Are students with disabilities suspended more frequently than otherwise similar students without disabilities?

Students with disabilities (SWD) have been reported to be disproportionately suspended from U.S. schools and so more likely to experience the “school-to-prison pipeline” through suspension's associations with lower academic achievement, dropout, juvenile delinquency, and adult criminality. Yet few studies have estimated SWD's risk of more frequent suspension while simultaneously controlling for potential confounds. Negative binomial regression modeling of suspension count data from a nationally representative and longitudinal sample (N = 6,740) indicated that males, those from lower resourced families, and students attending more economically segregated schools were more frequently suspended. On average, students who are Black received about 1.6 times as many suspensions by the end of 8th grade as otherwise similar White students. In contrast, having a disability by 1st grade was not a risk factor for more frequent suspension by the end of 8th grade while simultaneously accounting for other risk factors (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, family SES, prior history of externalizing problem behaviors, being from a English-speaking household, school-level economic composition). Students with specific disability conditions (e.g., emotional disturbances, speech or language impairments) were not at increased risk for more frequent suspension. Students with disabilities who are Black, Hispanic, or of other race/ethnicity were not more frequently suspended than SWD who are White.     

Will the costs of accommodating workers with disabilities remain low?

Whether the costs of job accommodation remain low as more persons with disabilities enter the work force is a crucial issue in evaluating the progress of the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Much depends on the extent to which health and economic factors thought to raise or lower the costs of accommodation to employers actually predict accommodation outcomes. An empirical model of employer accommodation is specified and tested with data on a representative sample of Americans in their fifties. Among others, the results show that both the likelihood and extent of job accommodation are significantly influenced by cost-increasing and cost-decreasing factors, in each case in the direction predicted by the model. Inferences about the future trajectory of the costs of job accommodation and the employment effects of the ADA are discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Identifying children with learning disabilities: When is a discrepancy severe?

Identification of children with learning disabilities is based on the notion of a significant discrepancy between ability and achievement. Current federal guidelines do not specify the extent of such discrepancies but indicate they should be “severe”. Local education agencies have adopted criteria suggested by professionals or formulated their own operational criteria for identification of learning disabled children. In this research, we examined the extent to which identification as learning disabled is a function of the criteria used to define “severe discrepancy”, and the extent to which different classifications would result from use of different criteria. A school district made identification decisions for 51 students referred because they were experiencing academic difficulties; they found 24 students LD. The school identification decisions, based on application of a severe discrepancy on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, did not correlate with decisions based on application of the federal definition. Implications for decision-making practices are discussed.     

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.     

A factor analysis for identifying people with disabilities’ mobility issues in built environments

Neighborhood built environments (BE) have been recognized as an important aspect that can, directly and indirectly, impact people with disabilities’ mobility. While many efforts have been made to improve the quality of BE, people with disabilities still perceive inequality in BE. The objective of this study is to identify the factors influencing people with disabilities’ attitudes toward BE that can facilitate or suppress their mobility, using exploratory factor analysis. This study specifically focuses on people with physical disabilities and people with visual impairments living in Austin, TX and Houston, TX metropolitan areas in USA. Data was gathered through an online survey. This study identified three factors from the sample: 1) barrier-free BE; 2) BE supporting safe travel; and 3) walkable BE. In addition, the factors were compared according to the respondents’ demographic information, such as income level, disability type, and private car use availability in households. Regarding income level, low-income individuals with disabilities perceived BE more negatively than their counterparts did. As for private car availability, people with disabilities who have no car in their households had a more negative perception of BE. However, no differences were found in the attitudes across disability types. This study contributes to understanding what BE factors are important for people with disabilities. The findings suggest the importance of establishing more targeted and prioritized strategies, considering people with disabilities’ neighborhoods and individual characteristics, for the improvement of their mobility.     

Who do students with mild disabilities nominate as cool in inclusive general education classrooms?

Examined the nominations that elementary students with mild disabilities made for peers they perceived as cool. The total sample was comprised of 948 students (496 girls, 452 boys) from the metropolitan Chicago area and North Carolina and included 107 (11.3%) students with mild disabilities. Overall, students with mild disabilities nominated prosocial and athletic peers who affiliate with students with mild disabilities. However, aggressive boys who are central in the social network were highly likely to view aggressive peers as cool. Results are discussed in relation to implications for social interventions for students with mild disabilities.     

Visual integration difficulties in a 9-year-old girl with Turner syndrome: parallel verbal disabilities?

