Accessibility Commons^™

Exploring The Experiences Of Physically Challenged Students Enrolled In Path-Fit Courses: A Case Study, Princess Jhoarn A. Sarael, Shermina C. Yusop, Jessel A. Lapinig, Chandelyn C. Linto, Vanessa Lynne C. Seville

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This qualitative case study explores physically challenged students’ experiences in PATH-fit courses within Philippine higher education, investigating their challenges and adaptive strategies. Through in-depth interviews with five students and two instructors in Pagadian City, researchers uncovered significant barriers, including exercise difficulties, physical discomfort, and social exclusion that profoundly impacted course participation. Despite facing substantial obstacles, students demonstrated remarkable resilience by developing innovative coping mechanisms such as proactive instructor communication, creative alternative activity engagement, and strategic leveraging of written assignments. Employing Resiliency Theory, the research challenged conventional disability perspectives, emphasizing that students’ true potential lies in psychological flexibility and problem-solving skills …

Hip-Hop Culture As A Catalyst For Belonging Among Black Male High School Students Who Stutter, Antonio L. Ellis

Journal of the Arts and Special Education

This ethnographic study explores how Hip-Hop culture fosters belonging, identity, and agency among six Black male high school students who stutter in a public charter school in Baltimore, Maryland. Grounded in culturally sustaining pedagogy, DisCrit, and Hip-Hop pedagogy, the research draws on participant observation, interviews, and field notes to examine how students use freestyling, beat-making, and cyphering as expressive tools. Findings reveal that Hip-Hop repositions stuttering as rhythmic expression, cultivates emotional safety through peer collaboration, and challenges deficit-based speech norms. Participants described Hip-Hop spaces as sites of affirmation where their voices were valued and their identities celebrated. The study calls …

Reflection On The ‘Power Of Us’ Conference: How Mainstream Schools In England Offer Provision To Children With Special Educational Needs (Sen), Grace H A Cooper

Plymouth Interdisciplinary Education Open Journal

The majority of children in England with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) are educated within mainstream schools. Due to the broad range of needs of children, it is essential that mainstream schools are provided with adequate funding, preparation and training to ensure that the inclusion of every child is achievable and expected. Furthermore, sometimes schools feel that they cannot offer ample provision to give every child an equitable access to learning and therefore they are directed to SEND schooling – can a mainstream school be considered inclusive if they cannot support all children? This article will consider these arguments …

Enhancing Digital Accessibility For Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing Learners- Innovative Strategies For Inclusive Education, Felicia Rutledge Ph.D.

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

This research-to-practice brief explores innovative strategies to enhance digital accessibility for Deaf or Hard of Hearing (D/HH) learners, focusing on practical applications for inclusive K-12 education. Despite advances in digital learning, D/HH learners face unique barriers due to auditory-centered designs. Accessibility legislation such as the ADA, Section 504, and IDEA mandate educational inclusion for these learners. Key strategies include the integration of assistive technologies (e.g., captioning, ASL video interpretation), the application of the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 guidelines, and adherence to WCAG 2.1 principles for accessible content design. The research-to-practice brief provides actionable insights for educators, administrators, and …

The Lived Experiences Of Disabled Students In Inclusive Classrooms, Tanner Mizel

Dissertations

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of disabled students in inclusive classrooms, with a focus on those participating in extensive support needs (ESN) programs. Intentionally inclusive of students who communicate through diverse methods, including augmentative and alternative communication devices, picture exchange communication systems, American Sign Language, and other nonspoken forms, this phenomenological case study centers the perspectives of students in one middle school’s ESN program through mobile interviews and reflective document analysis. Student perspectives are triangulated through surveys reflecting the perspectives of parents, guardians, and school staff. Grounded in disability studies in education, this study challenges deficit-based approaches to inclusive …

Bridging The Digital Divide In Developing And Developed Countries: A Meta-Analysis, Jessie King, Eric Gotte

University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing

Global school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated a universal shift towards technology-augmented education. This transference of learning platforms revealed both the potential and the challenges of implementing digital tools for learning worldwide. This meta-analysis examines the digital divide between developed and developing countries and how this divide disrupts the learning for students with disabilities, those living in poverty and extreme poverty as well as for those who live in remote areas. It concentrates on how technology has been used to surmount educational disparities, predominantly within the marginalized groups of students with disabilities, individuals in poverty, and those living in …

How Virtual Reality Simulations Prepare Teachers In Teacher Preparation Programs For Inclusive Classrooms, Lorilei G. Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Teacher preparation programs are ever evolving based on research and student needs. The use of technology, such as virtual reality (VR), is at the forefront of education to help provide opportunities for teacher candidates to practice teaching in a semi-authentic classroom environment of students with and without exceptionalities. VR is a way for teacher candidates to practice teaching in a structured and conceivably less stressful environment in comparison to a real brick and mortar inclusive classroom. This qualitative study utilizes interviewing with video cuing for two novice teacher participants who went through the same inclusive education course at a major …

Blended Or Differentiated Instruction For Inclusive Education During Post-Covid-19 Era: The Need For Upgrading School Libraries In Nigeria, Charity Onyishi

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Abstract

With the socio-educational challenges posed by COVID-19, teaching-learning is gradually moving from face-to-face to digital and online distance learning across the world. This makes it generally challenging to meet the needs of all learners in the context of inclusive education. Increasing evidence tends to show that for effective inclusive learning, the hybrid blended approaches to learning should be differentiated. Further still is the fact that school libraries need to be upgraded with resources that meet the needs of diverse learners, and speak to the present hybridization in pedagogy and learning. A major impairing problem is the documented lack of …

