Accessibility Commons^™

Deconstructing Definitions: Repositioning Technological Access & Literacy Within Agent Ability, Carole Reynolds

Department of Humanities Publications

Our society cannot have concerns about access without literacy because they are congruous; neither is distinct nor complete without the other in technological contexts. The United States Department of Education repeatedly calls for more, better, and increased access and literacy to technologies. Our elected officials make national speeches imparting similar rhetoric and ideas. A problem with this particular information dissemination by inherently powerful entities or persons is they make assumptions of what access and literacy are, with minimal definition, and virtually no context of agent ability with technology. These ambiguous terms and deficient definitions have subsequently proliferated in academic scholarship, …

The Effects Of Increased Accountability Standards On Graduation Rates For Students With Disabilities, Mitzie Lee Moore

Dissertations

This research sought to determine if unintended effects of increased accountability standards on graduation rates for students with disabilities existed. Data from one southeastern state were utilized in order to determine if graduation rates were impacted as a result of higher accountability standards. In addition, administrator attitudes on views of NCLB, high-stakes testing of students with disabilities, strategies initiated to exclude students with disabilities from high-stakes tests, and inclusion of all students with disabilities in the growth model. Archival data from 2001 and 2010 were used to compare pre and post graduation rates for significant differences. Survey results were collected …

Teacher Attitudes Toward The Use Of Accommodations In The Classroom And On Standardized Tests, Michele Penny Meadows

Dissertations

Educating students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment necessitates the use of accommodations and modifications to help these students have better access to the general education curriculum. As a result of inclusion, general education teachers are required to teach students with disabilities in their general education classrooms. Even though regular education teachers have assistance from special education teachers, not all general education teachers (and some special education teachers) believe they have the education, experience, or support to teach these students effectively. This study measured general education teacher and special education teacher attitudes toward the use accommodations for special education …

Family Experiences And Children With Autism Who Use Speech Generating Devices, Rebecca Elizabeth Mullican

Dissertations

Semi-structured interviews were used to investigate family experiences with their children with autism who use Speech Generating Devices (SGDs).Six parents were interviewed on two separate occasions about their experiences with their child, ages three-eighteen. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the interviews. Five super-ordinate themes emerged: (a) Complexity of speech generating devices as tools for communication, (b) Tension between structure and play, (c) Interplay between requesting and social interaction, (d) The fluctuating role of parent advocate, and (e) Building a diverse support network. These qualitative findings can be used to inform families and professionals working with children who …

An Examination Of The Perception Of Special Education Teachers In The Mississippi Delta Toward Their Transition Competencies, Vickie Elaine Curry

Dissertations

Transition from high school to post-school activities is recognized as a serious challenge for students with disabilities (Shandra & Hogan, 2008; Wehman, 2006). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (2006) outlines the development of the IEP and transition plan as an essential task. However, the preponderance of secondary special educators lacks self-assurance in the ability to address students’ transition desires (Prater, Sileo, & Black, 2000). Little is known about how special education teachers proffer transition services to students with disabilities and the scope to which teachers are equipped and pleased with the services they provide. This quantitative descriptive study …

Navigation And Accessibility For Persons With Disabilities: An Anthropological Study Using Gis On The University Of Arkansas Campus, Deborah Jean Raiees-Dana

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The University of Arkansas was founded in 1871 on the top of a hill overlooking the Ozark Mountains, resulting in a campus that has steep slopes and numerous historical buildings that were not designed with ADA regulations in mind. This makes getting around campus especially difficult for students with limited mobility, and no campus maps exist that include handicapped accessibility features to help navigate the terrain and limited parking options. This study examines this issue using a holistic approach that explores cultural and technological factors to produce a map of the Historic Core District of campus.

Geographical Information Systems enable …

Case 6: Armidale High School, Nsw - Backtrack Community Partnership, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Tender Bridge

Armidale High School is a comprehensive, partially selective high school in Armidale, NSW. The school has about 90 Aboriginal students out of a total school population of just over 600. The school has a range of community partnerships that have been initiated to cater for a wide variety of student career transition programs. Armidale High School (AHS) and BackTrack Youth Works (BYW) have had a strong partnership since 2006, when BackTrack first started working with young Indigenous people in Armidale. Since BackTrack began running programs at AHS, there has been a documentable increase in the number of young people who …

Lack Of Communication Even When Using Alternative And Augmentative Communication Devices: Are We Forgetting About The Three Components Of Language, Gianluca De Leo, Margaret Lubas, Jennifer R. Mitchell

VMASC Publications

[First paragraph] Starting in the early 90s, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices were introduced in special education classrooms. These devices were intended to replace the picture-based communication approaches, such as PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System).