Disability Studies Commons^™

Disability Experiences Of University Students: An Interview Study, Cece Austin

University Honors Theses

This thesis explores the experiences of college/university students with disabilities within the educational system. Using a qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who identify as disabled or having disabilities in order to explore impacts of disability on their lives, with a focus on experiences navigating academic environments and accessing accommodations. Findings revealed two recurring themes: 1) the importance of both registered accommodations and accessibility efforts from faculty, and 2) difficulties with accommodations, internalized ableism, and disclosure. This research contributes to broader discussions on disability, inclusion, and educational equity by highlighting the lived experiences of students with disabilities …

Evaluating The Implementation Of Oregon's Dsm-5-Informed Autism Eligibility Revisions: Interest-Holder Perspectives And Policy Implications, Bradley Josef Hendershott

Dissertations and Theses

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), states establish their own autism spectrum disorder (ASD) eligibility criteria, resulting in substantial interstate variation and frequent misalignment with medical diagnostic standards. In 2019, Oregon revised its ASD eligibility criteria by directly incorporating DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, reflecting proponents' theory of action that this alignment would improve conceptual clarity, identification accuracy, and coherence across educational and medical systems. While an early implementation study documented generally positive early effects reported by evaluators, no research has systematically examined whether the DSM-5 alignment achieved its anticipated effects, how the revised criteria function after multiple years of …

Organizational Causes Of Chronic Absenteeism: Unpacking The Conditions For Learning To Increase Regular Attendance, Melissa Glover

Educational Leadership Professional Doctorate Dissertations

This study employed an improvement science methodology, using plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles of improvement, to address the persistent problem of chronic absenteeism within the Gateway School District, where annual absentee rates hovered around 45% and were historically 10% higher for students with disabilities compared to their nondisabled peers. The leadership team engaged in a thorough review of parent and student perceptions of school and aligned findings with Chang’s (2019) conditions for learning framework to pinpoint actionable areas for growth. These findings were then organized into a theory of action using a driver diagram approach. This foundational work led to the identification …

Cinematic Empathy: Autistic Interpretation Of Social Cues In Narrative Film, Lux Gomez

University Honors Theses

From research and lived experience we can see a pattern of Autistic people engaging and forming connection with emotional narratives in media, despite stereotypes suggesting they lack empathy or theory of mind. This mixed-methods study sought to lay the groundwork and start preliminary investigation into how film’s structured formal elements may facilitate autistic viewers’ interpretation of social cues that typically challenge autistic-allistic (nonautistic) communication in real life. A sample of 22 participants (13 autistic, 9 allistic) viewed five film scenes depicting lying, flirting, sarcasm, exposition, and flat affect and completed a survey. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed. While …

The Role Of Neuroscience In Mental Health Management Within The Adhd Population, Kadi Rae Smith

University Honors Theses

Neuroscience-based educational interventions play a role in the management of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), including the regulation of ADHD-correlated depression and anxiety. Existing research shows that elevated rates of depression correspond to anxiety within the ADHD community; approximately 8.83% of the global population. Social ostracization and isolation are established contributors to depression and anxiety which are commonly comorbid with ADHD. The need exists for further investigation of the beneficial impact that an accurate, biological understanding of how the brain works has on the mental health of the ADHD population, and by extension their families, education systems, and medical industries. …

Stigma, Shame, And Narcissism: A Literature Review, Alex Gaither

University Honors Theses

This thesis is a literature review of 12 peer reviewed journal articles accessible through the Portland State University library database on the relationship between stigma, shame, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). This thesis discusses ideas brought up in these articles regarding the classification and conceptualization of NPD as a disorder, the role that shame plays in the pathology of NPD, the ways that shame is addressed through treatment, and public and practitioner held bias resulting from the stigmatization of the disorder. New and upcoming ways of conceptualizing the disorder are also briefly discussed as there has been a push to …

Whipped Into Shape: Infrastructure As Punishment For The Unruly Citizen, Eliza Mortimer

