The Voices of Typers: Examining the Educational Experiences of Individuals Who Use Facilitated Communication

As the number of students with autism grows, professionals must find ways to understand how to best educate this student population. Although current research addresses teaching students with autism, studies on educating autistic students with limited or unreliable verbal speech is nominal. In this qualitative study, interviews with eight autistics who type using the method facilitated communication are analyzed in relation to their educational experiences. The study resulted in a number of key findings that play significant roles in the participants\u27 educational experiences, including (a) the notion of disability hierarchy and the presumption of competence, (b) the importance of building relationships and the perceptions of friendship, (c) developing a sensory friendly environment, and (d) understanding behavior and body movement. Results suggest that the educational needs of these students must be reexamined. Teachers must establish a deeper understanding of the disability and develop innovative practices to best meet the needs of autistic students with limited or unreliable verbal speech in their classrooms

When Special Education and Disability Studies Intertwine: Addressing Educational Inequities Through Processes and Programming

The inception of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) in 1975 provided hope and the opportunity for equitable educational experiences for individuals with disabilities. Forty-five years later, the United States remains in a deficit-driven, medical model educational system with deeply rooted inequities continuing to segregate students because of their disability. A disability studies in education framework allows for complex components of teaching and programming for students with disabilities to be explored in a practical way that promotes inclusive education for all students. Examining special education practices through a social model of disability with a focus on ability and access can eliminate the existing narrative. When impairment is viewed as a difference rather than a deficit, it compels educators to consider alternatives to pedagogy and programming. More importantly, it allows educators to focus more on access to curricula and less on students overcoming their disability. This manuscript examines how educational leaders can shape school culture, guide special education processes, and influence educators in their teaching practices, with a disability studies in education framework to address the educational injustices students with disabilities continue to face in our educational system

Increasing Inclusive Education Through a Learning Center Model: A California Approach

Learning center models offer students with disabilities learning experiences in general education classrooms, while retaining support and services from special education personnel. The learning center approach examines existing educational perspectives, practices and structures, surrounding access to general education for students with disabilities. This study used a document analysis, a qualitative data method, to examine how two California school districts developed a learning center model to transform special education programming from segregated special education classrooms and practices to placement and access to general education. The findings inform educational programming for students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment, to comply with the American federal mandate. Findings suggest that the deep structure of educational practices complicated the ease of a change in practices for both general and special educators. However, the community approach of the learning center model, where all teachers assume the educational responsibilities for all students, forced these educators to be flexible, reexamine structures and practices, and challenge the ethos of traditional schooling

High-Yield Webinar Engagement Strategies and Teacher Candidate Professional Learning

In response to the COVID-19 school closures in both K-12 and higher education, a group of education partners in the United States collaborated to offer a statewide webinar series, 12 webinars in total, to support preservice teachers as they worked to complete their clinical hour requirements. The webinars and extension activities provided via Padlets covered topics associated with best practices and related to credential requirements such as applying universal design for learning and differentiating instruction. This study explored the perceptions of 248 preservice teachers regarding the virtual professional learning format and extension activities, as well as what professional learning they felt they needed in the future as they began their first year teaching during COVID-19. Findings suggest preservice teachers were receptive to learning through the structured webinar platform and found extension activities helpful in applying content. Their knowledge, sense of preparedness, and application of the topics and strategies presented increased, and the topics were relevant and supported the required practicum hours and future teaching practice

The Importance of Inclusive Spaces in Social Skills Development: Drawing on the LGBTQ Educational and Disability Studies in Education Frameworks

This manuscript highlights a major finding from a larger study conducted in the United States that used phenomenological interviews with adults with autism who typed to communicate. Participants shared their United States educational experiences before and after learning to type. This finding focused on how disability studies in education and the development of inclusive spaces, such as those designed for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual, and queer or questioning (LGBTQ) students, may change the way in which educators support students with autism in developing and sustaining natural and meaningful friendships. Thus, this paper examined the social experiences of one participant who had an inclusive education from preschool through college graduation, and whose experience with participation in a social club, described as an acceptance coalition for the LGBTQ community, can influence the way in which educators provide support for building relationships with peers beginning in the elementary school setting

Inclusion and the Right to Access to Regular Classes for Students with Disabilities

In the past decades many countries have made progress toward increasing access to quality education for students with disabilities, yet The World Bank (2019) estimates that 85% of children with disabilities continue to lack access to any schooling. The right to access for K-12 students with disabilities has been recognized globally and locally in many countries across the world (United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2016), with each country making decisions on how to increase access to regular classes based on local contexts and needs. The result is the development of innovative policy and practice that support access to regular classes. These innovative policies and practices highlight the promise of access, equity, and inclusion for students with disabilities. We acknowledge that \u27inclusion\u27 is not an end, but rather something we are all working toward

Placement of Students with Extensive Support Needs in California School Districts: The State of Inclusion and Exclusion

Access to general education settings for students with disabilities varies greatly among and within states across the United States and worldwide. The variability in placement and lack of access to general education for students with disabilities, particularly students with extensive support needs, are reasons to identify factors associated with placement and then address the role of current policy. Explored in this study were the placement of students with extensive support needs in 938 school districts across the State of California in the United States and the relationship between placement and economic and demographic factors. Results suggest alarmingly low access to general education classrooms for students with extensive support needs, significant variability in placement, and relationships between placement and factors, such as total enrollment, race, and expenditure

Examining California’s Title 22 Community Care Licensing Regulations: The Impact on Inclusive Preschool Settings

Access to general education preschool in California has varied for children with disabilities. One reason for the disparity of educational placement is the preschool regulations outlined in California Department of Education’s Title 22: Community Care Licensing guidelines. These regulations, particularly in preschool, support or hinder preschool inclusion. Examining the preschool section of Title 22 through document analysis resulted in identifying three major themes that embrace or deter inclusive practices: (a) language (i.e., supportive language, antiquated language, and ambiguous language); (b) training, experience, and education; and (c) staff-student ratio. California’s educational leaders should consider these results to provide opportunities for preschool children with disabilities to be in general education environments

How to Create an Inclusive Campus for Neurodivergent Students

Neurodivergent people are not a monolith, and we must consider that there will be times that the best ways to ensure inclusion and access for one person may not be the best for another. For instance, we recognise the various views of the neurodivergent community, such as a preference for the use of person-first language (using terms such as \u27person with a disability\u27) or identity-first language (\u27disabled person\u27). Being flexible and accommodating to the varied student needs on campus shows recognition and support for diverse communities. By implementing accessible resources and supports such as alternative learning spaces, sensory spaces, comprehensive mental health support and accessible modalities to learning, universities can support neurodivergent students to succeed