Expectations of smartness are woven into the foundation of postsecondary education (e.g. admissions, grading). This content analysis examines current postsecondary dis/ability literature through the theoretical frame of DisCrit to identify how concepts of smartness are treated within the field. The findings call for greater interrogation of the…

Individuals with disabilities often face discrimination due to negative attitudes from others around them. This is true for youth with specific learning disorders (SLD), whose experiences of discrimination can increase the risk for developing mental health concerns. The current study explored whether the presence of an SLD comorbid with mental…

This research aimed to determine whether the Making Friends (MF) program is effective on social acceptance levels of typically developing children in preschool toward their peers with special needs. The research had an experimental design with a control group, pretest, posttest, and follow-up test. The study included 130 typically developing…

This study clarifies the development process of inclusive education in England (London) with Disability Equality Training (DET) for non-disabled teachers and pupils. It focuses on the practices of graduates of special schools who are members of the Integration Alliance (IA), an organization of disabled people. The shift in education policy from…

Background: The meanings of neurodevelopmental conditions are socially and culturally defined. We explored how parents of a child with Down syndrome experienced public and professional understandings of Down syndrome. Method: Qualitative interviews with 25 parents of a child with Down syndrome living in Denmark. From a reflexive thematic analysis,…

This study is a needs assessment of Extension staff in the state of Iowa to implement inclusive programming for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Electronic surveys were completed by Extension staff on their attitudes and beliefs toward people with IDD, inclusive programming, and training needs. Results showed…

The purpose of this study is to better understand the subjective viewpoints of faculty members toward students with psychological disabilities as a subset of the larger student population with unique needs due to the hidden nature of the barriers they experience. This Q methodology study explores the views of 29 faculty who have taught students…

Autistic people diagnosed in adulthood often report that the experience can be life-changing, but there are issues with the diagnostic pathway. Few studies consider the views of people "currently" seeking diagnosis or contextualise the experience of diagnosis around developing an autistic identity. In this qualitative participatory…

The "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" was adopted with the intent of bringing about a paradigm shift in the way the general population perceives disability. The paper reports the findings of a qualitative inquiry that used a phenomenological approach to discuss the social grievances of persons with disabilities from…

The current organizational autoethnographic study aims to problematize ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to the inequities students with disabilities face in education. I share how I came to see ableism as an ideology that permeates and contributes to recursive practices in special education and share experiences that…

Research has examined teacher attitudes, knowledge, and stigma towards inclusion of autistic children in mainstream schools. Less focus has been given to these beliefs among parents. This is problematic as parents are important in the implementation of inclusion and fostering a positive school environment. The current study examined differences in…

Employment contributes to well-being, yet many autistic people who want to work face barriers to meaningful employment. Much research focuses solely on employment rates, rather than taking a more holistic view of professional trajectories and occupational experiences. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 autistic adults to explore their…

Autistic adults are underemployed. This means that workplaces are not meeting expectations of support for autistic employees and are not benefitting from a diverse workforce. This brief study investigated the current understanding in UK workplaces of adjustments and confidence with regard to supporting autistic employees. An online questionnaire…

Cerebral palsy is a leading cause of physical impairment worldwide. Community support and acceptance influence the opportunities people with cerebral palsy have to participate in all areas of life, but very little is known about the general community's understanding of cerebral palsy. This study investigated knowledge and perceptions of cerebral…

Background: The term "weaponized autism" is frequently used on extremist platforms. To better understand this, we conducted a discourse analysis of posts on Gab, an alt-right social media platform. Methods: We analyzed 711 posts spanning 2018--2019 and filtered for variations on the term "weaponized autism". Results: This term…