Special Accommodations Research Articles

Program Overcomes Obstacles To College Education

Program Overcomes Obstacles To College Education

By Way of Introduction: Teaching Mathematics to Special Needs Students

In 1997, the Individuals with Disabilities Act mandated access to the general education curriculum for children with disabilities. In response, mathematics teachers and educators have developed creative and innovate ways to meet the mathematical needs of their diverse students. Students with attention deficits, memory problems, visual and auditory processing difficulties, motor disabilities, and information-processing deficits require special accommodations in the mathematics classroom in order to reach their potential in mathematics. English-language learners and students who need further mathematics instruction beyond their current grade level also need special modifications. Recognizing and understanding the learning challenges of our special needs students and identifying teaching strategies to facilitate their mathematics learning is the focus of this special issue of Teaching Children Mathematics. This focal subject reflects NCTM's recommendation in Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (2000) that “all students should have access to an excellent and equitable mathematics program that provides solid support for their learning and is responsive to their prior knowledge, intellectual strengths, and personal interests” (p. 13).

SECTION 504 STUDENT ELIGIBILITY FOR STUDENTS WITH READING DISABILITIES: A PRIMER FOR ADVOCATES

With the current legal reauthorization of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) well under way, advocates for students with reading and literacy difficulties impacted by disorders, including dyslexia and attention deficit disorders (ADD/ADHD), are encouraging Congress to recognize these disabilities under the IDEA. Despite being ineligible under the IDEA for special education services, however, large numbers of students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties are eligible for special education services and accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 if it can be demonstrated that their disability “substantially limits a major life activity.” Currently, many educators across the country fail to properly identify and evaluate students eligible under Section 504, believing incorrectly that identification and evaluation requirements apply solely to students requiring special education services under the IDEA. This article provides educators with a legal overview and guidelines for identifying students eligible for special education services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Enabling or Disabling? Observations on Changes in Special Education

Conceptions of how best to educate students with disabilities have shifted toward one of two extremes: denying that disabilities exist or accommodating them to the extent that there is no expectation of student progress toward realistic goals. The authors contend that both attitudes defeat the primary educational aim of helping all students achieve their highest potential. SCHOOLS need demanding and distinctive special education that is clearly focused on instruction and habilitation.1 Abandoning such a conception of special education is a prescription for disaster. special education has increasingly been losing its way in the single- minded pursuit of full inclusion. Once, special education's purpose was to bring the performance of students with disabilities closer to that of their nondisabled peers in regular classrooms, to move as many students as possible into the mainstream with appropriate support.2 For students not in regular education, the goal was to move them toward a more typical setting in a cascade of placement options.3 as any good thing can be overdone and ruined by the pursuit of extremes, we see special education suffering from the extremes of inclusion and accommodation. Aiming for as much normalization as possible gave special education a clear purpose. Some disabilities were seen as easier to remediate than others. Most speech and language disorders, for example, were considered eminently remediable. Other disabilities, such as mental retardation and many physical disabilities, were assumed to be permanent or long-term and so less remediable, but movement toward the mainstream and increasing independence from special educators were clear goals. The emphasis in special education has shifted away from normalization, independence, and competence. The result has been students' dependence on whatever special programs, modifications, and accommodations are possible, particularly in general education settings. The goal seems to have become the appearance of normalization without the expectation of competence. Many parents and students seem to want more services as they learn what is available. Some have lost sight of the goal of limiting accommodations in order to challenge students to achieve more independence. At the same time, many special education advocates want all services to be available in mainstream settings, with little or no acknowledgment that the services are atypical. Although teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors are often willing and able to make accommodations, doing so is not always in students' best long-term interests. It gives students with disabilities what anthropologist Robert Edgerton called a cloak -- a pretense, a cover, which actually fools no one -- rather than actual competence.4 In this article, we discuss how changes in attitudes toward disability and special education, placement, and accommodations can perpetuate disability. We also explore the problems of ignoring or perpetuating disability rather than helping students lead fuller, more independent lives. Two examples illustrate how we believe good intentions can go awry -- how attempts to accommodate students with disabilities can undermine achievement. But he needs resource. . Thomas, a high school sophomore identified as emotionally disturbed, was assigned to a resource class created to help students who had problems with organization or needed extra help with academic skills. One of the requirements in the class was for students to keep a daily planner in which they entered all assignments; they shared their planner with the resource teacher at the beginning of class and discussed what academic subjects would be worked on during that period. Thomas consistently refused to keep a planner or do any work in resource (he slept instead). So a meeting was set up with the assistant principal, the guidance counselor, Thomas, and the resource teacher. …

