Teachers with learning disabilities: a view from both sides of the desk

The purpose of this qualitative multicase study was to explore the perceptions of individuals who could speak from both sides of the special education desk--as students and as teachers. The three participants for this study each received special education services for learning disabilities while in school and were currently teaching students with learning disabilities. Specifically the study focused on how participants' past experiences with receiving special education services influenced their current practice as special education teachers. Participants' views on service delivery models, the importance of teacher expectations, and the value of conceiving a learning disability as a tool rather than a deficit are discussed.     

Higher education inclusivity: when the disability enriches the university

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the perspectives of faculty members on disability in higher education. Their testimonies give value to the attitudes and qualities of university students with disabilities and show how they influence their professional and personal development. We carried out a qualitative study, through interviews with 119 faculty members of different fields from 10 Spanish universities, who were nominated by students with disabilities for developing inclusive pedagogy. We conducted a progressive analysis of the data using a system of categories and codes. The results describe the motivations that drove the participants to respond to the needs of students with disabilities, the personal and professional impact posed by the challenge of adjusting the teaching and learning processes, and the perceptions of the faculty members toward the contributions of these students to the university. In the conclusions section, we delve into the need of universities to embrace inclusivity. The data provided by this study reveal that disability can be a valuable asset in a university context that dissociates from the deficit lens and acknowledges that all students are important and able to learn when the attitudes and conditions are appropriate.     

Exploring British Pakistani mothers’ perception of their child with disability: insights from a UK context

This research lends insight into disabling discourses on South Asian families of children with disabilities. It explores immigrant Pakistani maternal understanding of their children's disability, uniquely through an educational perspective, highlighting maternal roles which schools must acknowledge to improve outcomes for children. The findings of this research, supported by a literature review, highlight various ideological threads shaping maternal understanding of disability and their children's schooling experiences. Data were collected through multiple case studies of immigrant Pakistani mothers of disabled children at Westchester School, incorporating semi‐structured interviews and reviewing pupils’ school files. After a process of open coding, the main themes emerging from interviews suggested maternal perceptions of disability evolved from a medicalised lens, onto identifying with structural barriers to children's progress, and a gendered lens. Both maternal perceptions and their professional interactions determined maternal accounts of their children's schooling experiences. This research highlights positive familial factors shaping maternal understanding of disability, supporting further studies into maternal advocacy and empowerment within UK special education.     

Perceptions of typically developing children in India about their siblings with disabilities

ABSTRACT

In India, people with disabilities often struggle to access various opportunities and resources. As a result of perceptions within the Indian culture around disabilities, families may face social, financial, and emotional difficulties. Within the family, a child with a disability may lead to strained relationships, particularly with siblings. Often siblings have little knowledge about disabilities and may feel ostracised. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the knowledge and attitudes of 12 Indian children regarding their siblings with disabilities, including their perceptions about disabilities against the backdrop of societal attitudes. Participants were interviewed to understand their knowledge of their siblings’ disabilities, to examine their sibling relationships, and to assess how school and society influenced their perceptions about disabilities. Results from this study can help family members understand how disability shapes relationships between children. The findings also provide key stakeholders with information that might help them better support families.     

Pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of newly arrived children from Mainland China

The research reported here investigated pre-service English language teachers’ perceptions of newly arrived immigrant children from Mainland China in Hong Kong. Seventeen participants, who had at least 10 weeks of experience working with these immigrant children during teaching practicum, participated in focus group discussions and shared their perceptions. The data analysis revealed that the participants widely perceived these children as deficit and consider them a serious professional challenge. Further examination of the data helped reveal media, life and teaching practicum experiences with immigrant children as crucial sources that contributed to the formation of these perceptions. The findings call for teacher education programmes to involve pre-service teachers in critical engagement with the mass media and their own experiences so that they can address the deficit model applied by teachers to immigrant children.     

Attitudes and self‐efficacy of pre‐service teachers towards inclusion in Pakistan

This study sought to determine the attitudes and teaching self‐efficacy of pre‐service teachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities into regular classrooms. A questionnaire was administered to 194 pre‐service Pakistani teachers (male 73, female 121) enrolled in a 1‐year teacher education programme at a government university in Pakistan. Overall, male pre‐service teachers expressed more positive attitudes than their female counterparts regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Surprisingly, those pre‐service teachers majoring in special education did not express more positive attitudes towards inclusion than their counterparts who were preparing to teach in mainstream schools. However, participants with training in special education, knowledge of disability legislation, teaching experience and personal experience with a disability reported higher levels of self‐efficacy towards teaching within inclusive settings. The findings of the study are discussed with possible implications for policy‐makers and teacher educators in Pakistan and other countries in the South Asian region.     

