perspectives of Iranian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding a diverse digital education. Data were collected via an open-ended survey with 30 EFL teachers, both male and female, who were selected through convenience sampling. Analysis revealed several key themes, including the utilization of diverse …

Scholar Perspectives On The Impact Of A Scientific Community Program For Neurodivergent Undergraduate Stem Scholars, Dylan Sullivan, Fernando Zavala, Derek Hidalgo, Jacob Stolle, Rebecca Matte, Christin B. Monroe

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Despite the adaptive strengths and unique problem-solving skills demonstrated by neurodivergent (ND) individuals, they remain underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. High unemployment rates among individuals with disabilities emphasize the need for addressing barriers to entry and persistence in the workforce. This study introduces a program designed to enhance opportunities for neurodivergent STEM scholars with financial needs, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program involves: 1) a weekly cohort course to engage in professional development, 2) use of the Birkman Method® survey to help scholars identify and communicate strengths, fostering self-awareness and growth, and 3) …

The Art Of Inclusion: Theatre’S Contribution To Popular Culture Literacy For Students With Intellectual Disabilities, Catherine R. P. King

Dialogue: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Popular Culture and Pedagogy

This essay explores the transformative role of theatre in special education, focusing on its capacity to foster social skills and life navigation abilities in students with disabilities. In light of the fundamental importance of these skills for social inclusion and quality of life, the article highlights the innovative and effective approach to integrating theatre into special education classrooms. It discusses how theatre can empower students with disabilities by enhancing their social interaction, communication, and life navigation skills. In addition, the article delves into the intersection of theatre and popular culture, showcasing how theatre can serve as a valuable tool for …

Ai And The Future Of Library Accessibility: Making Digital Promotions Inclusive, Soraya Hariyani Putri Ms, Syifa Adiba Ms

Jurnal Ilmu Informasi, Perpustakaan, dan Kearsipan

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has transformed various sectors, including the field of library and information science. Libraries, as custodians of knowledge and cultural heritage, are increasingly utilizing AI to enhance their services, particularly in the realm of digital promotions. However, there remains a significant challenge in making these promotions accessible to all users, especially those with disabilities. Despite advancements in AI, digital content produced by libraries often lacks inclusivity, particularly in catering to the needs of users with disabilities. This gap not only limits access to library services but also hinders the broader mission of libraries to serve …

A Global Comparison Of Communication Intervention Strategies For Justice-Involved Youth, Sophia Janeiro Martinez

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

Purpose: This paper explores the intricate relationship between communication disorders and delinquent youth behavior. It will explore the detrimental impact of zero-tolerance policies and their contribution to the school-to-prison pipeline. It will introduce issues, such as complex Miranda warning diction, and the benefits of including speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to aid in youth comprehension. Additionally, it will propose the integration of SLPs within the juvenile justice system to assist in communication between justice-involved youth (JIY) and justice professionals during conversations, questioning, and trials or hearings. Furthermore, this paper examines the roles of SLPs within juvenile justice systems abroad, including Canada, …

Practicing Feminist Disability Pedagogy: Building Interdependence Through A Classroom Participation Menu, Kristen L. Cole

Feminist Pedagogy

Following the lead of Parsloe & Smith (2022), this article explains and advocates possible modes of participation that consider the disabled, chronically ill, and systemically vulnerable students and faculty who are fighting to succeed in higher education. The way participation is measured in college classes is often ableist in nature; thus, it is important to unpack the ableist assumptions that undergird how we arrange and assess participation. Utilizing Knoll’s (2009) explication of interdependency as a practice of feminist disability pedagogy, this article offers a semester long activity called a participation menu, which provides a framework for distributing the responsibility of …

Making (Virtual) Space For Disability Equity In Academia, Melissa Vosen Callens, Cali Anicha, Larry Napoleon Jr.

Feminist Pedagogy

Virtual or hybrid options provide a way for marginalized faculty and staff to fully participate in their fields and on their campuses. As such, an equitable and pandemic-informed academic workplace should include fully accessible and well-resourced hybrid participation options for department meetings and events, office work, and classroom duties. In spring 2023, we created a work group on our campus to address the challenges of hybrid work and co-create campus-wide recommendations for hybrid workspaces. In this article, we share our findings and evidence-based recommendations, many of which draw on Universal Design for Learning, as well as offer suggestions on how …

Collective Access, Collective Liberation: Disability Justice And Abolitionist Pedagogical Worldmaking Toward Post(?)-Pandemic Futures, Hailey N. Otis

Feminist Pedagogy

This critical commentary poses the question: what if we didn’t return to the “normal” of strict, ableist classrooms policies rooted in the bureaucratic, legalistic framework of “accommodations” and, instead, embraced the Disability Justice principle of collective access? After critiquing the accommodations process used in most higher education settings, I advocate for an approach we might call collective access pedagogy, which works from the fundamental assumptions that (1) all bodies exist on a spectrum of dis/ability and, thus, we all have individual needs based on our unique bodyminds, and (2) that we don’t need the constant threat of a pandemic to …

Impact Of County-Level Urbanicity On Quality Of Life For People With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities In A Rural State., Alyssa M. Smith, Allison Caudill

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face challenges, such as decreased access to physical, environmental, and social health-related services that can negatively impact their overall quality of life (QoL). Additionally, people living in rural communities may experience geographic distancing and other factors, like decreased transportation and available housing, that contribute to increased isolation and decreased health outcomes, overall. It is important to consider the QoL of people with IDD living in these communities given the additional intersectional constraints of rurality and having an intellectual disability or other co-occurring conditions. A secondary data analysis reviewed closed and open-ended survey data …

Acknowledgments, Matthew T. Wappett Ph.D.

