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This project considers how disability studies and rhetorical studies—specifically the area of medical rhetoric—might usefully inform one another. In particular, this project examines prenatal testing for Down syndrome as a rhetorical situation that initiates and circulates many different discourses about Down syndrome. Chapter One begins by examining a frequently cited statistic in critiques of prenatal testing—the estimated pregnancy termination rate after a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. It explores the validity of this statistic and uses this discussion to suggest that the effects of prenatal testing on social understandings of Down syndrome are complex and largely unknown. Chapter Two argues that intellectual disabilities, like Down syndrome, are underrepresented in disability studies literature and that their absence can be partially attributed to models of disability used in the field. Chapter Three argues that rhetorical analysis provides a means of examining how Down syndrome is discursively constructed. Chapter Four describes the events of prenatal testing for Down syndrome and analyzes the events as a rhetorical situation. In addition, it reviews feminist, disability, and cultural critiques of prenatal testing demonstrating the strengths of each strand of scholarship and suggesting where rhetorical analysis might provide new information. Chapters Five and Six provide analysis of two commentaries on the rhetorical situation of prenatal testing—genetic counseling discourse and parent discourse. These chapters find that ideal genetic counseling discourse offers pregnant women some opportunities to resist medicalization but also exhibits tension between what counselors say they do and what their rhetorical practice affords, especially regarding disability. In addition, analysis shows that users of prenatal testing are concerned with several factors of decision-making that are either not emphasized or ignored entirely in genetic counseling discourse. This project concludes that although different discourses about Down syndrome are available, elements of the prenatal testing situation make it easier for participants to draw on some discourses rather than others. Furthermore, it appears that certain events in the prenatal testing situation—such as the offer of amniocentesis—operate rhetorically in tacit ways, obscuring the relationship between the choice to undergo genetic screening and perceived meanings of Down syndrome. / Ph. D.

No / This pioneering book, in considering intellectually disabled people's lives, sets out a care ethics model of disability that outlines the emotional caring sphere, where love and care are psycho-socially questioned, the practical caring sphere, where day-to-day care is carried out, and the socio-political caring sphere, where social intolerance and aversion to difficult differences are addressed. It does so by discussing issue-based everyday life, such as family, relationships, media representations and education, in an evocative and creative manner. This book draws from an understanding of how intellectual disability is represented in all forms of media, a feminist ethics of care, and capabilities, as well as other theories, to provide a critique and alternative to the social model of disability as well as illuminate care-less spaces that inhabit all the caring spheres.

This multi-case study sought to better understand how students with intellectual disability (ID) are forging pathways to higher education via the community college. Five individuals with ID who accessed higher education via the community college and their parents/guardians were interviewed. Each case provided insight into personal pathways with results given in case descriptions and individual case themes. Cross-case analysis revealed four themes positively impacting the college-going pathway for students with ID: value-driven grit, pathway knowledge, community support, and accessibility. Based on findings from this study, families appear to be the primary systems forging pathways to the community college for individuals with ID. Local education agencies and community colleges can assist these families by engaging in interagency collaboration, evaluating their systems, and aligning practices to the goal of students with ID accessing and engaging in higher education.

Role taking ability has been examined in many ways including developmental studies with normal subjects and studies which demonstrated role taking deficits in a variety of special populations. Recent data suggest that individuals with autism also show such deficits when compared to nonautistic mentally retarded subjects and normal subjects matched for mental age. These deficits in role taking ability have been proposed as one of the cognitive bases for the social interaction difficulties which are present in all autistic persons. The purposes of the present study were to demonstrate, for each of three primary dimensions of role taking, the presence of role taking deficits in the autistic, and to determine the extent to which those deficits correlate with measures of social interaction competence. Subjects for the study included a group of autistic children and a matched group of non-autistic mentally retarded children. Results revealed significant deficits in the autistic group for one of the three role taking dimensions. In addition, that dimension showed significant positive correlations with several of the social interaction measures. Secondary findings suggest the need for a more fine-grained analysis of the nature of social deficits in autism. Implications of these results for the understanding and treatment of the autistic were discussed and future directions for research in the area of autism and social cognition were suggested. / M.S.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of instruction delivered by video to teach hygiene skills to students with significant cognitive disabilities. The independent variable in this study is personal hygiene instruction delivered by a video model. The dependent variable in this study is the ability of a participant to complete a multi-step hygiene task. The dependent variable will be measured during each data session of intervention by two scorers using the same measures and procedures across phases. Visual analysis demonstrated a functional relationship between the hygiene skill video model intervention and an increase in the percentage of steps completed correctly in a hygiene skill task analysis. All four participants demonstrated an immediate increase in accuracy after receiving the intervention and maintained skill accuracy after the intervention was withdrawn. Direction for future research and implications for practitioners are discussed.

