The promise of the internet for disability: a study of on-line services and web site accessibility at Centers for Independent Living

The Internet provides individuals with disabilities numerous tools to live independently. In the convenience of the home, a person can access an abundance of information, an electronic community, updates on the latest disability advocacy news, education through distance-learning classes, and on-line shopping for books, clothes, assistive technology, and a host of other consumer goods. Centers for Independent Living (CILs) are consumer-run, non-profit grassroots disability service organizations at the forefront of the disability rights movement. Providing services to individuals across the range of disabilities, CILs have begun to use the Internet as a complement to their traditional service delivery methods. This article examines the emerging trend of independent living services on the web. The investigation examines 200 CIL Internet sites across the United States during the period of April to August 2001. Information is collected and analyzed about how CILs are using the Internet to provide their services and programs. In addition, the article examines the technological accessibility of their web sites. Implications of the findings for CILs, consumers with disabilities, and disability policy are examined.     

The quest to make accessibility a corporate article of faith at Microsoft: case study of corporate culture and human resource dimensions

This case study examines efforts by Microsoft Corporation to enhance the diversity of its workforce and improve the accessibility and usability of its products and services for persons with disabilities. The research explores the relation among the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, corporate leadership, attitudes and behaviors towards individuals with disabilities, and dynamics that shape organizational culture at Microsoft. Implications for Microsoft, other employers, researchers, and the disability community are discussed.     

The Historical and Political Context of the Civil Rights of Persons With Disabilities: A Multicultural Perspective for Counselors

The authors provide a useful historical link between the civil rights movement in the 1960s and the disability rights movement. The origins of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are discussed from the sociopolitical context at the time of their passage. Important links are drawn between these laws, affirmative action, cultural diversity, and multiculturalism. The authors address the role of the counselor with respect to becoming advocates for persons with disabilities in the face of injustice.     

Employment of individuals with mental disabilities: business response to the ADA's challenge

This research examines the response of the business community to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with specific focus on the employment of those with mental disabilities. The ADA is viewed as an important "rational myth" in that it represents both a legal and normative demand with which businesses are expected to comply. Yet employers' responses will be influenced by their attitudes toward persons with mental disabilities as well as their concern with legal sanction for discriminatory behaviors. A telephone survey was completed in a southern metropolitan area with a random sample of 117 businesses in order to access the knowledge employers have about the ADA (and its inclusion of those with mental disabilities), the compliance with the ADA, the employment practices, and the role played by stigma in the employment of individuals with mental disabilities. In terms of specific practices which indicated compliance with the ADA, a little over one-third of the companies which were surveyed by telephone had a Title 1 implementation plan, 15% had specific policies for hiring those with mental disabilities, and 37.6% had indeed hired such an individual. The role of coercive and normative rationales for compliance to the ADA was examined. It was found that receiving formal information about the ADA, threat of legal sanction, and previous employment of those with mental disabilities were all significant predictors of compliance with the ADA. Stigmatizing attitudes did not predict compliance, though employers did view those with mental disabilities with more discomfort than other types of employees.     

Charter School Enrollment Effects: A Review of Results from Recent Large-Scale Studies

Responding to calls for increased accountability regarding performance of students in public schools and concerns over the capacity of public schools to improve outcomes, school choice has become a mainstream and often controversial issue in public education; it is also a priority of the current federal government administration. Given the mixed evidence of effects on academic performance of charter school enrollment, along with the common perception that charter schools fail to meet the needs of special populations of students—including students with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs)—this study examined the performance of these subgroups across traditional public schools and charter schools. Specifically, we reviewed five recent large-scale studies that assess the impact of charter schools on academic performance paying particular attention to how students with disabilities and students identified as ELLs fare in charter schools relative to their peers served in traditional district schools.     

