The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act mandate all children be included in state and district assessments to measure their progress. IDEA, NCLB, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require students have access to accommodations necessary for their participation in mandated testing. Due to problems secondary to their disability, students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) may have difficulty participating in testing programs designed for the general population. In order to have equal access to standardized testing, D/HH students may need to use testing accommodations.The purposes of this study were to: a) document the use of testing accommodations by students who are D/HH, b) identify the types and frequency of testing accommodations required by D/HH students attending general education classes in Arizona public schools, and c) to analyze the relationships between type and degree of hearing loss and SAT-9 achievement for students who are D/HH in Arizona public schools.The participants included 62 students in the first year of the study, and 53 students in the second year. All participants had diagnosed hearing losses and attended general education classes with support from teachers of the D/HH and/or other support personnel.Extended Time was the most frequently required accommodation. Principal components analysis resulted in clustering of accommodations variables into three components in 2002: Time and Administration, Presentation, and Student Directed, and four components in 2003: Presentation and Administration, Time and Materials, Response, and Student Directed. The accommodations used and their clustering were similar to those reported in the literature. Type of hearing loss was found to significantly affect reading achievement even when controlling for testing accommodations. The interaction between type and degree of loss significantly affected language achievement. Results demonstrated the reading and language achievement performance of students with mild and high frequency hearing loss fell behind students having greater levels of hearing loss. The use of testing accommodations resulted in mixed effects on student reading and language achievement performance. Changes in language scores, but not in reading scores, were found.

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Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: leaves 287-302.

Extended time is the most common accommodation requested by post-secondary students with learning disabilities (LD; Lovett, 2010; Ofiesh, 2000; Zuriff, 2000). However, this accommodation has been the topic of much debate (see: Lovett, 2010). Two theories have emerged on this topic, the Maximum Potential Thesis and the Differential Boost Hypothesis (Sireci, Scarpati & Li, 2005; Zuriff, 2000). The current study examines these theories within the context of writing to investigate the performance of students with LD and their non-LD peers. The results do not show support for either theory, when it comes to essay writing across a qualitative dimension (WIAT-II Essay Composition). However, there does appear to be some evidence for the Differential Boost Hypothesis in the areas of word count, which could be considered a quantitative measure of performance. Compared to their performance under regular time conditions, with extended time students with LD wrote more than twice as many additional words compared to their non-LD peers. This research is important so that empirically-informed accommodations for students with LD can be implemented. Recommendations for future research are provided. / Graduate / 2015-11-20 / 0525 / goeganld@gmail.com

This scoping review examines the available evidence supporting accommodation use in the assessment of health professionals with disabilities in licensing contexts. While test accommodations are a protected right under antidiscrimination legislation, the peer-reviewed evidence informing their use is contested and widely dispersed. Furthermore, the ramifications of accommodation misuse are significant, including human rights violations and increased risks to patients. As such, this study addressed two research questions: 1) What is the current state of literature on accommodation use in the assessment of health professionals? and 2) What programs of research would address stakeholders’ concerns about the use of accommodations in the assessment of those professionals? Systematic searches of five prominent databases identified 15 articles for analysis. Several major themes emerged from that analysis: interpreting legislation, administration and process, relationships between education and licensure, and psychometrics and test development. Stakeholder consultation revealed that stakeholders face challenges managing accommodation requests and defining reasonable accommodations. While there is a paucity of literature on the topic overall, especially of an empirical nature, this study mapped the available evidence and laid the foundation for future studies by delineating the gaps in the scholarly literature as defined by stakeholders’ needs.

The number of students identified as having autism increased by 500% in the past 10 years (United States Government Accountability Office, 2005). All students with disabilities are required to be placed in least restrictive environments and to be given access to the general curriculum in the major subjects of math, reading, writing, and science as mandated by federal legislation such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) and No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001). As a result of this legislation, an increasing number of students with autism are being educated in inclusive classrooms. Most studies on general education access and curriculum modifications and/or instructional accommodations center on students with intellectual disabilities (e.g. Soukup, Wehmeyer, Bashinski, & Boviard, 2007; Wehmeyer, Lattin, Lapp-Rincker, & Agran, 2003). Wehmeyer et al. (2003) and Soukup et al. (2007) found included students with intellectual disabilities had more access to the general curriculum than mostly self-contained students. This meant included students were more likely to be working on the general curriculum as mandated by NCLB than those in only self-contained classrooms. This study builds and expands the research of Wehmeyer et al., as well as Soukup et al., by examining how students with autism are given access to the general curriculum through curriculum modifications and instructional accommodations used by general education teachers in three schools. This investigation focused on nine inclusive classrooms for students with autism using a parallel mixed methods design (Newman, Newman, & Newman, 2011). Classroom observations using both an IEP related checklist and field notes, teacher interviews, an archival document review of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) for the selected students with autism were performed. Findings of this study were organized by interview questions and subsequent coding categories. Quantitative data were organized in a nominal scale. Participants asserted that their middle school students with autism functioned well in their classrooms, occasionally exhibiting behavioral differences. Most instructional accommodations on IEPs were being implemented by participants, and participants often provided additional instructional accommodations not mandated by the IEP. The majority of participants credited county workshops for their knowledge of instructional accommodations.

