Counseling, Higher Education & Special Education Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2757
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Item PARENT PERSPECTIVES ON DIAGNOSIS OF AND SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH CORTICAL VISUAL IMPAIRMENT(2019) Kempler, Sara Kathleen; Beckman, Paula J; Special Education; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Medical advances in recent years have increased survival rates of infants born prematurely and/or infants and children that present with life-threatening conditions (Good et al., 1994; Khetpal & Donahue, 2007; Murphy & Carbone, 2011). These increased survival rates are associated with an increase in the number of children who have severe and/or multiple disabilities, including those conditions that are associated with cortical visual impairment. Children with typical or nearly typical eye exams, but having observable visual impairment are those generally diagnosed with cortical visual impairment, or CVI (Jan, Groenveld, Sykanda, & Hoyt, 1987). Delayed or lack of diagnosis of CVI can lead to missed opportunities for learning, and especially missed sensitive periods during which recovery can occur faster (Hubel & Wiesel, 1970; Roman-Lantzy, 2018). Without diagnosis, children may not be eligible for funding assistance for educational materials (American Printing House for the Blind, n.d.b). The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ experiences in getting a diagnosis of CVI for their children. For example, whether there were lapses in time between suspected vision difficulties and diagnosis, and what information was provided when diagnosis was obtained. The research questions guiding this investigation included: What are parents’ experiences in seeking a diagnosis for their child’s suspected vision challenges? What needs do parents recall related to information and supports while seeking a diagnosis for their child’s suspected vision challenges? What kind of information is offered or readily available to parents upon diagnosis of CVI? The primary data source for this study was interviews with parents of children having diagnosed CVI. Secondary data sources included interviews with ophthalmologists, teachers of the visually impaired, and records review.Item Elements of Employment Related Disclosure of Disability after Brain Injury(2012) Burnhill, David Asher; Fabian, Ellen; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Few studies have examined the elements of disclosing a disability in the workplace. Those few studies had a primary focus on reasonable accommodations (RA) where the disclosure process was either secondary or tertiary to the study. Further, there have been no studies to date which have examined elements of disclosure for individuals with brain injury (BI). Disclosure of disability is a crucial first step in the request process for a reasonable accommodation in the workplace and is required by the ADA for individuals requesting job related accommodations. This study examined the (a) experiences of work-related disability disclosure for individuals with BI, (b) the injury, demographic and other factors associated with the decision to disclose a disability at work, and (c) employment-related outcomes associated with disclosure. The primary goal of the current study is to describe the population of people with brain injury who disclose their disability in the workplace and to make inferences about the contributing factors involved in the disclosure process. The study used a cross-sectional survey methods research design. The study consisted of 200 individuals recruited from an online survey hosted on the Brain Injury Association of America's website. Of these participants, 144 (74.6%) disclosed their disability on at least one job and 91 (45%) were currently working. Level of education (X2 =11.945, 3, p=.008), self-efficacy score (F=7.52; p=.007) and time between injury and current age (F=4.56; p=.034) were significantly related to disclosure. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine the combined effects of several predictor variables with disclosure. In this analysis, only time since injury and self-efficacy (SE) scores were significant, where higher SE scores increased the odds of disclosure, and time since injury decreases the odds of disclosure (the more recent the injury, the more likely the individual was to disclose).