Disability Studies Commons^™

Workers With Disabilities May Remain Unemployed Long After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jennifer D. Brooks

Population Health Research Brief Series

While the re-opening of the U.S. economy promises a return to work for some, this may not be the case for many displaced workers with disabilities. This issue brief describes the intricacies of employability of workers with disabilities .

New Frontier In Technology: Smart Homes, Daria Domin

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Third in a series of Innovative AT Practices briefs, New Frontier in Technology: Smart Homes describes an initiative by the Alaska Assistive Technology Program centered around adopting a range of technologies to develop “smart homes.” These homes are equipped with devices that allow for tasks, typically performed by humans, to be automated by voice, touch, and sensors. Smart home technology has shown a lot of promise to increase quality of life and independence for individuals with disabilities.

Fighting For 504: Negotiating Hegemonic Ability Through Verbal Advocacy And Disabled Embodiment, Drew Finney

Department of Communication Studies: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In my thesis, I look at San Francisco’s 504 sit-in for disability rights. I argue that both the verbal advocacy and the embodied actions of protestors demonstrate that dis/ability is constructed through a hegemonic process. I contend that combating hegemonic understandings of disability creates a tension between being a counter hegemonic movement and desiring the benefits of hegemonic legibility. To make these arguments, my thesis draws several conclusions. I argue that activists enacted a civil- rights framework to communicate the need for Section 504 to the public. I explain that activists adopted the role of educator to address problematic ideas …

A Tale Of Two Statistics: Has Unemployment Among Adults With Disabilities Really Declined?, Jennifer D. Brooks

Population Health Research Brief Series

This data slice describes that although the unemployment rate has declined among both those with and without disabilities, the percentage of working-age adults in both groups who are out of the labor force altogether (i.e., not looking for work or unable to work) is higher than a decade ago.

Sport Participation For People With Disabilities: Examining Perceived Constraints To Participation In Sport, Allison Pinello

Masters Theses, 2020-current

The aim of this paper is to investigate the constraints, or barriers, that people with disabilities (PwDs) perceive as factors related to their participation in sport and recreation activities. An electronic questionnaire was administered through email via a regional disability advocacy and programming organization and was completed by PwDs with varying levels and types of disability. The questionnaire included questions related to three different dimensions of constraint: intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural, as well as subdimensions within the structural constraint. From the data analysis, five different conclusions were drawn: 1) The interpersonal constraint was the most commonly cited constraint. 2) The …

Modeling Disability: Softly Making The Invisible Visible, Libby Evan

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

“I am not asking for pity. I am telling you about my disability.” -Eli Clare

In the following Bachelor of Fine Arts thesis statement, you will not find someone overcoming their disability. You will not find a tale of inspiration. You will not find a cure for ableism. You simply will find an individual's experience of disability— my experience of disability.

My invisible disability puts the medical model and social model of disability in constant tension as I navigate everyday life living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and severe arthritis. Both models seek to find blame for disability, whether in searching …

The Impact Of Location On Healthcare Access For Individuals With Disabilities, Addison Kimber

Honors Scholar Theses

This paper analyzes healthcare access for individuals with disabilities living in rural areas. In current political discussion, we typically think of insurance coverage as the metric to analyze healthcare access. However, as demonstrated by studies of healthcare in the United Kingdom, people with disabilities continue to face barriers to health care even with universal healthcare systems. In particular, individuals in rural areas have less healthcare access than urban residents. This is due to factors including socioeconomic status, insurance coverage, access to competent care, and transportation. This study aims to understand if disability status exacerbates the issue of access in rural …

When We Tell You We Can Do It, Believe Us: An Analysis Of The Legislation And Policies Related To The Employment Of Women With Disabilities In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Sarah M. Alem

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation aims at exploring the barriers to the adequate implementation of the legislation, policies and regulations related to the employment of women with disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the private sector. It uses Article 27 of the United Nations Convention for Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as an international standard. This dissertation explores the strengths and challenges of Saudi Arabia’s Labor Law and regulations in protecting the employment related rights of women with disabilities in Saudi Arabia. It adopts a multi-component analysis by comparing standards (a, b, e and h) of Article 27 of the CRPD with …

Blackness And Disability And How Disability Is Too Often Forgotten, Abel C. Rose

Student Publications

Disability is commonly left out of discussions on intersectional oppression, and this omission and stigmatization of disability does us all a disservice. Black people are more likely to be disabled due to the continuous violence of racism, and black people and disabled people in their status as “other” often find themselves needing to prove their worth in a society that does not see their lives as unconditionally valuable. We cannot see the full picture on issues of oppression such as racism and sexism without considering disability.