The market for community properties is a relatively new market for private investors. Previously, local governments usually owned these properties. The demands for community properties from property companies and institutions have increased over the past 10 years and an increasing number of local governments are selling their properties. One popular type of community property is elderly accommodations. This study aims to provide an overview of the greatest risks concerning elderly accommodations in comparison with office buildings and rental housing properties according to different operators. The study is based on a qualitative approach and information has mainly been obtained through interviews with ten operators. Elderly accommodations are generally viewed upon as a safe segment since they usually have long leases, often with a municipality, which is considered to be a very safe tenant. Investing in such properties is therefore often compared to buying a bond. The view on what is the greatest risk differs between the operators. According to most operators the greatest risk is in the residual value by the end of the lease contract. Yet we have not reached the end of the long contracts since these properties became popular on the market about 10 years ago. The residual value is mostly influenced by the political risk, the location and the alternative use of the property. This differs from office properties that are more dependent on the economic situation and rental residual places that are more dependent on the location than elderly accommodation properties. Research show that there have been changes in what the elderly demand in their living environment. Despite that most operators believe that changes in preferences will not have a substantial impact on the segment and that elderly accommodation properties is a safe product. / Marknaden för samhällsfastigheter är en relativt ny marknad för privata aktörer. Tidigare ägdes fastigheterna oftast av kommuner och landsting. Efterfrågan på samhällsfastigheter från fastighetsbolag och institutioner har ökat under de senaste 10 åren och allt fler kommuner och landsting säljer av sina fastigheter. En populär typ av samhällsfastigheter är äldreboenden. Denna studie syftar till att ge en bild av vilka risker som är de största för äldreboenden i jämförelse med kontor- och hyresbostadsfastigheter enligt olika aktörer. Studien bygger på en kvalitativ metod och information har främst inhämtats genom intervjuer med tio olika aktörer. Äldreboenden ses generellt som ett säkert segment i och med att de vanligtvis har långa hyresavtal, ofta med en kommun vilket anses vara en mycket säker hyresgäst. Att investera i en sådan fastighet jämförs därför ibland med att köpa en obligation. Synen på vad som är den största risken skiljer sig mellan aktörerna. Enligt de flesta är den största risken restvärdet vid kontraktstidens slut. Än har vi inte nått till de långa hyreskontraktens slut sedan äldreboenden blev populära på marknaden. Risken för restvärdet är långsiktig efterfrågan på fastigheten vilket främst påverkas av den politiska risken, läget samt fastighetens alternativanvändning. Detta skiljer sig från kontorsfastigheter som styrs mer av konjunktur och hyresbostadsfastigheter som är mer lägesberoende. Forskning visar att det har skett förändringar i vad de äldre efterfrågar i sitt boende. Trots detta tror de flesta aktörer att förändrade preferenser inte kommer att ha en allt för stor påverkan på segmentet och att äldreboenden är en säker investering.

In contemporary societies, such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, an emphasis has been placed on moving individuals with mental illness into mainstream paid employment. Although mainstream employment may offer an inclusive environment, existing scholars argue that various problems can arise with this transition to paid work. For example, employers often report a minimal understanding regarding accommodations for someone with mental health issues and workers may be reluctant to disclose mental health issues for fear of workplace discrimination and/or discharge. Social enterprises have been created to address these problems and the available literature illustrates that these organizations are beneficial for individuals with mental illness because they offer necessary workplace accommodations that are often not found in mainstream jobs, allow for engagement in meaningful activity and provide the opportunity to earn a wage. However, scholars have primarily relied on secondary sources and/or surveys of these organizations and, as a result, there is a limited understanding of how social enterprise organizations work in practice. This thesis research seeks to address this gap by using participant observation, along with semi-structured interviews and focus group data, to produce an in-depth analysis that examines the daily operations of a social enterprise in Ontario, Canada, and the experiences of the workers within it. Key themes of analysis pertain to the nature of the work and the labour process; workers’ wages; the organization as a place for meaningful activity and social interaction; and the provision of workplace accommodations. The findings that have emerged from this project have empirical, methodological and conceptual contributions to the existing work on social enterprises for individuals with mental illness. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Students with learning disabilities are increasingly included in state accountability systems. The purpose of this study was to investigate disability-based differential item functioning (DIF) on a statewide high-stakes mathematics test administered in the Spring of 2003 to all students seeking a high-school diploma in one state in the eastern part of the U.S. Overall performance scores for all students in grade 10 taking the test for the first time were examined. Item performance scores for students with specific learning disabilities who took the test with and without state mandated accommodations were compared with that for students without disabilities after matching on total test score. It was hypothesized that more DIF items will favor students who received packages of accommodations. The standardization method for DIF analysis by Doran and Holland yielded the presence of items in two directions. This study revealed that more DIF items favored students without disabilities, and with substantially high indexes that could be problematic for understanding the meaning of scores for students with specific learning disabilities.

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