Purpose: To validate and assess the feasibility of using an assay of oral neutrophils to measure periodontal inflammation in uncooperative patients with special needs. Methods: Periodontal examination and neutrophil counts derived from oral swabs were performed on patients with special needs having comprehensive dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA). The conventional periodontal measurements were compared to neutrophil levels while patients were under GA, and later at their recall examination. Results: Forty-nine patients were assessed under GA and 30 (61%) returned for recall examination. Spearman’s correlation allowed for comparisons between periodontal parameters and oral neutrophil counts. Despite limited cooperation, it was possible to acquire neutrophils (using swabs) for all patients that presented for recall examination in the ambulatory dental clinic. Conclusions: Oral neutrophil levels correlated significantly with conventional parameters of gingival inflammation and may serve as a standardized method for clinical assessment of periodontal diseases in the special needs population.

The purpose of this paper is to understand why education is a human right. I will look at works by the late Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator. Paulo Freire worked for many years on developing a pedagogy to promote humanity. His goal was to demonstrate that a literate person will ultimately live a better life because she will be free from oppression and domination. I chose to study Paulo Freire as a tool in proving why education is a human right because throughout his work he demonstrated the need for people to be literate in order for them to be considered “truly human”. I will address this term further in my argument. This thesis is a work in progress. My goal is to include chapters illustrating Amartya Sen’s theory and ideology, and compare them to those of Freire’s. I would also like to include a chapter specifically dedicated to women and education, since it is common practice for women in many countries to sacrifice their right to education so the males in their families can attend school.

Policy guidelines of the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) state that accommodations and participation decisions on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) do not threaten validity. However, these issues are contentious in American large-scale testing. New approaches integrate test access, administration, accommodation and participation within a unified fairness and validity construct. The current study, based on demographic and outcome data for the entire population of OSSLT-eligible students from 2006 to 2009, demonstrates changing patterns in accommodations and participation decisions across schools and years. In particular, English language learners are found to be considerably underrepresented among students receiving special needs accommodations. This has implications for the valid interpretation and fair use of test scores. Recommendations are proposed for improving fairness, consistency, and validity in administering accommodations and participation.

Purpose: To validate and assess the feasibility of using an assay of oral neutrophils to measure periodontal inflammation in uncooperative patients with special needs. Methods: Periodontal examination and neutrophil counts derived from oral swabs were performed on patients with special needs having comprehensive dental treatment under general anaesthesia (GA). The conventional periodontal measurements were compared to neutrophil levels while patients were under GA, and later at their recall examination. Results: Forty-nine patients were assessed under GA and 30 (61%) returned for recall examination. Spearman’s correlation allowed for comparisons between periodontal parameters and oral neutrophil counts. Despite limited cooperation, it was possible to acquire neutrophils (using swabs) for all patients that presented for recall examination in the ambulatory dental clinic. Conclusions: Oral neutrophil levels correlated significantly with conventional parameters of gingival inflammation and may serve as a standardized method for clinical assessment of periodontal diseases in the special needs population.

Recreational running is an activity increasing in popularity (Running USA, 2012). The current study sought to gain an ‘insiders’ perspective into the ‘lived experiences’ and social world of distance running so to explore the meaning, value and significance of the activity to the lives of ‘highly committed’ runners in Toronto (Canada). Ethnography of running club participants was used to inform the research. Findings suggest that commitment to distance running was effective for fulfilling a number of human ‘needs’, including for health, fitness, acceptance, belonging, self-esteem, autonomy, competence, relatedness and perhaps self-actualization as proposed by Maslow (1954) and Deci and Ryan (2000). Running was further conceptualized as a “serious leisure” (Stebbins, 1982) which helps explain the process of adaptively incorporating physical activity into one’s life and committing long-term. This research highlights some oft ignored psychological and social benefits of physical activity adherence which may contribute to improved overall health and well-being.

Based on my experience and the available literature I believe that many art teachers perceive that they are unprepared to adequately teach special needs students in their art classrooms. The review of literature supports the visual arts for individuals with disabilities. The inclusion movement in schools increases the likelihood that a teacher will have students with disabilities in their art classroom. It is suggested that art educators would benefit from at least one course in their pre-service training that specifically addresses art education for students with special needs. This content analysis of pre-service art education programs reveals that 5 of 18 programs studied, (28%), require such a course, with no other option, to fulfill the special education requirement. Using the published literature, my own experience, and current practices a proposed curriculum was created for an undergraduate course in art education for special needs in the inclusive art classroom.

