College of Education
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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations..
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Item Inclusion, Exclusion, Agency, and Advocacy: Experiences of Women with Disabilities in China(2021) Hu, Luanjiao; Lin, Jing; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Research has repeatedly shown that women with disabilities are more disadvantaged than both disabled men and non-disabled women due to the impacts of sexism and disability discrimination in different societies. In this dissertation study, I aim to add to the global body of literature and empirical research in the field of disability and gender. Currently, there is relatively little research focusing on the lives of women with disabilities in China. By examining the life courses and experiences of six Chinese women with disabilities, I explore how societies impact people’s experiences and how the disabled women negotiate their identities and deal with the multiple oppressions situated in their respective social positions. Research questions that guide this dissertation include: What is the general situation for women with disabilities in China? What are the experiences for women with disabilities in different aspects of their life, e.g., education, relationships, employment, family life, and social activism? To answer these questions, a qualitative multi-case study approach was adopted. Data collection consisted of multiple individual interviews, in order to study challenges that women with disabilities face, as well as their aspirations in their life courses. An overlapping conceptual framework combining a feminist perspective, critical disability lens, symbolic interactionism, and life course perspective was used to conduct a close examination of the issues concerning disabled women. The study traces important developments within the historical context for women with disabilities in China. The findings of the study reveal deeply embedded biases and discriminations in the social, political, economic, and educational systems of China; these biases and resultant discrimination manifest in disabled women’s everyday life experiences. The study also documents key life events and factors that empower women with disabilities to exert agencies in their educational and career courses. Findings of this study will be useful for government, disabled persons’ organizations, related civil society organizations engaged in disability and gender work, and disabled women in general.Item DETERMINING THE VARIABLES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO JOB TENURE FOR PEOPLE WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES PARTICIPATING IN AN EVIDENCED-BASED SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM(2012) Ethridge, Glacia; Fabian, Ellen S; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Despite the implementation of supported employment programs and the assistance from supported employment specialists, people with disabilities continue to have lower employment rates than their non-disabled counterparts. Persons with psychiatric disabilities continue to have lower employment rates than people with visual disabilities and people with hearing disabilities. The purposes of this secondary analysis research study were to identify factors that distinguished those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who obtained employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program from those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who did not obtain employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program and to identify the variables that contributed to job tenure of people with psychiatric disabilities participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. Participants were clients who participated in the Back to Work Program at St. Luke's House and were enrolled in the study for 27.5 months. Univariate and bivariate analyses revealed that the only factor that distinguished those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who obtained employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program from those individuals with psychiatric disabilities who did not obtain employment while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment was social security benefits. No variables were found to contribute to the job tenure for clients with psychiatric disabilities participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. Due to the low enrollment rate, additional descriptive analyses were used and found interesting patterns for employment and job tenure for clients with psychiatric disabilities participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. This study introduced the Social Cognitive Career Theory as a proposed framework to understanding employment for persons with psychiatric disabilities and their job tenures while participating in an evidenced-based supported employment program. Attachment to the labor market was used to expand how job tenure was measured. Limitations to the study, implications for Rehabilitation Counselors and Rehabilitation Counselor Educators, and future research suggestions were provided.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).Item Factors Related to Early Termination From Work for Youth With Disabilities(2012) Pebdani, Roxanna Nasseri; Fabian, Ellen S.; Lee, Courtland C.