Special Education and Teaching Commons^™

Podcasts Episode 01: Dr. Bill Wiener, William R. Wiener, Amy T. Parker

O&M On the Go

Dr. Bill Wiener, an Endowed Professor at the North Carolina Central University, shares his thoughts on the development of the field of Orientation and Mobility and on Code of Ethics for Orientation and Mobility.

Image credit: North Carolina Central University in Durham

Podcasts Episode 02: Greg Stilson, Greg Stilson, Amy T. Parker

O&M On the Go

At the time of this podcast, Mr. Greg Stilson was a Product Director at Humanware and since has become a Product Director at Aira. In this podcast, Mr. Stilson, who happens to be blind, reflects on the advances in orientation aids and the ways that these technologies complement older technologies, such as canes and tactile maps.

Image credit: LinkedIn Greg Stilson profile

Podcasts Episode 05: Dr. Laura Bozeman, Laura Bozeman, Amy T. Parker

O&M On the Go

Dr. Laura Bozeman is an Associate Director of Vision Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. In this podcast, Dr. Bozeman describes her work with different populations of people with visual impairment, including people with multiple disabilities, offering insights on the importance of what we learn from our students by listening to what is important to them.

Image Credit: VisionAware

Podcasts Episode 04: Dr. Sandra Rosen, Sandra Rosen, Amy T. Parker

O&M On the Go

In the fourth episode of the podcast for SPED 510 (Orientation & Mobility Methods), Prof. Amy Parker talks with Dr. Sandra Rosen. Dr. Rosen is an expert on orientation and mobility -- helping people with visual impairments develop the skills needed for safe, independent travel.

Image credit: Graduate College of Education - San Francisco State University

Podcasts Episode 03: Dr. Gene Bourquin, Gene Bourquin, Amy T. Parker

O&M On the Go

In this interview, Dr. Bourquin considers the role that sound perception plays in orientation and mobility. Before becoming a certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist, Dr. Bourquin was an American Sign Language interpreter for Deaf and DeafBlind individuals. Listen as he describes his work with people who have combined vision and hearing loss, describing their use of additional senses, strategies and technologies to travel successfully.

Image credit: Bourquin Consulting Facebook

Podcasts Episode 06: Dr. Grace Ambrose Zaken, Grace Ambrose Zaken, Amy T. Parker

O&M On the Go

Dr. Grace Ambrose Zaken is a Professor of Special Education at Hunter College in New York. In this podcast, she describes her passion for young travelers, including toddlers with visual impairment. Through her research and practice, she has designed a new type of cane that encourages young children with vision loss to move and explore with less fear of falling.

Image Credit: Grace Ambrose Zaken YouTube

The Think College Transition Model: Developing Inclusive College-Based Transition Services For Students With Intellectual Disability And Autism, Meg Grigal, Maria Paiewonsky, Debra Hart

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Think College Insight Brief #34 features information about the Think College Transition (TCT) Project. This project focuses on the dual enrollment for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) or autism. Typically this model is used for students seeking to take advanced placement courses so they can seek college credit and high school credit at the same time. TCT has found that dual enrollment is a promising practice for students with ID and autism. 

The Think College Transition Model: Developing Inclusive College-Based Transition Services For Students With Intellectual Disability And Autism, Meg Grigal, Maria Paiewonsky, Debra Hart

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Think College Insight Brief #34 features information about the Think College Transition (TCT) Project. This project focuses on the dual enrollment for students with intellectual disabilities (ID) or autism. Typically this model is used for students seeking to take advanced placement courses so they can seek college credit and high school credit at the same time. TCT has found that dual enrollment is a promising practice for students with ID and autism. 

Access To The Disability Supports Office By Students With Intellectual Disability In Tpsid Programs, Clare Papay, Frank Smith, Meg Grigal

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This Fast Fact #13 examines data from the model demonstration projects focused on how many college students with disabilities access the Disability Supports Office (DSO), and what services they receive from the DSO. The findings suggest that more students are requesting services from the DSO, in general, with higher numbers being reported from 2-year institutions of higher education (IHE) than 4-year IHEs. 

Access To The Disability Supports Office By Students With Intellectual Disability In Tpsid Programs, Clare Papay, Frank Smith, Meg Grigal

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

This Fast Fact #13 examines data from the model demonstration projects focused on how many college students with disabilities access the Disability Supports Office (DSO), and what services they receive from the DSO. The findings suggest that more students are requesting services from the DSO, in general, with higher numbers being reported from 2-year institutions of higher education (IHE) than 4-year IHEs. 

