Introduction: Students with disabilities are underrepresented in post-secondary education, including health professional programs. They experience higher rates of attrition and lower rates of graduation compared to their non-disabled peers. Some research indicates that educators engage in ableist practices preventing students with disabilities from successfully completing these programs. Educators report difficulty meeting the myriad of professional and educational expectations in professional programs. Rehabilitation professions provide a unique opportunity for research given their emphasis on participation and inclusion. Purpose: The purpose of this program of research was to explore the educator perspective in the accommodation of students with disabilities in professional rehabilitation programs. Method: There are three studies that constitute this thesis. The first study is a critical discourse analysis in which the most relevant texts in the accommodation process were examined. The second study is an institutional ethnography informed study, whereby university-based educators were interviewed about their actions in the accommodation process of students with disabilities. The final study is an interpretive description that involved interviews with fieldwork educators who provide disability-related accommodations to students in their work settings. Findings: The texts involved in the accommodation process revealed varied and conflicting discourses and subject positions for educators in rehabilitation programs. University-based educators identified tensions reconciling the focus on students in the post-secondary education context with the focus on clients in the healthcare context, for which they were preparing students. However, fieldwork educators were generally at ease with the accommodation process as they integrated accommodations into the broader goal of learning. Implications: This body of work provides insight into the reasons why educators may struggle with the accommodation process in professional rehabilitation programs. It also identifies potential solutions for educational programs and future directions for research. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Students with disabilities experience difficulty entering and graduating from health professional programs, including rehabilitation. This group of students face challenges in meeting all the requirements for their programs. Through three discrete studies, this thesis explores educators’ perspectives on the accommodation process of students with disabilities. The first study demonstrated that the most relevant documents to the accommodation process require educators to take on conflicting roles. The second study showed that university-based educators struggle with the focus on students at the university, which seemed to be prioritized over the focus on clients in healthcare, the context for which educators prepare students. The final study illustrated that fieldwork educators did not experience these struggles. Rather, they accommodated students as part of the students’ learning journey. These studies help explain why educators may have difficulty with the accommodation process of students with disabilities and offer solutions for educational programs and future research.

No description available.

This study explored the lived experience of being an occupational therapy student with additional support requirements. Individuals with disabilities have the right to access education and have unique skills and attributes which are highly desirable within Health and Social Care professions. The number of students with disabilities undertaking Health and Social Care programmes is increasing and Universities have sought to improve facilities, resources and support for these students. However, Occupational Therapy education which is truly inclusive remains elusive (Jung et al, 2008). No previous research exploring this phenomenon has been completed within the United Kingdom. Two small scale studies in USA (Velde et al, 2005) and in Canada (Jung et al, 2014) have been previous published, alongside a number of autobiographical descriptions of individual’s personal experiences of OT education from those with disabilities (Archer, 1999; Bennett, 1989; Guitard and Lirette, 2005; Sivanesan, 2003). However, the age and predominant international context limits applicability within the UK. Unlike previous studies, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to investigate the phenomenon of being an Occupational Therapy student with a disability, from the individual’s unique perspective. Viewing each individual participant as a unique occupational being allowed me to reveal findings which have been previously unidentified and unexplored. This study illuminated a journey that all participants experienced as they engaged in the occupation of studying to become an Occupational Therapist. The journey was described by two participants using the metaphor ‘a rollercoaster’ and this became the overarching theme. Other themes generated from individual participant journeys, as described in their own words, were ‘like a bull at a gate’, ‘that was when the bubble burst’, ‘heal thy self’ and the ‘world is my oyster’. The findings indicated that there was a therapeutic benefit of studying to become an Occupational Therapist for those who had successfully completed the programme. Whilst never the original intention of the research, when interpreting the findings, I was drawn to how the concepts within Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) (Kielhofner, 1985) were evident within each participant’s journey and thus applied MOHO to each individual. It is recommended that further research is undertaken to explore if the findings of this study are only applicable to those who participated in the study or if studying Occupational Therapy is indeed therapeutic and the Model of Human Occupation is applicable to all students who study OT with or without additional support requirements.

Master's thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 1999. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 184-202).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2005. / Advisor: Alysia Roehrig, Florida State University, College of Education, Dept. of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Jan 25, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains xv, 260 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

This article places an emphasis on the importance of tutorials for students with a disability in universities. It presented the most significant results of the study of tutorials carried out in help services, units or offices for students with a disability inmore than 45 Spanish universities, in relation to promotion, reception, completion and graduation. The contributions highlight the importance of organising a response through a Tutorial Action Plan made up of the stages of motivation and awareness-raisin, planning, execution, evaluation and institutionalisation. Among the principle conclusions, the importance of moving towards a truly inclusive university through tutorial activity is highlighted, thereby providing a guide for providing assistance to university students with a disability. / Este aporte pone énfasis en la importancia de la acción tutorial dirigida al colectivo de estudiantes con discapacidad en el contexto universitario. Presenta los resultados más significativos del estudio que sobre actuaciones tutoriales realizan los Servicios, Unidades u Oficinas de atención a los estudiantes universitarios con discapacidad de más 45 universidades españolas, en relación con la promoción, la acogida, la permanencia y el egreso. Los aportes remarcan la importancia de organizar la respuesta a través de un Plan de Acción Tutorial orquestado desde las etapas de motivación y sensibilización, planificación, ejecución, evaluación e institucionalización. Entre las principales conclusiones, sobresale la importancia de avanzar hacia una universidad realmente inclusiva desde la acción tutorial, proporcionando, al respecto, una Guía para la atención a los alumnos universitarios con discapacidad.

No description available.

This study addresses how the temperament characteristics of seven year old learning disabled students are viewed in relation to those of the normally achieving students. Teacher perceptions, parent perceptions, and teacher versus parent perceptions are examined utilizing the six dimensions (activity, adaptability, approach/withdrawal, intensity, distractibility, and persistence) and the three factors (emotionality, sociability, and persistence) of the Temperament Assessment Battery.

No description available.