Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2018, Secondary Education

Based on the system theories approach, this case study investigated the collaboration process that took place among teachers working with newcomer English learners with disabilities. The significance of this study stems from the scarcity of literature on English learner newcomers with disabilities and the need for exploring collaboration among teachers and other professionals. The study utilizes Friend and Cook's (1990) ideologies about best practice in collaboration, which include trust, time, assessments, evaluation, and leadership. Qualitative data collection tools were used to examine aspects of collaboration at three different levels. These tools included classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with professionals. The study found that sustainability of effective teacher collaboration required a shared purpose and goal, open dialogue, a monitoring system, adequate resources, and frequent evaluations of student outcomes. The sense of unity of purpose was vital to creating positive interdependence among professionals. Triangulation ensured the trustworthiness of the data. Member checking and participant feedback were also employed to validate the findings. In the future, collaboration efforts will benefit from teachers receiving professional development to foster positive attitudes towards collaboration and to support appropriate use of time provided for collaboration.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2023, EDU Teaching and Learning

Abstract This research attempted to begin to examine the problem of why youth and consequently, adults with complex disabilities, are not being employed in competitive, integrated environments. As policy, WIOA mandates this status with few exceptions. The study asked, “who and/or what state, and local agencies provide services that mean to support employment and community access?” The study also questioned what services are successful in providing employment supports to consumers with complex disabilities, as well as the barriers to providing supports. The study used a theoretical framework that combined a Stages-Heuristic policy model and Organizational Niche Theory in which to view the problem. A qualitative research design was used along with descriptive statistics of an electronic survey sent to 123 VR, DD agency and Blind/VI services personnel. A Focus Group was facilitated to expand on survey responses and help discover or add to emerging themes from open- ended survey questions. The results of the survey were limited, with only 17 participants responding to questions. The Focus Group with three members, was also limited in geographical regions, as well as representative agencies. Therefore, it was impossible to answer the main questions regarding what state agencies provide specialized services to individuals with complex disabilities for the purpose of competitive, integrated employment. However, the open-ended questions/responses gave good insight into what services are provided, which are successful, and what barriers the responding agencies have in providing specialized services. The Focus Group discussion added to the survey responses, and several themes were apparent. The responses also reinforced much of the current literature (of which there is little) around employment attainment for individuals with significant disabilities.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Although self-determination theory has been used in studies pertaining to students with disabilities (SWD) in high school STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) very little self-determination research has focused on SWD in college STEM programs. Additionally, there is a paucity of research that examines how self-advocacy, one component of self-determination theory, is operationalized from the perspectives of STEM SWD themselves. Further, no research exists to date linking self-advocacy to stigma management, a critical concept for understanding SWD's and other underrepresented groups' navigation of educational environments. The dissertation examines how self-advocacy and stigma management are related to better explain pursuit of college STEM programs and degrees by students with nonvisible disabilities (SWND), the largest group of SWD (Newman et al., 2011). I explore the experiences of SWND majoring in STEM fields at The Ohio State University (Ohio State), using a mixed-method approach utilizing both quantitative and qualitative approaches to examine student factors and learning environment conditions that enhance and/or thwart SWND's learning and persistence. Over the course of the 2016-2017 academic year, I disseminated surveys, conducted in-depth interviews, and facilitated focus groups with twenty SWND to understand their experiences at Ohio State. The results of this research demonstrate a significant connection between stigma management and self-advocacy enactments among participants, which is then more thoroughly explored at the level of theory. This dissertation utilizes intersectionality and standpoint theories as lenses to interpret the data gathered through the quantitative and qualitative methods to explore reports of self-advocacy and stigma management. Foregrounding the experiences of SWND in STEM contributes to an understanding of how self-advocacy can be approached from a critical feminist disability studies perspective that is inform (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2014, Educational Studies

This study utilized an alternating treatments design to evaluate the effects of high preference (HP) and low preference (LP) items on color discrimination via eye gaze during a reinforcer assessment with three students with severe to profound disabilities. Paired-stimulus preference assessments were conducted prior to the reinforcer assessment condition to identify HP and LP items. Results showed that although all three students demonstrated hierarchical preferences for the six stimuli in the preference assessment, there was undifferentiated responding between the HP and LP conditions in the reinforcer assessment with little change in behavior from baseline.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2012, Allied Medical Professions

