The purpose of this thesis is to assess the role of bed and breakfasts (B & Bs) in heritage tourism and in the broader historic preservation movement. The thesis evaluates the relationship between B & Bs and heritage tourism, the factors that tend to make B & Bs successful, the role of historic buildings in the B & B industry, and B & Bs as an adaptive reuse strategy. It also identifies barriers that prevent B & Bs from playing a larger role in heritage tourism and historic preservation. The background of both the bed and breakfast and heritage tourism industries are presented. The primary sources for the research were actual bed and breakfast owners. Five B & B owners and their businesses, located throughout the state of Indiana, were selected as case studies. These case studies include: The Carole Lombard House in Fort Wayne, The Lantz House Inn in Centerville, Old Northside B & B in Indianapolis, the Victorian Guest House in Nappanee, and Maple Hill B & B in Middletown. A profile of each case study is presented which addresses some basic questions: why the owner opened the B & B, what type of rehabilitation work, if any, was necessary for the business, whether or not heritage tourism or historic preservation have played an important role in the success of the business, and how the owner believes the B & B has affected the surrounding area. Other sources consulted for thisresearch include professional associations and heritage tourism specialists, as well as a wide variety of publications. All sources are combined to draw conclusions regarding the relationship between B & Bs and heritage tourism. The value and success of B & Bs as a heritage tourism and preservation strategy is discussed, as is the importance of a building's historic character as a factor in a B & B's success as a business. / Department of Architecture

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Technology: Entrepreneurship, Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. / This dissertation documents research that has been motivated by the growth in the bed and breakfast tourist accommodation sector as a result of the increasing number of visitors to and within South Africa and, particularly in the Durban region. In addition, the political and socio-economic transformation during the past decade has opened the way for entrepreneurs to develop alternative forms of tourist accommodation so that more people can benefit from tourism-generated income and contribute to the wealth of their communities. IV Urged on by large hotel companies and the government's aim to raise the quality standards of tourist facilities, the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa (TGCSA) launched a new and voluntary star grading system in November 2001. While this still competes with other grading and quality assurance schemes, bed and breakfast (B&B) establishment owner-managers are becoming more familiar with the benefits of star grading, a process that plays an important role in the marketing of their facilities. The purpose of this study was to theoretically and empirically explore and evaluate the way that grading assists entrepreneurs to perform the marketing function of B&B establishments. It examines the opinions and perceptions of owner-managers who are members of the local KwaZulu-Natal Bed and Breakfast Associations (KWABABA) as well as a number of tourism personalities who, inter alia, are professionally involved in promoting the quality standards of accommodation establishments. The conclusions that have been drawn from the literature review, interviews and questionnaire surveys demonstrate that the majority of B&B owner-managers are somewhat familiar with the star grading system, though only a few have been graded while some still have negative perceptions of the scheme. In order to promote a positive stance it has been recommended that KWABABA and other associations, with whom the B&B hosts network, should become more involved in sharing information, training and assisting B&B employers and employees so that these can become more professional in marketing their products and services to meet the expectations of corporate and leisure tourist. / M

In this thesis I argue that First Amendment free speech and exercise claims do not grant religious business owners the ability to bypass statutes that prohibit discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity grounds in areas of public accommodations. My arguments focus on the constitutional claims made in the case Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Furthermore, I determine that Congress can rely on both the Commerce Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment to pass legislation that prohibits discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity grounds in areas of public accommodations. I argue that despite the Court’s holding in the Civil Rights Cases, Congress can regulate discrimination by private actors, not just state sponsored discrimination, through the Fourteenth Amendment. I analyze the potential avenues religious business owners can use to undermine both state and federal antidiscrimination statutes and have their discriminatory practices legally sanctioned. I conclude by arguing that religious exemptions do not belong in antidiscrimination statutes.

The commercial value for Bed and Breakfasts and Country Inns did not kept pace with other lodging establishments. Lodging real estate investment trusts (REITs) grew in the 1990's by acquiring hotels and motels but not the smaller Inns. This study investigated what sale terms and conditions an Inn owner would sell their property to a REIT. The study examined what conditions an innkeeper would manage the property for the REIT once the sale was closed. This study concluded that a REIT was not a feasible exit strategy for Inn owners.

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of teachers towards providing accommodations and modifications required for students with special needs in general education classes. The study also examined the differences between these educators’ willingness, preparedness, and selected demographic and descriptive characteristics, which included teacher education, educational setting, and support provided for inclusion. As such, it contributed to both the theory and the practice of teaching students with disabilities in inclusive settings. The sample included willing general and special education teachers in one suburban school district in the southeastern United States. The instrument was a modified version of the Teacher Acceptability and Use Scale (TAUS) (Boulton, 2003). Statistical analysis revealed little significant difference in willingness between special education and general education teachers, although special education teachers perceived themselves as slightly more prepared than general education teachers to make accommodations and modifications to the general curriculum for the student with special needs included in the general education classroom. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness for accommodating students with special needs has improved in recent years.