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Youth with disabilities face significant barriers in achieving positive post-high school outcomes, particularly when transitioning out of high school and entering the workforce, a problem that has been documented and studied by many researchers. The impact of previous work experience has long been viewed as related to positive outcomes when youth with disabilities transition from high school to work. However, very few studies have looked at specific factors leading to poor post-school outcomes for youth with disabilities like early termination of work. This study utilizes a national database of youth in a transition program to determine what factors influenced early termination of a job placement. Hierarchical Linear Modeling is used to explore how early termination is impacted by race, gender, socioeconomic status, previous vocational education, previous work experience, type of job, and whether or not the youth is receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or utilizing the Ticket to Work (TTW). Results from this study can help to identify which youth may be particularly at-risk to terminate early from a job placement program, giving service providers the opportunity to implement interventions that help at-risk students succeed.Item Spoken Stories: A Narrative Inquiry on the Lives and Experiences of "Outsider Teachers"(2012) Makris, Sara; Valli, Linda R; Curriculum and Instruction; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)When a teacher enters a classroom, a story begins. The plot is informed by its characters and setting--the students, faculty, and the surrounding community. If a teacher comes from outside this community--whether in terms of race, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, ability status, or culture--the plot thickens. Existing literature examines the roles that these identity characteristics play in the classroom. Literature currently addresses "outsider teachers"--those whose identity characteristics cause them to stand out among their school communities, and in some cases, within many other communities--but it does so often at the exclusion of a holistic view of the teacher. The research tends to focus on teacher experiences in terms of only a single facet of teacher identity within any given study. This study looks at the experiences of "outsider teachers" with the intention of creating a more layered narrative by encompassing the many facets of identity that interact to create the intricate experience of an individual human being. The experiences of these outsider teachers, the ways in which they characterize their identities, and in particular, the ways that they articulate their approach to pedagogy, provide valuable insight for the teaching community at large. Using narrative inquiry, this study explores the experiences of a group of six "outsider teachers," including the researcher. The images of the participants present a more complex picture than those found in studies that examine teacher identity based upon only one or two identity categories, to the exclusion of others. Informed by intersectionality theory--which emphasizes the nuanced interaction of identity categories--the study seeks to portray depth and subtlety in descriptions of participants. This effort has implications for the viability of intersectionality theory in the discipline of education. In the telling of their stories, participants described the use of proactive inclusiveness, in which they sought to create safe spaces within their classrooms for all students. This proactive inclusiveness emerged from participant experiences of their own intersecting identities. They had felt the complexity of belonging to multiple groups--some of which did not accept the existence of others. Because of this, they came to understand that a group of students might seem cohesive on the surface, but that outsiderness often dwells just below. Proactive inclusiveness, thus, represents a mindset that acknowledges the invisible barriers and struggles that exist within all groups of individuals. They leveraged insider characteristics, using common identity characteristics to gain student trust and challenge embedded stereotypes. Participants stressed the importance of accessing memory as a tool for connecting with students whose characteristics are different from their own, arguing that the existence of an adverse experience in one's life provides some ground for connection with others. In addition, participants described a commitment to giving their students access to broader points of view in an effort to combat the inherited bigotry that can feed societal inequality. Findings also include a potentially expanded definition of "outsider teacher," to describe one who employs a teaching philosophy guided by a desire to focus on inclusion of marginalized students and the development of empathy, acceptance, and open-mindedness among students.Item Asian Parents' Perceptions of Child Disability and School Contact for Services(2010) Kim, Nayoung; Gottfredson, Gary D.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This study examined Asian parents' perceptions of children's disability and factors influencing their utilization of school services. Using the parent questionnaires from a large national sample of high school sophomores (the ELS:2002 data), survey results from Asian American (n=810) and European American parents (n=7710) were analyzed to examine cultural differences between the two ethnic groups as well as between immigrant vs. non-immigrant Asians. This study also assessed the extent to which parental characteristics (Belief About Learning, Recency of Immigration, English Proficiency, Socio-Economic Status, and whether they indicate their child is disabled) predict contacting the school for services. Results indicated that Asians were less likely than Europeans to believe that their child has a disability and also were less likely to contact the school for help. Nevertheless, immigrant parents sought help when they perceived that their child had a disability. Neither immigrant parent's length of stay in the U.S. nor English proficiency predicted the school contact behaviors. Implications for introducing school-based services and outreach for Asian American parents are suggested, particularly for recent immigrants.