Anthós

This article interrogates how inflexible designs and policies of airline seating, as well as critical socio-political rhetoric, discipline and marginalize bodies that do not conform to normative standards. Situating airline seating within fat and disability studies models, Mortimer argues that these punitive measures are not neutral, but rather reflective of cultural narratives of productivity, morality, and bodily discipline. Mortimer draws from ethnographic analyses of first-person accounts and policy reviews to demonstrate how shrinking seats, rigid policies, and moralized discourse construct a “space of calculability” that pressures fat individuals to monitor and minimize their bodies to justify their presence in public …

Stricken By The Worst Type Of Sickness: The Communal Reaction And Response To Impaired Individuals In The Middle Ages, Alice Holland

Dissertations and Theses

Medieval communities often approached trouble within the fold collectively. This includes concerns over the health and safety of their individual members. This thesis examines the communal perception and treatment of disabled individuals in the Middle Ages. Using four twelfth-century miracle collections, The Miracles of Saint Gibrian (1145), The Life and Miracles of William of Norwich (1150-1172), The Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour (1172-1173), and The Miracles of Thomas Becket (1173-1179), I examine how communities created systems of care for their impaired members. In using these sources, which tell the stories of common individuals traveling to shrines for a saint's …

What Are The Psychosocial Effects Of Service Dogs On Handlers With Disabilities, Kylie Kline

University Honors Theses

This study looks to explore the psychosocial effects that service dogs have on handlers with disabilities. A cross-sectional survey designed to gather information about this directly from service dog handlers was administered to a sample of 20 participants. Then, a qualitative analysis was conducted on data from the survey using an inductive coding scheme that identified themes in the data as key terms and ideas emerged.

Results revealed many nuances surrounding service dogs' effects on handlers' psychosocial health. Notable results include: 20 of 20 participants (100%) reporting their service dogs have had positive impacts on their quality of life; 19 …

We're Here To Stay: Nonviolence And The Disability Rights Movement, Sky Mcleod

University Honors Theses

Nonviolent resistance is an effective tool for enacting large scale change including the advancement of civil rights. Disabled Americans have often used nonviolent protest and civil resistance to this aim. Despite this rich history of activism, the history of the Disability Rights Movement has largely been missing from scholarship on nonviolent resistance. Similarly, historical accounts in Disability Studies provide a fragmented perspective on the use of nonviolent resistance by Disabled people. This thesis delves into this under-appreciated history. From the League of the Physically Handicapped in the 1930s to Trump’s inauguration in 2016, this paper traces the progress of the …

Our Body-Minds Are Not Apologies: How Systemic Oppression, Beauty Standards & Desirability Politics Impact The Body-Image & Sex Lives Of Trans & Non-Binary People With Physical (Dis)Abilities, Elm Mack

University Honors Theses

Due to the ableism, whiteness, and cisgender-heteropatriarchy in the US, people who are marked by racial, physical, neuro, and gendered differences are stereotypically considered to be less desirable. By applying a perspective informed by Disability Studies, Trans Studies, and Queer of Color Theory (including scholars like Eli Clare, Robert McRuer, Sonya Renee Taylor, Audre Lorde, Sami Schalk, Chris Finley, and Alicia Cox), I investigate how societal norms, beauty standards, and systemic oppression have disproportionately impacted the body-images and sex lives of trans and non-binary people with physical (dis)abilities. This thesis aims to shed light on the variety of ways in …

Living On The Outskirts Of Things: Women And Nonbinary People Of Color With Cognitive Disabilities Describe Their Employment Experiences, Laura Spura Rodriguez

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the experiences of discrimination and the strategies used to navigate employment for women of color and nonbinary people of color (POC) with cognitive disabilities (CD) through their own narratives. Using Dis/ability Critical Race Theory and an interpretive description methodology, this study engaged 10 women of color and/or nonbinary POC with CD in semi-structured interviews in order to answer the following research questions: 1) What stories do women of color and nonbinary POC with CD tell about their experiences seeking employment? 2) What are the narratives of women and nonbinary POC with CD about their experiences of racism, …

Perspectives Of Students With Intellectual And/Or Developmental Disability In College Inclusion Programs On Their Preparation For Working In Competitive Integrated Employment, Eva R. Blixseth

