Learning From Each Other, Serving Together

At Trinity Christian College we believe that incorporating service and scholarship into teaching is congruent with the transformational nature of Trinity’s mission. An Illinois Campus Compact funded service-learning project broadened Trinity students’ understanding of service-learning pedagogy as they planned, participated in and assisted students with disabilities in service-learning experiences. College students, high school teachers and high school students with disabilities had the opportunity to work, learn, and serve together

Dysfunctional vs. functional difficulties: a new perspective on learning disabilities

This study was developed as part of an exploratory work on concepts and common sense beliefs about learning difficulties in the Portuguese educational community. Lay conceptions of college students were analyzed in a qualitative study in order to identify different ways of understanding learning difficulties. Students from different courses and levels of training, without specific information in this field of educational psychology, responded by writing to four open questions about learning and learning disabilities. Data were analyzed to identify the range of personal conceptions. Written responses were subjected to content analysis. Multiple categories emerged and were grouped into four main perspectives, incorporating nine different lay conceptions of learning difficulties. These common sense conceptions corresponded in a very precise way to the scientific conceptions of “learning disabilities” which were successively developed in recent decades (Poplin, 1988). Besides, more than distinguish between two types of students, with and without LD, results suggest a new distinction between two kinds of difficulties, dysfunctional versus functional difficulties. Functional difficulties are needed and should be promoted to enhance the quality of learning

Understanding the Transition to College for Students with Learning Disabilities

This study sought to investigate the transition to college for students with learning disabilities at a mid-size Midwestern university. A qualitative approach was used to provide insight in student\u27s perspectives on the transition from high school to college. Three undergraduate students with learning disabilities were individually interviewed to gain understanding of the transition to college. The results demonstrated a critical need for institutions to address the transition to college for students with learning disabilities and create incentives that guide support for student success. Students utilizing various support systems like academic student services, and peers. The transitions to college for students with learning disabilities in this study were influenced by high school preparation differences and the importance of connection to the college. Developing independence in college was discussed as a way to break barriers and to be seen as adults. Results of this study cannot be generalized for all students with learning disabilities in college as many are in different stages of growth and development based on their own needs and experiences

A Phenomenological Study of the Online Education Experiences of College Students with Learning Disabilities

The body of research concerning college students with learning disabilities is sparse relative to the percentage of college students with learning disabilities who attend college. Further, the majority of existing research fails to capture the student voice and the lived experiences of the students themselves. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of college students with learning disabilities who utilized online education at a public university centrally located in the United States, resembling numerous comprehensive regional universities. Using a qualitative, phenomenological research framework, this study uses in-depth individual interviews to collect data from eight participants. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. Four categories emerged as central to their experiences as college students with learning disabilities: (1) faculty engagement, (2) student engagement, (3) course organization, and (4) needed resources. These four categories and their interconnections resulted in five major themes determined to be the results of this study: (1) students with learning disabilities like the convenience and flexibility of schedule afforded by online classes, (2) online structure and organization affords students with learning disabilities more time to process and understand information (3) students with learning disabilities feel more independent and confident with the structure and organization of online courses, (4) students with learning disabilities perceive a lack of interaction in online classes, and (5) instructors lack understanding and support of accommodations and students with learning disabilities. This study provides numerous opportunities for future research related to the topic and findings. The findings from this study may also provide context and insights for postsecondary institutions, faculty, student services personnel, and family of students with learning disabilities, as well as the students themselves

Transition Planning -- Responsibilities and Strategies

This meta-synthesis of the literature, on transition planning for youth with disabilities, examines several important facets that impact the post school outcomes for students with disabilities. Eight specific areas have been highlighted that point out the common theme areas of this metasynthesis. Research recognizes the responsibilities of the regular and special education teachers to the secondary transition process and the roles of the student and parent are not minimized at all. Professional development and continuous training are needed and highlighted for teachers, counselors, administrators, parents and students. There are specific successful strategies and methods to apply to the transition planning process. Raising expectations will likely result in positive post school outcomes as well. However, it is only too often that teachers, counselors, parents, and students are ill prepared for secondary transitions from high school to employment or further training. Expectations are too low and students are not prepared to make decisions about their employment or training in spite of the fact that self determination and self advocacy are strong tools that can and will promote positive outcomes for students. Indeed, individualized transition planning and person centered planning are valuable tools

