Culture and the Disability Services

2012 ◽  
pp. 15-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Sotnik ◽  
Mary Ann Jezewski
Keyword(s):  
Disability Services

UNDERSTANDING DISABILITIES & ONLINE STUDENT SUCCESS

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen Betts ◽  
Bill Welsh ◽  
Kelly Hermann ◽  
Cheryl Pruitt ◽  
Gaeir Dietrich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Student Success ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
Academic Goals ◽  
Online Student ◽  
Support Resources ◽  
Legislative Changes

Approximately 11% of all postsecondary students reported having a disability in 2008. Although the percentage of students with disabilities in 2008 closely reflects the percentage reported in 2004, the U.S. Government Accountability Office states that recent legislative changes have the potential to increase the diversity and number of students with disabilities pursing higher education. To support students with disabilities enrolled in higher education and in online learning, it is important to understand disabilities and the resources students need to actively engage in their courses and to achieve their academic goals. This article includes collaborative responses from a diverse group of leaders at eight higher education institutions and organizations who work with disability services and have experience in online learning. Some of the contributors also have disabilities so the collective responses build upon research, professional experience, and personal experience. For this article, the ten contributors answered 20 questions regarding disabilities and online student success as well as provided recommended practices. This article is designed to be interactive. It includes screenshots, simulation links, video demonstrations, and resources to provide a more detailed understanding of disabilities, accessibility, and support resources. JALN readers are encouraged to interact with the simulations and to watch the demonstration videos as a way to learn more about disabilities and supporting online student success.

scholarly journals Available supports and resources for postsecondary students with traumatic brain injury: A systematic review of the literature

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Emily Tarconish ◽  
Allison Lombardi ◽  
Joseph Madaus ◽  
Ashley Taconet ◽  
Carl Coelho
Keyword(s):  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Postsecondary Students ◽  
Education Professionals ◽  
Concussion Management ◽  
Rigorous Research

BACKGROUND: Postsecondary students with traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a rapidly growing population, encompassing those who sustained injuries prior to attending postsecondary education and those who endure injuries during their postsecondary studies. Not only do these individuals face a broad range of symptoms, all of which can affect academic achievement, but they also do not achieve comparable academic outcomes to their peers without disabilities. OBJECTIVE: There is a need to develop and examine the effectiveness of available supports and resources to meet the needs of these students. METHODS: Twenty-three articles were systematically reviewed to illustrate what supports are currently described in the literature for postsecondary students with TBI and what research methods were used to assess the effectiveness of these supports. RESULTS: Three categories of supports emerged, including concussion management protocols, typical study/learning strategies and accommodations, and interventions developed specifically for this population. Findings also indicated a lack of rigorous research methods used to assess these interventions’ effects. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for future research include a need for additional study of all supports and resources described in this review, and assessment of whether or not education professionals, including postsecondary disability services professionals, are aware of and using the tools and strategies addressed in this review.

scholarly journals A 26-Year Study of Restraint Fatalities Among Children and Adolescents in the United States: A Failure of Organizational Structures and Processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A. Nunno ◽  
Lisa A. McCabe ◽  
Charles V. Izzo ◽  
Elliott G. Smith ◽  
Deborah E. Sellers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Physical Restraint ◽  
Organizational Structures ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Schools ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
Advocacy Groups ◽  
Governmental Agencies ◽  
Practice Recommendations ◽  
Mechanical Restraints

