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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-209). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

<p> The purpose of this qualitative case study was to determine how to make out-of-school programs more inclusive of youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) by analyzing inclusive out-of-school programs affiliated with Kids Included Together (KIT). KIT is an organization that provides training and resources for meaningfully including children with and without disabilities into community-based, out-of-school programs. The study examined the perspective of current and former youth with and without ID, their parents, KIT-affiliated staff members, and KIT&rsquo;s staff members via interviews. Observations of youth participating in recreational activities were completed. The sample consisted of 27 participants. Participants yielded 9 salient themes with multiple categories that emerged from the data. Each theme served as elements of inclusion toward meaningful inclusion of individuals with ID in out-of-school programs. Participants addressed key elements of inclusion required to create social change in out-of-school programs, educational settings, and community programs. The study also highlighted the barriers associated with inclusion and discussed specific strategies to address these challenges based on findings of this research. The knowledge gained from the study may have relevance for community-based programs that are interested in fostering a supportive and inclusive organizational culture. This study may raise awareness and training on how to support individuals with ID and it may provide opportunities to build resources and additional inclusive programs. The study provides practitioner recommendations on how youth with and without disabilities, their parents, staff members of out-of-school programs, school teachers, staff and administrators can implement inclusive practices in the community, out-of-school programs and educational settings. </p><p>

<p> Research confirms that dyslexia is the most common form of learning disability that exists in schools today. Continuous dyslexic research has narrowed in on specific characteristics of the disability, yet many dyslexics still struggle academically. The need for additional literature resides within the success stories of dyslexic individuals who have overcome their educational deficit and have persevered in academic arenas. This study examined factors contributing to the academic success of students With dyslexia and their ability to transcend academic barriers as they continue the journey into post-secondary education. Additionally, this study explored the influences of the educational methods, support structures such as family, peer and school mentorship, and coping strategies that might have affected the dyslexic learner&rsquo;s academic performance. This phenomenological qualitative study utilized semi-structured interviews to capture the lived experiences of eight high-achieving students With dyslexia who have recently graduated or are on track to graduate from a post-secondary university. Interview questions were piloted and checked for validity. To ensure information-rich data, purposeful sampling was implemented to create a pool of participants that fit the phenomenon of high-achieving students With dyslexia through dyslexic organizations and the snowballing effect of participants.</p><p>

<p> Adolescents involved in child welfare systems have a greater risk of sexual victimization than their general population peers as well as a greater prevalence of intellectual disabilities. This study uses complex survey data from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Wellbeing to examine risk and protective factors associated with sexual assault and transactional sex among older adolescents involved in the child welfare system. This research examines the potential role of intellectual ability as a risk factor for these forms of victimization and social support and community environment as protective factors. Using a subset of data from older adolescents between ages 18 to 19.5 years, this study focuses on the period when adolescents transition from the child welfare system to become independent adults. Bivariate logistic regression models were used to examine these relationships. Results indicate 2.5% of the adolescents experienced a sexual assault in the past 12 months and 3.9 % had engaged in transactional sex in the past 6 months. The mean intelligence score for this group of adolescents is one standard deviation below average. Being female was associated with experiencing a sexual assault or rape in the past 12 months. Lower intellectual ability scores were associated with greater odds of engagement in paid sexual activity in the last 6 months. This study highlights the vulnerability of adolescents to sexual victimization as they transition from child welfare systems involvement and the need for enhanced supports and community connections as they exit child welfare services. </p><p>

<p> There are currently an estimated 93 million children with disabilities in the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report each year that 1 in every 700 babies is born with Down syndrome. Yet in spite of the enormity of numbers, they remain one of the most marginalized groups in society. Discrimination, negative attitudes, inadequate healthcare, and segregated education systems effectively bar differently abled children from realizing their full potential. This study uses a single-subject case study of one spectacular sport event involving one child with Down syndrome. It is framed by Vygotsky&rsquo;s "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) theory, which suggests that social interaction, adult guidance, and peer collaboration, can support development that exceeds what can be attained alone. A thematic analysis was used to measure differences in recurring themes among three separate sources of data including (1) online YouTube video comments, (2) written correspondence, and (3) focus group interviews. Four emerging themes including servant leadership (31%), happiness (27%) inclusion (20%), and community (17%), were most frequently identified. However, significant differences in frequencies of thematic responses were noted between the three sources of data. Findings support past research that has found comparative differences between participants and observers in how one relates to people and scenarios. Observers are likely to remove themselves from &ldquo;understanding&rdquo; an experience, and may be less likely to feel the full spectrum of human emotion and character. This unintentional yet impactful event points to the power and mystery of how a person&rsquo;s influence can extend much further than their immediate community, but to external observers from the wider world. Findings also confirm the role of Servant Leadership, Community, and Inclusion as critical for reshaping attitudes and assuring equity across policies and programs so that children who are differently abled can reach their full potential. </p><p>