Research tells us that nutrition is a crucial component of health throughout our lifetime. Up to 80% of children with developmental disabilities have been reported to have one or more feeding issues. Research tells us that food preferences and dietary habits are established between the ages of two and five years old and has additionally established that the food choices and eating behaviors of others influence young children's food preferences. Meal times in schools and at home offer the opportunity for children to develop social skills and learn to participate in a mealtime routine with others. It is estimated that approximately two out of three children ages 6 years or younger in the US are in non-parental child-care programs. Feeding studies in children with developmental disabilities have been clinically focused and address the meal time relationship between the child and parental caregiver or the child and a clinician. These feeding interventions, although successful, are individualized for each child. This process to meet specific individual needs would prove to be unrealistic in a childcare setting where the ratio of caregiver to child is often 1:4 or more. The aim of this research was to determine if a family style dining approach to snack time in an inclusive classrooms for children with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities aged 2-4 years old would impact interest and exploration of a variety of foods as well as improve interest in social interaction and engagement in meal time practices of all children involved. A convenience sample of 4 subjects was chosen from an inclusive preschool classroom at the Early Childhood Education center of The Ohio State University. The snack time intervention lasted for eight days over a two-week period. Videos were taken on the first and last day of the intervention for data collection. Results showed an increase in exploration and communication between the first and last day of the intervention. Participation in t (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2006, Educational Services and Research

This study examined the composition and status of disability support services (DSS) among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). A national census was conducted via the dissemination of a web-based self-report questionnaire to 103 designated DSS administrators. Data was collected to capture the institutional landscape and availability of accommodation provisions for students with disabilities (SWD). Procedures were executed to control for the primary four sources of error (coverage, sampling, measurement and nonresponse) relative to survey research. The two research questions posited were as follows: (1) What is the status and composition of support services for SWD at HBCUs? (2) How can services to SWD at HBCUs be developed and implemented? Analyses were guided by four primary research objectives that correspond to the research questions and produced results as follows: 1) A test of two proportion comparisons revealed significant differences in the organizational structure of DSS Offices and the variation in accommodation provisions. Results revealed a need for more centralized, formal DSS Offices and additional accommodation provisions. 2) Data suggested that the general distribution of types of disabilities (self-disclosed) in the population of SWD within HBCUs varied substantially. 3) A chi square test of independence was employed to evaluate the influence of accommodation provisions for SWD at public and private HBCUs. No significant difference was observed. 4) The general linear model was robust for performing the analysis of variance (ANOVA) of unweighted means. The ANOVA for differences within the types of institutions and organization structures of DSS Offices on eligible SWD revealed a significant main effect of the DSS structure, but no statistically significant main effect for institution type. Findings of this study described and validated the efficacy of establishing DSS programs where absent or underdeveloped. Theoretical applications a (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2005, Physical Activity and Educational Services

Outcomes for secondary students whose writing skills are less than proficient are discouraging. Students with mild disabilities especially face significant challenges in their writing education, yet few interventions have been implemented (Englert, Raphael, Anderson, Anthony, & Stevens, 1991). Typically, these students write far less than their non-disabled counterparts and are less able to produce coherent, quality writing (Vallecross & Garriss, 1990). Writing output is often so sparse that it is difficult for teachers to identify deficits for remediation. Consequences for adults with poor writing skills include underemployment (College Board, 2004), restricted access to higher education, and extra time and expense in postsecondary education (Livingston & Wirt, 2004). Research indicates that with strategic support, students with disabilities can increase both the quantity and quality of their writing. Various supports have been explored in the research, including self-regulation (De La Paz, 1999), goal-setting (Page-Voth & Graham, 1999), and revision strategies (Wong, Butler, Ficzere, & Kuperis, 1996, 1997). Strategies are most likely to be used if they can be easily implemented by the teacher to more than one student at a time. This study proposed the use of an extended prompt containing supports for writing a 5-paragraph essay as a way to increase the length and quality of student writing. Eight African American high school students participated. Each week during the 12-week study, students completed a first draft essay. During the baseline condition, students wrote in response to a typical 1-page prompt that provided a topic, background, and brainstorming information. During the intervention condition, students wrote with an extended prompt, a 7-page packet containing the typical prompt, prewriting support, and guidance for writing an introduction, conclusion, and three body paragraphs. Students wrote a final essay using only the typical prompt. The results demo (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1928, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1972, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2007, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

Doctor of Education , University of Dayton, 2023, Educational Administration

This qualitative study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of college students with mental health disabilities when requesting and using accommodations. Using a phenomenological approach aided in understanding the meaning of the lived experiences by considering their feelings and emotions. Findings showed that there are barriers preventing students from enrolling with the office of disabilities, during the enrollment process, and when using accommodations. An action plan was created to focus on professional development, increasing resources, and creating partnerships that will lead to more students being served. The plan included an assessment of knowledge and gaps in training to develop a curriculum to generate new practices and to create partnerships among professionals to better serve students.