Pain management in elderly persons who require assistance with activities of daily living: a comparison of those living at home with those in special accommodations

Objectives: To describe and compare the methods of pain management used by elderly individuals with chronic pain and requiring assistance with activities of daily living, depending on whether they live alone, with someone, at home or in special accommodations. Methods: This study comprised 294 people aged 76–100 years, identified as having chronic pain and requiring assistance with activities of daily living. Pain and pain management methods were compared using the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, Swedish version, and the Pain Management Inventory. Results: Those living in special accommodations reported more pain than those living at home. Those living with someone reported more pain and interference in daily life than those living alone, despite using more pain-relief methods and having greater social support. The median number of pain-relieving methods used was 3.0 (75th–25th percentile: 5–2). Some (3.8%) did not use any method to relieve their pain. The most frequently used methods were prescribed medicine (20%), rest (20%) and distraction (15%). The methods rated most effective were using cold, exercise, hot bath/shower and consuming alcohol. Conclusion: Participants had only a small repertoire of pain management methods and these were mostly conventional in nature. Few non-pharmacological methods were used. The findings suggest the importance of thorough assessment, and the need to fully discuss pain management options with the elderly.

A Legal Analysis of Breast-Feeding Accommodation Requirements in the Workplace

The purpose of this paper was to review state and federal court cases in order to assess the current status of judicial opinion regarding breast-feeding accommodations that may be required in the workplace. It was surprising to find that laws such as the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights Act were not interpreted by the various courts to mandate that employers provide special accommodations for mothers in the workforce that were breast-feeding. As a result, various states have designed legislation fill the void left by the courts. Some of these laws are also discussed in this paper.

Encyclopedia of Alzheimer's disease: with directories of research, treatment and care facilities

The first and largest section of this encyclopedia offers such entries as disease pathology (genetic influences, disease stages and diagnosis), brain anatomy and physiology (cellular and biochemical cholinergic changes, the nervous system and plaque formation), disease process (stages and subtypes of Alzheimer's, coexisting illnesses and associated disorders), research and treatment (therapeutic options, drug efficacy and clinical trials), care and caregivers (memory aids, caregiver burdens and respite care) and government programs (laws, research centers, and federal insurance programs). Section Two is a directory, by state, of the National Institute of Aging's Alzheimer's Disease Centers, and government, clinical and university affiliated treatment and research centers. Section Three is a directory of home care providers and assisted living, adult day care and long-term residential facilities, noting location, special accommodations, certifications, number of beds, accreditations, insurance information, and URL if available.

Elementary and Middle School Student Participation in Gifted Programs: Are Gifted Students Underserved?

Most researchers agree that special educational programming is advisable for academically gifted students, although the best type of programming is a matter of controversy. Evidence suggests that effective programs combine ability grouping with curricular modification, but little research has addressed the extent to which high-ability students receive special services in their schools. Here, third through sixth graders scoring at or above the 95th percentile on standardized achievement tests reported on their educational experiences. The most common experience was the pull-out program, but many students stated that they were involved in no special programming. Separate analyses for mathematics instruction yielded similar results. Gender, grade level, type of school (public vs. private/parochial), and above-level EXPLORE scores explained little of the variance in special accommodations. The lack of services reported by many participants is particularly surprising given that members of the sample were both highly able and highly motivated.

