Typescript, etc. / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Magister Artium - MA / Not all disabilities are the same and the way that society may respond to people with disabilities depends on their “disability” and how their body deviates from the appearance norms of society. People with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the South African population. A body of research and physical evidence shows that people with disabilities may face certain obstacles or limitations in fulfilling a normal life. Obstacles include perceptions of disabilities, negative stigma and attitudes, barriers to an environment which is accessible for people with disabilities, and constructions of ableism. In a way, these obstacles influence the way people with disabilities construct their identity. Beyond this, the voices of people with disabilities are not always heard and their personal experiences are not always given political recognition. This research aimed to explore how a group of students living with a physical or visual disability constructed their identities in their environment or society. A feminist qualitative method was conducted. The study focused on the experiences and perceptions of nineteen to twenty-seven year old female and male students with disabilities. Out of the six participants, two were coloured, three were black and one participant is classified as coloured, but identifies as biracial. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection and a Qualitative Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data. Social constructionism and intersectionality were useful theoretical approaches adopted in exploring the lived experiences of students with disabilities. The results of this study revealed that students with disabilities find living with a disability as not being a barrier to living a fulfilling life. Students with disabilities construct their identities in a way that frees them from ideologies which shape the experience of disability in a negative way. However, the study revealed that negative barriers to identity construction still exist. These barriers come in the form of negative perceptions and stigma of disability, ableism and the medical model. The study further revealed that when the lived experiences of students with disabilities are understood through the lens of gender, race and class, these social divisions overlap and are cumulative on the effects of student’s experiences. The one major barrier in identity construction that the study revealed is the negative social perceptions of disability. The way in which students feel that they belong in their society is representative of how they respond to negative social constructions of disability.

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act requires students with disabilities to show progress on the same standards as their nondisabled peers without indicating how teachers should accomplish this goal. Many teachers lack the skills needed to address the unique learning challenges of students who are cognitively functioning below 2 years of age. This study used a qualitative exploratory case study design. The purpose of this study was to explore what was hindering teachers from providing grade level standards-based instruction for their students with multiple disabilities. Piaget's constructivist theory guided this study. Research questions were used to elicit how teachers were providing standard-based instruction and how they were determining strategies for course delivery. Data collection included semi structured interviews with 20 special education teachers who were selected using purposive sampling and who had at least 3 years of experience working with students who had multiple disabilities and had cognitive functioning levels below 2 years of age. Observations of the instructional practices of these teachers were also conducted. Data were analyzed using Hatch's typology; according to study results, teachers based instructional decisions on their individual beliefs about students, personal level of content knowledge, and custodial needs of students due to disabilities. In classroom observations, there was a lack of grade-level content. A professional development-training plan for teachers was created on standards-based content to shift perceptions about students and to develop appropriate instructional strategies. The social change implications of this study will benefit teachers by providing students with disabilities access to standards-based curriculum instruction to meet legislative requirements.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 1963. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 81-83). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.