Transition and the community college: a Career Keys model for students with disabilities

Transition models are needed that address multiple phases in the postsecondary education of students with disabilities. These models must first address the recruitment of high school students with disabilities for community colleges through career exploration experiences that help students clarify their educational and vocational interests and relate those interests to a two-year postsecondary program. Students with disabilities then need a comprehensive service program while attending community college to help them identify accommodation needs in classroom and workplace environments and develop the skills to request such accommodations from their instructors and employers. With this skill base, they are well prepared to initiate the next transition in their lives, that is, the movement from the community college to a four-year educational institution or to employment. Programs are needed to facilitate this transition, such as a placement planning seminar involving rehabilitation professionals and employers and an accommodation follow-up assessment with students in their new educational and employment settings. The "Career Keys" model describes how to deliver the services needed in each of these critical transition phases.     

‘I should at least be given a chance to try’: the experience of media workers with disabilities in the United States during postsecondary education and early career

This qualitative study described the lived experience of media workers with disabilities in the United States during postsecondary education and their transition to the professional media workplace. While there is ample literature about disability narratives in media products, there is a significant gap in the research about media workers and students with disabilities. Three participants provided face-to-face interviews and submitted media artifacts that they felt provided abstract representations of their experience. Invariant structural themes that emerged were that participants possessed a high level of self-efficacy, and while their colleges provided supportive environments, they faced discrimination in the media workplace. Additionally, they received few or unhelpful educational accommodations and little guidance from faculty as they transitioned from education to work. Findings suggest a need for faculty training in inclusive pedagogies, review of media curricula that considers students with disabilities, and assistance for students as they progress from postsecondary education to the media workplace.     

Career Maturity in College Students With Learning Disabilities

This study compared levels of career maturity between college students with and without learning disabilities and investigated factors associated with career maturity. Few differences in career maturity were found. However, different predictors of career maturity for the two groups emerged. For students with learning disabilities, number of accommodations and quantity of work experience accounted for 22% of the variance in career maturity. For students without disabilities, academic achievement and type of work experience accounted for 21% of the variance in career maturity. Students with learning disabilities who received more instructional accommodations had lower levels of career maturity.     

Likes,dislikes, supports and barriers: the experience of students with disabilities in university in Ireland

There are more students with disabilities going to college than ever before. It is important that colleges understand the experiences of students with disabilities when in university. This research project was carried out by 12 students with intellectual disabilities who are enrolled in an Irish university, under the guidance of their lecturers. The project looked at four research questions: (1) what do we like about going to college; (2) what do we dislike about going to college; (3) what supports do students with disabilities experience to participation in college; and (4) what barriers do students with disabilities experience to participation in college? The results show many interesting findings about what students with disabilities experience in college and this information can be used to help colleges better support students with disabilities.     

When the Learning Disabled Go to College

Abstract

During the last decade, federal laws have provided for remedial education in elementary and secondary schools for students with learning disabilities, preparing large numbers of them for college. Federal law also mandates helping learning-disabled students with their needs once they matriculate. Declining numbers of high school graduates in the aftermath of the baby boom have made more colleges open their doors to these students. The disabilities, and the accommodations they require, arrive in college with the rest of a student's baggage, demanding attention. Colleges and universities have chosen a variety of approaches, from specific remedial programs and individual accomodations according to need to more general programs. Some colleges pretend these disabilities do not exist and seem oblivious to their presence on campus. Learning disabilities can have an impact in every class and lecture hall and can contribute to unhappiness and the college's attrition rate. On the other hand, responsive and responsible programs provide students with the resources for the same education, honors, and opportunities as their nondisabled peers.     

Editorial

Abstract

This comprehensive research study examined how schools of social work in Canada have responded to disability issues. The study focused upon specific policies and practices ofthe Canadian schools of social work which have been developed to create a more inclusive environment for students, staff, and faculty members with disabilities and to prepare students for practice in dealing with individuals who are disabled. A ten page survey consisting of closed and opened-ended questions was sent to the deans and directors of the thirty-five schools of social work in Canada. This study found that although there have been significant changes in these schools over the last ten years, there are many barriers to disability inclusion from recruitment and admissions; accommodations; retention, graduation, and employment; curriculum; hiring faculty and staff with disabilities; and university relations/resources. It concludes with recommendations for schools of social work.     

