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Photocopy of typescript. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

This paper will identify the problems faced by deaf people in terms of social and emotional, and then discuss the research on factors which contribute to the problems. The first section will define deafness, investigate the psychological characteristics of the deaf, and then identify the incidence of mental or emotional problems. The second section will review the literature on factors which contribute to the emotional problems of the deaf. The final section will review the literature on the service system available to the deaf. Throughout this presentation, the writer will summarize with personal conclusions. These summaries will both capsulize the literature and explain the writer’s value stance.

When strangers meet, there is a high level of uncertainty due to the infinite number of possible alternatives in behavior between the two people. Previous research indicates that communicators will attempt to reduce the level of uncertainty by using available verbal and nonverbal information of the other, by seeking similarities with the other, and by observing the situation itself. This information is used to predict attitudes and beliefs, as well as to attribute characteristics of the other. Other studies indicate that a person will increase her level of self-monitoring activity when the level of uncertainty is increased.

The worth of rehabilitation programs should be measured in terms of their lasting impact on long-term employment. Vocational rehabilitation programs nationally and internationally appear to be falling short of their goal of long-term gainful employment. Competitive employment options for the injured worker appear to have leveled out, the pool of unemployed disabled workers appears to be rising, litigation and adversarial relationships are beginning to dominate the rehabilitation process, and costs of vocational rehabilitation are escalating. Increasingly, interest has focused on the long-term influence of vocational rehabilitation, particularly on the costly training programs, and on the employment and economic potential of program recipients. The present study focused on the current socioeconomic and employment status of those individuals who participated in Authorized Training Programs (ATPs) in 1985 and 1986. It was hypothesized that workers who successfully participated in authorized training programs would be able to maintain long-term gainful employment at or near their wage-at-injury in the field in which they had received ATP training.

Aphasia is an acquired general impairment of the language processes resulting from brain damage that is frequently caused by cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs). Persons with aphasia have a history of retaining important communication competencies that have the potential for helping them succeed in using augmented communication systems. Using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems by adults with aphasia has been studied, but few studies have reported successfully using AAC systems in rehabilitating adults with aphasia. New advanced technologies including the availability of devices that talk, store a lot of information, and are relatively small can give AAC the potential to affect a greater change in functional communication skills for more persons with aphasia, particularly as experience with AAC rehabilitation grows. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether an adult with severe, nonfluent aphasia could communicate independently by adding a voice output communication aid (VOCA) to his natural communication repertoire. This study also sought to answer the following question: Does the addition of a VOCA to natural expression facilitate independent communication in an adult with severe, nonfluent aphasia? One subject was drawn from the out-patient members of a recreationoriented communication treatment group which is conducted at the Portland Veterans' Affairs Medical Center. The subject had been diagnosed with severe, nonfluent aphasia by a certified Speech/Language Pathologist. This study used a single-subject, component assessment research design to explore the relative effectiveness of components in an aphasia and AAC treatment package. It compared the relative effectiveness of Promoting Aphasics' Communicative Effectiveness (PACE) only treatment using natural communication strategies with that of PACE treatment for natural strategies plus a VOCA component. The subject's attempts to convey information were videotaped and analyzed using mean scores and a split-middle method of trend estimation to determine whether performance differences existed under two treatment conditions. The data for the number of conversational turns show an increase in the number of conversational turns which confirms an overall decrease in efficiency of communication for a severely aphasic person in this structured task in the augmented condition. Second, although the data for the number of communication breakdowns, the number of repair turns, and the repair turns as a percentage of total turns show a decline which would confirm an overall increase in effectiveness, this study does not conclusively demonstrate that the use of a VOCA enhances communication in this setting for this person compared to PACE only treatment. Lastly, the data for the number of messages conveyed correctly show little change which confirms by the measure used in this study, no difference in accuracy of communication for this activity in the augmented condition.

Thesis (LLM) --University of Limpopo, 2010

Since the multicultural movement, disability theorists have called to understand disability as a marginalized and socially constructed identity (Olkin, 2002). The current study aimed to adopt this approach with individuals diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD) to assess the psychological ramifications of LD stigma and discrimination. Previous work has begun to explore the links between LD discrimination and psychological health (Geiger & Brewster, 2018); however, the role of mediating variables remains unexplored. The current study applied Minority Stress Theory (Meyer, 1995, 2003) with a national sample of 227 adults with LDs to assess the potential mediating roles LD-specific minority stressors have on the relationship between LD discrimination and psychological distress grounded in the integrative mediation framework (Hatzenbuehler, 2009). Through bivariate correlations and structural equation modeling, the study examined relations between five variables: one distal stressor (i.e., LD discrimination), and three proximal stressors (i.e., expectations of LD stigma, internalized LD stigma, concealment of LD identity) with mental health outcomes (i.e., psychological distress). Results provide support for the adaptation of minority stress theory with adult LD populations through model fit, in addition to support from hypothesized bivariate correlations between variables of interest. Findings indicate partial support for direct effects, with LD discrimination demonstrating the most robust effect on psychological distress and all three proximal stressors. In terms of mediating variables, findings do not support the three hypothesized indirect effects of proximal stressors. Clinical, theoretical, and research implications and future directions are explored.

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This study aimed to explore and develop a fresh understanding of the community service needs of persons with spinal injuries. Different concepts of need were explored, which required multiple methodologies including a review of government policies and legislation, analysis of demographic, injury related and service usage data obtained from a survey, and analysis of interviews with persons with spinal injuries and their carers. Normative need was interpreted by government and service providers in terms of functional impairment and economic disadvantage, which did not reflect the individual needs of persons with spinal injuries. Neither were services for persons with spinal injuries provided to individuals according to the criteria of their felt or expressed need for services, their perceptions of the intrinsic importance of services, nor on the basis of redressing comparative inequities in service distribution. Persons with spinal injuries’ need for community services could only be understood on the basis of the contribution services made to the realisation of their plans of life, that is, to be ordinary. In order to parallel plans of ordinariness, services need to be offered in partnership with, or under the control of the person with spinal injuries, foster an essential relationship between the provider and the person with spinal injuries, and not inappropriately assess and judge the life plans of persons with spinal injuries based upon providers’ perceptions of difference. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)