No Child Left Behind: Facts and Fallacies

WE PUBLISHED an article titled 'All Children Can Learn' -- Facts and Fallacies in the May 2001 issue of the Kappan. received some 30 responses, and all but two were overwhelmingly positive. One of our critics simply stated, Creator is an idiot! Possibly this person was referring to one of us. The other negative respondent chose to misread the content and concluded with: We all know that there are many individuals that don't want schools to improve if improvement means successfully teaching all children. I sincerely hope that neither the authors nor the editors of this publication are among that group. That is precisely the point of our argument: many people are paying lip service to the idea of improving education, but few are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to truly improve educational opportunities for every student in the U.S. Wishes don't wash dishes, Carl Sandburg and Well done is better than well said, according to Benjamin Franklin. Those who don't wish to educate all our children well simply substitute pleasant- sounding rhetoric for resources. Intoning a slogan like No child left never taught a child to read. Neither did children can learn. But the most preposterous of these empty rhetorical phrases is No child left The simplicity and stupidity of this statement prevent us from doing what we ought to do: provide sufficient resources to educate all our children successfully. The complexity of providing for an adequate education (as nearly 15 state supreme courts have said) requires much more than slogans. Let's look first at the facts regarding children who are, by public policy, left behind. * Some 10.5 million children have no health insurance. Most live in conditions of poverty that deny them the ability to develop their full cognitive potential. The child poverty rate in the U.S. is among the highest in the so-called developed nations. These children are left behind. * The majority of our schools are underfunded, especially those in low- wealth states and in low-wealth school districts. Children in these schools lack adequate instructional materials and access to technology, and they are often housed in buildings that fail to meet the safety codes of their states. They are usually taught by less-qualified personnel. These children are left behind. * Recent basic research clearly concludes that children who are disadvantaged have difficulty with cognitive development, acquiring adequate vocabulary, and learning the sounds required for learning to read. These children are left behind. * Millions of our children attend child-care centers that stifle creativity and hinder appropriate development. These children, too, are left behind. * Federal law requires special accommodations for children with disabilities. But the federal government provides only a fraction of the support needed for such adjustments. These children are left behind. And, once left behind, the empirical data are convincing: they remain behind for the rest of their school lives. * All recent state-level standards-referenced tests show the same pattern of results: schools in rich areas score higher than schools in poor locales. …

Cooperation and Accommodation Strategies for Learning-disabled Students in Team-based Courses

Introduction It's first day of new semester. A student brings you note requesting special accommodations for learning disability (LD) - extra time on tests and note taker are needed. Routine stuff. But what if you are teaching an advertising or public relations campaigns class and no tests are given? In case of campaigns course, bulk of student's grade is determined not by traditional criteria, but by team-designed final campaigns book, team assignments and peer evaluations. What are reasonable accommodations in this situation? What accommodations can faculty member provide? What kinds of accommodations can LD student expect? Does accommodation responsibility now fall to team to which student is assigned? The purpose of this research is to explore how university disability professionals can assist advertising or public relations campaigns teachers in accommodating LD student in team or group-based learning situation to foster cooperative environment among students and faculty. Many aspects of campaigns course may pose unique challenges for LD students (i.e., focus groups for research phase, client presentations, etc.); therefore, such information not only will enrich and facilitate classroom learning and prepare LD students for real-world team experiences, but also will help guide campaigns faculty build more effective teams and create stronger final product. This paper first reviews previous literature on learning disabilities, including current statistics, definitions and perspectives, and then examines campaigns classroom and expectations. Background. The Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD)' defines term learning disability as a disorder which affects manner in which individuals with normal or above average intelligence take in, retain and express information. A person with learning disability may exhibit problems with reading, writing, oral expression, math, organization, study, attention and concentration and social skills.2 While increasing numbers of students with learning disabilities are entering college3 many of these disabilities are often hidden.4 The U.S. Department of Education5 estimates (1989) that approximately 3% of college students in United States have learning disability; however, some figures range as high as 11%. Indeed, between 1988 and 1998, fastest growing category of disability was learning disability; two of every five freshmen with disabilities report having learning disability.' College presents unique demands and adjustments for LD students. In many cases, students learn compensation strategies in elementary school from various sources and then receive no special services throughout high school. Frequently, however, these strategies prove to be inadequate when LD students encounter less structured atmosphere and increasing academic, organizational and time management demands of college.' Additionally, Stage 8 suggests that LD students are often reluctant to participate in classroom experiences that would display their disability to classmates. This presents serious problem in typical public relations or advertising curriculum. Accommodations. While Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 identified and defined LD as handicapped condition that must be accommodated,9 faculty struggle with how to evaluate LD students' learning fairly. Surveys suggest that majority of faculty are willing to accommodate but weigh ethics of how to balance rights of LD students with academic integrity of course, program of study and institution. According to Scott, the core question for many faculty appears to be ethical issue of `how much is enough' in accommodating college students with LD. While some instructors do not believe it is their responsibility to change curriculum to accommodate LD students, many more are not sure how to alter assignments and course materials and still maintain fair and equitable standards. …