Dissertations and Theses

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a history of being isolated, marginalized, and excluded from employment that is competitive and integrated. Policy makers, disability advocates, and self-advocates have made efforts to center inclusive education and employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual disability. Employment is a valuable outcome for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities exiting college inclusion programs (Lee & Colleagues, 2022). However, from 2017 through 2021, not all students with intellectual and/or intellectual disability exiting college inclusion programs were employed. This is concerning as O'Brien et al. (2019) pointed out students' primary goal for completing college inclusion programs …

Assessing The Accessibility Of The Judicial System's Arrest-To-Parole Timeline For People Who Are D/Deaf And Hard-Of-Hearing, Evelyn G. Birnbaum

University Honors Theses

The judicial system is inaccessible to many groups of people for a variety of reasons, one of those populations being the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing community (DHH). This community faces prejudice and discrimination in many institutions because of their identity, but within the justice system, this prejudice is compounded and controlled by poor legislation and either the lack of, or barriers to, effective communication. At every point in the chronological timeline from getting arrested to achieving parole, individuals who are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing face discrimination and obstacles that their hearing counterparts do not. The discrimination they face …

Interpreter Access For The Deaf Community Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Isabella C. Updyke-Welch

University Honors Theses

It has been estimated that 1 out of every 20 Americans are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (HoH).

More research is required to determine how people used ASL interpreters in medical settings but ran into complications with the process of accessing accommodations and interpreters. There is a lack of research that outlines the Deaf community’s preferences when it comes to interpretation options in medical settings. Additional research is required to determine what interpretation options would provide the most benefit and be the most accessible to members of the Deaf community, and all individuals with varying levels of hearing loss.

This …

Parent Concerns Are Associated With Early Intervention Outcomes, Mohadeseh Solgi

University Honors Theses

Objective: To test the association of parents’ concerns with Early Intervention (EI) developmental services outcomes including evaluation, eligibility, and enrollment in services.

Method: We collected survey data on parents’ concerns and EI service use data from a sample of 428 children referred to EI in 2016-2018 from six Oregon primary care clinics serving lower income families as part of a developmental and autism spectrum disorder screening intervention. We assessed EI service use trajectories and associations of parent concern presence, age of child at time of parents’ concerns, number of concerns, and type of provider concern, with EI evaluation, EI eligibility, …

An Intervention To Increase Detection Of Developmental Delays In Wic Programs, Mohadeseh Solgi, Julie A. Reeder, Sherri Alderman, Katharine E. Zuckerman

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Annual Conference

Background: Low-income children are at risk for under-detection of developmental disabilities DD. WIC clinics see low-income children regularly in early childhood and could be an important source of referrals to developmental services.

Objectives: To increase the number of referrals to EI/ECSE from non-primary care settings such as WIC.

Methods: This was a site-randomized trial of an intervention to train WIC staff in early identification of DD’s, using CDC’s LTSAE developmental monitoring materials. 7 county WIC agencies in Oregon enrolled; 4 intervention agencies and 3 control agencies. The intervention consisted of an on-site, half-day training regarding signs of developmental delays, use …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Video-Based Interventions To Improve Integrated Competitive Employment Skills Among Youth And Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Vidya D. Munandar, Mary E. Morningstar, Sarah R. Carlson

Special Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

BACKGROUND:

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have lower employment rates than their peers without disabilities or other disabilities. Clear evidence exists regarding video-based interventions (VBIs) for improving task performance and social communication skills for students with ASD. However, such interventions have rarely been applied in integrated employment settings.

OBJECTIVE:

This systematic literature review aims to examine the utilization and efficacy of video-based interventions in improving the skills required to secure and maintain a job for youth and adults with ASD.

METHODS:

A systematic literature review was conducted on peer-reviewed articles on VBIs and ASD from electronic databases (n.d. –2019), …

Development Of The Aaspire Web Accessibility Guidelines For Autistic Web Users, Dora Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Katherine E. Mcdonald, Michael Weiner, Elesia Ashkenazy, Christina Nicolaidis

OHSU-PSU School of Public Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

Websites figure predominantly in everyday life. However, many websites remain inaccessible to autistic people, and existing efforts to improve accessibility are in early stages, do not directly include autistic users in their development, or have not been empirically evaluated. The Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) used a community-based participatory research approach to create a website to improve health care access for autistic adults. We used the creation of that website as a “living laboratory” to develop the AASPIRE Web Accessibility Guidelines for Autistic Web Users. Our guidelines are grounded in accessibility theory, had autistic end-user involvement …

A Foucaultian Discourse Analysis Of Person-Centered Practice Using A Genealogical Framework Of Intellectual Disability, Nick Winges-Yanez

Dissertations and Theses

A genealogical framework highlights the important role sexuality has played in constructing the current label of intellectual disability (ID). The genealogical framework is meant to replace the social, medical, and/or rights-based model(s) that have dominated social work and social services working in the disability field. With this framework, or perspective, I use a Foucaultian discourse analysis to read through seminal texts regarding person-centered practice.