Thesis advisor: Michael Russell / Large-scale assessments are often used for statewide accountability and for instructional and institutional planning. It is essential that the instruments used are valid and reliable for all test takers included in the testing population. However, these tests have often fallen short in the area of accessibility, which can impact validity for students with special needs. This dissertation examines two strategies to addressing accessibility: the use of technology to implement principles of universal design to assessment and the provision of accommodations. This study analyzed test data for students attending high schools in New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island who participated in the 2009 11th grade New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP) science assessment. Three test conditions were of interest: (1) no accommodations with a paper-based form (2) accommodated test administration with a paper-based form and (3) accommodated test administration using a universally designed computer-based test delivery system with embedded accommodations and accessibility features. Results from two analyses are presented: differential item functioning (DIF) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). DIF was used to explore item functioning, comparing item difficulty and discrimination under accommodated and non-accommodated conditions. Similarly, CFA was used to examine the consistency of underlying factor structure as evidence that constructs measured were stable across test conditions. Results from this study offered evidence that overall item functioning and underlying factor structure was consistent across accommodated and unaccommodated conditions, regardless of whether accommodations were provided with a paper form or a universally designed computer-based test delivery system. These results support the viability of using technology-based assessments as a valid means of assessing students and offering embedded, standardized supports to address access needs.

This collection of five papers explores the validity of exam accommodations in Ireland, in particular the spelling and grammar waiver, an accommodation unique to Ireland. A review of the literature relating to each accommodation is followed by two papers investigating the validity of the spelling and grammar waiver. A spelling and grammar waiver can be granted to a student with a specific learning disability who attains a standard score of 85 or below on a spelling test. Two groups of students were compared- those who had or had not been granted a waiver, Mock exam scripts of both groups were marked both with and without a spelling and grammar waiver by experienced markers. When a spelling and grammar waiver was applied, the scores of both groups significantly increased. The ‘boost’ received by students who had been granted a waiver was not significantly higher than the ‘boost’ received by the other students, suggesting that the spelling and grammar waiver gives an advantage to all who receive it. Examiner markings were re-examined in a follow up study to investigate possible examiner bias. Results found that elements of the marking scheme, which should not have been affected by a spelling and grammar waiver, were marked more leniently when the examiner marked students’ scripts which had a spelling and grammar waiver applied to it. These studies suggest that the spelling and grammar waiver is not a valid accommodation. In the following study, three spelling tests commonly used by teachers to apply for accommodations were compared. Significant differences were found among the scores. Students scoring below the cut off point for a spelling and grammar waiver ranged from 5.8% to 43.8% depending on the test used. These significant differences in scores across the three tests highlighted the need for an Irish normed spelling test. The final paper details the creation and standardisation of a spelling test in the Republic of Ireland. Limitations to each study and areas of further research are addressed. Suggestions to improve the validity of the spelling and grammar waiver by using an alternative marking scheme and teacher training are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of explicitly teaching self-advocacy skills to three middle school students with mild/moderate disabilities by having them memorize a script and request accommodations in a training and generalization setting. The intervention components included 16 lessons comprising discussion and reflection about their disabilities and educational rights under IDEA, a four-part script, and a prompting procedure. The script included (a) greeting teacher and asking if it's a good time to talk, (b) expressing concern with assignment, (c) asking for accommodation, and (d) thanking teacher. The dependent variables were (a) frequency, measured by the number of cumulative requests made over the course of the study, and (b) accuracy, measured by number of steps aligning with the pre-rehearsed script. Results, evaluated using a multiple-baseline across-participants design, indicated a functional relationship between the intervention and the dependent variables. Results suggest that special education teachers can effectively teach self-determination skills, allowing students with disabilities to self-advocate for accommodations in the general education setting. Further research is needed to confirm current findings.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of special accommodations on standardized achievement test scores of students in a school system in East Tennessee. Scores obtained by special education students who did not receive special accommodations in 1998 and/or 1999 were compared with scores obtained by the same students who did receive special accommodations in subsequent testing. Scores obtained by special education students who did receive special accommodations were compared with scores obtained by special education students who did not receive special accommodations. The population consisted of 448 special education students in grades two through eight in a public school system in Upper East Tennessee. All students who received Special Education services and took the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) achievement test with or without special accommodations in 1998, 1999, 2000, and/or 2001. Ninety-nine percent of students who received special accommodations had the accommodations of read aloud internal test instructions and read aloud internal test items. A quasi-experimental design was used. A t-test for independent means, a t-test for paired samples, and a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze data. As evidenced in this study, special education students who received special accommodations did experience significant gain scores in science, social studies, and math in an initial year they received accommodations. There were significant gains in science and social studies in 2000 for students initially receiving special accommodations. There were significant gains in social studies and math in 2001 for students initially receiving special accommodations. While this study did not find that mean math scores increased statistically significantly in 2000, it is of practical importance to mention that mean math scores did increase substantially. It appears that the benefit of accommodations is not continuous. Students in this study who received special accommodations two consecutive years did not experience noteworthy gain in the second year. Some students, in fact, experienced a significant decrease in gain scores for the second year they received special accommodations.

Pioneering legislation such as Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, and the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 have increased attention to the needs of individuals with disabilities. These regulations require that public programs and services are accessible to people with disabilities (Griffin, 2004). This descriptive case study examines policy design to conform with Sections 504 and 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 at a public research university through the lens of Bolman and Deal’s four frames of organizational analysis. These frames include: (a) the structural frame, (b) the human resource frame, (c) the political frame, and (d) the symbolic frame. Results of the study indicate that accessibility policies in postsecondary education that address access to web content and course materials should develop a systematic approach to establishing an action plan to identify barriers and develop solutions. This includes a strategic commitment to policy planning, development, implementation, monitoring, and assessment.