The Will to Leave No Child Behind?

YEARS AGO, my feisty mother-in-law, known as Mamacita for her tireless work for the poor in the Rio Grande Valley, was indignant about the local school's treatment of little Roberto, who lived next door. His grandmother climbed into a van before dawn every morning to go to work in the fields so her grandchildren could get ahead in this country. She never learned English, and Roberto had problems with the language. But he was a smart child. Unfortunately, he learned very little in school because he drifted listlessly through special education classes. It was the wrong place for Roberto. By describing Roberto's plight, I am offering some anecdotal input to a major federal policy debate looming on the horizon. And with this issue, anecdotes often override facts, so much so that policy makers are led to choose between the most egregious and heartbreaking examples of wrongs in their quest to decisions about the field of special education. On one hand, advocates for special education students accuse callous school officials of abridging the rights of children with disabilities by holding them to very low expectations, isolating them, filling the special education classes with students whom regular classroom teachers don't have the skills to teach, or being more concerned about discipline than about learning. Vying with these arguments are those from school officials. They add up the ever-growing costs of educating children with disabilities, which judges do not consider in their decisions. These school officials must deal with strong parent advocacy that often skews the original purposes of state and federal laws, and they contend that they are doing the right thing by placing students with problems wherever the resources can be found to serve them. Statistics, like anecdotes, can be bent to suit any argument, and both advocates and critics of special education are hard at work. Critics note that the number of children eligible for special education and special accommodations increased 65% between 1977 and 2000, partly as a result of pressure to expand the definition of those eligible for services. According to a spokesperson for the Council for Exceptional Children, most of these students make great strides, and their high school graduation rate has increased 30% in the last 10 years. During the same period, their college attendance rate has doubled. Since the 1975 passage of the first federal law guaranteeing the rights of students with disabilities - the Education for All Handicapped Children Act - there has been an enormous shift in identified problems, from predominantly speech problems to specific disabilities. The latter category jumped from 22% of those served in 1977 to 46% in 2000. However, because the definitions are so vague and so various, who gets labeled as learning depends partly on where a student lives. According to one expert, about 80% of all students in the country could be considered disabled under some of the definitions being used. These and many related issues will surely be raised this year as Congress takes up the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The process of reauthorizing federal laws governing the education of students with disabilities is always a difficult one because the defenders of the laws include parents and researchers who are more powerful and better organized than those who lined up behind Title I when it came up for reauthorization. In 1997 administrators and advocates battled over disciplinary policies and completely overshadowed the reauthorization's emphasis on including students served by IDEA under standards-based reforms. Consequently, many teachers and administrators have paid little attention to the matter of where these students fit into the standards-based reforms being played out in the states (other than to increase even more the number of children receiving IDEA services who are excused from state assessments). …