The Effects Of Dance On People With Disabilities, Heidi Po

Honors Program Theses

Dance can be used as therapy and fun for those in the disability community. A quarter of adult Americans live with some form of disability, but there are not many dance programs that include them. This paper looks at an inclusive dance studio in Orlando, FL that serves children and adults and analyzes the benefits gained from participating in an inclusive dance program. To study this, parents of students and paraprofessionals who work with Chance 2 Dance, whether Chance 2 Dance comes to their organization or they recommended students to the studio, were interviewed. These interviews were analyzed thematically. A …

Examining Communication Patterns And Identity In Families With Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Amber L. Alvey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“Deafness in the context of the hearing family attacks the backbone of the family structure, namely communication” (Ahlert & Greeff, 2012, p. 402). There is a link between communication and identity, specifically the role of communication on identity (Jung & Hecht, 2004). The purpose of this study is to better understand the experiences of families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing by investigating the relationship between family communication patterns and identity. In this study, I conducted in-depth interviews with the parents of children who are hard of hearing to investigate family communication patterns and identity. Using Family …

An Extension Of Social Justice : A Rawlsian Application Of Justice For The Intellectually Disabled, Jennifer Christina Tillman

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In this dissertation, I add to the literature in the following way. First, I review the existing criticisms of Rawls’s theory of justice, which claims that he is unable to address the question of justice for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Second, I explain how Rawls’s idea of reciprocity can accommodate some forms of disability but not the more severe cases. Third, I develop an account of a right to political identity that can provide an extension of Rawls’s theory to address the more severe cases of disability. From these steps, I will suggest that these changes will allow us to …

Making Good : World War I, Disability, And The Senses In American Rehabilitation, Evan Patrick Sullivan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study looks at how disabled American soldier-patients and the US Army used the senses as tools of rehabilitation after the Great War. Contemporaries argued that, when the hundreds of thousands of American soldiers came home wounded or sick after the Great War, the men needed to make good. The phrase “making good” meant that sacrifice in the war was not enough, and veterans had to become socially and economically independent, and return to heterosexual relationships. In an effort to return to normalcy, the US Army relied on rehabilitation, which aimed to medically and socially re-integrate the men into society.

Access To Accommodating Housing In An Era Of Fair Housing : Disability Status And Housing Outcomes, Kaya Hamer-Small

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

According to the U.S. Census, an estimated 56.7 million (19%) of U.S. citizens had a disability in 2010. In 2015, one out of every five adults had a disability with projections showing that by 2050, the disabled population is expected to comprise 27.1% of the non-institutionalized population. This study aimed to better understand housing accessibility by evaluating the 1988 Fair Housing Amendments Act (FHAA) and evaluating the availability of accessible housing for people with disabilities to meet their housing needs. The FHAA was the first policy that made provisions to protect the private housing rights of people with disabilities and …

New Law Helps Ensure Assistive Technology For Students Who Need It, Daria Domin, John Shepard

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Fourth in a series of Innovative AT Practices briefs, New Law Helps Ensure Assistive Technology for Students Who Need It describes the legislative advocacy work conducted by the Illinois Assistive Technology Program to help pass a bill in the Illinois state legislature that mandates assistive technology to be considered as part of every individualized education plan (IEP) meeting.