<p> <i>Enabling Geographies: Neurodivergence, Self-Authorship, and the Politics of Social Space</i> examines and co-documents the political relevance of alternative educational, vocational, and community-living strategies developed and implemented by autistic grassroots educators serving autistic and otherwise neurodivergent youth in Berkeley, California. These educators reject the conceptualization and treatment of neurodivergent embodiment and expression as a medical pathology or a charity case and, in concert with grassroots disability justice initiatives, reclaim it instead as a vibrant cultural and political experience. They so do while simultaneously calling for the emancipation and collective liberation of all disabled people. More specifically, our collaborative inquiry documents the role of autistic educators in the visioning of strategies designed to enable a creative opening of differential social spaces wherein to freely and fully embody neurodivergence. Neurodivergence is an umbrella term covering a wide range of alternative individual neurocognitive styles. </p><p> One of the main arguments of this dissertation is that disabled service providers are uniquely positioned to intervene and unsettle institutionalized ableism vis-&agrave;-vis &ldquo;safety-net&rdquo; programs, especially against the historical backdrop of traditional community (care) services. The term &lsquo;transition services&rsquo; means a coordinated set of activities to facilitate a disabled person&rsquo;s movement from school to post-school activities. To document these strategies, the autistic leaders in question and myself co-designed the line of inquiry, methodology, and goals of this dissertation. We held collaborative meetings, interviews, and group conferences for almost two years. Our findings are presented through activist ethnographic vignettes, oral narrative analysis, and historical-analytical frameworks emerging from disability studies, activist anthropology, critical sociology, postmodern philosophy, and critical human geography. Overall, our methodology aims at capturing the program&rsquo;s dynamics and philosophy, its gains and successes, as well as the institutional barriers and limitations to developing and sustaining autistic leadership roles in disability service provision.</p><p>

<p> This study examined if diagnostic overshadowing occurred with lay people in regard to individuals with an intellectual disability, as well as investigating how lay people essentialize different categories. It was hypothesized that essentialistic thinking could be offered as a partial explanation for diagnostic overshadowing because certain mental health disorders would be categorized as having a strong, unchangeable biological component to them. Three hundred and thirty undergraduate general psychology students from the University of Central Arkansas completed the Essentialism Belief Scale on nine different concepts, read different case descriptions of an individual with or without an intellectual disorder, and gave their impressions of the individual as experiencing anxiety, depression, and if the person had an intellectual disability. Contrary to expectation, lay people did not demonstrate diagnostic overshadowing. Therefore, the relationship between essentialistic thinking and diagnostic overshadowing could not be confirmed and suggests that diagnostic overshadowing may occur for reasons other than essentialistic thinking. Interestingly, when essentialistic thinking was analyzed using a principal components analysis, a three-factor solution for essentialistic thinking was found, accounting for 72.22% of the variance, with the three factors appearing to demonstrate a biological, non-biological, and mental health grouping.</p><p>

<p> Current disability identity theories measure disability experience in dichotomous ways: disabled and non-disabled. To expand this as dynamic, not dualistic, my study replicated Darling and Heckert's empirical study, specifically assessing college students with disabilities. I used their tool, the Questionnaire on Disability Identity and Opportunity (QDIO), to examine Disability Orientation (DO), a multifaceted concept that measures disability experience. </p><p> An exploratory factor analysis on a sample of 369 respondents revealed only two of the four Disability Factors (DF) posited by Darling and Heckert. These two DFs were found to have a significant inverse relationship such that as feelings of Exclusion/Dissatisfaction with life (ED) increased, Disability Pride (DP) decreased. An examination of DP and ED&rsquo;s effects on impairment type, Visibility of Disability (VoD), and Onset Age of Disability (OAoD) also found no significant findings. Implications are discussed about improving research and understanding of the experiences of people with disabilities </p><p>

<p> Although many public schools in the United States are located in rural areas, the literature on rural youth is extremely limited, and the literature on rural youth with disabilities is practically absent. The purpose of this study was to gather the perspectives of community partners regarding rural school-community partnerships and provide an understanding of (a) the community&rsquo;s role, (b) how connections in rural communities were formed, and (c) how school-community partnerships can be strengthened. This study added to the existing literature on rural school-community partnerships by providing a deeper understanding of the processes that influence the phenomenon of transition to work for rural youth with disabilities. Employing a basic qualitative research design, information from this study was captured regarding community members&rsquo; perspectives on their roles and experience partnering with rural schools to transition youth with disabilities to work. The target population consisted of community members who represented businesses and community organizations who had purposefully connected with a rural school to support youth with disabilities transitioning to work. The sample included 10 participants who took part in semistructured, one-on-one interviews to describe their experiences. Data analysis revealed the roles of the community partners and the processes they used to secure school-community partnerships. The findings indicated that the community played a vital role in transitioning youth with disabilities to work and that it took time for the community partners to adjust to their new roles of supporting youth with disabilities in the workplace. The findings provide valuable insight on how rural schools can sustain, improve, and expand their community partnerships and experiences for students with disabilities. Opportunities for future research include identification of work training opportunities for rural students with disabilities, exploration of the types of transition assessments and work skills that promote transition to work, and research with a larger sample to improve generalizability.</p><p>