Exercise testing in special populations: Athletes, women, and the elderly

Exercise testing in special populations such as athletes, women, and the elderly requires additional considerations from the clinician. Different protocols, as well as special accommodations, may be necessary for performing the test. Symptomatic athletes may have a number of cardiac conditions that lead to ischemic changes on the exercise test. Asymptomatic athletes often use serial exercise testing to evaluate the efficacy of training programs. For women and the elderly, assessment of risk factors and evaluation of symptoms are important considerations before performing the exercise test. Negative exercise test findings suggest a low risk for future cardiovascular events. Positive exercise test findings must be interpreted in light of the individual's pre-test probability. Assessment of the needs of these patients allows the clinician to tailor the exercise test to produce useful information.

Design and performance of the HESSI cryostat

The High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) spacecraft, to be launched in July 2000, will be used to observe the Sun with the finest angular and energy resolutions ever achieved from a few keV to hundreds of keV. The spacecraft will use an array of nine germanium (Ge) detectors, each 7.1 cm in diameter and 8.5 cm long, operating at 75 K. The detectors are mounted in a cryostat on a common coldplate, and cooled by a small Stirling-cycle cryocooler. This paper describes the design of the cryostat, special accommodations for the Ge detectors, interfaces with the cryocooler, and thermal performance of the engineering test unit.

Working to Place Family at the Center of Life: Dual-Earner and Single-Parent Strategies

There are two basic types of work-family strategies: workplace-based strategies and family-centered strategies. In the past, attention has been placed mostly on work policies. This article focuses on members of dual-earner and single-parent families who have actively placed family at the center of their lives. The strategies they adopt depend upon their position in the labor market as well as marital status. Some dual-earner families jointly calculate scheduling and job trajectories while utilizing benefits from both of their employees; others reluctantly coparent because of underemployment. Single mothers who have professional or technical skills try to make special accommodations with bosses or they become contract workers, while less skilled single mothers need benefits in order not to have to work several jobs. In addition, some single mothers have developed extensive networks and advocate for more community support of child rearing. Most working parents committed to keeping their families at the center have pursued nontraditional career paths. Ideologies about families and parenting may shape strategies about employment more often than workplace norms or work-family policies.

Chemical sensitivity: the truth about environmental illness

sensitivity (or 'multiple chemical sensitivity') describes people with numerous troubling symptoms attributed to environmental factors, from simple house paint to complex building structures and materials in offices and schools. Many such people are seeking special accommodations, applying for disability benefits, and filing lawsuits claiming that exposure to common foods and chemicals has made them ill. Their efforts are supported by some physicians who refer themselves as clinical ecologists. They use questionable diagnoses and treatment methods, while critics charge that these approaches are bogus and that 'chemical sensitivity' is not a valid diagnosis. The complaints associated with chemical sensitivity include depression, irritability, poor memory, fatigue, drowsiness, constipation, sneezing, wheezing, skin rashes, headache, chest pain, pounding heart, swelling, upset stomach, paralysis, AIDS-like illnesses, psychotic experiences, and just about every other symptom noted in medical textbooks. One prominent clinical ecologist even claimed that chemical sensitivity patients may well be human 'canaries' on an increasingly poisoned planet, and others have actually labeled chemical sensitivity as a disease. While some people are adversely affected by exposure to some chemicals, there is an overwhelming increase in false claims and reports from misled obsessive patients and opportunistic doctors. Chemical Sensitivity examines this phenomenon in depth and the scientific, legal, ethical, and political issues that surround it. The authors explore the speculations about environmental exposure in the light of scientific knowledge of human physiology, allergy and immunology, pathology, toxicology, and clinical medicine.