The Role Of Assistive Technology (At) In Enhancing The Educational Experience Of Students With Special Needs In Higher Education: A Case Of University Of Zimbabwe Library, Agnes C. Chikonzo, Masimba Muziringa, Jonathan Munyoro

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The study examined how assistive technology (AT) is being used to enhance the educational experience of learners with special needs at the University of Zimbabwe. Using a case study design, primary data were collected mainly through questionnaires from a sample of 82 respondents comprising students with visual impairment and albinism registered with the University of Zimbabwe Disability Support Services Library, a branch of University of Zimbabwe Library. The study results demonstrated that AT provides freedom by enabling respondents to complete academic activities that they were previously unable to do, such as studying, reading, writing, researching, web browsing, emailing, communicating with …

Assessing Learning Of Students With Disabilities, Amit Kaushik

Teacher India

ACER and the Network on Education Quality Monitoring in the Asia-Pacific (NEQMAP) reviewed existing inclusive education policies and practices in the Asia-Pacific region with a particular focus on learning assessment of children with disabilities.

Knowledge And Desires Of Parents Of Middle School Students With Intellectual Disability Regarding Inclusive Education Laws And Practices In South Korea: Qualitative Case Study, Yunji Jeong

Special Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to examine the knowledge and desires of parents of middle school students with ID regarding inclusive education practices and laws in South Korea. I interviewed seven mothers of children with ID who attended South Korean middle school. Three themes emerged including (a) mother-teacher communication, (b) particular knowledge that suppressed further desires for inclusive education, and (c) culture-based advocacy for inclusive education. I discussed these findings based on Confucianism, collectivism, social and medical models of disability, and Rawls’s theory of justice. The mothers neither knew about inclusive education laws nor valued the laws. Instead, they …

Utilizing The Universal Design For Learning Model To Improve Educational Environments In Secondary Inclusive Classrooms, Robyn A. Delahunt

CUP Ed.D. Dissertations

This purpose of this case study was to explore the potential reasons why secondary teachers are resistant to working in inclusive programs, as well as to discover barriers to inclusion so that those obstacles can be addressed and rectified by those who make meaningful, relevant, and holistic educational changes, leading to improved classroom experiences for all parties within inclusive settings. The pre-research prediction that barriers to inclusion revolve around instructional differentiation, increased responsibilities, and additional work load were correct as they relate to the teacher identified obstacles of lack of support and lack of training, with most participants agreeing that …

Perception Of Rural General Educators On The Inclusion And Participation Of Students With Significant Disabilities, Rachel L. Crouch

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to question rural general education teachers’ perceptions and attitudes on the inclusion of students with significant disabilities. The investigator surveyed rural general education teachers on their perceptions of what should be occurring in terms of inclusion and on what they saw as occurring in terms of inclusion of students with significant disabilities. The results yielded mixed perceptions and were generally positive in terms of the inclusion occurring within that school district.

Hitting The Switch: ¡Sí Se Puede!, Stephanie Alberto, Andrea Fonseca, Sandra J. Stein

Occasional Paper Series

Takes us into the lifeworld of first-grader Jason at Castle Bridge Elementary School, a public, dual-language school in New York City. Written by Jason’s teachers Stephanie and Andrea in conjunction with his mother Sandra, this essay puts forward the ethos ¡Sí se puede! (Yes, you can!), which relies on children’s empathy and calls for a collective response to inclusion. “Hitting the Switch” concludes with practical suggestions for creating an inclusive space for children who use assistive communicative devices so that they can become meaningful participants in the classroom community.

Teaching Stories: Inclusion/Exclusion And Disability Studies, Linda Ware, Natalie Hatz

Occasional Paper Series

This research considers the journey of a public school teacher (Natalie) in partnership with her former undergraduate professor (Linda) to teach disability studies to her colleagues and to her fifth grade students. Our research involved multiple components and contexts that we characterize as “Teaching Stories” to consider disability, diversity, and exclusion across settings.

Children With Speech Sound Disorders At School: Challenges For Children, Parents And Teachers, Graham R. Daniel, Sharynne Mcleod

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers play a major role in supporting children’s educational, social, and emotional development although may be unprepared for supporting children with speech sound disorders. Interviews with 34 participants including six focus children, their parents, siblings, friends, teachers and other significant adults in their lives highlighted challenges for these children in school, and challenges for their parents and teachers in meeting these children’s developmental and educational needs. These challenges were centred on the need for specific expertise in the school setting, and access to additional classroom and professional services to support these students’ engagement in the learning and social environments of …

Using Fine Arts To Implement Inclusive Education: Inspiring The School Through A Schoolwide Art Project, Desiree Valentino

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper chronicles the development and completion of a schoolwide living mural project created through the cooperation of every student in an elementary school in Northwest Montana as a way to facilitate inclusive education. The project was fashioned to allow students who are educated in a self-contained classroom the chance to interact with their peers through a schoolwide art project. This involved creating two murals to experience the benefits of the arts; to educate the student body on how to interact with students with disabilities; to demonstrate to general educators how to facilitate the inclusion of all students; and to …

Exploring Cognitively Accessible Academic Lessons For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Using The Ipad, Jamie Linn Gunderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students with intellectual disabilities often lack access to general education curricula. This is because many teachers struggle with adapting these curricula to meet the unique learning needs of these students. Technology, having the potential to facilitate access to general education curricula, has been successfully used as a tool to adapt curriculum for this population. The use of the iPad (Apple, 2010), which is easily programmed to support the unique needs of students with disabilities, is beginning to be explored as a tool for the learning and instruction of students with intellectual disabilities and results have been favorable. Further research is …