Listening to Young People with Physical Disabilities' Experiences of Education

There is a general acceptance that inclusion is morally and ethically the most appropriate form of education. However, more research needs to focus on how best to accommodate and support the educational needs of all students, including those with physical disabilities. Listening to young people with physical disabilities talk about their educational experiences is one way to do this. The aim of this research was to investigate the life stories of a small number of young people with physical disabilities, in particular focusing on their educational experiences. Nine young people, between the ages of 10 and 13 years, who used a manual or powered wheelchair and had the cognitive ability to participate in a series of biographical interviews, were recruited. They collaborated in the writing of their life stories. One theme identified in the analysis of these life stories was their educational experiences. The results highlight that the participants held mixed views about their education. The four who attended a segregated special school were generally positive about their experiences. Participants who had attended a mainstream school talked about positive and negative experiences. Individual and differing perspectives on friendships and the ethos of their school were noted. It is suggested that young people with physical disabilities need to be considered as individuals and that if schools are to achieve the goal of inclusion they need to develop ways to accommodate each individual's needs.     

Older Computer-Literate Women: Their Motivations,Obstacles, and Paths to Success

The societal view that regards geriatrics as a period of decline may not be congruent to the views of elderly people themselves. This gives rise to the need for further understanding of how elderly individuals evaluate their lives. A phenomenological design was employed for purposes of discovering and characterizing the essence behind the life experiences and disposition of a select group of Filipino elderly and its role in shaping their attitudes toward death. Five individuals aged 65 and above were purposively chosen to participate. Interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and examined, applying both processing and scrutiny techniques. A set of themes representing the elderly's lived experiences was surfaced through warm and cool analyses. The study revealed that geriatrics is a period of intersection of the three dimensions of elderly's lived experience—reminiscence, living disposition, and end-of-life views. The respondents viewed their families as their main source of support and guidance, values, principles, and beliefs. Accepting problems as integral to life, they have found a driving force that made them surpass these challenges. New beliefs and attitudes were acquired, resulting in providing self-control, strength, appreciation, genuine spirituality, gratitude, fulfillment, and self-worth. In their end-of-life views, dignity was a major issue which must be recognized and reinforced prior to embracing one's destiny to die. The present study maintains that the three dimensions of elderly's lived experiences are equally important in geriatric care practice. This offers valuable insights and reflections for a better understanding of geriatrics as a neglected field in the health-care delivery system.     

Petmanship: Understanding Elderly Filipinos' Self-Perceived Health and Self-Esteem Captured from their Lived Experiences with Pet Companions

Understanding of the lived experiences of geriatric clients with pets, particularly in the Western cultures, has been the subject of many studies. However, little is known about how Asian cultures, particularly the Filipino elderly, view their experiences with their pets in regard to their self-esteem and self-perceived health. This phenomenological study purports to capture the essence of the lived experiences of a select group of Filipino elderly with their pet companions in relation to their self-perceived health and self-esteem. A total of five Filipino elderly recruited from the Luzon area were involved in this study and were chosen through the snowballing technique. A three-part instrument was made by the researchers to gather data, namely robotfoto, semistructured interviews, and doodling activities. Field texts were analyzed via structural analysis through the aid of dendogram. Results of both cool and warm analysis have eidetically and interestingly described how the new coinage of petmanship, as introduced in the study, surfaced the functional and the instrumental views of pets relative to the elderly's self-esteem, vis-a-vis their Self-Efficacy Booster and Social Proactivity Builder roles in regard to self-perceived health. The metaphorical images drawn by the Filipino elderly surfaced the Roles Syndrome of Petmanship and the Rules Syndrome of Petmanship.     

The National Disability Insurance Scheme and access to education: progressive or coercive policy discourse?

This paper explores the experiences of a small group of families in Australia in relation to recent reform to disability policy by way of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Framed in critical disability perspectives of policy implementation research, the paper focuses on the extent to which the scheme articulates inclusive opportunities for children and young people with disabilities, particularly in relation to facilitating access to education. Interview data that illustrate families' expectations of the scheme and latter-day experiences, coercions and negotiations highlight the tensions that exist for scheme participants who draw on its provision to support their education. These first- and second-order policy effects indicate a welcome change to disability support in Australia, though the extent to which the scheme can advance inclusion for people with disabilities is uncertain, given the distance rendered between the policy and its participants and other service systems. The paper concludes with a theoretical discussion based on the analysis of how the NDIS is framed to interrelate with scheme participants and education and how it might be reframed for better outcomes.     