Disability Awareness Activities on College Campuses: A National Study of Campuses with Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in Rehabilitation Counseling

This study surveyed all Program Coordinators in Offices of Disability Services on college campuses across the U.S., that offered undergraduate and graduate degrees in rehabilitation counseling. Data was collected regarding the type, frequency and support of disability awareness activities among students, faculty, and staff, as well as the financial resources allocated to carry-out such activities. Students, as opposed to faculty or staff, participated inmost awareness-type events. The most frequently reported type activities were panel discussion groups, seminars and outside guest presenters. The data suggests that little financial support and other resources are allocated for such campus activities. Implications are discussed regarding the lack of awareness among college professors and other staff/administrators concerning the special accommodations required for full participation across campus programs and services.

Do Employers Really Need More Educated Youth?

In this article, the authors use qualitative data from interviews with 51 diverse employers to examine what actions, if any, employers take in pursuit of their stated need for young workers with skills. Contrary to Berg's model, employers often describe a clear need for specific academic skills, specific conditions that require such skills, and costly actions they take to obtain these skills. However, contrary to the economic model, in attempting to achieve productivity goals, employers respond to shortcomings in skills by taking previously unnoted actions that increase labor market stratification. They increase supervisors' responsibility for explaining tasks at considerable cost to themselves, adjust jobs to match workers' skills, offer special accommodations to retain workers with valued skills, and use on-the-job screening and recruiting linkages to select workers. These findings explain some puzzles in segmented labor market theory and extend sociological network models

The impact of the "Americans with Disabilities Act" on engineering education

In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law affecting an estimated 45 million Americans who, for different reasons and conditions, may fall under the category of persons with disabilities. The law has produced a major impact regarding the way that our society views and provides services to this segment of the population. While religious institutions, including those involved in higher education through universities, colleges, and programs are exempted from the ADA, almost all other public and private institutions must comply with the law that prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities and requires that special accommodations be made to integrate these individuals into the work place. Among other things, the law requires "modification of examinations, training materials, or policies, the provision of qualified readers or interpreters and other similar accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities". The impact on engineering education is enormous with ramifications to admissions policies, curricular structure, testing, accommodations of students and faculty, and many other matters of importance. This paper presents an overview of the ADA, its impact on engineering education, some guidelines for compliance, as well as some actual cases that illustrate some of the typical instances of "reasonable accommodations" that engineering programs need to consider.

Attention Deficit Disorder in College Students: Facts, Fallacies, and Treatment

Attention deficit disorder (ADD), with or without hyperactivity, is a common but highly misunderstood and frequently underdiagnosed condition in college students. It affects students' academic and social success and emotional development. ADD is an invisible impairment of cortical regulation of activity and impulse control that is often hereditary, is as common in women as in men, and does not subside or disappear at puberty. ADD increases the risk of drug abuse, delinquency, incarceration, job failure, marital discord, and divorce. In college students, ADD is amenable to treatment in a multimodal program combining medication; individual, family, and group psychotherapy; career counseling; and cognitive control, together with electronic prostheses and special accommodations in the college classroom.

Education of Nursing Students With Special Needs

Recent legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act will have a significant impact on higher education in nursing. A survey was conducted to describe the extent to which BSN and ADN nursing programs in the United States admit and graduate special needs and chronically ill students, and to identify the accommodations which have been successful in providing nursing education to these students. Responses received from 86 schools of nursing in 44 states indicated that most schools have had contact with students with special needs such as visual, hearing, or mobility impairments, learning disabilities, and mental or chronic illnesses. Learning disabilities and mental impairment were cited most frequently as having been present among the student population. Few programs have had experience with students with vision problems. While most programs responding had little experience with providing special accommodations to special needs students, most were aware of accessibility on their campuses. Recent legislation aimed at creating opportunities for disabled individuals to successfully enter the work force creates challenges for schools of nursing in education of students with special needs. Issues are raised that must be addressed to meet this important challenge.