Turner syndrome (TS) is a genetic disorder in females that arises from the loss of X chromosome material. Affected individuals demonstrate a characteristic neuropsychological profile of strengths in verbal processing and weaknesses in visuospatial processing, consistent with the Nonverbal Learning Disabilities syndrome. Previous research has described a wide range of visuospatial deficits in TS; however, their verbal abilities are less extensively studied. The present paper describes the processing difficulties of a 9-year-old girl with TS who demonstrated problems in integrating details of a complex visual display and using organizational terms to describe visual scenes or events. Her specific cognitive disabilities were thought to underlie some of the social and behavioral problems she was currently experiencing. Her pattern of results is consonant with the neuropsychological pattern that others have attributed to right hemisphere dysfunction and/or white matter abnormality.     

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities: Do educators assign them a fully human status?

The present research investigates the humanity attributions to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In three studies, professional educators, who worked in day‐care or community centers, were examined. Humanity attributions were assessed using emotion‐based and trait‐based measures. As expected, individuals with IDD were denied a fully human status: they were perceived as having more non‐uniquely than uniquely human attributes. Furthermore, a lower human status was assigned to individuals with IDD in relation to educators. We also discovered that humanity attributions, but not attitudes, were related to approach/avoidance responses. Altogether, findings show the importance of considering humanity perceptions in the study of social relationships of individuals with IDD. Dehumanizing perceptions can explain the differential treatment these individuals face in various social settings.     

Predicting pre-service teachers’ opposition to inclusion of students with disabilities: a path analytic study

This study addressed predictors of pre-service teachers’ opposition toward the practice of educating students with disabilities in mainstream classroom settings—a practice known as inclusion. We tested a hypothesized path model that incorporated social dominance orientation (SDO) and contact as distal predictors, and intergroup anxiety, stereotype use, and self-efficacy for including students with disabilities as more proximal predictors of opposition to inclusion in a sample of 229 pre-service teachers from the Southwestern United States. In large part, the predicted relationships among our variables were supported. The effect of SDO on opposition to inclusion was both indirect (via stereotype use and intergroup anxiety) and direct. The effect of close contact with persons with disabilities relevant to inclusion was mediated by intergroup anxiety and, more distally, by stereotype use. Stereotype use and intergroup anxiety were positive predictors of opposition to inclusion. The predicted relationship between self-efficacy and opposition to inclusion was not supported by the data. Rather, the data supported a reverse causal ordering. Implications for future research are addressed.     

Attitudes of pre‐service physical educators at a faith‐based university toward individuals with disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an undergraduate adapted physical education course on the attitudes of pre‐service physical educators toward individuals with disabilities using the Physical Educators Attitude toward Teaching Individuals with Disabilities, third edition. The participants for this study were 108 students enrolled in undergraduate adapted physical education courses at a faith‐based university.

Statistically significant differences were found between the participants’ pre‐ and post‐intervention attitudinal scores on all measured areas. There were no statistically significant differences in the attitudinal scores based on the respondents either enrolling in both the lecture course and the laboratory, or alone enrolling in the lecture course. Surveys indicated other findings as well.     

Does U.S. federal policy support employment and recovery for people with psychiatric disabilities?

Evidence suggests that a high percentage of people with a psychiatric disability can recover--find meaningful work, develop positive relationships, and participate fully in their communities. Evidence also suggests that work is an essential component of recovery. However, few people with a serious psychiatric disability are actually employed and most of those who are employed work only part-time at barely minimum wages.To assess the impact of federal programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance, vocational rehabilitation, medical insurance, and psychiatric services upon employment, we conducted a qualitative study of 16 employed and 16 unemployed individuals with psychiatric disabilities. All of our participants had disabilities severe enough to qualify them for Social Security Disability benefits.They told us that current federal policies and practices encouraged employment and integration of only a few participants, in a particular stage of their recovery, and placed significant barriers in the employment path of others.     

Response to Intervention (RtI) Model: a promising alternative for identifying students with learning disabilities?

Until recently, in the United States, the traditional way to identify students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) was through the discrepancy model where student IQs were compared to their level of achievement. However, educators and researchers alike have questioned this model as a means to define and identify students with SLD. The 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) includes the use of response to intervention (RtI) as possible alternative to the intelligence-achievement discrepancy for identifying SLD. Core components of RtI include high-quality classroom instruction, universal screening, continuous progress monitoring, research-based interventions, and fidelity of instructional interventions. In Spain, the last publication of Ley Orgánica 2/2006, May 3, of Education (LOE) uses the term, Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), in the chapter on students with specific needs of educational support. Some Autonomous Communities in Spain like the Canary Islands region are regulating SLD identification that adds RtI as an option to use in the eligibility process. Nevertheless, this model it is still at an embryonic stage and many issues are unresolved. While no special issue can cover all of these themes and issues, the contributions included in this monograph examine relevant aspects of this approach. Indeed, this special section is an attempt to introduce in Spain an approach that could be an alternative for identifying and intervening with students who have learning disabilities.     