Evidence-Based Assessment In Adapted Physical Education On Psychomotor Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis, Sam R. Diskin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

There is little data to show evidence-based practices in adapted physical education and whether it is working or not. There is a lack of information currently on the frequency that assessments are being done, on the disabilities that are being assessed or should be assessed with each test, and on the uses of the assessments that are being done. The aim of this paper is to assess and synthesize all evidence-based practices on psychomotor outcomes in adapted physical education using a meta-analysis. Data was sourced from computerized searches using the following databases: SPORT Discus, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Pub Med (Medline), Cochrane …

Literary Devices: Effects Of Classroom Management On Student Engagement With 1:1 Devices, Elizabeth Parker

All Master's Theses

The study compares two different classroom management strategies in a 5th and 6th grade classroom using an iPad based intervention. The students participated in 10 sessions of a language and grammar intervention on the Moby Max program. During five of the sessions, the teacher actively monitored the classroom, walking around the room, and redirecting students as necessary. For the other five sessions, the teacher used data from the intervention and monitored and redirected students from her computer screen. The data collected included the number of corrections given to each student by the teacher, the number of minutes the program considered …

Opinion Paragraph Writing Intervention For Students With Significant Disability, Pamela J. Mims, Carol Stranger, R. Pennington, W. White, J. Sears, N. Strickler

ETSU Faculty Works

Increasingly, technology has been used to provide access to academic curricula for students with moderate to severe intellectual disability. In the current pilot study, we used a multiple probe across participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a technology-based instructional package on the opinion writing skills of three middle school students with moderate and severe intellectual disability. Findings suggest that the intervention resulted in improved performance across all three participants and that all participants maintained performance at levels greater than baseline. Limitations and implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Classroom Readiness For Successful Inclusion: Teacher Factors And Preschool Children’S Experience With And Attitudes Toward Peers With Disabilities, Kyong-Ah Kwon, Soo-Young Hong, Hyun-Joo Jeon

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

The current study examined (1) associations among teachers’ experiences regarding children with disabilities (i.e., education, specialized training, years of work experience), their attitudes toward disabilities, and their classroom practices in relation to inclusion and (2) associations among children’s attitudes toward peers with disabilities and child and teacher factors. Ninety-one 4- and 5-year-old children participated in an interview, and their teachers completed a survey. Teachers’ specialized training and bachelor’s degree in early childhood education (ECE) were positively associated with their inclusive practices in the classroom; teachers’ bachelor’s degree in ECE and experiences working with children with disabilities were positively associated with …

Puzzled Representations: Popular Media And How Educators Come To Know Autism, Vanessa N. Keener

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

People learn about the world through popular culture. Popular culture media representations of autism can be found in TV, film, literature, Internet media, advertisements, and more. This study employed a quantitative correlational design to survey 273 Georgia educators regarding their perceptions of autism, including knowledge about autism, best practices for teaching students labeled as having autism, perceived positivity and accuracy of popular media representations of autism, as well as participant identification with popular media representations of autism and personal characteristics (i.e., age, sex, level of education, type of degree, years of teaching experience, professional and personal experiences). Six major findings …

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 …

Developing Conceptual Understanding And Procedural Fluency In Algebra For High School Students With Intellectual Disability, Andrew J. Wojcik

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching students with Intellectual Disability (ID) is a relatively new endeavor. Beginning in 2001 with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, the general education curriculum integrated algebra across the K-12 curriculum (Kendall, 2011; National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010), and expansion of the curriculum included five intertwined skills (productive disposition, procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and conceptual understanding) (Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001). Researchers are just beginning to explore the potential of students with ID with algebra (Browder, Spooner, Ahlgrim-Delzell, Harris & Wakeman, 2008; Creech-Galloway, Collins, Knight, …

Educational Predictors For Postsecondary Living Status, Irina Cain

Theses and Dissertations

This study was performed as the result of gaps in the literature in the area of transition to independent living (IL) using secondary data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 (NLTS-2). Its findings identify individual, skills, family, and school factors that predict postsecondary living status and moderators of the relationships between predictors and the outcome. Specifically, results indicated the following factors as predicting postsecondary living status: individual factors (ethnicity and disability label), skills (self-care, functional mental, personal autonomy, self-realization, and social), family factors (parental expectations and parental involvement in school), and school factors (student’s role in transition planning and …

Parents' Perceptions Regarding The Special Education Classification Of Other Health Impairment (Ohi), Michael C. Norman

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Students identified by the special education classification Other Health Impairment (OHI) represent the third largest group of students receiving special education services in the United States. The special education services offered these students include both academic and health related supports. The delivery of these services is enhanced when a partnership exits between the primary stakeholders; the student, parents, the school personnel, and the medical personnel. The use of Family Centered Care principles in the delivery of these services supports and maintains the partnership.

Following the qualitative analysis of a series of interviews of parents whose children were classified as OHI, …

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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

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Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities (JSESD)

The Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed journal with an international focus on providing information on science education for students with varying types and levels of disabilities. We aspire to publish the best of theoretical research and practical application and we review articles by both special and general educators. Interesting topics have included innovative curricular ideas, instructional adaptations, research-based modifications, best practices, and management issues in science education.

