Reasonable Accommodations on the Bar Exam: Leveling the Playing Field or Providing an Unfair Advantage?

If you ask law students what they think about examination accommodations provided to students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, most students will tell you that it is unfair that some students get more time to take an examination. The misconception that accommodations provide an unfair advantage may stem from the fact that not all students understand the Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA ), its purpose, and the reasons why individuals receive such accommodations. In fact, the ADA has applications beyond the employment context. Specifically, the ADA ensures that students with disabilities who graduate from medical school, law school, and other professional programs cannot be discriminated against in their educational programs and are entitled to nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodation in the licensing process

The influence of reintroduced beavers on sediment processes in post-wildfire headwater streams, Methow River, WA

Washington State has experienced increasingly frequent, and intense wildfire activity. For example, the largest fires on record for Okanogan County have occurred in the past five years, and this region includes the Methow River (MR), a main tributary to the Columbia River from the North Cascades. The MR is also the site of an ongoing beaver reintroduction program, that has transplanted over 300 “problem beavers” to headwater streams over the past decade. Historically beavers were abundant in the area, but populations were decimated by fur trapping in the 1800’s. Previous work documented how dam building by reintroduced beavers can rapidly influence the hydrology, ecology, and biogeochemistry of MR riparian ecosystems. Our project expands upon this research to investigate the effects of beavers in stream sites that burned in recent wildfires. We studied the streambed sediments in low order, headwater streams in wildfire-burned and unburned areas of the MR. Half each of the burned and unburned sites were also beaver reintroduction locations, with intact dams and ponds. At each site we collected streambed sediments upstream and downstream of the dams, and took 10 cm cores from pond sediments. We sieved all samples to establish grain size distributions. Since fine sand to clay sized sediments can be harmful to aquatic organisms such as macroinvertebrate larvae and salmonids, we combined these size classes. We also studied the mineralogy and angularity of cobbles to understand sediment supply and transport. The pond sediment cores were analyzed for organic carbon content. The stream sites were highly heterogeneous, which complicated interpretations of the relative strength of beaver and wildfire effects on streambed sediments. In general, there were less fine grained sediments downstream versus upstream of beaver dams, and more fine grained sediment in the burned sites, regardless of beaver presence. A higher organic content appears in beaver areas than in no beaver areas, and less organic content appears in burned areas

Exploring the effectiveness of a prevocational seminar on self-efficacy and work motivation among inpatient adults with severe mental illness: An experimental study

Employment is a primary facet of our social milieu and can be associated with an individual\u27s health and quality of life. Employment has also proven to be an essential element to the recovery of people with severe mental illness (PWSMI); however, PWSMI have the highest unemployment rate out of all groups of individuals with disabilities. Supported employment (SE) is an ideal mainstreaming agent, for PWSMI, into competitive employment; yet, barriers experienced by participants of SE interrupt the overall effectiveness of the program. This study provides insight regarding an intervention designed to assist PWSMI in overcoming employment-related barriers. A pre-test post-test experimental design was employed for one week at an acute care hospital located in North Mississippi. This experimental study was conducted to investigate the effects of a 10-session prevocational seminar on self-efficacy and work motivation among adults with severe mental illness (SMI) (n=21) residing in an inpatient psychiatric facility. The prevocational seminar (independent variable) utilized a revised version of the Work Related Social Skills Training. Dependent variables consisted of the General Self-Efficacy Scale and Work Motivation Scales (two sub-scales Work Values and Work Motives). Three one-way ANCOVAs were applied to analyze post-test results for the dependent measures. The statistical results yielded no differences among adjusted post-test means for treatment groups for each research hypothesis. However, interesting trends correlating with existing literature and important implications emerged from this study. Findings of this study confirmed that PWSMI want to be competitively and gainfully employed, but experience various barriers (e.g., discrimination, stigma, prejudice, decreased motivation, work disincentives, and persistent symptoms due to psychosis) and often lack guidance, understanding, and access to available vocational and career resources. Furthermore, the findings increased the literature concerning PWSMI and employment along with encouraging the development of future research, interventions, strategies, and therapeutic approaches

The paradox of autonomy : mandatory outpatient treatment of those with mental illness

