Youth with disabilities experience greater levels of victimization than non-disabled youth. However, little is known about the associations between peer victimization and disability status alone and in combination with sex and race/ethnicity, or with sex and sexual orientation. Further, little is known about the extent to which exposure to peer victimization mediates the relationship between disability status and psychosocial distress. Thus, one purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which disability status, as a marker of social difference, alone and in combination with other social identities, is associated with differential levels of exposure to peer victimization. A secondary purpose of this research was to examine whether the relationship between disability status and psychological distress is mediated by exposure to peer victimization, and if so, whether the mediation is moderated by sex. This study analyzed complex survey data, using the 2008 Oregon Healthy Teen dataset, which included 7091 students in 11th grade. Intersectional analyses were conducted to determine the extent to which the student's social status (disability, sex, race, and sexual orientation) was associated with exposure to peer victimization. Results from a series of logistic regressions suggest that disability status is highly associated with exposure to peer victimization. Further, the relationship between disability status and peer victimization changes, and the magnitude of change varies, by specific intersectional status. The relative magnitude of increased odds among students with disabilities reporting peer victimization grew considerably when considered in combination with race/ethnicity and sexual orientation. Results from the mediation analyses confirmed that exposure to peer victimization mediated the relationship between disability status and psychosocial distress; however, there was little support for sex as a moderator. These findings have the potential to guide development of interventions and strategies (e.g., policies, mechanisms for reporting victimization) to safeguard the health of all students, with particular attention to those at highest risk for peer victimization in the school context. Future research should examine factors in the school environment related to exposure to peer victimization, utilizing an intersectional approach, with attention to differences on multiple non-dominant culture statues.

This qualitative study examined high school counselors' perceptions of postsecondary transition services to students with specific learning disabilities. Seven high school counselors in the Unnamed County Schools were interviewed to examine their perceptions of postsecondary transition services to students with specific learning disabilities. Categories that involved school counselor's perceptions of the provision of postsecondary transition services for students with learning disabilities emerged from the data. These themes were as follows: 1) plan of study for postsecondary goals based on vocational assessments, 2) assistance provided to prepare for college or work, 3) duties of counselors and involvement in the transition process, and 4) the IEP team, postsecondary goals, and self-advocacy of accommodation needs. There was also an area of other findings that was noted but was not identified as a theme. This other findings involved a participant's postsecondary personal vocational experience. Participants reported transition assessments that were administered to students with learning disabilities to determine career interests and strengths. Participants also discussed how transition services were included in the plan of study and career goals. Participants indicated that the School-to-Work program has helped students with learning disabilities work within the city and gain experiences in their area of interest. Additionally, participants suggested that students with learning disabilities have attended Career Technology Education (CTE) classes that provided a strong connection with the community and businesses. Participants spoke about their depth of knowledge on courses, scheduling, colleges' admission standards, and the employment process for all students. Participants also indicated that they have supplied information for the postsecondary transition service plans for students with disabilities at IEP meetings. Findings from this study may have encouraged high school counselors to expand their practice and perform at an enhanced level when helping students with special needs go to college, get a job, and succeed in life.

The purpose of this study was to determine ETSU faculty attitudes and student perceptions in providing academic accommodations to students with disabilities. Participants of the study were ETSU students with disabilities who are registered with the Disabilities Services office and faculty members of ETSU. Students with disabilities were interviewed. An online survey was sent to faculty members via the ETSU email system. Disability law and disability compliance year books served as the primary documents that were reviewed for pertinent information. Grounded theory using a constant-comparison methodology served as the conceptual framework for the study. The grounded-theory approach allowed for the perspectives of students and faculty to be shared and analyzed. Constant-comparison methodology was used to interpret the data through the critical lens perspectives and experiences of students with disabilities. Interview, online survey, and document review were 3 methods of data collection used in this study. The findings of the study indicated that the experiences and perspectives of ETSU students with disabilities differ regardless of visible or invisible disability. Findings also indicated that faculty attitudes towards providing accommodations to students with disabilities were generally positive. However, attitudes of faculty members at ETSU did mirror the attitudes of faculty members at other universities in the provision of certain accommodations based on type (classroom or testing.) In general, faculty members were less willing to alter a test than to provide extended time for a test. Also, faculty members were less willing to provide lecture notes as opposed to allowing a student to record a lecture. It is suggested that the willingness of a faculty member to provide accommodations may hinge on knowledge, experience, and ease of providing the accommodation.

This study addressed the academic, cultural, and social expectations and experiences of 20 African American juniors and seniors at 2 predominantly White universities in the southern Appalachian region of the United States. The participants' described experiences revealed how institutional practices promoted or obstructed their persistence to graduation. Qualitative ethnographic methodology with critical race theory as the conceptual framework guided the study. This approach allowed for the perspectives and lived experiences of the students to be voiced and heard. Data collected included their stories based on semistructured interviews, document reviews, and observations. The constant comparison method was used to analyze the data through the critical race interpretive lens of racism as the persistent reality of people of color. In combination, the data illustrated the positive and negative impacts of student-institution relationships and the campus racial climate on African American students' experiences at the universities under study. Findings indicated a dissonance between the students' academic, cultural, and social expectations and experiences primarily caused by unanticipated racist experiences in the classrooms, on the campuses, and in the campus' communities-at-large. Positive relationships with administrators, faculty members, and staff emerged as the most significant contributors to the students' capability to safely and successfully navigate academic, social, and cultural pathways leading to graduation. Recommendations based on the results of the study are provided for university administrators, faculty members, and staff who are committed to improving the college experience and persistence to graduation rates for students of color matriculating at predominantly White universities.

