Disability Studies Commons^™

Cyberbullying And Mental Health Issues Among University Students, Brandi N. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

According to the CDC (2024), bullying can lead to social and emotional distress, self-harm, and death. Bullying can also increase the risk for depression, anxiety, and poor academic achievement. The increased use of social media and the rise in cyberbullying (CB) and related mental health concerns among emerging adults is highly disconcerting, especially given their propensity for mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of young university students’ perceptions about CB victimization and whether CB affects their mental health. A cross-sectional research design was used to conduct the study. In this study the number …

“The Moment You Are Disabled; You Are Cut Off From Society.” Assessing The Experiences Of Disabled Ghanaians And The Rights Enshrined In The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities (Crpd)., Solomon Sackey Amoatey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As Ghana continues to pursue inclusion and equality for disabled citizens, considerable tension remains between international human rights frameworks and local social, legal, and cultural practices. Guided by social constructionism and Critical Disability Theory (CDT), this qualitative, chapter-based study examined how disability is constructed through law, policy, and culture in Ghana. It also explored how these constructions influence the interpretation and implementation of disability rights. To achieve this, the study employed semi-structured interviews and document analysis to examine how law, policy, and cultural beliefs intersect to influence the implementation of the CRPD and lived experience of disabled Ghanaians.

Findings show …

Introducing Neuro Social Work: A Brief Reflection On Neuroscience And The Profession, Priscila Llamosa

Social Work Faculty Publications

Neuroscience offers language and evidence that can strengthen interdisciplinary communication, support advocacy in biomedically dominated settings, and validate relational practices long recognized in social work, including the impacts of early adversity, attachment, and healing through connection. At the same time, an epistemological tension underlies the profession’s unease with neuroscience when brain-based narratives are used to individualize structural harm or justify surveillance of marginalized families and communities. This teaching note introduces Neuro Social Work as a justice-oriented specialization that integrates contemporary neuroscience with social work’s person-in-environment commitments, relational practice traditions, and anti-oppressive ethics.The author argues that the key question is no …

Introducing Neuro Sscial Work: A Brief Reflection On Neuroscience And The Profession, Priscila Llamosa

Social Work Faculty Publications

This reflection introduces and contextualizes the term Neuro Social Work, which I coin to name a specialized practice area at the intersection of social work, neuroscience, and neurodiversity. Drawing on my experience as a social work educator and practitioner, I discuss social work’s uneasy relationship with neuroscience, marked both by the opportunity to deepen our understanding of trauma, development, and healing, and by the risks of using brain‑based evidence to individualize structural harms or justify surveillance of marginalized communities. I outline, in broad strokes, what distinguishes Neuro Social Work from general neuroscience‑informed practice. The note is intended as a concept …

A Lost Culture Of Touch And Sound: The Contribution Of Visually Impaired Musicians To The Evolution Of The Spanish Guitar, Marco Ramelli

Soundboard Scholar

In the story of music-making, blind musicians have played an intrinsic role, helping to drive the development not only of musical styles but also of instruments, instruction, and aesthetics. Many musical practices were cultivated first within blind communities and adopted only later by sighted musicians, often with a gradual erasure of their original context. The history of the Spanish guitar offers a compelling case study of this progression, demonstrating how the contribution of blind musicians could be both wide-reaching and yet, over time, forgotten. The history of this contribution is challenging to recover, for in Spain as elsewhere, blind musicians …

Hiding Or Thriving? Psychological Safety, Identity Management, And Well-Being Among Employees With Invisible Disabilities, Claire Parson, Brooke Burrows, Jacqui Bergman, Rose Mary Webb

River Cities Industrial and Organizational Psychology Conference

Abstract Background Individuals with invisible disabilities face unique challenges because, unlike those with visible disabilities, they may not know how others will respond if their identity is revealed (Quinn & Chaudoir, 2009). As a result, employees must navigate identity management strategies such as concealing, downplaying, or disclosing their disability (Markou & Papakonstantinou, 2025). While these strategies can be protective, they may undermine authenticity and increase emotional exhaustion. Organization and supervisor support are theorized to foster psychological safety (Frazier et al., 2017)—the belief one can take interpersonal risks without fear of negative consequences (Edmondson, 1999)—which may shape healthier identity management choices. …

The Art Critic As Learner: A Review Of Erica Cardwell’S Wrong Is Not My Name, Bronte Cronsberry

Comparative Woman

Erica Cardwell’s debut book Wrong is Not My Name: Notes on (Black) Art is about art, race, family and perhaps most prominently, about grief. Through her personal experiences with these themes, Cardwell’s voice as art critic is still undeniably present throughout the entirety of the text. Wrong is Not My Name reminds readers of the power of art to push us towards growth, but in the context of this issue on Aesthetic Education, I focus on Cardwell’s approach to art as critic, which she continually grounds in her approach to art as learner. It is this orientation in particular that …

Beyond The Madrasah: Digital Pedagogies And Nigerian Yoruba Muslim Women's Engagement With Islamic Knowledge, Abdulgafar Olawale Fahm

Comparative Woman

This paper explores how digital pedagogies are reshaping the landscape of Islamic education among Nigerian Muslim women, with a primary focus on Yoruba communities in Southern Nigeria. Historically, Islamic learning in Nigeria has been rooted in traditional institutions, notably the madrasa, characterized by face-to-face instruction and rigid gender norms. However, the proliferation of digital technologies - particularly online madrasas, WhatsApp study groups, Zoom-based Qur’anic classes, and Islamic mobile applications - has significantly altered women’s access to religious knowledge. Utilizing ethnographic evidence and qualitative interviews, this interdisciplinary study examines how digital platforms enhance accessibility, overcome sociocultural barriers, and enable Nigerian Yoruba …

Wired Differently, Working Brilliantly: Understanding And Supporting Adhd & Audhd Employees, April Miller, Katherine Loving

Faculty Articles & Research

This paper explores the unique experiences, strengths, and challenges faced by neurodivergent individuals—particularly those diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), as well as the overlapping condition often referred to as AuDHD—in both clinical and workplace settings. It begins by examining diagnostic criteria, comorbidities, and the evolving understanding of ADHD and ASD as intersecting neurodevelopmental conditions. The paper then highlights common cognitive, emotional, and sensory challenges, including time blindness, neurodivergent paralysis, masking, overstimulation, executive dysfunction, rejection-sensitive dysphoria (RSD), and auditory processing disorder (APD).