This thesis explores the ethical territory charted by a relatively recent development in the treatment of the severely and persistently mentally ill, mandatory outpatient treatment (MOT). MOT is designed to treat patients who make a fair recovery from illness when they take their prescribed medications consistently, but who repeatedly quit taking their medication, only to suffer a series of relapses which result in involuntary commitment in psychiatric hospitals. For these individuals, MOT is believed to be a less restrictive alternative to inpatient commitment, and better method of preventing relapse than current patterns of repeated hospitalization. The thesis explores four areas of significant debate within the context of mandatory outpatient commitment. First, I address the definition of meaningful rational autonomy and its relationship to coercive treatment of mental illness. I examine how these issues are integrated into the movement for mandatory outpatient treatment of the mentally ill within their communities, and I conclude that MOT is a less restrictive and therefore more desirable treatment method than the forced hospitalization permitted under most commitment standards. Second, I address the inadequacy of many community resources and the debate over the efficacy of involuntary commitment statutes. I analyze recent research into the effectiveness of mandatory outpatient treatment, and I conclude that, while more research is needed, present findings suggest MOT commitments do improve patient compliance and can help patients lead more stable and productive lives. Third, I identify limitations of current MOT statutes by presenting a case study of a woman on mandatory outpatient treatment orders. I argue that outpatient commitment statutes are nothing more than empty rhetoric if they do not have adequate enforcement mechanisms in place, and I conclude that MOT orders need to be strengthened by such enforcement. Fourth, I look at different definitions of disability and their relevance and impact on the experience of those who have been diagnosed with mental illness. I conclude that certain forms of mandatory outpatient commitment do not constitute a double standard in the treatment of mental disability, and that, far fi om committing harms against them, conscientious use of coerced community treatment for some individuals with severe and persistent mental illness offers the best hope of restoring their autonomy such that they may live relatively safe and purposeful lives. The conclusion of this thesis is that mandatory outpatient treatment involves a paradox. That is, for some individuals with severe and persistent mental illness, expanding their autonomy may require temporarily restricting it. This paradox can be best resolved through treatment methods such as mandatory outpatient commitment, since this involves less restriction on autonomy than traditional inpatient hospitalization and offers a better chance for the individual to regain stability within his or her own community

Impact of client death on clinical geropsychologists: a qualitative analysis, The

2012 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Although clinical psychologists who work with older adults are expected to work competently in areas of death and dying, there has been little research that explores how client death impacts these professionals. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, interviews with 10 professional geropsychologists were transcribed and analyzed for common themes across participants. Identified themes included: development of a different mindset in geropsychology; circumstances of memorable client deaths; personal/professional boundaries; impact of client death on clinical work; and developing specific coping strategies. Results from the present study suggested that despite grief reactions, participants believed that experiencing client death led to both personal and professional growth that helped them to become better clinicians. They also identified immediate reactions to client death that ranged from a sense of joy and peace to feelings of loss and regret. Participants identified specific coping strategies they used to cope with this phenomenon

Microaggressions and the experiences of multiracial clients in psychotherapy: a qualitative investigation

2014 Summer.Although the importance of cultural competence for mental health professionals is widely agreed upon, it is often difficult to evaluate how this occurs in practice. The present study used a qualitative methodology to investigate the experiences of multiracial individuals in therapy with a particular focus on how race was addressed within the therapy relationships. Researchers investigated: 1) which, if any, microaggressions came up during psychotherapy, 2) how multiracial individuals made sense of microaggressions in therapy, and 3) what contributed to more positive experiences of discussing race in therapy. Thirteen multiracial individuals from various racial backgrounds were interviewed about their experiences in psychotherapy. Analyses revealed three major themes that occurred in all 13 interviews: therapist microaggressions, helpful therapist behaviors around race, and the impact of microaggressions in therapy. Multiracial microaggressions in the present study included: avoiding/minimizing race in therapy; denial of multiracial reality; stereotypical assumptions based on race; second-class status and treatment of multiracial people. Microaggressions negatively impacted the therapy experience such that many clients who experienced microaggressions felt worse, struggled with the dilemma of whether or not to confront microaggressions, became more guarded, felt therapy was not helpful, and ended therapy early. In addition to the themes of microaggressions in therapy, the present study also highlighted a number of positive ways that therapists addressed race with their multiracial clients. Results from the present study highlight both challenges and opportunities of doing culturally sensitive work with multiracial individuals

CIVIL RIGHTS LAW—INCLUSION OF EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS AS SERVICE ANIMALS UNDER THE ADA: CREATING THE RIGHT TO USE DOGS TO ASSIST PEOPLE LIVING WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

The use of emotional support animals to alleviate or mitigate symptoms associated with mental health issues has been a topic of debate since its inception. On one hand, there is the community of people who have expressed a need to use support animals to help them to participate in society, including while traveling by airplane. On the other hand, the Department of Transportation has had to assess whether allowing support animals on airplanes would pose a direct threat to the safety or health of others. In most contexts, support animals are not treated as service animals, so therein lies substantial confusion. Broadening the Americans with Disabilities Act’s definition of service animal to include emotional support animals will have both positive and negative consequences. By expanding and clarifying the language, our society will benefit by breaking the stigma of mental illness. Nonetheless, there are risks that come with this positive change that will be worth it in the end. These disability regulations need to be updated in a way to provide clarity for all Americans. By carefully crafting the definition of an emotional support animal around the robust fraud mechanisms outlined in this article, people with mental health disabilities can have the ADA’s promises fulfilled and be fully integrated into society while still protecting the interests of businesses and others

Chapter 9 Informing Practice Through Collaboration: Listening to Colonising Histories and Aboriginal Music

This chapter describes an interdisciplinary and intercultural method for writing about historical performances of music and dance by Aboriginal people, and to inform collaborative performances with Aboriginal musicians. It discusses an approach of listening to history through current Indigenous knowledges, and interrogates how seeking to understand the continuities and disruptions of culture through the experiences of living Aboriginal people allows for new interpretations of archival sources. In combining Indigenous knowledges with historical methods, the chapter responds to Aileen Moreton Robinson's (2000) critique of scholarly approaches that contrast the ‘traditional’ and ‘contemporary’ Aboriginal subject, while erasing ongoing colonising influences. The chapter presents a song as methodology and practice, to sing up story and knowledges from history in the present