Interface between Culture and Disability in the Tanzanian Context: Part I

Schooling for children and young people with disabilities in Tanzania was introduced in 1950. Yet, despite the persistently high annual population growth rate of over 3% and not‐so‐developed health services, after 30 years the few recognised school places available to them are not being filled. Interviews with elderly people representing different educational zones and observation carried out in two schools showed that the communities where the special schools and units are located were not involved in the establishment and running of the educational centres. The interviews with elderly people and proverbs surveyed from local literature showed that the characteristics of major disabilities, except mild to moderate intellectual disability, were clearly known and the general attitudes towards their disabled children were positive. In this article it is argued that the success of special education and any other form of rehabilitation depends on a thorough assessment of the community's folk belief system, customs and values, capitalising on progressive elements within the culture and on instilling a sense of ownership through the involvement of parents, people with disabilities and the community at large in decision‐making and actual intervention activities.     

Physical Disability on Children's Television Programming: A Content Analysis

Research Findings: Media representations of physical disability can influence the attitudes of child audiences. In the current study, the depiction of physical disability was analyzed in more than 400 episodes of children's television programming to better understand how media depict physical disability to children and, in turn, how exposure may influence children's attitudes toward this social minority. Characters with a physical disability were rare. When present, characters with a physical disability tended to be older White males. The disabilities were not central to the characters' importance, but the characters themselves were not central to the plot. A majority of characters with a physical disability were depicted as morally good, attractive, and satisfied with life. Able-bodied characters were shown as treating characters with a physical disability the same way they treated other able-bodied characters. Practice or Policy: The results of the current study could be utilized by policymakers, media professionals, and educators in an effort to increase depictions of physical disability in children's programming as a method of integrating individuals with physical disabilities into a predominantly able-bodied society.     

Filipino Arts Among Elders in Institutionalized Care Settings

The use of traditional art in recreational therapies is unexplored. This paper, thus, attempts to surface the unique power of traditional Filipino arts (TFA) as synergizing lens in capturing the individual and the collective experiences of a select group of Filipino elderly in an institutionalized care setting relative to their feelings of depression and self-esteem. Three Filipino elderly housed in an institutionalized care setting were chosen for this phenomenological study, a robotfoto and a series of semistructured interviews constitute the main data gathering tool. Field texts were subjected to phenomenological reduction via the repertory grid analysis. Emerged themes were subjected to a series of member checking procedures to ensure the trustworthiness of the reported data. Depression and self-esteem were interpreted via two emerged themes. The themes were Me, Myself, and Melancholy and Will Not Let My Worth Wither. Through recreational therapies in the form of traditional Filipino arts, participants found novel psychological crutches that overcame the challenges of depression and give them hope toward more positive views of themselves and life.     

The long and winding road: A grounded theory of reminiscence among Filipino residents in nursing homes

Although reminiscence is a naturally occurring process in late adulthood, not all older adults reminisce effectively. Notably, feelings of guilt, loneliness, bitterness and regret lead to despair and remorse rather than integrity. In spite of this, little is known about the process of reminiscence among Filipino older adults. This grounded study aims to develop a model that describes how a select group of older Filipino patients residing in nursing homes in the Philippines experience reminiscence.

Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) grounded theory design was employed in this study. A total of eighteen (18) Filipino older adults in nursing homes were purposively selected to participate in one-on-one, semi-structured interviews. These were then transcribed into field texts and analyzed through open, axial and selective coding. Member checking procedure was employed to ensure that the emerged themes were sensible and consistent with the participants’ lived experiences.

Through constant comparative method, the findings of this study presented the development of a three-phase process (Reactivating, Reconstructing and Reframing) that describes the reminiscence experiences of a select group of Filipino nursing home residents. The emergent theoretical model invites nurses as quality care providers to renew and restructure interventions to promote effective reminiscence.     

Effects of Third Age Learning Programs on the Life Satisfaction,Self-Esteem,and Depression Level among a Select Group of Community Dwelling Filipino Elderly

With the growing number of older adults becoming a global concern, many countries have focused on education as a means of promoting successful aging. Although third age learning is gaining substantial ground in other countries, it is not well-established in the Philippines. The overall intent of this experimental study was to assess the effectiveness of community-based third age learning programs on the life satisfaction, self-esteem, and level of depression of a select group of Filipino elderly in a community setting. A pre- posttest study design was used on 40 community dwelling Filipino elderly who were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Both groups accomplished the Life Satisfaction Index for the Third Age Short Form (LSITA-SF), Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale (RSES), and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). The experimental group was exposed to a four-month program consisting of wellness, physical fitness, and livelihood training activities facilitated by volunteer faculty from a local university; the control group received no intervention. The results of t tests showed statistically significant group differences between the experimental and control group, with the former posting higher life satisfaction, self-esteem, and lower depression level compared to the control group. Findings of this study add to the knowledge base that active participation in third age learning programs—which include opportunities for physical activity, cognitive learning, recreation, and social interaction—can improve the psychological and psychosocial health of an older adult.     