Institutions of public higher education must meet the challenges presented by providing education services to the significantly increasing number of undocumented students. However, public policy has not clearly addressed undocumented immigrants' residency status in regard to college and university admissions standards. This issue will affect education leaders in public institutions of higher education who have the authority to define admissions criteria and influence state legislation. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of higher education leaders' attitudes toward the appropriateness of providing education benefits for undocumented immigrants. Data collected from 384 returned surveys representing 18 states were analyzed to examine leaders' attitudes in relation to demographic characteristics. The statistical analyses revealed no significant differences in attitudinal means based on gender, professional level position, age group, years of professional experience, and states that do and do not charge in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants. However, there were significant differences in attitudinal means based on ethnicity, political affiliation, institution type, and between states that grant in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.

Recognition of the need for special education for school children with speech handicaps was first made in Potsdam, Germany, in 1896. Twelve years later in 1908 the first public school class in speech correction in the United States was organized in New York City, Programs of speech and hearing re-education in the public schools of the United States have expanded from this single metropolitan system in 1908 to a nation-wide effort in little more than fifty years. In the United States today more than two million school children require remedial services from competently trained speech clinicians. In California public schools alone more than 100,000 children each year receive special instruction in remedial classes conducted by more than five hundred full-time and part-time speech clinicians. Public school speech therapy has become a recognized discipline in American education, but continuing re-evaluations must be made to assure adequate future growth. This study does not purport to go into the etiology or methodology of speech and hearing problems, but rather to serve mainly as a source of information regarding the organization, administration, and financing of the special services which deal with these problems, In the preliminary stages of gathering the data for this research project, it was found that school districts seeking the services of a speech clinician for the first time were faced with the task of administering a program which is not clearly defined beyond the legal obligations as set forth by the Educational Code. Just what to expect from the new addition to their teaching staff presented a problem to the school district administrator. The speech clinician also was very seldom prepared to offer a well-defined workable outline as to his responsibilities to the school district which had employed him. To determine the role of the speech clinician in this area and how the programs of speech therapy are organized, administered, and financed, seventeen school districts within a one hundred mile radius of Lodi, California, were randomly selected for this study.

Preparing undergraduate students for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields continues to be a national priority. This project analyzed the effects of virtual metacognitive academic coaching between graduate student coaches and undergraduate STEM majors with Executive Function disorders at a large, four-year university. The project team analyzed the persistence of the undergraduate students in their major, as well as the graduate students’ abilities to transfer the coaching experiences to K-12 settings. A mixed-methods design evaluated qualitative (i.e. student/coaches’ surveys and interviews) outcomes for undergraduate STEM majors and for graduate students. The goal of this project is to develop iteratively a model of scalable supports that can be utilized to support undergraduates with disabilities in STEM majors’ at large universities such as UCF. Graduate student coaches paired with undergraduate STEM majors with Executive Function disorders (n=26) worked collaboratively throughout one semester to developed strategies that supported the success of the undergraduate students’ coursework. Both coaches and students provided examples of positive effects of the academic coaching process that supported student course work and created experiences that the graduate students could use in a K-12 setting.

The intent of this thesis is to discover teaching strategies for students who have exceptionalities with a focus on students who have Autism, Down syndrome, or Visual Impairment and how these teaching strategies can be used to teach students in a mainstreamed secondary art classroom. Since the mainstreaming of the public school system has increased, students with exceptionalities have caused uncertainty among teachers about which teaching strategies to use in the classroom to meet all of their students needs. New teaching strategies need to be brought into the classroom to change the way students are learning. This thesis will include: the general facts, characteristics, accommodations, and modifications of Autism, Down syndrome, and Visual Impairment. An understanding of how students with Autism, Down syndrome, or Visual Impairment learn and what teaching strategies can be used in a secondary art classroom to provide the least restrictive learning environment to the students will be addressed. Suggested teaching strategies for students with Autism include the use of visualizations, change in pace, adaptive tools, and choosing materials wisely. For students with Down syndrome include simplification, repetition, breaking the lesson down into parts, and pacing. Students with Visual Impairment will need tactile materials, clear wording, descriptive visuals, and labeling, light, and intense color.

Historically, African American male students have been disproportionately overrepresented in special education under the eligibility categories emotional disturbance, and behavior disorders. Additionally, African American male students with disabilities have consistently underperformed academically. If a student does not perceive that the teacher cares for him, it may be more difficult for a teacher to be successful in engaging the student in the learning experience. The literature indicates that care is a basic need that is grounded in relationships. In schools, those relationships are based on the interaction between the student and teacher. There is a lack of data that specifically addresses the care of African American male students with special needs in nonpublic-school settings. This qualitative study utilized interviewing as a methodology to better understand how the care of a teacher supported the educational experience of African American males for the purpose of informing teachers and leaders in how to work with this specific population of students by addressing the following research questions: (a) How do African American male secondary school students with special needs define care? (b) To what extent do African American male secondary school students with special needs’ perceptions of teacher care affect their educational experiences? (c) Based on African American male secondary school students' with special needs perceptions of teacher care, how are the components of the ethic of care demonstrated in the classroom by the teacher? (d) How are the three suppositions of culturally relevant pedagogy demonstrated by the classroom teacher, according to the perceptions of African American male secondary school students with special needs?

For this phenomenological study, thirteen participants from two private universities, located in the western region of the United States shared their lived experiences of being a college student who does not request accommodations. The author used recursive analysis to analyze qualitative data from semistructured interviews. Initial codes were combined to create interconnected families of codes. A second level of analysis resulted in seven spaces in which participants described their lived experiences. Findings suggest participants experience various tensions, ranging from incompatible options to competing perspectives, as they negotiate their identify and environment. including the principle of opportunity cost. Recommendations for college administrators and faculty, including Universal Design in higher education are included.