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.     

The transition from high school to postsecondary education for students with learning disabilities: a survey of college service coordinators

Federal legislation requires that students with disabilities receive services to assist them in the transition from high school to post-secondary life. Transition services must address students' understanding of their disability, learning strengths and weaknesses, career decision-making skills, and preparation for the increased demands of postsecondary education. This study surveyed coordinators of special services for students with disabilities at 74 colleges and universities in New York state. Respondents provided their perceptions of how well the students they served had been prepared by the transition services they had received in high school. Overall, little satisfaction with transition services was expressed. Respondents were most satisfied with high schools' provision of updated evaluations for students prior to enrollment in college, and they rated students' preparation for self-advocacy as the greatest weakness of current transition services.     

Teaching efficacy beliefs of national board certified physical educators

The National Board of Professional Teaching Standards offers a voluntary advanced certification for K-12 teachers. The majority of teachers who pursue this professional development program live in the USA, although there are National Board Certified teachers across the globe. This study examined National Board Certified Physical Education Teachers’ (NBCPETs) teaching efficacy beliefs. In total, 334 NBCPET participants completed a demographic questionnaire and survey that included the Teacher Efficacy Scale. From that group, 65 were randomly selected and interviewed. Participants described perceptions of their abilities to influence learning and perceptions of how their teaching effectiveness compared to non-board certified physical educators. Teacher Efficacy Scale scores of respondents revealed strong Personal Teaching Efficacy (PTE), and their PTE scores were higher than their General Teaching Efficacy scores. Most NBCPETs expressed confidence in their abilities to influence student learning. Emerging themes related to their perceptions about their own teaching success were as follows: differentiated instruction, persistence, connection with and care for students, and work in a content area conducive to influencing students. While comparing their own teaching effectiveness with non-NBCPETs, most participants articulated a propensity to reflect on practice, a deeper understanding of and commitment to teaching effectiveness, and greater motivation to excel.     

Access and participation in higher education of students with disabilities: access to what?

In 1991, the Australian Government designated students with disabilities as one of the six equity groups that were under-represented in higher education. Since that time, there has been only a modest increase in enrolments of students with disabilities despite government polices and funding of disability support services and programs. People with disabilities comprise 20% of Australia’s population but only account for 4% of university enrolments. Despite the existence of the Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) (1992) and the introduction of the Disability Standards for Education in 2005, negative attitudes about students with disabilities by university lecturers continue to exist. Research into the knowledge, attitudes and experiences of staff, especially in practice-based courses such as nurse education, reveals that university staff, practicum supervisors and even some disability staff, are unaware of their responsibilities under the legislation and that teaching staff continue to hold negative attitudes towards students with disabilities. This article reports on research that investigated the barriers facing such students in nursing courses, in particular in clinical placements. It shows that a lack of understanding of legislative and institutional requirements underlies negative attitudes about students with disabilities, especially in practicum-based courses.     

Vignettes from Sesame Street: Preschooler's Ideas about Children with Down Syndrome and Physical Disability

The results of previous research suggest that while preschool children have a beginning understanding of disabilities that involve the use of adaptive equipment, they have little awareness of disabilities such as Down syndrome which have less overt distinguishing characteristics. In this study, videotaped segments from the children's television show, Sesame Street, were used to explore children's ideas about Down syndrome and physical disability. Participants included 41 preschool children. While a majority of participating children were aware that each child in the videotapes had some difficulties performing age-appropriate tasks, children had significantly fewer ideas about why the child with Down syndrome had this difficulty. Significantly more thought that the child with Down syndrome could do more “if he tried really hard” when compared with the child with a physical disability. These results are discussed in terms of children's developing understanding of disabilities and implications for using media to teach preschoolers about people with disabilities.     

Vignettes from Sesame Street: Preschooler's Ideas about Children with Down Syndrome and Physical Disability

The results of previous research suggest that while preschool children have a beginning understanding of disabilities that involve the use of adaptive equipment, they have little awareness of disabilities such as Down syndrome which have less overt distinguishing characteristics. In this study, videotaped segments from the children's television show, Sesame Street, were used to explore children's ideas about Down syndrome and physical disability. Participants included 41 preschool children. While a majority of participating children were aware that each child in the videotapes had some difficulties performing age-appropriate tasks, children had significantly fewer ideas about why the child with Down syndrome had this difficulty. Significantly more thought that the child with Down syndrome could do more "if he tried really hard" when compared with the child with a physical disability. These results are discussed in terms of children's developing understanding of disabilities and implications for using media to teach preschoolers about people with disabilities.     