Despite these challenges, many neurodivergent individuals possess exceptional strengths such as creativity, adaptability, rapid …

Blackward [Book Review], Imani Spence

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

Blackward (2023) is a graphic novel which follows the story of 4 friends who are looking to build Black and queer community. They solicit help from their local bookseller to host a Black zine fair.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

Starting An Equine-Assisted Services Program, Makenna L. Pahlke

All Current Publications

Starting an equine-assisted services (EAS) program requires more than just access to horses and a passion for helping others. This fact sheet outlines the key considerations for communities and individuals interested in developing safe, sustainable, and impactful equine-assisted programs.

A Case Study On The Use Of Cultural Violence And Its Contribution To The Third Reich's 'Euthanasia' Program, Grace Larsen

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The genocidal actions taken by the Third Reich during the mid-20th century were horrific and dehumanizing. While the Holocaust often focuses on the tragic genocide that occurred against the Jewish people carried out by the Third Reich, the genocide that they carried out against the disabled community is often overlooked. With the deaths of tens of thousands of disabled people occurring through this genocide, it is important to understand how this genocide occurred, without any worldwide protest. Nazi Leaders including Alfred Rosenberg, Adolf Hitler, and Ernest Rüdin used widespread cultural indoctrination to dehumanize the disabled community and horrifically justify their …

Dislis Interview With Alice Wong On Disability Visibility, Jj Pionke

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

DisLIS editors interview Alice Wong about her disability advocacy and creative process.

Knowledge And Use Of Teachers Of Students With Intellectual Disabilities For Universal Design For Transition, Sarah Khaled Alfawzan Dr.

International Journal for Research in Education

The present study aimed to identify teachers of students with intellectual disabilities knowledge and Use of Universal Design for Transition (UDT) in intellectual education programs. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher yielded the descriptive research, and the questionnaire was used as a tool to collect data, as the study sample consisted of (270) male and female teachers of students with intellectual disabilities in the middle and secondary school. The results indicated that the level of knowledge of teachers of students with intellectual disabilities about UDT was at a high level. The results also indicated that the level …

Destined To Fail [Book Review], Jessica Schomberg

Disability in LIS (DisLIS)

A deep dive into the eugenical ideas that grounded the work of influential educator and psychologist Carl E. Seashore. While Seashore was working a century ago, the author demonstrates how his ideas continue to influence education today.

Exploring Challenges Of Parents With Disabilities Affecting Custody Of The Children, Kendyll King

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 promoting equality for people with disabilities, parents with developmental and intellectual disabilities experience high rates of involvement with child welfare services due to outdated terminology, information about disabilities, and policies. The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges of parents with intellectual and developmental disabilities and determine if they differ from those of parents without a disability. This was a generic qualitative study grounded in intersectionality theory. Education, employment, health and safety concerns, independence, assistive technology, social services involvement, and supports or resources were examined through the perspective of the …

Diversity In Aquatics:4th Special Issue, Tiffany M. Quash Ph.D., Angela K. Beale-Tawfeeq, Steven N. Waller Ph.D.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The theme of this special issue is “Building a Community of Champions.” The purpose of this theme is to highlight and promote a civic engagement perspective that engages, advocates, and supports communities of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in addressing the national, regional, and local evolving health-related issue of drowning. Aquatic Settings have been a pivotal focal point of social justice, water safety, and public health, not only in the past but also in our present day (Beale-Tawfeeq, Quash, et al, 2023 and Waller and Bemiller, 2023). Diversity In Aquatics (DIA) strives to positively impact the field of aquatics …

Teaching Swimming To Children With Disabilities: A Qualitative Analysis Of Swim Instructorstea, Stephanie S. Garcia-Hidalgo, Martin E. Block

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

When teaching children with disabilities, swim instructors need to be able to assess the unique strengths and needs of each child to determine modifications needed to instruction, equipment, and the setting and then be flexible enough to make changes in real-time to ensure success for the child. Unfortunately, many swim instructors only work seasonally and have the occasional child with a disability, and as a result are likely to have limited training and experiences with children with disabilities. The purpose of this pilot qualitative study is to examine backgrounds, training, and experiences of six swim instructors who work with children …

Accessible Workplace, Inaccessible Workflows: Mandatory Documents, Challenges And Workarounds In Accessible Onboarding, Scott Hollier, Justin Brown, Ruchi Permvattana

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper describes the accessibility challenges faced by the Centre For Accessibility Australia (CFAA), a small not-for-profit organisation when onboarding new staff. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) requires that employers fill in a PDF document with tax file information for new employees, a process that is currently not accessible to screen-reader users. The director of the CFAA is legally blind and uses a range of assistive technologies to interact with the Web, documents and messaging platforms. This paper describes accessibility issues identified in the current ATO form and the range of alternative approaches the CFAA has had to adopt as …