Copyright Statement

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

Publication rights to works is granted to Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, however, full copyright for works published in this journal is retained by the author(s). The author(s) may post their works online in an institutional repository, on their University departmental website, or on their own personal websites

A Comparative Study Of Three Approaches For Enhancing Teaching Knowledge Of Dyslexia, Kayla Steltenkamp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

Teachers are the foundational component of the education system. Annually, they are required to engage in professional development opportunities to expand their knowledge. Since 1985 there has been a profusion of legislative attention to the reading disability dyslexia. Included in legislation is the mandate for teacher training, but there is a lack of research on effective professional development to increase teacher knowledge of dyslexia. This study compared three models of professional development to assess their efficacy in increasing declarative knowledge of dyslexia for elementary general education teachers. The results indicated that the use of simulation training alone was less effective …

School Libraries, Disabilities, And A Phenomenological Progression To Policy Change, Patrice Narret Foerster

Dissertations

Research has shown that school librarians are not well equipped to work with students who have disabilities. Applying a conceptual framework culled from the public policy process literature, this phenomenological study used interviews with Washington, DC, policy workers--some of whom advocate for students with disabilities--to explore the possible connection between library experiences and the placement of libraries within the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The findings indicate that these workers are not framing libraries in the same way that library professionals do and are not viewing school libraries as a direct source of student instruction. This dichotomy suggests that …

Importance Of Accommodating Elementary School Students With Learning Disabilities, Angelica R. Rivera

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone examines the rationale why it is important to accommodate the students with learning disabilities at the elementary schools. Mainstreaming students with disabilities with those in regular general education classrooms remains a very important issue for principals and teachers. Through the use of literature review and interviews with a principal and a teacher from their respective schools in the Monterey County area, the results show that there is a gap between the services provided to students with learning disabilities.

Current Trends In Psychological And Educational Approaches For Training And Teaching Students With Autism In California, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Within the United States, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has seen a dramatic increase over the past twenty years. As the prevalence rate of ASD increases, an increased need for expertise in the field of education has become apparent. Psychological and educational practices for training and teaching students with ASD continue to evolve in California however, a significant gap between theory and practice remains. This article provides a historical perspective of ASD and its prevalence rates. In addition, this article examines the current shifts in teacher training and provides an overview of evidence-based strategies to support students with ASD.

Teacher Perceived Barriers To Inclusive Instructional Delivery Approaches, Casey M. Wright

Honors Theses

The aim of this undergraduate thesis is to identify the perceived barriers to Inclusive Instructional Delivery Approaches (IIDA) through the perspective of general education teachers. For decades, students identified as having special educational needs have not been adequately served in the classroom. This study reveals the best practices used to include students with disabilities in the general education classroom and why they are not being employed as often as they should be. Through use of survey, the researcher allowed for the opportunity to answer (a) Which IIDAs are used most often? (b) How much time per week do teachers spend …

A Mother's Spiritual Journey With Her Disabled Son: An Autoethnography, Margaret C. Higgins Edd

Dissertations

Abstract

This autoethnographic research delves into a mother’s experiences with her disabled son over thirty-five years. Beginning with a thick description of the crib accident that resulted in physical and cognitive disabilities that profoundly change the course of both mother and son’s life, this research chronicles the search for meaning, community, and healing as they negotiate the realms of medicine, education, career, family, and spirituality. Models of disability that seek to explain various ways in which society often views disability are examined, but none resonate with the researcher’s intimate experiences nor satisfies her deepest needs for insight and healing. Making …

An Examination Of Accessible Hands-On Science Learning Experiences, Self-Confidence In One’S Capacity To Function In The Sciences, And Motivation And Interest In Scientific Studies And Careers., Mick D. Isaacson, Cary Supalo, Michelle Michaels, Alan Roth

Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities

This study examined the potential relationship of accessible hands-on science learning experiences to the development of positive beliefs concerning one’s capacity to function in the sciences and motivation to consider science as a college major and career. Findings from Likert survey items given before and after engaging in accessible hands-on science laboratories show that students who were blind or had low vision (BLV) were more likely to agree with the following items after engaging in accessible science experiences: 1) I plan on enrolling as a science major in college; 2) My educational experiences, so far, have given me the …

Increasing Engagement Of Students With Learning Disabilities In Mathematical Problem-Solving And Discussion, Rachel Lambert, Trisha Sugita

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Engagement in problem-solving and mathematical discussion is critical for learning mathematics. This research review describes a gap in the literature surrounding engagement of students with Learning Disabilities in standards-based mathematical classrooms. Taking a sociocultural view of engagement as participation in mathematical practices, this review found that students with LD were supported towards equal engagement in standards-based mathematics through multi-modal curriculum, consistent routines for problem-solving, and teachers trained in Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching. Using this small set of studies (7), we identify the need to deepen the engagement of students with LD in mathematical problem-solving and discussion. This review concludes with …

Explaining Special Education Communication Disorder Classification By Race, Native Language Spoken, Ses, And El Status: A Logistic Regression Study, Jonathan Fost

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study examined whether a special education communication disorder for kindergarten students was dependent on race/ethnicity, native language spoken, socioeconomic status, and EL status using a dataset of 3,642 students across 2010, 2012, and 2014 in a large district in Oregon. Using a logistic regression methodology, this study explored (a) the relationship between identification with a special education communication disorder by race/ethnicity, (b) the relationship between identification with a special education communication disorder by native language, (c) the relationship between identification with a special education communication disorder by socioeconomic status (based on free and reduced lunch status), and (d) the …