World of Work: perceptions of people who are blind or vision impaired

Unemployment and underemployment have, for many years, been a social and economic problem for people with disabilities. This study looks at consumers’ perceptions of access to employment for people who are blind or vision impaired as one target group within the disability field. Using the Employment Access Questionnaire (EAQ), the perceptions of people who are blind or vision impaired were compared with the perceptions of people who are not blind or vision impaired (nondisabled). Results of the study indicated that people who are blind or vision impaired and people who are nondisabled view work as equally important in their lives. However, people who are blind or vision impaired reported that they were significantly less satisfied with career development and services and training opportunities as compared with their peers who were nondisabled. A factor analysis of the data gathered from 85 blind or vision impaired and 84 nondisabled participants revealed a four factor structure for the EAQ. These results are discussed with reference to previous work in this area and suggestions for future research are proposed.     

Ego Integrity of Older People with Physical Disability and Therapeutic Recreation

Ego integrity, the last developmental task in Erikson's psychological theory, develops naturally among older people. However, the presence of loss–like physical disability–can considerably affect the quality of life, interactions, and well being of older adults. Hence, older people with physical disabilities need more assistance in accomplishing tasks of ego integrity. This study aimed to utilize traditional Filipino art to capture the essence of the lived experiences of a select group of older people with physical disabilities in relation to their ego integrity. Four Filipino elderly with physical disabilities were purposely selected for this study. Picture prompting and doodling sessions were held as pretest and posttest to ascertain the effectiveness of puni-making in facilitating ego integrity of participants. A series of interviews were pursued to elicit experiences and feelings of participants regarding their disability and old age. From the analysis of the triangulated set of data, two findings emerged. First, four activators of ego integrity, namely: work, family, belief in self and belief in God, were identified as essentials in the formation of the participants' ego-integrity. Second, shifts related to the activators were identified indicating ego integrity's source, meaning and connection elements have become more grounded, certain and integrated. The influence of puni-making in understanding the ego integrity of older people with disabilities was found to be a sound and novel recreational therapy. It can stimulate a select group of Filipino elderly for openness to share their subjective and yet illuminating life experiences.     

The impact of education in shaping lives: reflections of young people with disabilities in Ghana

There is increasing recognition of the importance of focusing on people with disabilities (PWDs) in international efforts aimed at poverty alleviation. While universal education has been central to these efforts, the specific and additional needs of children with disabilities are often overlooked in policies and programmes. In order to gain a nuanced appreciation of the lives of young PWDs in a Ghanaian context, this paper draws on research conducted with young PWDs and their significant others in order to understand their educational journeys, employment prospects and perceptions towards disability of those around them. In addition to collecting primary data, the latest policy documents related to disability, education and employment are reviewed and statistical analysis is undertaken based on the Housing and Population Census 2010. Our research highlights the barriers facing those with disability in accessing quality education. While education was recognised as paramount to leading a better life and participants noted benefits beyond employment such as gaining self-sufficiency and social benefits, unequal educational opportunities underpin some of the reasons for the widening of gaps between those with disabilities and their non-disabled counterparts. Furthermore, while education was perceived as important for gaining employment, this was not the case in reality, as young people faced difficulties due to both physical and attitudinal barriers limiting their opportunities for economic and social participation. The paper concludes by noting that systematic changes in the policy arena are needed to enable youth with disabilities to take their rightful place in mainstream society.     

Caregiver perceptions of inclusive playgrounds targeting toddlers and preschoolers with disabilities: has recent international and national policy improved overall satisfaction?

The purpose of the current study was to survey and interview caregivers of children with disabilities (ages 2–5 years) to obtain their input as to whether current playground equipment meets their child's needs. A total of 149 participants agreed to participate. Caregivers (i) indicated that their child with a disability could not fully participate in the playground's offerings, (ii) felt that the playground was not appropriate for their child with a disability and (iii) dreamed of a fully inclusive playground that met their child's needs. The results also demonstrate that social participation barriers continue to remain for families who have children with disabilities despite the passing of international human rights standards targeting individuals with disabilities and a global focus in improving the overall well‐being of children with disabilities.     

Undergraduate Students with Nonapparent Disabilities Identify Factors that Contribute to Disclosure Decisions

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the reasons university students with nonapparent disabilities gave for formally disclosing their disability and seeking the university’s disability services or not and the consequences they associate with their decisions. Conducted in a Mid-western four-year university, nine students with self-identified nonapparent disabilities participated in the study. Qualitative semistructured interviews were conducted to gather in-depth data from participants. A five-stage approach to qualitative data analysis was adapted to analyse the data. The findings indicate positive experiences with formal disability disclosure, but revealed barriers impeding students’ desire to disclose. Recommendations challenge colleges and universities to create an inclusive ethos for all students with disabilities by removing barriers impeding their full participation in academia.