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

No abstract provided.

Web Services Workshop, Molly A. Cross

Library Presentations

No abstract provided.

Black Superintendents’ Perceptions On The Effectiveness Of Diversity And Equity Professional Development In New Jersey Schools, Tanisha Hinton

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Providing an accessible and equitable education for all students has been an ongoing process mandated by the Managing for Equality and Equity initiative to close the achievement and opportunity gaps among students. This qualitative study examined Black superintendents' perspectives about the effectiveness and impact of diversity, equity, and inclusive initiatives in majority White staffed school districts in New Jersey. Furthermore, the study explored the perceptions of Black superintendents across different regions of New Jersey to understand if there were significant differences in how DEI initiative was perceived. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 Black superintendents and the data was analyzed …

Growing Together: Cultivating The Social-Emotional Effects Of Art Education Through Trauma-Informed Pedagogy, Kaitlyn Lawrence

Masters Theses

In many societies, the process of art is recognized as a healing and transformative practice. In recent years, it has been emerging in tandem with social emotional practices and procedures in American education. However, it is also a fact that social emotional learning (SEL) does not account for all students due to its inability to account for the needs of all students in the classroom. SEL alone aims to teach healthy development and emotional management skills, but fails to account for students with varying experiences. While there are those who can and do integrate the skills from the Social Emotional …

Teacher Beliefs And Experiences Addressing Healthy Racial And Ethnic Identity Instructionally Through Social Emotional Learning, Juliana Gutierrez

Theses and Dissertations

Children and youth develop within an ecological context that includes family, peers, and broader social environments including school. Children’s understanding of their ethnic or racial group and the meaning they attribute to belonging in that group is also shaped by interactions in their school environment. Most research on school-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs has focused on student behavioral and academic outcomes. However, as SEL spreads across U.S. K-12 schools, questions have emerged surrounding how children from diverse racial and cultural groups and unequal opportunity can benefit from universal SEL programs. Using a mixed-methods design, this study explores teachers’ understanding and …

Challenging Norms, Creating Art: An Anti-Ableist Lens On Visual Arts Education, Alexis Lino

Education | Master's Theses

This research explored the active role of disabled artists in their own descriptions of meaning making through their artistic process, utilizing phenomenological research to examine the lived experiences of intellectually or developmentally disabled and neurodiverse adult artists in the Bay Area. The literary study element of the research strove to understand and employ anti-ableism and constructivism as framing lenses, while also reviewing literature on issues such as access barriers, traditional quality standards in arts education, and the de-emphasis of art within curriculum funding priorities, indicating a need for continued reform toward promoting inclusive and process-oriented art education. With a focus …

Accessible Technology For All: A Content Analysis Of Ux Design In Mobile Websites And Applications, Christine A. Franco

Doctoral Dissertations

More and more, digital technologies are becoming the fabric of everyday life, imbuing almost every aspect of modern society. With an increasing reliance on technology to complete essential tasks for school, work, communication, health, finance, and more, there remain barriers to accessing these tools. These barriers are not just represented by the digital divide, the haves and have-nots, but in the myriad ways in which the technologies we use every day are difficult to use, complex, or simply inaccessible. This research study investigates the factors that impact the accessibility of technology, specifically for individuals with either temporary, situational, or permanent …

Sexual Wellness Across Abilities: Reimagining Education For Adults With Disabilities, Damiana Kelsey

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Many adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDDs) lack sexuality education and opportunities for personal expression. Because of this, a sexuality education curriculum was developed for Gateway’s program, Without Walls. This program is specifically for adults with Intellectual Disabilities. This curriculum was delivered to 15 students ages 25 to 56. The purpose of this project is to bridge information for this population and make it more accessible. Especially with this group, there is a need for further discussion and a space to ask questions about social-emotional and sexual health. Over the course of 11 classes, the students reported having a …

Working Alongside People With Disabilities: Their Impact And Value, Alice A. Jensen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

U.S. policies such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 and the Americans with Disabilities Act support the inclusion of adults with disabilities in all areas of employment. Through WIOA, the federal government required public entities to provide training and help job seekers with disabilities access high-quality, competitive, integrated employment in the labor market. Nevertheless, two-thirds of unemployed PWDs report wanting employment but cannot find a job. Negative perceptions held by employers and hiring managers and their views that PWDs lack abilities create barriers to employment. In contrast, research has also shown that coworkers can greatly influence successful …