General and Familiar Trust in Websites

When people rely on the web to gather and distribute information, they can build a sense of trust in the websites with which they interact. Understanding the correlates of trust in most websites (general website trust) and trust in websites that one frequently visits (familiar website trust) is crucial for constructing better models of risk perception and online behavior. We conducted an online survey of active Internet users and examined the associations between the two types of web trust and several independent factors: information technology competence, adverse online events, and general dispositions to be trusting or cautious of others. Using a series of nested ordered logistic regression models, we find positive associations between general trust, general caution, and the two types of web trust. The positive effect of information technology competence erases the effect of general caution for general website trust but not for familiar website trust, providing evidence that general trust and self-reported competence are stronger associates of general website trust than broad attitudes about prudence. Finally, the experience of an adverse online event has a strong, negative association with general website trust, but not with familiar website trust. We discuss several implications for online behavior and suggest website policies that can help users make informed decisions about interacting with potentially risky websites.     

Medicaid: A potential source of revenue for special education

Currently, over 4.3 million children are receiving special services within the nation's schools because of physical, developmental, and educational disabilities. It is estimated that twice this number would benefit from special education services. Public Law 94–142, the Education for the Handicapped Act, offered the first real opportunity for many children with disabilities to receive special health and educational services. Public schools have become a primary setting for provision of services to these children, however, many states have encountered difficulty in procuring funding. One federally mandated source of revenue is the Medicaid program. In the fall of 1991, all state Medicaid and special education programs were asked to provide information concerning current or planned use of Medicaid funds for special education services. Responses were received from 36 states. Only 19 states reported using Medicaid funding in any capacity, and of these, only four required schools to bill Medicaid for services rendered. The majority of these programs are in the pilot stages of development. Special education services covered by Medicaid vary widely, as do reimbursement mechanisms. All 19 states allow Medicaid coverage for speech, physical, and occupational therapy. Only about half of those states provide allowances for diagnostic evaluation and assessment, while coverage for psychological services is provided by three-fourths of those states, and EPSDT screens by half of the states. Only two programs had been evaluated formally at the state and/or federal level. Medicaid remains a largely untapped source of revenue that could be used to help fund services for disabled children.     

Young Offenders with Disabilities: Legal Requirements and Reform Considerations

Delinquency rates have been a persistent concern in the United States with juveniles involved in almost a third of arrests for major crimes in 1993. Further, a disproportionate number of youths incarcerated have a disability. Because youths with disabilities in correctional facilities present legal and educational challenges, we explored the parameters of providing appropriate services based on individual needs. Despite applicable federal legislation, the juvenile correctional system often fails to meet the educational needs of those with disabilities (i.e., some youths are denied special education services, services are often inferior to those provided by public schools, and teachers are often inadequately trained). According to federal legislation, juvenile facilities must observe procedural safeguards afforded to those individuals and provide needed services even for pre trial detainees (services, however, may be balanced against legitimate security concerns). Ultimately, state educational agencies have the responsibility for ensuring that youths with disabilities receive a free appropriate education. Promising practices applicable to all youths may include Positive Peer Culture, aggression replacement training, aftercare programs, and research validated instructional interventions.     

Effects of Personalized Banner Ads on Visual Attention and Recognition Memory

Internet companies collect a vast amount of data about their users in order to personalize banner ads. However, very little is known about the effects of personalized banners on attention and memory. In the present study, 48 subjects performed search tasks on web pages containing personalized or nonpersonalized banners. Overt attention was measured by an eye‐tracker, and recognition of banner and task‐relevant information was subsequently examined. The entropy of fixations served as a measure for the overall exploration of web pages. Results confirm the hypotheses that personalization enhances recognition for the content of banners while the effect on attention was weaker and partially nonsignificant. In contrast, overall exploration of web pages and recognition of task‐relevant information was not influenced. The temporal course of fixations revealed that visual exploration of banners typically proceeds from the picture to the logo and finally to the slogan. We discuss theoretical and practical implications. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The effect of company recruitment web site orientation on individuals’ perceptions of organizational attractiveness

The use of company web pages to attract prospective job applicants has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. To date, very little is known about the process by which recruitment web sites influence individuals’ desire to pursue employment with an organization. This study attempts to address this issue by using an experimental design to investigate the relationships among recruitment web site orientation, individuals’ expectations concerning the use of Internet technology, web site usability, and organizational attractiveness. Survey results from 252 business students indicated that web site orientation and outcome expectancy influenced organizational attractiveness perceptions through influencing the perceived usability of the website. The implications of such results for firms interested in using recruitment web sites to attract applicants are discussed.     