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1955, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies

Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 1955, Human Movement, Sport and Leisure Studies

Master of Arts, Wittenberg University, 2022, Education

The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent students with disabilities experience a sense of belonging in their high school. The study was conducted with five students with disabilities in the ninth grade whose least restrictive environment is the inclusion classroom. Students were given the Psychological Sense of School Membership Likert scale and asked to rate how true they found each of the 18 different statements. Two students were interviewed about their school experiences to take a deeper look at the factors that may impact a students' sense of belonging. Common themes in both the Likert scale responses and interview responses were compiled and used to draw conclusions regarding the sense of belonging experienced by the students who participated in the study

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), University of Dayton, 2021, Educational Leadership

In the United States, individuals with disabilities experience much higher rates of unemployment compared to non-disabled individuals. When an individual with a disability is unemployed, they are unlikely to achieve independence, which can lead to a lower quality of life. The Ohio Youth Leadership Forum (OYLF) is a program that was created to increase post-high school success for individuals with disabilities by increasing the skills associated with self-determination and acceptance of disability. The primary purpose of this quasi-experimental design study that used primary quantitative data sources was to examine the relationship that the OYLF had on participants' learning regarding acceptance of disability and self-determination skills. This study used convenience sampling due to the application and selection process that occurs for students that want to participate in the OYLF experience. In addition, OYLF participants comprised the control group, and the comparison group consisted of students from high schools in a Midwestern suburban/urban school district. The types of data analyses that occurred in this study were descriptive statistics, factor analysis, two-way ANOVA, and an independent samples t-test. Analyses of the hypotheses regarding learning concerning self-determination and acceptance of disability at the OYLF occurred using repeated measures ANOVA. Results indicated significant difference between OYLF participants' pre-test and post-tests for self-determination and acceptance of disability. Furthermore, independent t-tests occurred to examine OYLF participants' post-test compared to the comparison group to show significant difference for acceptance of disability and self-determination skills. Finally, a large effect size was found for independent t-test for acceptance of disability and self-determination. These results are important because when individuals with disabilities have higher self-determination and acceptance of disability skills they i (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Theatre

The relatively short but richly dynamic history of Yiddish-language dramatic literature is intrinsically tied to efforts by European Jewish intellectuals and artists to explore Jewish identity and its changes under the influence of modernization. As Tsarist pogroms under Nicholas II and other political and economic pressures led to massive waves of Jewish immigration to the United States, these modernizing forces became increasingly strong as Ashkenazi Jews created a new life in New York. Throughout these changes, Yiddish-language playwrights and theatre artists repeatedly turned to physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities as metaphors for the social and legal disabilities faced by Jews in both the “old” and “new” worlds. From portraying anti-modernization Hasidic Jews as “diseased” by their superstitions in both mind and body to tragic rabbinical figures destroyed by their disabilities to Jewish heroes rising above the external pressures of their obstacles, playwrights used the challenges and social “Othering” of disability to explore, encourage, and lament the swiftly changing cultural identity of the “new Jew.”

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2020, Popular Culture

Rick Riordan's middle-grade novels have been studied for the introduction of antiquities to young readers but not for the inclusion of characters with disabilities and diverse backgrounds. This project explores Riordan's use of disabilities in his Greek and Roman mythology retelling series and argues that while Riordan's use of disabilities is positive overall, his narrative still falls into the negative effects of the supercrip narrative. These series feature demigods who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia because of their status as a half-god and half-mortal children. Also, other characters in the series use disabilities to hid their mythical creature features from the mortal world around them. References to the disabilities were pulled through a targeted keyword search about the disabilities or a character. The use of the learning disabilities for the demigods create an explanation for the disabilities that cause both disabilities to become nothing more than superpower abilities that the demigods have. This thesis analyzed reference to the disabilities that were pulled through a target keyword search for the disabilities and relevant characters. Adaptational references were pulled from the adaptations of the series from the films and musical. Also, other characters in the series use disabilities to hide their mythical creature features from the mortal world around them. The performed disabilities by mythical creatures perform a reverse of the common disability trait of passing. Passing occurs when a disabled person appears not to be disabled while interacting with people, but here, the mythological creatures pass as mortal while interacting with others. As a whole, Riordan's use of disability provides positive representation of people with disabilities that can offer an introduction to the ADHD, dyslexia, and others for young readers.