Dead end jobs or a path to economic well being? The consequences of non-standard work among people with disabilities

How do non-standard jobs affect the economic well-being of workers with disabilities, and what happens when non-standard workers use disability lawsuits to challenge discrimination and improve their economic opportunities? This study uses data from the Current Population Survey, the Survey of Income and Program Participation, and a Lexis search of legal cases to help answer these questions. Temporary employment, independent contracting, and part-time employment are almost twice as likely among workers with disabilities as among those without disabilities. Non-standard workers with disabilities receive lower pay and fewer benefits due both to the types of job they hold, and disability gaps within job types, which contribute to their high poverty rates. They would continue to have high poverty rates even if these pay gaps were eliminated, however, because they work fewer hours than non-standard workers without disabilities and are concentrated in lower-paying occupations. In attempting to improve their opportunities through disability lawsuits, non-standard workers prevail in only a small minority of cases. Several policy implications of the lawsuits and survey data are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Promoting foot–leg movements in children with multiple disabilities through the use of support devices and technology for regulating contingent stimulation

The present study assessed the possibility of promoting pre-ambulatory foot–leg movements in children with multiple disabilities by motivating their action through contingent stimulation combined with a support device. Two children aged 10 and 8 years participated. Microswitch technology (i.e., pressure sensors under the shoes or optic sensors at the front–inner side of the shoes) served for detecting the foot–leg movements and providing contingent stimulation on their occurrence. Sensor activation produced 5 s of stimulation during intervention. Data showed that both children had significant increases in foot–leg movements during the intervention phases. Implications of the data in terms of skill acquisition and further intervention prospects are discussed.     

‘I don't want to be the mother of a paedophile’: the perspectives of mothers whose adolescent sons with learning disabilities sexually offend

The subject of sexual abuse is a major focus of professional and public concern. Sexual abuse of (and by) people with learning disabilities evokes even greater disquieting emotions, and makes severe demands on the social services, and the criminal justice system. The aims of the project were: 1) to determine whether group psychotherapy produced effective outcomes for adolescent boys with learning disabilities who exhibit sexually abusive behaviour, 2) to explore the perspectives of parents and other care-givers, and 3) to document the nature and extent of service support to families. This paper focuses solely on the mothers' perspectives. This was a three-year project with six boys (under 16) receiving group psychotherapy, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Clinical measures were used to track changes throughout the course of psychotherapy. Semi-structured interviews (taped and transcribed) were held (separately) with the boys, their parents, paid care-givers and the therapists. The mothers tried hard to make sense of, and come to terms with, what was happening to their sons and to themselves, they struggled to reconcile their own confused and often conflicting emotions, and to maintain their own sense of identity. They felt almost totally unsupported by the services, both in the past and present, and could see little hope for the future. There is an urgent need for development of effective and sympathetic services for the parents of boys with learning disabilities who have been abused, and who are now showing abusive behaviour.     

Validation of a revised version of the Physical Self-Inventory – Very Short form for youth with intellectual disabilities (PSI-VS-ID-R): A Bayesian structural equation modeling approach

The objective of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of scores obtained on a revised version of the Physical Self-Inventory – Very Short form for youth with intellectual disabilities (PSI-VS-ID-R). A sample of 351 youth (M = 15.81 years) with mild to moderate levels of Intellectual Disabilities (ID) from Australia (N = 230) and Canada (N = 121) participated in this study. They respectively completed the English and French versions of the PSI-VS-ID-R, as well as additional measures of self-concept and physical fitness. Bayes structural equation modeling (BSEM) analyses provided support for the validity and reliability of the a priori nine-factor structure of scores obtained on the PSI-VS-ID-R. Moreover, additional BSEM analyses provided support for the comparability of responses obtained on the PSI-VS-ID-R (i.e., lack of differential item functioning or measurement equivalence) irrespective of linguistic versions and of participants’ age, body-mass index, ID level, sex and frequency of sport involvement. Additionally, latent mean level differences in PSI-VS-ID-R’s factors scores were also found across linguistic versions and as a function of youth’s ID level and frequency of sport involvement. Finally, the convergent validity of scores on the PSI-VS-ID-R factors was supported in relation to measures of self-concept and physical fitness.