Learning Disabilities Within Postsecondary Education

Abstract

Learning disabilities (LD) are a significant issue in the U.S. educational system and the fastest growing disability group in need of services at the postsecondary educational level. This growth has led to an increase in colleges and universities offering support services to the adult LD population. However, many students are still having difficulty remaining in college and completing degree programs. This difficulty may arise, in part, from confusion and misunderstanding among postsecondary professionals, including disability support coordinators and professors. The purpose of this article is to address some of the issues postsecondary educational staff and faculty members come across when dealing with the adult learning disabled population.     

Social work Education and Students with Disabilities: Implications of Section 504 and the ADA

Abstract

This article addresses major educational issues related to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Because students with disabilities are entering higher education in ever larger numbers, and with greater expectations for accommodation than those of a generation ago, social work educators and administrators should be aware of the implications of these two statutes and relevant case law for admissions, classroom accommodations, and field placements.     

Employers' knowledge and utilization of accommodations

Increasingly, employers are providing a variety of accommodations to applicants or employees with disabilities. However, little is know about the resources that employers access to identify and develop accommodations in the recruitment, hiring and retention of employees with disabilities. Human resource professionals and supervisors were surveyed to determine the extent to which businesses were aware of, and utilized, the vast array of workplace supports available. Findings indicated that employers have limited awareness of workplace supports and rely primarily on their own organizational resources in identifying and securing accommodations. Yet, business professionals expressed confidence in their ability to meet and support the needs of employees with disabilities despite many supervisors indicating that they did not have the authority to secure accommodations for workers with disabilities.     

Disability Services and College Students with Psychiatric Disabilities

Abstract

Weiner (1999) has suggested that the process of accepting a disability and its associated limitations is often protracted for students with psychiatric disabilities, thus leaving many students unable to fully participate in services or in the design of academic accommodations. This research examines the relationship between psychiatric disability identity and use of academic accommodation services for 57 undergraduates with psychiatric impairments who are experiencing problems in their academic functioning. Willingness to utilize services was related to students' identification as having a psychiatric disability. Social work interventions are needed to support students in accepting psychiatric disabilities while concurrently crafting necessary accommodations.     

Planning and execution of a successful hepatitis B immunization program

Today's college students occupy a "window" between older adults, whose need for hepatitis B vaccination is minimal, and younger people who receive the vaccine as part of their childhood immunization series. However, because of the high-risk activities that are often part of student behavior, college students are among the individuals who are at the highest risk for this disease; 75% of all reported hepatitis B cases occur in persons between the ages of 15 and 39 years. It is therefore imperative that college health professionals take seriously their responsibility to educate students about issues related to hepatitis B and make available programs that enable the students to receive immunizations. This article briefly describes a successful hepatitis B education and immunization program at an institution that has no mandatory prematriculation immunization requirements.     

Ensuring That Course Websites Are ADA Compliant

SUMMARY

This paper explores how social work course websites can meet recommendations for ADA compliance. It addresses the current and expected rules for compliance, the types of disabilities that require accommodations and the accommodations that each requires. It discusses the software and hardware features and options available to students with disabilities. It also discusses software available to web authors to create accessible websites and identify noncompliant features. Following these guidelines will enable students with disabilities to fully benefit from online courses-and will offer benefits to users who do not have disabilities, as well.     

Children in Foster Care: A Longitudinal Investigation,by David Fanshel and Eugene B. Shinn. Columbia University Press,New York, 1978. $25. 520 Pp.

This article presents findings of an exploratory study addressing social work program practices regarding psychiatric disabilities among social work students. An e-mail invitation to participate in an online survey was sent to approximately 875 social work educators, with 71 individuals choosing to participate. The findings indicated that 88% of respondents were in programs that had made accommodations and slightly less than 33% were in programs that had psychiatric disability policies. A positive relationship between ratings of the effectiveness of the accommodations and ratings of employability of students with psychiatric disabilities was found. These findings suggest that additional studies are needed to identify effective ways to deal with the complex legal and educational issues involved with accommodations and support.     