The Success and Struggles of Filipino Geriatric Nurses in Nursing Homes

Geriatric nursing is a physically and emotionally demanding job in healthcare. It is a neglected field despite the growing population of the elderly, and the experiences of geriatric nurses are one of the unrecognized aspects of this field. This qualitative study purports to explore the successes and struggles of the lived experiences of a select group of Filipino geriatric nurses working in nursing homes. A total of five registered nurses selected from Philippine geriatric homes were the subjects of this qualitative study. Data were gathered from a two-part instrument: namely, a researcher-made robotfoto and a semistructured interview. Through the use of a repertory grid involving both cool and warm analyses, field texts were phenomenologically reduced in order to establish distinct conceptual clusters.

Summarily, two roles were found to be the defining elements of Filipino geriatric care nurses' sense of success and fulfillment. These include the instrumental and developmental, which describe the nurses' appreciation of their unique place in the lives of their elderly patients and, at the same time, their experiences of personal and professional growth and expansion as nurses. In regard to their struggles, the contextual conditions in the workplace typify the roadblocks of their efficient and effective delivery of quality healthcare services.     

Children's Attitudes and Behavioural Intentions Towards Peers with Disabilities

This study used the theory of reasoned action to investigate determinants of primary school children's attitudes and behavioural intentions towards peers with physical disabilities. The influence of children's own attitudes toward working with peers with physical disabilities in regular classes and subjective norms provided by their teachers, principals, and parents were used to predict behavioural intentions to befriend and interact with classmates with physical disabilities. The participants were 143 fourth and fifth grade primary school students, their mothers, teachers, and school principals. The students completed an attitude questionnaire and a behavioural intention scale. Their parents, teachers, and principals completed a similar disability attitude questionnaire. The results supported the predictions made by the theory of reasoned action. Children's own attitudes towards the inclusion of peers with disabilities was the strongest predictor of behavioural intentions to interact with a classmate with a physical disability. The attitudes of teachers, principals, and parents were also significant predictors of intentions. However, only the attitudes of parents and school principals accounted for any more variance than children's attitudes alone. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of developing whole class interventions to promote the social integration of children with physical disabilities.     

The impact of media representation of disabilities on teachers' perceptions

The study investigates a link between media portrayal of disabilities and its influence on teachers' perceptions of their students. By using semi‐structured interviews and questionnaires, participants (N = 8) gave an insight into their perceptions of the impact TV programmes and films have on their understanding of disability and teaching style. The findings reveal that the participants found the majority of media to sensationalise disability, perpetuate stereotypes and lack appropriate representation of people with disabilities in general. The teachers within the sample also acknowledged media as impacting their understanding, awareness and knowledge of disabilities and approaches, but they did not see it as impacting their teaching practices directly.     

Examining Autobiographical Influences on Student Teachers with Disabilities

This was an exploratory study involving four students with disabilities who were enrolled in a 1-year post-graduate teacher education programme. The purpose of the research was to determine if and how a disability and previous school and life experiences influence early teaching practice. Three phases of data collection using mixed qualitative methods were used in this study. There were five findings: the participants generally had negative elementary and secondary school experiences, the families of the subjects were important in terms of supporting or not supporting educational activities, the students had accepted their disabilities, they possessed specific character traits that contributed to their success, and the participants did not replicate the teaching methods to which they had been exposed.     

Swiss Children's Moral and Psychological Judgments About Inclusion and Exclusion of Children With Disabilities

Children's judgments about inclusion and exclusion of children with disabilities were investigated in a Swiss sample of 6‐, 9‐, and 12‐year‐old children from inclusive and noninclusive classrooms (N = 422). Overall, the majority of children judged it as morally wrong to exclude children with disabilities. Yet, participants were less likely to expect the inclusion of children with mental or physical disabilities in academic and athletic contexts compared to social contexts. Moreover, older children more consistently coordinated disability type with context of exclusion. There were also significant differences depending on the type of classroom. The findings extend existing research on exclusion by investigating exclusion based on disability across different age groups and educational settings.     

