<p> Research confirms that dyslexia is the most common form of learning disability that exists in schools today. Continuous dyslexic research has narrowed in on specific characteristics of the disability, yet many dyslexics still struggle academically. The need for additional literature resides within the success stories of dyslexic individuals who have overcome their educational deficit and have persevered in academic arenas. This study examined factors contributing to the academic success of students With dyslexia and their ability to transcend academic barriers as they continue the journey into post-secondary education. Additionally, this study explored the influences of the educational methods, support structures such as family, peer and school mentorship, and coping strategies that might have affected the dyslexic learner&rsquo;s academic performance. This phenomenological qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews to capture the lived experiences of eight high-achieving students With dyslexia who have recently graduated or are on track to graduate from a post-secondary university. Interview questions were piloted and checked for validity. To ensure information-rich data, purposeful sampling was implemented to create a pool of participants that fit the phenomenon of high-achieving students With dyslexia through dyslexic organizations and the snowballing effect of participants.</p><p>

<p> Current disability identity theories measure disability experience in dichotomous ways: disabled and non-disabled. To expand this as dynamic, not dualistic, my study replicated Darling and Heckert's empirical study, specifically assessing college students with disabilities. I used their tool, the Questionnaire on Disability Identity and Opportunity (QDIO), to examine Disability Orientation (DO), a multifaceted concept that measures disability experience. </p><p> An exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 369 respondents revealed only two of the four Disability Factors (DF) posited by Darling and Heckert. These two DFs were found to have a significant inverse relationship such that as feelings of Exclusion/Dissatisfaction with life (ED) increased, Disability Pride (DP) decreased. An examination of DP and ED&rsquo;s effects on impairment type, Visibility of Disability (VoD), and Onset Age of Disability (OAoD) also found no significant findings. Implications are discussed about improving research and understanding of the experiences of people with disabilities </p><p>

<p> Although many public schools in the United States are located in rural areas, the literature on rural youth is extremely limited, and the literature on rural youth with disabilities is practically absent. The purpose of this study was to gather the perspectives of community partners regarding rural school-community partnerships and provide an understanding of (a) the community&rsquo;s role, (b) how connections in rural communities were formed, and (c) how school-community partnerships can be strengthened. This study added to the existing literature on rural school-community partnerships by providing a deeper understanding of the processes that influence the phenomenon of transition to work for rural youth with disabilities. Employing a basic qualitative research design, information from this study was captured regarding community members&rsquo; perspectives on their roles and experience partnering with rural schools to transition youth with disabilities to work. The target population consisted of community members who represented businesses and community organizations who had purposefully connected with a rural school to support youth with disabilities transitioning to work. The sample included 10 participants who took part in semistructured, one-on-one interviews to describe their experiences. Data analysis revealed the roles of the community partners and the processes they used to secure school-community partnerships. The findings indicated that the community played a vital role in transitioning youth with disabilities to work and that it took time for the community partners to adjust to their new roles of supporting youth with disabilities in the workplace. The findings provide valuable insight on how rural schools can sustain, improve, and expand their community partnerships and experiences for students with disabilities. Opportunities for future research include identification of work training opportunities for rural students with disabilities, exploration of the types of transition assessments and work skills that promote transition to work, and research with a larger sample to improve generalizability.</p><p>