Gender and Leadership: A Frame Analysis of University Home Web Page Images

With calls for (business) leaders to contribute to greater global fairness and social justice (BAWB 2006; Maak and Pless Journal of Business Ethics, 88, 537–550, 2009), this paper considers gender equality on University home web page images as one means of communicating equal access to leadership roles for both men and women. Although there are many paths for leadership development, one important purpose of Universities is to create people who will potentially become leaders in our society (Shapiro 2005). We analyzed the home web pages at 24 leading universities to identify implicit messages about gender roles, building on implicit leadership theory and leadership prototypes. Using an adapted version of Goffman’s frame analysis (1979), our results suggest depiction of gender equality in university home web pages, in contrast to studies of print advertisements (cf., Kang Sex Roles, 37(11/12), 979–996, 1997; Lindner Sex Roles, 51(7/8), 409–421, 2004). Our results also identify specific opportunities to depict greater equity and to continue to expand the potential for both women and men to be seen as being capable and belonging on this leadership path.     

Reasonable accommodation for employees with mental disabilities: a mandate for effective supervision?

Reasonable accommodation under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for employees with mental disabilities is explored from a behavior analytic perspective. Although much of the attention in issues of reasonable accommodation is concentrated on persons with physical disabilities, it is argued that the needs of individuals with mental disabilities are in greater need of further study. The criteria for successful accommodation in the workplace for employees with mental disabilities is seen to be structurally different, but functionally similar to successful accommodations for employees with physical disabilities, and is based on the development of enabling environments. Behavior analysis offers a theoretical basis and performance management presents a methodological basis for analyzing, developing, implementing, and evaluating reasonable accommodation for persons with mental disabilities, largely in terms of effective supervision. It is concluded that Title I of the ADA may be seen as providing a mandate for effective supervision, which may also be extended to all employees.     

Treating Childhood Anxiety in Schools: Service Delivery in a Response to Intervention Paradigm

Millions of youth who attend schools in the United States suffer from clinically significant anxiety. Left untreated, these students often experience significant disruptions in their academic, social, and family functioning. Fortunately, promising treatments exist for childhood anxiety that are amenable for delivery in school settings. However, educational law and new service delivery paradigms such as response-to-intervention (RtI) affect the delivery of anxiety interventions. In light of extant laws and practices that govern education, this article discusses the provision of supportive services to address childhood anxiety. Specifically, this article reviews how RtI, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, and Section?504 of the Rehabilitation Act guide service delivery and subsequently impact school-based anxiety treatments. Suggestions are provided to address childhood anxiety within a framework that allows for graduated and fluid service delivery.     

A pragmatic trial evaluating the effectiveness of web versus live training in functional behavior assessment and interventions among special educators

This study adopted a pragmatic trial with randomization to investigate the relative effectiveness of web versus live training on special educators' competence and perceived skills in functional behavior assessments (FBA) and behavior interventions. Pragmatic trials seek to determine the effectiveness of an intervention in a real-world setting to ensure better application and generalizability in routine practice conditions. The live training group received an in-person workshop delivered in a lecture format via powerpoint slides. The web training group received asynchronous online instruction via a secure website. The same training content was delivered to both groups. Participants were randomly assigned across both instructional modalities and completed two pre- and post-test measures. Results indicated that participants (N = 104) in both groups showed a significant increase in theoretical competence of FBA and behavior interventions post training. Only participants in the live workshop group reported a significant increase in perceived skill scores. When comparing outcomes across groups, the live training group gained significantly more theoretical competence in FBA and behavior interventions than that in the web training group. These results shed light on the practical implications of online platforms for professional development among in-service teachers in behavior management for schools with children having disabilities and challenging behavior.     

Do not hinder them: educating children with mental disabilities in the church

Developmental disabilities in children can be challenging to the family who desires a spiritual home for their family. Parents may hesitate to bring a special needs child to a church service, uncertain of the outcome. While public schools have amazing support for the differently abled, the Church very rarely has assistance in place for the families of handicapped individuals, let alone theology for the parents of mentally disabled children. This paper will examine possible ways for a local church leader or volunteer to educate children with mental disabilities, drawing on a variety of texts for support. The paper will conclude by offering resources for the teachers of special needs children in church education.     