ATTITUDES TOWARD AGING IN ADULT AND ELDERLY PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

The main goals of the present study were (a) to investigate three components of attitudes (cognitive, affective, and behavioral) toward aging among adult and elderly people with intellectual disability ( N = 32); (b) to investigate whether there are differences, related to age and level of retardation, in conceptualization of aging; and (c) to examine how people with regular development ( N = 30) and those with intellectual disabilities ( N = 30) differ in their attitudes toward aging. Matching between the groups was according to chronological age. Results indicated that conceptualization of old age is influenced by stereotypes. Cognitively, the subjects focused on physical characteristics. Affectively, old age is seen as threatening. Behaviorally, old people are viewed as helpless and useless. Awareness and understanding of aging increase significantly with age. The scores of the adults with normal development in a semantic differential test were significantly higher than those of their counterparts. The latter focus on physical attributes or on bodily and facial expressions. Social identity theory explains these differences. Educational intervention programs are needed to prepare people with intellectual disability for the later stages of life.     

Leisure Experiences and Depressive Symptoms Among Chinese Older People: A National Survey in Taiwan

We aimed to explore older people's subjective leisure experiences and to further examine associations of such experiences with their depressive symptoms in Taiwan. Known correlates of depression, such as demographics, physical health, and social support, were taken into account. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect data using structured questionnaires from a national representative sample of community older people (N = 1308, aged 65 +). We found that (a) being female, older, single, less educated, and having lower family income were demographic risk factors of depression; (b) worse physical health, lack of independent functioning in Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and disability were related to more depressive symptoms; (c) greater social support was related to fewer depressive symptoms; (d) having controlled for effects of demographics, physical health, and social support, positive leisure experiences were independently related to fewer depressive symptoms. The benefits of meaningful leisure pursuits for successful aging are discussed.     

Reminiscence,Psychological Well-Being,and Ego Integrity in Portuguese Elderly People

This paper analyzes the impact of a reminiscence program on the psychological well-being and ego integrity of elderly people with depressive symptomatology. Ninety people aged 65 and over participated in a quasi-experimental design with pretest and posttest evaluations. They were assigned to one of three groups: (a) experimental group (reminiscence sessions); (b) control group or (c) control-placebo group (weekly relaxation sessions). The results indicate that only the experimental group had significant increases in its overall psychological well-being and ego integrity. This suggests that the promotion of instrumental and integrative reminiscences is an important therapeutic tool for psychological well-being in elderly people with depressive symptomatology.     

Cogito ergo sum: A grounded theory of the Filipino elderly transition experiences in third age education program

A considerable number of studies have been carried out to explore the experiences of the elderly engaging in third age education, however, most of these investigations have focused on elderly motivation, the benefits accruing from their participation, and the barriers they have encountered during their lifelong learning experience. However, there has been little attempt to probe into the experiences of the elderly engaging in third age education and how they view themselves during that time. This grounded theory study purported to describe the processes through which a select group of Filipino elderly experienced community-based third age learning programs. A series of in-depth interviews were conducted on 24 Filipino elderly who participated in a 4-month third age education program. Interestingly, this study revealed four distinct and yet interrelated stages of Holding Back, Opening Up, Moving Forward and Empowering which were embedded in the model H.O.M.E: A Pulley Model of Elderly Participation in Third Age Education Program. The emerged model is a valuable compass for gerontologists as they provide meaningful and geriatric-friendly programs, projects and activities that not only address the growing needs of the elderly but also facilitate their smooth entry to and completion of their third age learning participation.     

Home Away from Home: Acclimatization of Filipino Elderly from being Home to a Sense of being “At Home” in an Elderly Institution

This grounded study examined the process of acclimatization or the process of changing perspectives of a person so as to get used to or feel “at home” among a select group of Filipino elderly in a nursing care facility. As institutionalization of the elderly is not typical in the Philippine context, varied responses were analyzed to understand the factors and the course that an elderly person undergoes over a set period of time to achieve acclimatization. Twenty elderly (n = 20) residents were purposively recruited and subjected to an in-depth interview that chronicled their experiences on their previous and present lives and on the process by which they were able to adjust to a relatively new setting. Preliminarily, a robotfoto was devised to obtain demographic data including visitation frequencies and familial relationships, and this was followed by an in-depth interview. Through the constant comparison method, an interesting model called the Hourglass of Acclimatization emerged. This model yielded two distinct phases contributing to successful acclimatization. One is the Conversion phase, or imbibing the main notion of transforming one's perspectives of him or herself and his or her environment; there is also the Immersion phase, which describes how an elderly involves him or herself completely into the life he or she is supposed to live. This emerged model can contribute to the development of nursing interventions focusing on elderly experiences in the entire course of relocation to a new environment other than what they call “home.”