Destigmatizing Disability In The Law Of Immigration Admissions, Medha D. Makhlouf

Faculty Contributions to Books

In U.S. immigration law, disability has historically been associated with deviance, and has served as the basis for legal barriers to entry and eventual citizenship. For example, immigrants with actual and perceived physical and intellectual disabilities, mental illness, and other health conditions have been deemed “inadmissible” to the United States based on the belief that they are likely to become dependent on the government for support. Although the law has evolved to accommodate immigrants with disabilities in some ways, significant legal barriers still exist on account of the widespread, persistent characterization of disability as a “bad difference” from the norm. …

Disabled Women In A Dictatorial Regime: Sexual Assault And Disability In Zimbabwe, Paidamoyo Chikate

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In 2013, the Zimbabwean government promulgated a final draft of legislation meant to serve and improve the lives of people living with disabilities in the country. The move was made in the name of “solidarity” as the government purportedly turned a corner from dictatorship to power sharing as a result of what was referred to as the Government of National Unity. Disability activists made various demands of the government from formulating a definition that covers all forms of disability, accessible government buildings, the mainstreaming of disability and representation at the local and parliamentary levels of legislation. Chief among these demands …

Hiv-Positive Kenyan Women With A Disability: Social Support's Role In Treatment Seeking, Evelyn Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Understanding social support from the context of disabled women living in conditions of extreme poverty may be useful in the development of effective interventions to advocate for and improve their likelihood of engagement in HIV-related treatment services. Thus, the purpose of this cross-sectional survey study was to examine the relationship between social support and treatment seeking among a sample of HIV-positive Kenyan women with physical disabilities. Correlations were examined between an individual’s source of social support (family, friend, significant other), type of social support (appraisal, tangible, self-esteem, belonging), and HIV-related treatment seeking. Age, marital status, income availability, and disability type, …

The Lived Experiences Of People With Disabilities And Their Families: Transitioning To Adulthood And The Role Of Independent Facilitation, Emily Christine Tang

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

ABSTRACT

Objective

Emerging adulthood can be a stressful life stage due to the many life choices available and is especially challenging for emerging adults with disabilities (EADs) who face additional barriers in accessing supports and information regarding adult opportunities. This qualitative study investigated the experiences of transitioning to adulthood, and the role of a person-directed facilitation service, for EADs and their families.

Methods

Fourteen participants were recruited through purposeful and convenience sampling. Data collection procedures consisted of background questionnaires and one-on-one semi-structured interviews which were then thematically analyzed. Field notes, member checks and triangulation were used throughout the analysis process …

Diary Of A Service Dog (Dropout), Kristen An Horton, Heidi Anne Horton Pittman

Zea E-Books Collection

My name is Granger. I am a Labrador Retriever. I want to be a service dog. It is not always easy. This is my story. (Human's note: The most important take away is that the public, children and adults, need to learn how to not interact with service dogs. As Granger says, “I’m cute. I’m working. Please ignore me.”)

Building An Inclusive Library Through Staff Accessibility Training, K.T. L. Vaughan

Libraries

Libraries provide a needed third place for students to engage with their peers and faculty, both academically and socially. Staff behavior, knowledge, and skills in providing an accessible and inclusive environment are key to helping students with disabilities feel that they belong in the libraries. This makes training in disability and accessibility awareness a necessary component of the overall program for the library. This study assessed a locally-developed, online training program for staff of all levels that was intended to improve staff knowledge and skills in disability etiquette, library services and spaces that support people with disabilities, and the policies …

Disability And Migration: How Systems Of Violence Intersect With The Production And Experience Of Disability For Migrants In Morocco, Frances Condon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project investigates the perspectives and experiences of physically disabled, chronically ill, or bodily-impaired migrants from south of the Sahara living in Rabat, Morocco. Increasing interest in disabled migrants’ rights from international organizations risks erasing those being ‘protected’ if it does not attend to the intersections of race, class, citizenship, and gender as they relate to the production and experience of disability for migrants. Produced by and for the (white) global North, I argue that traditional Euro-American disability studies scholarship is ill-equipped to address the issues faced by disabled migrants in post-colonial contexts. In addition to being ineffective, the uncritical …

Having A Disability Reduces Chances Of Employment For All Racial/Ethnic Groups, Jennifer D. Brooks

Population Health Research Brief Series

Regardless of race, adults with disabilities are less likely to be employed than those without disabilities. This data slice explains how race-ethnicity affects employment rates among adults with and without disabilities.