The ‘tyranny of time’: getting to the heart of the impact of educational cuts on the provision of guidance counselling in Ireland

The Irish Education Act (Government of Ireland 1998) stipulates that each young person in secondary school in Ireland is entitled to access ‘appropriate’ guidance. It has been argued that this very right has been eroded since Budget 2012, where resource re-allocations in guidance counselling are obstructing the requirement for schools to implement this section of the Act. This qualitative study explored the effects of ‘educational cutbacks’ from the perspective of guidance counsellors. Findings from interviews with guidance counsellors, suggest that the effects of such cutbacks in guidance counselling are far-reaching and ultimately students are the one’s losing out. The paper proposes that there is a need to reinstate guidance counselling hours to allow guidance counsellors provide a comprehensive service to young people – which they are entitled to.     

Research in the high-stakes era

The federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB; 2001), mandating standardized testing in public schools, provides researchers with unprecedented opportunities for scientific comparison. At the same time, the climate of high-stakes testing encouraged by the law merits empirical scrutiny from psychologists across an array of specialties. If researchers wish to advance policy through psychological science, they must take care to construct research designs that are meaningful to policymakers and professionals in other disciplines. The present study used data from 1,450 Virginia schools to provide a model of scientifically grounded research that is also informed by current legal and political contexts. Results indicate that student poverty and geography are associated with differential access to highly qualified teachers, and that differential access to qualified teachers is uniquely associated with performance on high-stakes achievement tests. Psychologists, with their unique training, are encouraged to take a more active role in using NCLB data.     

Association of depression in mothers of disabled children with the child's participation in integrated education

To measure depression in mothers of 5 to 7-yr.-old children with disabilities and to find out whether mothers' depression varied by sex of the child, 126 mothers from Ankara participated; 59 were mothers of children with disabilities who participated in integrated education and attended preschool classes in public schools and, as a comparison group, 67 were mothers of children with disabilities of similar age and characteristics who did not participate in integrated education while attending public and private schools. In the study, the Beck Depression Scale and General Information Forms were used. Depression in mothers of children with disabilities who did not participate in integrated education was higher than in mothers of children with disabilities who participated in integrated education.     

Creating political websites: Balancing complexity &; usability

By integrating what is known about how people navigate the overwhelming tide of political information with research on usability, the experiments reported in this article aim to provide information about how to create political websites that are usable, engaging, and educational. This article reports on a series of four different experiments (n=478) comparing a simpler and more easily navigable website to a more complex and interactive website. The types of websites tested include: adwatches, issue grids, candidate biographies, and campaign finance sites. The results suggest that simpler, more navigable websites are preferred to more interactive websites with web tools. Results also suggest that more political information is not always preferable, as in most cases, participants rated sites with more political information lower. Brett A. Mueller received a master’s degree from the Annenberg School for Communication in 2002. This research is supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts; Dr. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Primary Investigator. The authors than Joyce Garczynski, Jon Stromer-Galley, Svjetlana Tepavcevic, and Dannagal Goldthwaite Young for their work on the project.     

Research in Adolescent Suicide: Implications for Training,Service Delivery,and Public Policy

Four domains of research in adolescent suicide are reviewed: (1) the role of psychopathology, (2) family history of psychopathology, (3) mental health treatments, and (4) firearms in the home. Based on the extant literature, recommendations are made for changes in training, service delivery, and public policy. Among the recommendations for training professionals are: an emphasis on diagnostic proficiency, skill and attentiveness in the assessment of the entire family unit, and assessment of the availability of firearms in the home. With respect to changes in service delivery, we recommend treatment of the entire family system, and treatment of psychiatric and substance abuse problems in the same setting, and we show the need for a continuum of intensity of care from inpatient to outpatient. With respect to policy changes, we recommended parity of mental and physical health insurance coverage, screening for psychiatrically at-risk youngsters in schools and physicians' offices, providing funding to support a continuum of care between inpatient and outpatient, and gun control laws to restrict access to handguns. We believe that these changes can result in a substantial reduction in the adolescent suicide rate.