Abstract Background Physical and mechanical restraints used in treatment, care, education, and corrections programs for children are high-risk interventions primarily due to their adverse physical, emotional, and fatal consequences. Objective This study explores the conditions and circumstances of restraint-related fatalities in the United States by asking (1) Who are the children that died due to physical restraint? and (2) How did they die? Method The study employs internet search systems to discover and compile information about restraint-related fatalities of children and youth up to 18 years of age from reputable journalism sources, advocacy groups, activists, and governmental and non-governmental agencies. The child cohort from a published study of restraint fatalities in the United States from 1993 to 2003 is combined with restraint fatalities from 2004 to 2018. This study’s scope has expanded to include restraint deaths in community schools, as well as undiscovered restraint deaths from 1993 to 2003 not in the 2006 study. Results Seventy-nine restraint-related fatalities occurred over the 26-year period from across a spectrum of children’s out-of-home child welfare, corrections, mental health and disability services. The research provides a data snapshot and examples of how fatalities unfold and their consequences for staff and agencies. Practice recommendations are offered to increase safety and transparency. Conclusions The study postulates that restraint fatalities result from a confluence of medical, psychological, and organizational causes; such as cultures prioritizing control, ignoring risk, using dangerous techniques, as well as agencies that lack structures, processes, procedures, and resources to promote learning and to ensure physical and psychological safety.

scholarly journals Examining the role of governmsent in shaping disability inclusiveness around COVID-19: a framework analysis of Australian guidelines

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Colon-Cabrera ◽  
Shivika Sharma ◽  
Narelle Warren ◽  
Dikaios Sakellariou
Keyword(s):  
Federal Government ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Australian Government ◽  
Disabled People ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Unemployed People ◽  
Guidance Documents

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered the ways in which disabled people are made more vulnerable due to structural inequalities. These vulnerabilities are the result of the interaction between individual and structural factors that shape how risk is experienced by disabled people. In Australia, these vulnerabilities are influenced by the way disability services and care for disabled people are delivered through a consumer-directed approach. We analysed the policies and documentation made by the Australian Government and state and territory governments during the pandemic to explore whether these were disability-inclusive. We aimed to unpack how these policies shaped disabled people as vulnerable citizens. Methods Guided by documentary research, we used framework analysis to examine the policies of the Australian Government and state and territory governments. We analysed legislation that was given royal assent by the federal, state and territory governments, and documents (reports, fact sheets, guidance documents, etc.) published by the federal government and the state of Victoria (given that this state experienced the brunt of the epidemic in Australia) between February 2020 to August of 2020. Results We found that most of the resources were not aimed at disabled people, but at carers and workers within disability services. In addition, most policies formulated by the Australian Government were related to the expansion of welfare services and the creation of economic stimulus schemes. However, while the stimulus included unemployed people, the expansion of benefits explicitly excluded disabled people who were not employed. Most of the legislation and documents offered accessibility options, though most of these options were only available in English. Disability oriented agencies offered more extensive accessibility options. Conclusions The findings indicate a large number of documents addressing the needs of disabled people. However, disability-inclusiveness appeared to be inconsistent and not fully considered, leaving disabled people exposed to greater risk of COVID-19. Neoliberal policies in the health and welfare sector in Australia have led to an individualisation of the responsibility to remain healthy and a reliance on people as independent consumers. Governments need to take a clear stance towards the emergence of such a discourse that actively disvalues disabled people.

The Impact of Public Policy on Support Services for Indigenous Families with Children with Special Education Needs

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Trimmer ◽  
Roselyn Dixon
Keyword(s):  
National Policy ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
For Profit ◽  
The Past ◽  
Not For Profit ◽  
Special Education Needs ◽  
Provision Of Services ◽  
Education Needs ◽  
Families With Children ◽  
The Impact

In Australia and Europe, government agencies and not-for-profit organisations (NFPOs) have had long involvement in the funding and provision of community disability services. Significant change has occurred in Australia over the past two decades in the way government funds are expended, with marketplace mechanisms increasingly being used. As a consequence of economic and governance imperatives, funding of services via NFPOs has changed significantly with a move away from the provision of grants to the contracting of these organisations for the provision of services. In 2013, a new national policy, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), was introduced that has impacts for the provision of disability services for children and their families. In particular, Indigenous families are likely to experience barriers in accessing services. This paper reviews the impact of international changes in policy and associated funding models and considers the impacts and research implications of Australia's initial experience of implementation of the NDIS.

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