A child with a severe disability intensifies the demands facing a family (Beck, Hastings, Daley, & Stevenson, 2004; Martin & Baker, 2001; Withers & Bennett, 2003). Mothers specifically face an intense challenge, a concern as a mother’s wellbeing directly impacts her child’s emotional well-being (Kobe & Hammer, 1994), physical development, and progress within treatment (Lessenberry & Rehfeldt, 2004). These challenges are further heightened for women living in rural communities as little has changed for individuals with disabilities in rural communities over the past twenty years (Letvak, 2002). Although heightened stress among these mothers is significant, it is unclear how best to minimize stress and facilitate adaptive coping and resiliency among these women. This qualitative dissertation was an exploration into the stressors, coping resources, and resiliency of rural mothers of children with severe disabilities. Ten mothers of children with severe disabilities living in rural, Southeastern communities participated in a semi-structured interview. Supplementary sources of data include member-checking interviews, participant observation, and reflective journaling. Data derived from these sources include stressors, coping resources, and resiliency factors. Identified stressors include the absence of services, the insufficiency of available services, the effort required to locate and access services outside the community, social stressors, financial demands, and stressors stemming from personal attributes. All of the coping strategies listed by the participants shared similarities with those utilized by mothers of children with special needs not living in rural areas (Baun, 2002; Ferguson, 2002; Keller, & Honig, 2004). However, social support and spirituality, two identified coping techniques, are highly reflective of traditional, rural culture (Letvak, 2002; Nordal & Hill, 1999; Slama, 2004b; Wagenfeld, 2003). The mothers also identified their primary sources of resiliency to be external to them, their child/family service providers or God. All of the participants had recommendations for additional, beneficial resources for themselves and their children. These results are informative and significant to research, practice, and advocacy. Ultimately, it is hoped that this study may assist in empowering members of this marginalized group, advancing beneficial governmental policies, and informing interventions to enhance the wellbeing of these mothers and children.

The Training for Health Renewal Program (THRP) is a multi-year CIDA-funded partnership between the Health Science Faculties at the University of Saskatchewan and the Ministry of Health of Mozambique. Participatory Teaching, Learning and Research: Core Facilitator Training was a curriculum offered to participant Trainers in THRP between August 1999 and November 2000, at the University of Saskakatchewan. The participants were seven Mozambican health care workers who have since returned to Mozambique to work as core facilitators of improved community health practice in Massinga, Mozambique. In January, 2001, I traveled to Mozambique to contribute to the overall THRP program evaluation through the completion of a needs assessment. The assessment examined the current practice experience of the Trainers, used that experience to assist the Trainers in identifying professional development needs, and examined the use of the Story-Dialogue method as used in this particular context. The participants were six of the original seven Trainers. Data were collected using one-on-one interviews, the Story-Dialogue method, a focus group debriefing session, and journaling. The current practice experience of the Trainers involved both challenges and successes. Challenges included bridging several gaps related to having studied in Canada in order to practice in Mozambique, working with local communities, working with colleagues and students, and a lack of support. Successes described included those found when working with local communities and working as a team. The Trainers identified a rich breadth of professional development needs. Content needs included learning related to planning, formalizing their practice of critical reflection, recognizing their own assets and limitations, and dealing with organization issues affecting their professional development. As well, the Trainers identified course-specific areas of interest. Methods for achieving development included relationship building, use of distance education and participatory methods, and formalizing access to continuing education. Finally, the Story-Dialogue method was found to be particularly useful in this context. The Trainers found the method fostered both personal and organizational change and was inclusive. Challenges of the method included the risk of disclosure, the need to formalize follow-up, and the potential need to adapt the method depending on the community using it.

Especially recently, cooperatives occupy the global agenda as efficient organizations that contribute to mainstream development goals. However, cooperatives, which may also emerge as grassroots organizations, could create an alternative through empowering women socially, economically and politically. In this respect, this study investigates the impact of women&rsquo / s cooperatives on women&rsquo / s empowerment in urban Turkey. Empowerment Approach composes the theoretical framework of this study. Primarily, the mainstream development approach, Women in Development approach and Gender and Development approach are analyzed critically which are the precursors of Empowerment Approach. Later, Empowerment Approach is analyzed, and benefiting from postmodern approaches that emphasize the importance of local ways of knowing and doing, empowerment is defined as a process that fulfills practical and strategic gender needs through power within, power with and power to, which are generative forms of power. Through field research conducted in Istanbul and its periphery, I concluded that: 1) Women&rsquo / s conceptualization of empowerment overlapped with my conceptualization of power with and power within. However women did not mention power to as power or empowerment. 2) Rather than practical or strategic gender needs, women mostly fulfill psychological and social needs through cooperative involvement. This category emerged as a third category that should be added to practical and strategic gender needs framework. 3) Women&rsquo / s cooperatives empower women through power within and power with, which in turn mostly fulfill social, psychological and practical gender needs. Power to is not revealed through cooperative membership which is in fact a sin qua non aspect of empowerment.

7 % of children in preschool have some sort of language disorder. How should preschool teachers best help these children? In a small special group where they can focus on the child´s individual linguistic development or in an ordinary group were the other children can be linguistic models for the child and help his or hers development? The purpose of this paper is to see what preschool teachers, who work with children who has language impairment, says about working with these children in a special group as compared with working with them in an ordinary group together with children without language impairment. What are the advantages and the disadvantages related to the different ways of working? Another focus point is how the children collaborate with each other. I have used theories about integration and peer collaboration to understand the results. I have conducted interviews with two preschool teachers with experience in both working with solely language impaired children in a small group as well of work in a mixed group of children with and without language impairment. Furthermore, I have also observed how the children collaborate with each other. The result of the interviews and observations show that there is not an easy way to answer the question about which way is better. One conclusion I can make is that it requires more work from the teachers working in a mixed group. They have to be aware of the variation in the children´s needs and they have to work active with the children´s collaboration in order to prevent that language impaired children are excluded in play.