Students’ and their parents’ experiences of inclusion in mainstream schools.What does inclusion mean for parents with children that have special educational needs and what does it mean for the children themselves in today’s mainstream schooling system?

This thesis examines experiences and critical incidents that parents and their children with special educational needs encountered in mainstream school settings. Research was carried out within the methodological framework of autoethnography, reflecting the author's desire to make sense of her own experiences of inclusion in mainstream schools, both as a professional 'insider' and parent of a child with special educational needs. A purist approach to autoethnography was used, where stories were seen as stand alone pieces of gold: individual, unique case studies giving rise to questions and emotions in their own right, (Ellis & Bochner, 2006, Vickers, 2010), combined with the rigour of an analytical approach to make sense of what unfolded (Andersons, 2006).Differing meanings, values and interpretations surrounding inclusion have shaped the current inclusion discourse and understandings of 'need' and 'disability', giving rise to significant impacts on the disabled person and the symbolic value of the disabled body. The work of Bourdieu and Foucault was used to better understand concepts of capital, power and agency and the impact these have on the disabled entrepreneur.Research findings indicate that positive experiences of parents and children with SEN in mainstream schools were rare and sporadic. However, success is possible if we redefine the language surrounding SEN, taking a more detailed and sensitive approach that recognises the power of words in shaping values, attitudes, feelings and practices. A more equal distribution of power is required to stabilise the SEN system, listening more to parents and children and empowering them as agents of their own lives. Standing in people's shoes, seeing them as valued, unique and capable, as wanting to find their true abilities and to realise their hopes, their dreams and their full potential will lead to the term SEN no longer being necessary

Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course: Program Evaluation

Survey results (n = 3,748) collected over a period of 7 years from the Texas A&M Beef Cattle Short Course (BCSC) were analyzed to evaluate course demographics and the impact of the course on attendees. Results of this survey demonstrate that attendee demographics of the BCSC are representative of beef cattle producers in the United States and that the BCSC is effective at delivering information that positively impacts beef production in Texas. Extension professionals can make use of these findings to tailor future education programs to better serve the needs of beef cattle producers nation-wide

Stocking rate and stocking strategy for steers grazing rotational or continuous stocked rye-ryegrass pasture

Last updated: 6/1/200

Effect of Rye-Ryegrass Stocking Rate, Breed Types, and Sex of Calf on Feedlot Performance

Last updated: 6/12/200

Effect of Previous Stocking Rate of Rye-Ryegrass Pasture and Four Breed Types of Calves on Feedlot Performance

Last updated: 6/12/200

Feedlot and carcass traits of Bonsmara, Angus, and Brahman steers

Last updated: 6/12/200

Previous Stocking Rate on Winter Pasture, Four Breed Types, and Feedlot Performance on Carcass Traits

Last updated: 6/12/200

Grazing growth rate effects on subsequent feedlot and carcass traits in Braunvieh cross steers

Last updated: 6/12/200

Land Stewardship for the 21\u3csup\u3est\u3c/sup\u3e Century: Pasture and Livestock Management Workshop for Novices

Land ownership patterns in Texas and the southern USA are changing. Since 1994 (Wilkins et al., 2000) consumers interested primarily in recreational purposes have become the predominant owners of rural land. This land ownership change has created potential land stewardship problems associated with natural resource management. Few, if any, new landowners have any training related to the soil-plant-animal interface. New land owners need linkage with subject matter experts from land grant universities in a relaxed instructional setting while providing the opportunity for question and answer sessions. Thus, a programme was developed by a multi-disciplinary, multi-agency team at the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Agricultural Research & Extension Centre at Overton targeting novice landowners. The main goals in developing the programme were to a) provide basic information regarding management of soil-plant-animal resources that leads to sound, economic decisions and good land stewardship; and b) introduce the programme participants to the educational resources available to them through the land grant university system

Anatomy of avian rictal bristles in Caprimulgiformes reveals reduced tactile function in open-habitat, partially diurnal foraging species

Avian rictal bristles are present in many species of birds, especially in nocturnal species. Rictal bristles occur along the upper beak and are morphologically similar to mammalian whiskers. Mammalian whiskers are important tactile sensors, guiding locomotion, foraging and social interactions, and have a well‐characterised anatomy. However, it is not yet known whether avian rictal bristles have a sensory function, and their morphology, anatomy and function have also not been described in many species. Our study compares bristle morphology, follicle anatomy and their association with foraging traits, across 12 Caprimulgiform species. Rictal bristle morphology and follicle anatomy were diverse across the 12 species. Nine of the 12 species had mechanoreceptors around their bristle follicles; however, there was large variation in their musculature, mechanoreceptor numbers and bristle morphology. Overall, species with short, thin, branching bristles that lacked mechanoreceptors tended to forage pre‐dusk in open habitats, whereas species with mechanoreceptors around their bristle follicle tended to forage at night and in more closed habitats. We suggest that rictal bristles are likely to be tactile in many species and may aid in navigation, foraging and collision avoidance; however, identifying rictal bristle function is challenging and demands further investigation in many species