Learning disabled students and access to accommodations: socioeconomic status,capital, and stigma

In the 1990s, Canadian universities began implementing policies to accommodate learning disabled students. While such policies appear to make post-secondary education more accessible, students must manage considerable complexity and absorb social and financial costs to receive accommodations. Through interviews with learning disabled students, this research explores the effects of socio-economic status (SES) on how, or whether, students access accommodations at a Nova Scotian university. Drawing on the work of Bourdieu and Goffman, this study suggests that SES affects students’ abilities to navigate the accommodation process successfully, and that accommodation policies, while important, may not ensure equal access to accommodations.     

Impediments to Health Care for the Foreign Student

Abstract

Today's college students occupy a “window” between older adults, whose need for hepatitis B vaccination is minimal, and younger people who receive the vaccine as part of their childhood immunization series. However, because of the high-risk activities that are often part of student behavior, college students are among the individuals who are at the highest risk for this disease; 75% of all reported hepatitis B cases occur in persons between the ages of 15 and 39 years. It is therefore imperative that college health professionals take seriously their responsibility to educate students about issues related to hepatitis B and make available programs that enable the students to receive immunizations. This article briefly describes a successful hepatitis B education and immunization program at an institution that has no mandatory prematriculation immunization requirements.     

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Community College Students

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is often unrecognized and infrequently treated in community college students. Since students with disabilities including ADHD are more likely to attend a 2-year rather than a 4-year college and to drop out before graduating, this article describes current conceptualizations of adult ADHD for community college social workers, psychologists, faculty, counselors, and staff. It presents counseling and educational interventions, which can result in greater academic success and an increase in self-esteem for individual students, as well as an increase in retention rates for the college.     

Career Service Needs of College Students With Disabilities

Students with disabilities at 2 midwestern universities were surveyed as to their use of campus career-related services, their behavior regarding disability disclosure and accommodations, and their knowledge of ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act, 1990) employment-related guidelines. The results indicate that most students with disabilities do not use existing career development and employment services on campus. Students frequently disclose their disability to a prospective employer; however, students are less likely to request accommodations on the job. These trends may be explained in part by the student's limited knowledge of their employment rights under the ADA.     

"Who Causes the Blind to See": disability and quality of religious life

Persons with physical or mental disabilities often turn to religious institutions for comfort and belonging. They are not, however, always openly welcomed into religious circles. Many churches and synagogues fail to make the necessary accommodations for parishioners with disabilities and some show covert signs of hostility towards them. Possible reasons for this exclusion are examined, theorising that they stem from the most ancient of beliefs about the nature of disability and its relationship to God. Sources within the Jewish and Christian faiths are examined and it is hypothesised that there are four central views inherent in these religions that act as barriers to those with disabilities. These beliefs must be challenged so that all may find fulfillment and inclusion within their religious faiths. Religious leaders and followers must also acknowledge and redress the fact that such beliefs have contributed to the establishment of disability and an oppressed political minority within Western society.     

The impact of a faculty training program on inclusive education and disability

This paper describes the knowledge gained by 20 faculty members following their participation in a training program on inclusive education and disability. The study, which was conducted at an university in Spain, aimed to design, implement and evaluate a program for training faculty members to respond in an inclusive manner to the needs of students with disabilities. An initial, formative and summative qualitative evaluation was carried out and four instruments were used for collecting the data: group and individual interviews, written open-ended questionnaires and observations. The data were analyzed inductively, using a category and code system. The results reveal that, after the training program, faculty considered what they had learned to be useful for their professional practice and highlighted that they felt better-informed and better-trained in relation to disability and were more aware of the needs of students with disabilities. Finally, in the conclusions section, the paper discusses the results in relation to those reported by other studies, and offers some recommendations for universities planning to implement training policies designed to build more inclusive learning environments.     

The lived experience of students with an invisible disability at a Canadian university

University institutions are required by law to make their services accessible to students with disabilities. Canadian universities have gone a long way to eliminate the physical obstacles that present barriers for students. Many students with disabilities have invisible disabilities that require different types of adjustments. Although some researchers have evaluated the needs of students with disabilities in higher education, the unique needs of students with invisible disabilities have received less attention. The best means of assessing these needs is through direct consultation with students with disabilities. Thus, in-depth interviews were conducted with university students with dyslexia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and mental illness. Themes were developed that related to the nature of the disability, the accessibility of the university context, the social and organizational barriers, and recommendations for change. This research lends insight into how individuals with invisible disabilities believe that they are perceived within the university context.