Person-centered practice is the foremost intervention used in social work, and other disciplines, to work with people labeled with intellectual disability. My research questions focus on what is revealed about ID in PCP through a genealogical …

Neighbor Perceptions Of Psychiatric Supportive Housing : The Role Of Knowledge, Attitudes, And Behaviors, Amy Leigh Shearer

Dissertations and Theses

Purpose: Historically, communities have opposed the development of residential programs for adults with psychiatric disabilities. In the last two decades, national and local campaigns have made targeted efforts to improve public knowledge about mental illness, and attitudes and behaviors towards mental health clients. Supportive housing policies have also been revised to better facilitate integration and independence for clients with psychiatric disabilities. Despite these changes, the number of studies on perceptions of psychiatric supportive housing has dramatically declined in recent years. Little is known about how neighbors currently perceive psychiatric housing and neighbors with mental illness, or the role that mental …

Affirmative Consent Endorsement And Peer Norms Supporting Sexual Violence Among Vulnerable Students On College Campuses, Alyssa Marie Glace

Dissertations and Theses

Understanding how students endorse affirmative consent in their sexual relationships is essential to sexual violence prevention. Some research has indicated that LGBT students and students with disabilities may negotiate and endorse consent uniquely because of socially constructed traditional sexual scripts. Research indicates gender differences may exist as well. The proposed research examines differences based on gender, LGBT status, and disability in affirmative consent endorsement and peer norms around sexual violence. Results indicated that women, nonbinary students, LGBT students, and students with disabilities were significantly less likely than their privileged counterparts to indicate low endorsement of affirmative consent. Results also indicated …

An Evaluation Of Families And Service Providers Participating In Participatory Action Research Related To Self-Determination In Young Children With Disabilities, Kristen L. Kozlowski

Dissertations and Theses

The concept of self-determination or "acting as the primary casual agent in one's life and making choices and decisions regarding one's quality of life free from undue external influence or interference" (Wehmeyer, 1996, p.24) has long been a focus of educating adults with disabilities. Recently, researchers and educators have begun to examine teaching foundational skills of self-determination to young children with disabilities. It is important to evaluate programs and methodologies that are said to enhance self-determination in order to ensure their efficacy. Research has examined self-determination programs involving adults and older children, however to date there have been few studies …

Disability Rights Mandates: Federal And State Compliance With Employment Protection And Architectural Barrier Removal, Stephen Percy, United States Advisory Commission On Intergovernmental Relations

Office of the President Publications and Presentations

The findings of this study indicate that the existence of national mandates does not necessarily eliminate the need for citizen groups to be attentive to state capitols and city halls. Ironically, one factor in the rise of regulatory federalism has been the desire of interest groups to concentrate their resources on one government, namely, the national government, rather than 50 different state governments. Yet, success in the national arena is often only partial, and sometimes only largely symbolic. It is the implementation of national rules that takes one back to states and localities.

The findings of this study also suggest …

Community Vocational Success Of Institutionalized Mental Retardates As A Function Of Coping Style, Jane C. Schilling

Dissertations and Theses

In May, 1968, Fairview Hospital and Training Center (for the Mentally Retarded) located in Salem, Oregon, initiated its first Manpower Development and Training Program (MDT) coupled with an On-The-Job Training Program (OJT). The OJT portion of the training phase was eventually renamed and is now known as the Jobs Optional Program (JOP). Since the start of the program, a total of 273 residents have participated in the institutional phase and 131 in the JOP phase.

The purpose of this study was to develop a scale that would predict a trainee's (or potential trainee's) success or failure in the JOP phase …