<p> The rate of the inclusion of students with high-incidence disabilities in general education classrooms are increasing across the nation. The perceptions of general education teachers on this inclusion have limited revelation within research. More specifically, the perceptions of urban elementary general education teachers on the inclusion of students with high- incidence disabilities is limited. Three significant problems contributed to the need of this dissertation research. The first problem is the limited research used to explore this concept. Most of the literature include methods that have been quantitative studies, which provides a range of responses with little depth to understand the perceptions of teachers. The second problem is the samples that are included in such studies. Samples often include teachers without differentiating between what kinds of teachers (high school, middle school, elementary school, etc.). These samples would provide little depth to understand the perceptions of how participants really feel about the inclusion of students with high-incidence disabilities in their classrooms. The third problem is the targeted population of teachers that are included in studies. Urban, rural and suburban school districts all have different needs and issues. There is limited research that differentiate between the areas of schools and its impact on the perceptions of teachers in these school districts. </p><p> The results of a basic qualitative study surrounding the perceptions of urban elementary general education teachers on the inclusion of students with high-incidence disabilities is presented. Twenty urban elementary general education teachers of students with high-incidence disabilities in the general education classroom setting from one school district in the mid-Atlantic region were interviewed to evaluate the perceptions of the inclusion of students with high-incidence disabilities in the general education classroom with their non-disabled peers. </p><p> The purposes of this study were to be able: 1) to investigate urban general education teachers&rsquo; perceptions and beliefs about the inclusion of students with high-incidence disabilities in their classrooms with their non-disabled peers; 2) to give these teachers an opportunity to share their perceptions on the supports received to meet the demands and challenges of their profession; and 3) to provide recommendations for policies and practices for the inclusion of students with high-incidence disabilities in general education classrooms that can contribute to the preparation and professional development for general education teachers. </p><p> The results of the interviews with study participants are outlined in this study. Themes answering three research questions were: described, defined, and supported using quotations from study participants to ensure that themes were grounded in the data. Eight themes emerged from the data that answered three research questions. These themes are: 1) &ldquo;It was a disservice;&rdquo; 2) being &ldquo;set up&rdquo; for failure both academically and socially; 3) impact of behavior; 4) issues of being stranded; 5) feeling inadequate; 6) reluctant acceptance; 7) flaws in identifying students who need help; and 8) issues of support. Two additional themes emerged from the data that did not answer a research question, but became salient across all participants. These theme addressed the issues and influence of race and socioeconomic status and its influence on perceptions. These two themes are 9) impact of socioeconomic status and privilege, and 10) impact of race. Findings are revealed and discussed. Recommendations for practice, policy, and future research are provided.</p><p>

<p> Research indicates that the trend of students with disabilities choosing to attend college is continually increasing. However, research also suggests that this population may be ill prepared to meet the increased academic demands and level of independence needed at the college level. Research in the field indicates that high schools may not be engaging in practices that are aligned with the transition-planning mandates of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). The current study explored the extent to which high schools are compliant with IDEIA (2004), and are engaging in best practices in transition planning for college-bound students. Results showed that students who had transition plans with a greater level of compliance and college-specific best practices had higher grade point averages. These results have implications for stakeholders at the secondary level in assessing quality of transition planning to promote positive outcomes for students with disabilities pursuing postsecondary education.</p><p>

<p> The prevalence rate of children with autism has been on the rise for the past 20 years. A hallmark characteristic of this disorder is the presence of stereotypic behaviors. Children who engage in stereotypic behaviors experience difficulties in effectively interacting with their surrounding environment. Both consequence-based and antecedent based interventions have been successful in decreasing these interfering behaviors. The performance of physical exercise has shown positive results as both a consequence based and antecedent based intervention in reducing stereotypic behaviors. The current investigation conducted a meta-analysis on the effects of physical exercise on stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism. This study was able to run this meta-analysis using both aggregate score studies and single subject design studies. This study identified 10 research articles that met all of the inclusion criteria. The 10 articles were coded according to sixteen primary moderators and four peripheral moderators. The 10 articles produced an overall large effect size of <i>d</i> = -.456. This large effect size demonstrated that physical exercise is effective in decreasing stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism. However, no significant statistical difference was observed within any of the primary and peripheral moderators. The lack of significant statistical difference within any of the moderators lead the current investigator to conclude that the effect of physical exercise on stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism may not be impacted by external factors. Further research is needed to determine the internal neurobiological effects of physical exercise on stereotypic behaviors in individuals with autism.</p><p>

<p>The topic for this study was online professional development for college composition teachers that may help support dyslexic learners. Two populations samples, both impacted by the problem, were chosen for this qualitative multiple case study. The populations were college composition faculty and college dyslexic learners or graduates. The samples were collected from composition instructors at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and people with dyslexia living in the U.S. The dyslexic participants needed a formal diagnosis of dyslexia and either were in college, or had some college, or graduated from college. Besides two populations, two theories were addressed: the Experiential Learning Theory and the Technology Acceptance Model. The purpose of this study was to explore how online professional development for college composition faculty can build dyslexia awareness and identify writing strategies for college dyslexic students. Four research questions based the study. Three instruments were used: online surveys, modules and a discussion focus group. The participants? responses to the questions resulted in extracting seven themes, after the data was collected, coded and analyzed. Findings showed no faculty participants had training on dyslexia; the five dyslexic participants and about half of the seven faculty participants associated dyslexia with not only reading but also writing problems; and both groups had found some self-regulated writing strategies, showing potential for helping college dyslexic students in an inclusive classroom. Conclusions were online PD programs on college students with dyslexia and writing strategies should be available for college composition faculty. A gap exists in this area. Thus, the researcher recommends study replication, for future research. For practice, the researcher encourages college composition instructors try the writing strategies in this study to hopefully help future college dyslexic learners to learn academic writing.

