Researchers examined stigma attached to people with disabilities, focusing specifically on stigma regarding individuals with intellectual disabilities. The study involved focus groups with undergraduate college students in a major South Florida University, who did not self-identify as having any disabilities. We performed content analysis to…

This study examined teachers' perceptions of inclusive classrooms. The specific areas of focus were analyzed by comparing demographic characteristics of the responding teachers to survey questions from the adapted Teachers Attitude towards Inclusive Education (TAIS) in order to determine how teachers perceive inclusive classrooms, how prepared…

Students with autism spectrum disorder is a growing population in classrooms that require specialized instructional strategies to meet their challenging and unique needs with behavior, academics, and socialization. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological research study was to understand the lived experiences of general and special…

This integrative review examined correlates, mechanisms, and consequences of teacher bias experienced in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade in primary and secondary schools in the United States. Education Resource and Information Center, Sociological Abstracts, and Applied Social Science Index & Abstracts were searched to identify…

Students with mild to moderate learning disabilities across the nation continue to show significant gaps in English Language Arts (ELA) across the country (Gilmour et al., 2019; Schulte et al., 2016). Data from multiple sources confirm ongoing performance discrepancies on statewide assessments when comparing the performance of students with…

Despite the excellent work by scholars who invite us to consider disability, social justice, and business and professional communication pedagogy, little attention has been given to what a disability- and social-justice-centered business and professional communication course might look like in design and implementation. This case study offers an…

Researchers explored patterns of significance in students' reflective writings before and after interviews with individuals unlike themselves. To determine changes in cultural attitudes or beliefs, the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) program and QUAN [right arrow]qual sequential mixed methods model was used. Seven factors explained 66.49% of…

This exploratory qualitative study examines the perceptions of ten Haitian parents regarding their child with a disability, the education the child was receiving, their interaction with the school system, and how the disability has affected their relationship with their child and their involvement with the school. Data were obtained from…

Least restrictive environment (LRE) is defined as teaching children with disabilities alongside non-disabled children; these children have not been identified as students with disabilities. An inclusion setting is the integration of students with disabilities in the general education setting to provide the least restrictive environment. Inclusion…

The purpose of this study was to examine college students' perceptions of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and identify contributing factors that influence perceptions and reactions to students with ASD. Participants included 1,185 college students who responded to a survey in class or online. Trends in responses suggested that…

The benefits of family involvement in the education of children with disabilities are well documented. Few teacher education programs, however, implement specific strategies for encouraging interactions between families and those preparing to be teachers. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg and the local membership of a professional…

The goal of this mixed methods study was to explore differences among teachers (n = 52 special education teachers, n = 195 general education teachers, and n = 30 gifted education teachers) on their perceptions of students with disabilities and their willingness to refer them to a gifted and talented program. In this follow-up to an earlier work,…

For students with disabilities, the opportunity to work in a supportive environment is one that can bring them, and their employers, great rewards. This article describes a program that started more than a decade ago at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, which is giving students just that kind of opportunity through innovative…

Through current hiring practices, many school districts may be missing an untapped pool of potential employees--individuals with disabilities. In this article, the authors describe the Hiring Practice Initiative (HPI) and its implementation in 17 Florida school districts. The Hiring Practice Initiative Project goals are to: (a) increase the…

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the beliefs and skills of community early childhood lead teachers and community child care center administrators participating in Florida's Four Year Old Voluntary Pre-kindergarten (VPK) Program in five rural, north Florida counties hold regarding the inclusion of young children with disabilities…