Having A Disability Increases The Likelihood Of Food Insecurity Despite Federal Programs To Prevent This Hardship, Colleen Heflin, Claire Altman, Laura Rodriguez

Population Health Research Brief Series

In 2016, more than 41 million people living in the United States were food insecure. Food insecurity is more pronounced among individuals with disabilities. Work-limiting disability is associated with food insecurity in multiple ways. This research brief shows how such high rates of food insecurity among the disabled population stems from ineffective national policies the many ways in which disabilities increase risk of food insecurity.

A National Data Summary Of State Assistive Technology Programs: Fiscal Year 2018, Daria Domin, John Shepard

All Institute for Community Inclusion Publications

Section 4 of the Assistive Technology Act of 1998, as amended (AT Act) authorizes grants to support programs that increase knowledge about, access to, and acquisition of assistive technology (AT) devices and services for individuals with disabilities and older Americans. These programs include 56 statewide AT programs that provide device demonstrations, device loans, device reutilization, training, technical assistance, public awareness, and assistance with obtaining funding for AT. This report is a compilation of data from these programs for FY 2018 and contains information about the activities of the statewide AT programs.

Jmu Campus Inclusivity Video Project, Meredith Grace Browder

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

After experiencing a general lack of knowledge at James Madison University (JMU) regarding inclusivity of students with varying abilities, I decided to find the best way to educate the JMU community on how to be more accommodating on campus. I surveyed students served by the Office of Disability Services in order to assess their concerns and needs. My survey data indicated that the students on campus with disabilities have felt isolated at JMU because of multiple factors including both student and faculty ignorance. After researching the significant role played by videos and social media in shaping public opinion, I used …

Children Of A One-Eyed God: Impairment In The Myth And Memory Of Medieval Scandinavia, Michael David Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Using the lives of impaired individuals catalogued in the Íslendingasögur as a narrative framework, this study examines medieval Scandinavian social views regarding impairment from the ninth to the thirteenth century. Beginning with the myths and legends of the eddic poetry and prose of Iceland, it investigates impairment in Norse pre-Christian belief; demonstrating how myth and memory informed medieval conceptualizations of the body. This thesis counters scholarly assumptions that the impaired were universally marginalized across medieval Europe. It argues that bodily difference, in the Norse world, was only viewed as a limitation when it prevented an individual from fulfilling roles that …

Autopathography, Aurora Berger

CGU MFA Theses

For centuries the stories of disabled people were not our own to tell. We were silenced by politics and power dynamics beyond our control, and when we succeeded it was “in spite of” our disabilities. I am interested in the reframing of this narrative and discovering my place in this historic trajectory.

I am a disabled artist. I have claimed this identity. It is critical that this identity remains tied to my work as I navigate the worlds of fine art, academia, and critical theory. My art is intrinsically tied to my academic work. They are inseparably bonded through my …

Speaking For The Grotesques: The Historical Articulation Of The Disabled Body In The Archive, Violet Marie Strawderman

English Theses & Dissertations

This project examines the ways in which the disabled body is constructed and produced in larger society, via the creation of and interaction with (and through) the archive. The archive, for the purposes of this project, is defined by scholars such as Jacques Derrida and Carolyn Steedman. It is a place where information is stored and documented, but through this process, history and power are also created and maintained. In order to properly examine the ways the archive helps shape the understanding of the disabled body and experience, I use three case studies: Richard III, Caliban and Joseph Merrick. Each …

Examining Self-Contained And Integrated Physical Education Experiences Among Individuals With Visual Impairments, Rebecca Coffey

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

Introduction. While research to date has examined the views of individuals with visual impairments toward integrated public-school physical education, little attention has been given to examining perspectives toward experiences at residential schools for those with visual impairments. By understanding the perspectives of those who attended physical education in both contexts, researchers can gain valuable information about particularities that can make experiences meaningful or challenging. The purpose of this study was to examine how individuals who experienced physical education in both integrated and residential school settings viewed their physical education class experiences. Methods. This study utilized a retrospective interpretative phenomenological approach …