This study comprehensively analyzes the effectiveness of the services provided to disabled people in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) within the legislation framework and the communication barriers experienced by these individuals. The research examines how disability affects individuals' participation in social life and how TRNC…

Purpose: Approximately 10% of the U.S. adult population has a speech, language, and/or voice disability, collectively referred to as communication disabilities. An increasing number of studies demonstrate that persons with communication disabilities have worse health and health care outcomes as compared to those without communication disabilities.…

People with disabilities are more likely to be hospitalized and use health care services than people without disabilities. They also report negative experiences interacting with health care providers during these encounters, placing them at risk for preventable adverse medical events, poor quality of life, and dependence on others. Fortunately,…

Issues related to law enforcement interactions with individuals with disabilities, communication impairments, and/or limited English language proficiency can have deleterious effects due to possible communication breakdowns. These populations are significantly more likely to be victims of a crime and are more likely to have interactions with law…

Little research has been undertaken into how children with complex communication needs living in residential care are encouraged to express their views, be involved in decision-making, and importantly, make it known when they are unhappy. This group are often placed a long distance from home and can be some of the most vulnerable children in the…

Training and coaching are cited frequently to achieve different goals, by different people, across different fields. "Who" provides training and coaching and "where" and "how" they are provided may influence the effectiveness of the training and coaching efforts, making the clear identification of these contextual…

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 35 million people around the world have been displaced because of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, or tsunamis. In addition, there are a number of persons who have been displaced or who have fled their homeland due to civil conflict or war. The WHO estimates that between…

The ability to verbalize--and therefore think and learn abstractly--has conditioned people to see the world in logical patterns. People are trained to do so by the wiring of the neurologically typical (neurotypical) brain and the increasing complexity of the environment that shapes it. Public schools are also designed for students with…

One of the challenges for young children with communication disabilities and limited expressive language is learning to communicate in effective ways. Often, children communicate using idiosyncratic behavior and unconventional means. Their communication may even mirror that of very young children who are prelinguistic (e.g., reach for an item or…

To sensitize hearing people to the experience of deafness and to teach them methods of communicating with the hearing impaired, Rochester Institute of Technology and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf planned and delivered a program with the cooperation of merchants at an area shopping center. (SK)

The authors present a checklist designed to help preschool and kindergarten administrators and teachers build confidence in their ability to be inclusive and to increase their awareness of the needs of children with disabilities. Teachers can use the checklist to prepare for the inclusion of a child with a disability. "Identifying potential…

Many teachers in the Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Area School District's alternative programs use principles taught to behavioral disordered students for confronting and handling difficult situations when they must confront other adults in the school system about their concerns and problems. A positive and effective adult confrontation process is…

This report documents observations and findings from a site visit to Southern Hills Developmental Services (SHDS), an agency providing services to people with disabilities in the South Dakota community of Hot Springs. Half of the people using the services are American Indians. The report discusses the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and traditions…

The Albuquerque (New Mecixo) Public Schools established the Mental Health Project in August 1985 to provide an interdisciplinary team approach to deliver direct/indirect counseling services to selected special education students, families, and staff. Seventy-seven percent of the 88 students, ages 5-21, receiving services were either behaviorally…