Disability Studies Commons^™

Examining Effects Of Hearing Aids In Job Interviews, Jesus Jose Martinez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This study attempted to examine the underlying processes of discrimination towards people with hearing disabilities in the hiring context. Previous research has used social identity theory, social categorization theory, social dominance theory, and social motives to explain discrimination toward others. Newer research has suggested that discrimination can be caused by distraction interfering with cognitive processes. There are instances in which both discrimination theories and distraction can be used to explain discrimination. This study tests a model that combines these two lines of research. The results of the study did not find support for this model. However, the results did find …

Beyond Words: Newspapers, Language Usage And Disability Stigma, Laura Kruczinski

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Sociology has a long history of documenting socio-political views that are used by media to portray stereotypes and perpetuate the potential stigmas associated with race, social class, gender, and other disadvantaged social categories. There is comparatively little existing research that discusses how media coverage is connected to disability-related stigma. In this thesis, I use grounded theory to construct a content analysis of newspapers coverage of the 2016 United States Presidential Election. From the data, I examine how stereotypes related to disability may be used in political discourse, drawing from the refined theory of stigma, as outlined by Link and Phelan …

Effect Of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction On Aggression In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, William Sanchez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities occasionally exhibit challenging behaviors through forms of aggression. Interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and applied behavioral analysis, have all been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of aggression. This quantitative study used a secondary analysis of clinical records from an agency that provides day treatment services for adults with intellectual disabilities. To assess the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) program in reducing aggression in this population, 18 individuals with various levels of intellectual disabilities participated in an 8-week MBSR while an additional 18 participants served as the wait list control group …

Disaster Preparedness: Rescue Planning For People With Disabilities, Alimata Coulibaly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Disaster preparedness policy implementation in the United States inadequately integrates people with disabilities (PWDs), most tangibly at the local level, where PWDs do not face an equal chance for survival during disasters compared to those without disabilities. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine current disaster preparedness policies and procedures to identify whether local agencies are following existing laws and policies related to integration of PWDs in Orange and Riverside Counties of California. The study furthered understanding of emergency managers’ and planners’ approaches in coordinating local disaster actors and the impact of their attitudes on local preparedness …

Accessible Design In Rural Health Care: Usability Profile Of Outpatient Health Care Facilities In Rural West Virginia., Jordan E. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. Since then, research has shown that people with disabilities continue to experience environmental, systematic, and structural barriers to health care. The purpose of this research is to explore the prevalence of barriers in rural West Virginia health facilities and the relationship between building characteristics (like age and purpose) and accessibility. The researcher evaluated ten rural outpatient member-sites of the West Virginia Practice-Based Research Network using a survey to understand building characteristics and a tool to measure essential features for a facility to be considered ‘usable’. Findings included a negative correlation …

Service Dogs For Veterans With Ptsd: Taxonomy, Work Stress Reduction, And Matching, Lindsay Parenti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research suggests that many veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) struggle with reintegration (Sayer et al., 2010), but are unlikely to seek help or complete treatment (Schottenbauer et al., 2008). To make matters worse, available treatment options are often time consuming, challenging, and/or associated with negative side effects (Carafano & Hutchinson, 2017). Using animals as a treatment modality for veterans with PTSD is an emerging topic of interest and has shown promise (Owen, et al., 2016; Richie et al., 2016). However, several factors have hindered the advancement of this field. Obstacles include a lack of standard terminology and classification system, …

Perseveration Or Perseverance: Investigating Interpretations Of Echolalia, Self-Stimulatory Behaviors, And Intervention Approaches For Children Who Have Autism, Ashlynn Rae Kufleitner

Senior Independent Study Theses

The broad purpose of this study was to examine professionals’ perceptions of self-stimulatory behaviors in school-age children who have autism and the relation of these behaviors to communication. More specifically, I investigated whether and how speech-language pathologists and applied behavior analysis therapists address these behaviors during therapy by analyzing what factors may influence the selection of intervention methods and how these methods may be used to shape restrictive behaviors into functional communication. Through pursuing this topic, I hoped to increase research concerning the ways that echolalia and self-stimulatory behaviors are perceived by clinicians who work with clients on the autism …

Language Of Disability, Language Of Disorder: An Investigation Of Lived Experiences And Perspectives Of Individuals On The Autism Spectrum With Respect To Communicative Interventions, Rebekah Burkhart

Senior Independent Study Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the lived experiences and first-person perspectives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) with respect to interventions for communicative differences and/or deficits characteristic of autism. This study extends limited research into autistic experiences of interventions in the domain of communication. Furthermore, by extending prior research into neurodiverse values among speech-language pathologists (SLPs), this research contributes to the body of professional literature through exploration of autistic voices as in-group sources of expertise on ASD. The researcher recruited participants online, utilizing mixed methods in the form of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews to …

Rehabilitation Counselor Clinical Judgment Model Application With Data From An Individualized Placement And Support Trial For Veterans Living With Spinal Cord Injuries, Kevin Fields

Theses and Dissertations

Employment rates for veterans with spinal cord injuries remain low despite legislation aimed at helping individuals with significant barriers to employment succeed in finding competitive work. As access to services and resultant outcomes become more scrutinized, the need for Rehabilitation Counselors to efficiently allocate resources grows more vital to the cause. Existing research supports a mediated path model of rehabilitation counselor clinical judgment asserting observations of disability severity, intelligence, and psychosocial adjustment lead to inferences of functional status and attribution thereof, which collectively influence predictions of successful rehabilitation. The current study investigated the variance attributable to this clinical judgement model …

Blurred Lines: A Phenomenological Study Of Maternal-Child Interconnection., Laura Macgregor

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of maternal-child interconnection among 12 mothers raising children, of any age, with developmental disabilities as well communication challenges. During semistructured interviews, mothers told stories of maternal-child interconnection that described a sacred, mutual, and unique interpenetration of experiences between mother and child that was nurtured and sustained by ongoing togetherness. Mothers also shared that their unique mother-child interconnection was difficult to articulate, and often poorly understood beyond the mother-child dyad.

Maternal-child interconnection allowed mothers to understand their children’s unique, often non-verbal communication. As a result, mothers of children with significant communication challenges were able …

Exploring The Personhood And Citizenship Of Persons With Disabilities Among Konkombas In Rural Ghana, Festus Moasun

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are susceptible to various forms of mistreatments, particularly in the developing world, such that their personhoods are called to question. It was for this purpose that I set out to explore the personhood and citizenship of PWDs in rural Ghana. I used the constructivist paradigm in addition to the personhood and critical disability theories to guide the study which was conducted using an interpretive phenomenological research approach. To make the findings of the study participant driven, semi-structured interviews were held with PWDs. The findings revealed personhood to be perceived in a rank order of three semi-fluid …

An In-Depth Analysis Of The Health And Wellbeing Of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Brianne Redquest, Paula Fletcher Dr., Pam Bryden Dr.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Over five studies, this thesis aimed to investigate the overall health and wellbeing of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary objectives were to: (a) explore the areas of concern among individuals with ASD across the spectrum; (b) understand the differences pertaining to the overall health, social and motor functioning between high functioning and low functioning individuals; (c) understand the sex differences pertaining to the overall health, social, and motor functioning among high and low functioning individuals with ASD; (d) gain in-depth detail regarding the social and motor functioning of children and youth with ASD through the perspectives of …