Estia Centre 10 Years

In 2009, the Estia Centre celebrates a decade of working \ud towards making sure the mental health needs of people \ud with learning disabilities are met – through specialist \ud clinical services, research, and a programme of training \ud and education for both support workers and mental \ud health professionals. \ud \ud Despite government efforts of recent years, people \ud with learning disabilities are still marginalised. Those \ud with mental health problems and more complex needs \ud are even more socially excluded: they are much less likely \ud to be given the chance to speak for themselves and much \ud less likely to be given choices. Many people with learning \ud disabilities and mental health problems are placed in \ud residential or specialist treatment centres far from their \ud local community: historical lack of state investment has \ud led to a growth of independent providers of services \ud and a dearth of specialist public sector alternatives. \ud Based on Guy’s Hospital campus at London Bridge, the \ud Estia Centre is part of South London and Maudsley NHS \ud Foundation Trust (SLaM). Members of the Estia team work \ud in SLaM’s clinical services and at the Institute of Psychiatry \ud (IoP),King’s College London, SLaM’s academic partner. \ud There is also a dedicated team at the Centre responsible \ud for organising a large portfolio of training, offered \ud routinely to staff in social care and mental health services \ud in south London, and also available on request to staff \ud working in services around the UKand in other countries. \ud \ud The work of the Estia Centre has been inspirational to \ud clinicians and policy makers around the world. Over the \ud years, the Estia team has shared skills and experience \ud through long-standing collaborations and consultancy \ud work, helping to shape and develop specialist mental \ud health services for the benefit of people with learning \ud disabilities and their families

The North Shropshire College: report from the Inspectorate (FEFC inspection report; 82/96)

The Further Education Funding Council has a legal duty to make sure further education in England is properly assessed. The FEFC’s inspectorate inspects and reports on each college of further education according to a four-year cycle. This is such a report for the period 1996-97

From the voice of a ‘Socratic Gadfly’: a call for more academic activism in the researching of disability in postsecondary education

In this article I use the lens of voices and silences to frame my review of research in the field of disability and postsecondary education. I argue that we need to view research in this field as a necessarily political act that seeks to turn voices of silence into voices of change. Researchers therefore need to re-think their role in order to understand how they can use and direct their political voices. In order to persuade researchers to heed my call for more academic activism I draw on the arguments of Allan (2010) and adopt the role of a ‘socratic gadfly’ to identify six political areas of research where I argue that voices and silences need more critical examination. In discussing these six areas I hope to illuminate the implications for ‘genuinely investigative’ research in the future

College Student Perceptions of Varying Disability Types: Does Contact Experience Matter?

Studies exploring prejudices between groups have suggested that contact is related to attitudes. This relationship has been studied in the context of attitudes toward people with disabilities and has yielded inconsistent results. Other variables, such as gender, type of relationship, and the type of disability, have been studied in conjunction with and distinct from the contact variable. The present study, conducted among college students, investigated if the contact experience or the exposure to a specific type of disability in a vignette individually were associated with the attitude variable of social distance, as well as if there was an interaction between the two independent variables. Contact experience did not significantly predict scores on the social distance measure; however, type of disability was a significant predictor of undergraduate students’ social distance attitudes. Specifically, physical disability predicted significantly lower scores of social distance than intellectual disability, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity disorder, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. The results of this research were consistent with prior studies measuring similar variables, prompting a need for further research on the role of contact experience and disability type in forming prejudices toward people with disabilities. As type of disability seems to play a significant role in attitudes toward people with disabilities, greater efforts should be directed towards educating students and faculty on non-physical disability types