<p> Despite the vast research on students with disabilities, little is known about the perspectives of faculty in higher education. According to the literature reviewed, the overall experience of students with disabilities inside the classroom in higher education is negative due to faculty knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. Institutions of higher education are seeing an increase in the number of students with disabilities who are attending college. Students with disabilities have needs inside of the classroom that exceed a typical student in higher education. Faculty provides the support inside of the classroom necessary to meet both the university standards and the standards addressed in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The purpose of this study was to assess faculty knowledge, awareness and perceptions as they relate to students with disabilities and the regulations that mandate accessibility in higher education. </p><p> A survey was administered to 162 faculty members at a large four-year university in the southeastern United States. The findings from this study identified that faculty at the university had significant differences across gender, knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. No significant group differences were found in faculty based on years teaching and their knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. Findings could serve as the foundation for future research on faculty knowledge, awareness, and perceptions. In addition the findings add to the existing literature and provide data to offices for students with disabilities to further understand faculty knowledge, awareness and perceptions as well as possible justification for faculty development. Suggestions and implications for practice are also addressed.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-05, Section: A, page: 1693. Adviser: Stacy Dymond. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 218-239) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

<p> The U.S. Department of Education statistics report increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities and other non-apparent disabilities enrolling in higher education. This change in student demographic presents new challenges to institutions and disability service professionals to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population. The purpose of this study was to attain a deeper understanding of the decision-making experiences of the disability service professionals charged with making accommodation decisions with the intent of informing professional development opportunities that will help build the confidence and effectiveness of these high-stakes decision-makers. The research questions were addressed using a mixed methods research design utilizing a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews of disability service professionals in the northeast region of the United States. Major findings from this study included a surprising yet optimistic decrease in importance disability service professionals placed on specific documentation components in order to make accommodation decisions, the significance of building collaborative relationships on their campuses, and the considerable time and resources they devote to educating faculty on alternative methods of assessment to more effectively teach an increasingly diverse student population. The results of this study underscore the importance of disability service professionals on increasingly diverse campuses and the role they play in enhancing accessibility and ultimately contributing to the culture of diversity on their campuses. Professional development opportunities for higher education administrators are discussed, which include shifting the training focus from documentation and accommodation decision-making to understanding learning and teaching styles, as well as developing soft skills related to interdepartmental collaborative problem-solving.</p>

<p> There is a distinct employment gap between disabled and non-disabled young adults with disabilities. Unemployment numbers are even higher for adults with autism. Recent statistics show Autism Spectrum Disorder is the fastest growing developmental disorder. The problem this dissertation addressed is the perceptions of employment experienced by young adults with autism and their parents. The literature review was perceived through the lens of a social justice view and disability theory. The review summarized overviews of special education policies, autism, and employment. </p><p> The purpose of this research was to give voice to the autism community through a qualitative single case study with multiple participants. Six high school graduates between the ages of 18-24 and their parents participated in individual semi-structured interviews. Questions were asked about participants' perceptions of the employment journey and perceptions of services received through the Individualized Transition Plan. Four participants made their Individualized Education Plans, Individualized Transition Plans, and psychological reports available.</p><p> Four themes emerged from the data collection: impact of autism on employment, social skills training, disclosure and self-advocacy, and expectations of students and parents about teachers. Data implied that a majority of young adult participants did not feel their disability would affect employment, whereas most parents believed autism would negatively impact future employment. Participants did not correlate social skills training to successful employment. No participants had a full understanding of the importance of self-disclosure or clear understanding of workplace accommodations. Half of parent participants were pleased with how their school districts serve students with disabilities, while the other half felt services should be continued, regardless of cost. The data led me to make several implications and recommendations.</p>

<p> There is a gap in the research regarding structured collaborative processes and experiences that draws a parallel to the disconnections discovered between what is needed to be a successful teacher candidate in the field and what is taught through coursework and the lack of authentic experiences in teacher preparation programs such as collaboration. This qualitative case study seeks to expand the extant research by understanding and identifying perceptions and comfort with collaboration, as well as its impact. The study outlined one universities approach to strive to meet the competencies for accreditation and prepare highly effective professional educators with a focus on collaboration. This qualitative case study investigated the perceptions of novice teachers regarding ways in which collaboration impacted them and their teaching experiences and examined the perceptions of these novice teachers and their comfort with collaboration during their induction period.</p><p>

Community colleges have always played a crucial role in providing access to college, especially for students with disabilities. At the same time the rate of completion is exceptionally low for this particular population (Belch, 2004). In order to improve persistence and achievement measurably, colleges may seek clues in successful transitions by students with disabilities. This project presents a qualitative research study to illuminate factors that contribute to semester-by-semester success of community college students with disabilities during their first year. A conceptual model of successful transitional processes was developed from theoretical constructs reported in the literature and was expanded by data from individual case studies. Seven very strong stages emerged as a result of the research. These stages were: (1) pre-college experiences that influence academic involvement, (2) initial encounters that created first impressions, (3) transition shock, (4) support-seeking and strategic adjustment (5) prioritizing and balancing of college and non-college commitments, (6) recognizing success, and (7) a sense of belonging to the college community. These results indicated a successful transition into college is an important first step in persistence for students with disabilities. Persistence of students with disabilities requires further attention and research in order to improve graduation rates of these students at community colleges.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2402. Adviser: Janis G. Chadsey. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 187-196) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.