Beyond The Library: The Role Of Academic Libraries’ Chat Reference In Answering Campus Questions, Erin Owens, Vanessa Acre, Darcy C. Del Bosque, Robin Fowler, Silvia Sheffield

Library Faculty Research

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic drove most users online, chat was establishing itself as a core service for asking library-related questions of many types, from basic directional and reference to research queries of a more sophisticated nature. This investigation seeks to provide insight into how academic libraries are seen not only as a source of library assistance, but also as a means of filling an information gap on a wider subject: the university campus at large. The study’s methods involved analyzing chat transcripts from five large four-year public universities during a two-year period (2019- 2021), noting the frequency of campus-related …

Unveiling The Voices: Lived Experiences Of Adolescent Girls With Emotional Disturbance In Special Education, Jasmin Hagen

Counseling and Psychology Dissertations

This dissertation addresses a significant gap in existing research by exploring lived experiences of cisgender female adolescents (Grades 7–12) diagnosed with emotional disturbance (ED) in the U.S. Current statistics indicate that 28% of students in special education with an ED diagnosis are girls; yet, their perspectives remain largely absent from scholarly discourse. Rooted in critical constructivism, critical feminist theory, and dis/ability studies and critical race theory (DisCrit), this qualitative study aims to elucidate insights that can enhance academic success and elevate high school graduation rates for this demographic. This research investigates the experiences of seven participants from New England, representing …

Education For Sustainable Development Competencies In A Community-Engaged Art Workshop, Amy J. Schmierbach

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Arts participation can expand empathy and cognitive growth capacity while creating a social bond and communal meaning (McCarthy et al., 2004). As an art instructor for over twenty years, I have witnessed the bonds that can be created through collaborative art experiences. These bonds are nurtured from a space of equity and inclusion. Teaching a community-engaged art course can bring these qualities into the community, allowing university students to use their art skills in real-world applications to impact society through experiential learning art practices. Making art with others will enable us to help others build empathy and social bonds that …

Go Beyond Compliance: Use Individualized Education Programs To Answer Strategic Questions And Improve Programs, Adrienne D. Woods, Marie C. Ireland, Kimberly Murphy, Hope Spark Lancaster

Speech-Language Pathology Faculty Publications

Purpose: The most significant document to ensure effective and compliant design, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement of a program of special education services in the United States is the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Although IEPs have been used to document procedural compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for individual students, IEPs also provide extensive data that can and should be used by a variety of stakeholders including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), school administrators, and state education agencies to design targeted professional development and collectively improve programs, processes, and outcomes in special education.

Method: We summarize existing literature on the …

Oer For Libraries And Textbook Affordability Partners, Lily Dubach, Sarah Norris

Open Ed Live

Join us for an interactive workshop that explores the synergies between libraries and Open Educational Resources (OER). This session will highlight libraries’ role in OER; explore how textbook affordability partners and libraries can exchange ideas, strategies, and best practices; provide a five-fold approach to open education in libraries; and include an active discussion about new technologies to streamline OER adoption, adaptation, authorship.

Fish In A Tree Book Study Assignment Description, David Wolff

Open Educational Resources - Teaching and Learning

Individuals lead storied lives, and everyone has a story to tell. Our stories can be shared orally and documented in print. Often, learners are exposed to stories through novels and other trade books. Teacher educators may benefit from using the stories in novels and trade books as case studies in preservice teacher preparation course. This assignment description outlines how to use the novel, Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, as a case study to contextualize and understand the lived story of an individual living and learning with dyslexia. Through the novel, preservice teachers experience the dilemmas faced 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 …

Awakening To Activism: Exploring Disability Activism Through The Voices Of University Student Activists, Sophia Hirokawa

West Chester University Master’s Theses

In this study, I explored disability activist identity and activism through one-on-one, semi-structured qualitative interviews with four university activists who shared their personal stories of awakening to disability activism, using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) to explore themes. Each interviewee had a unique form of disability activist identity and a multifaceted process of awakening to that identity. They identified strengths in the disability activist community, such as a supportiveness, persistence, and uniqueness, but they also identified challenges, such as ineffectiveness of laws and policies, discrimination, and a lack of accessibility and awareness. The results of this study illuminate the …

Udl As A Framework For Expanding Liaison Work And Engaging With Students, Erica Defrain

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

This chapter examines the development of a series of virtual workshops designed to strengthen research and information strategies in the social sciences. Guided by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)—emphasizing equity, flexibility, and simplicity—the program evolved into both a successful synchronous learning experience and a sustainable suite of asynchronous instructional objects accessible across the university. Now in its third semester, the workshops have expanded beyond traditional liaison boundaries, increasing awareness of library resources and services throughout the academic community. The chapter details the iterative process of developing, designing, and assessing the workshops through a UDL framework, highlighting pedagogical …