Persons with intellectual disability were often segregated from the community during the 20th century. As the social model of disability replaces the medical model, normalisation, deinstitutionalisation and job placement occur. However, in South Africa only a minority of persons with intellectual disability work in the open labour market. A qualitative study was conducted to explore and describe employers' attitudes and experiences regarding employees with intellectual disability. The research design was exploratory, descriptive and contextual, utilising purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted; thereafter, Tesch's eight steps were used to conduct the data analysis. The findings were described according to themes and sub-themes and subsequently verified. Factors impacting upon employers' attitudes and their positive experiences were described. The challenges employers faced and their experiences of their role in the employment of persons with intellectual disability, may be used as guidelines for employers of such persons. Recommendations for further action and research are suggested. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)

by Zhao Zheng. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-98). / Acknowledgements --- p.i / Abstract --- p.ii / List of Tables --- p.iii / List of Figures --- p.iv / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.i / Chapter 1.1 --- History --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Chromosomal Fragile Sites --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- Cytogenetics of the Fragile Site at Xq27.3 --- p.3 / Chapter 1.4 --- Clinical Findings in Fragile X --- p.5 / Chapter 1.5 --- Prevalence --- p.6 / Chapter 1.6 --- The Mode of Inheritance and the Sherman Paradox --- p.8 / Chapter 1.7 --- Molecular Genetics of the FMR-1 Gene --- p.11 / Chapter 1.7.1 --- The Mutation Locus and Linkage Analysis --- p.11 / Chapter 1.7.2 --- Abnormal DNA Methylation in the CpG Island --- p.12 / Chapter 1.7.3 --- Isolation of the FMR-1 Gene --- p.13 / Chapter 1.7.4 --- CGG Trinucleotide Repeats in FMR-1 --- p.13 / Chapter 1.7.5 --- DNA Instability and Mutational Mechanisms --- p.17 / Chapter 1.7.6 --- Gene Expression --- p.18 / Chapter 1.7.7 --- Resolution of the Sherman Paradox --- p.19 / Chapter 1.8 --- Methods of Detection for the Fragile X Mutation --- p.20 / Chapter 1.8.1 --- Cytogenetic Analysis --- p.20 / Chapter 1.8.2 --- Diagnosis by Direct DNA Analysis --- p.21 / Chapter 1.8.2.1 --- Southern Blot Analysis --- p.22 / Chapter 1.8.2.2 --- PCR Analysis --- p.27 / Chapter 1.9 --- Studies of the Fragile X Syndrome in Mainland China --- p.29 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Objectives of the Project --- p.33 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Materials and Methods --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1 --- Chemical Materials --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Enzymes --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- DNA Markers --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Reagent Kits --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- Primers for Polymerase Chain Reaction --- p.35 / Chapter 3.1.5 --- Chemical Reagents --- p.35 / Chapter 3.1.6 --- Nylon Membranes --- p.36 / Chapter 3.1.7 --- Radioisotopes --- p.36 / Chapter 3.1.8 --- Buffers and Solutions --- p.36 / Chapter 3.2 --- Clinical Materials --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Control Subjects --- p.38 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Fragile X Patients --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Mentally Retarded Patients --- p.39 / Chapter 3.3 --- Methods --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Blood Collection --- p.40 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- DNA Isolation --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3.2.1 --- The Salting-out Method --- p.43 / Chapter 3.3.2.2 --- DNA Quantitation --- p.44 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- Labelling of StB12.3 Probe by [α-32P]-dCTP --- p.44 / Chapter 3.3.3.1 --- The Random Priming Method --- p.44 / Chapter 3.3.3.2 --- Purification of Radioactive StB12.3 Probe --- p.45 / Chapter 3.3.3.3 --- Assessment of [α-32P] Incorporation in StB12.3 --- p.45 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- Southern Blot Analysis --- p.46 / Chapter 3.3.4.1 --- Preparation of DNA Fragments --- p.46 / Chapter 3.3.4.2 --- Blotting by Capillary Action --- p.46 / Chapter 3.3.4.3 --- Southern Hybridization --- p.47 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- PCR Amplification and Detection of PCR Products --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3.5.1 --- PCR Amplification --- p.48 / Chapter 3.3.5.2 --- Labelling of (CGG)5 Probe and HpaII Digested pBR322 DNA Marker --- p.49 / Chapter 3.3.5.3 --- Detection of the PCR Products --- p.50 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Results --- p.52 / Chapter 4.1 --- Amplification of the FMR-1 Gene --- p.52 / Chapter 4.2 --- Analysis of the FRAXA Site by Southern Hybridization --- p.52 / Chapter 4.3 --- Distribution of CGG Repeat Sizes in Normal Unrelated Chinese Subjects in Hong Kong --- p.55 / Chapter 4.4 --- Comparison of CGG Repeat Patterns Among Normal Subjects from Different Parts of China --- p.61 / Chapter 4.5 --- CGG Repeat Pattern in Mildly Mentally Retarded Children in Hong Kong --- p.65 / Chapter 4.6 --- Investigation of Suspected Fragile X Families --- p.69 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Discussions --- p.73 / Chapter 5.1 --- Distribution of CGG Repeats in Normal Chinese Population --- p.73 / Chapter 5.2 --- Overlap Between the Normal and Premutation Alleles --- p.78 / Chapter 5.3 --- CGG Allele Distribution in Mildly MR Patients --- p.79 / Chapter 5.4 --- Molecular Analysis of Fragile X Syndrome Families --- p.80 / Chapter 5.5 --- Somatic Instability of CGG Repeats --- p.82 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Conclusions --- p.85 / Bibliography --- p.87

Persons with intellectual disability were often segregated from the community during the 20th century. As the social model of disability replaces the medical model, normalisation, deinstitutionalisation and job placement occur. However, in South Africa only a minority of persons with intellectual disability work in the open labour market. A qualitative study was conducted to explore and describe employers' attitudes and experiences regarding employees with intellectual disability. The research design was exploratory, descriptive and contextual, utilising purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted; thereafter, Tesch's eight steps were used to conduct the data analysis. The findings were described according to themes and sub-themes and subsequently verified. Factors impacting upon employers' attitudes and their positive experiences were described. The challenges employers faced and their experiences of their role in the employment of persons with intellectual disability, may be used as guidelines for employers of such persons. Recommendations for further action and research are suggested. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Social Work)

Master of Science