<p> This study used a transformative, convergent mixed methods design, with a crossover analysis, to investigate the K-12 and postsecondary experiences young adults with disabilities perceive as influencing their persistence in postsecondary education. </p><p> Thirteen young adults who were persisting in or had completed postsecondary education programs participated in this study. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Quantitative data were collected through a survey that included measures of demographics, high school experiences (based on the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition&rsquo;s <i> Predictor Implementation School/District Self-Assessment</i>, 2015), self-determination (AIR Self-Determination Scale; Wolman, Campeau, Dubois, Mithaug, &amp; Stolarski, 1994), and disability identification subscale (Nario-Redmond, Noel, &amp; Fern, 2013). </p><p> Qualitative findings suggested forty-one themes important to participants&rsquo; persistence. Specifically, eight facilitators and 11 challenges at the K-12 level, and 12 facilitators and 10 challenges at the postsecondary level emerged from the data. Participants&rsquo; experiences could also be categorized into four &ldquo;transition profiles,&rdquo; based on their experiences as they adjusted to their postsecondary programs: smooth, culture shock, huge leap, and smooth despite struggles. </p><p> Quantitative findings revealed that participants reported strong academic achievement, high levels of self-determination, and neutral identification with a disability community. Self-determination and disability identification showed a statistically significant correlation. </p><p> Integration of qualitative and quantitative findings occurred through the use of data matrices and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), a multivariate technique that can be applied to categorical data. MCA was used to describe and display relationships among participant characteristics and emergent themes. </p><p> Synthesis of qualitative, quantitative, integrated, and crossover results suggested five multidimensional findings: (a) current definitions of established high school predictors of postsecondary education participation are incomplete; (b) positive K-12 experiences do not necessarily lead to smooth transitions; (c) postsecondary experiences unique to students with disabilities and universal to all students are intertwined; (d) parents fill educational gaps in K-12 years and beyond, but support is complex; and (e) disability identification and self-determination are nuanced across transition profiles, disability characteristics, and gender. </p><p> Through the lens of the transformative framework, implications of the findings for social justice and recommendations for policy, research, and practice are discussed.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to examine the extent that teaching experience affected the knowledge, implementation, and perceived skill level in implementing the 27 evidence-based practices (EBPs) established by the National Professional Development Center for Autism Spectrum Disorder. The study was conducted in the state of Iowa, with special education teachers from fourteen different school districts. Survey responses were gathered from 228 special education teachers. Of the 228, there were 48 novice teachers and 180 veteran teachers. Novice teachers were classified as having less than three years of teaching experience and veteran teachers with more than three years. Based on the data, results showed that as experience tended to increase from less than three years of experience to more than three years, the scores on EBPs knowledge, implementation, and perceived skills also tended to increase. The results of the study found a positive correlation (<i>r</i> = .26, <i>p</i> = .001) between years of teaching experience and knowledge of EBPs, a positive correlation (<i>r</i> = .22, <i>p</i> = .001) between years of experience and EBP implementation, and a positive correlation (<i>r</i> = .26, <i>p</i> = .002) between years of experience and perceived skill level in implementation. This small effect size indicates that as experience increased, there was a positively correlated increase of teacher knowledge and implementation of the EBPs to use when working with students with autism. </p><p>

<p> It was not known how the visually disabled perceived gaining employment or how perception affected employment seeking behaviors within this population. The purpose of this qualitative narrative study was to explore how the visually disabled perceived gaining employment and how perception affected employment seeking behaviors within this population. Action in Perception, and the enrichment perspective were used for this study. Data collection consisted of a list of questions for employed or unemployed participants, offered in print or braille, a demographics questionnaire, and interviews conducted face-to-face or by Zoom Pro. Research participants were 10 visually disabled participants 18 years and older residing in Texas. Theoretical thematic coding with an inductive analysis, hand coding, and NVivo were used for data analysis. Themes chosen prior to research were academic achievement, assistive technology, communication, self-advocacy, independence, interdependence, higher education, perception, vocational rehabilitation, and employment achievement. New themes that emerged during data collection were role models, networking, demonstration, emotional impact, self-employment, telework, and enrichment. Results showed the visually disabled perceived gaining employment as financial independence and perception affected employment seeking behaviors strongest through networking. </p><p>