Introduction: Young adulthood (ages 18-25) is a high-risk period for loneliness, particularly during educational transitions. Loneliness has negative consequences for mental health, physical health, and educational achievement. Psychologists conceptualize loneliness as emerging from a discrepancy between expected and experienced social connection,…

Introduction/background: The research focuses primarily on how parents construct images of themselves and their children that diverge from the narrative of disability as a life tragedy and focus on emphasizing dignity and self-esteem. Methods: The research was qualitative. A technique of an unstructured interview conducted with parents of people…

The needs assessment explored how psychosocial adversity influenced high school graduates' college and career readiness, resilience, and social capital. It identified strengths, needs, barriers, and gaps within a K-12 school district and provided recommendations to enhance these themes. The assessment used a two-phase mixed-method design,…

Rare diseases impact small numbers of people. In the United States, a rare disease is one affecting less than 0.06% of the population. Although any given rare disease is, by definition, rare, the number of people living with a rare disease is substantial. It is estimated that 10% of people world-wide have one of the approximately 7,000 different…

Research that highlights disabled students' perspectives often describes experiences of exclusion, isolation, loneliness, and bullying, and difficulties finding friends. Within this broader social context, students' rights are placed at risk. Using examples from New Zealand research, this paper explores the social experiences of disabled students…

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the academic and social experiences of African American, first generation college students attending a selective university. Following interpretive case study methodology, the major research questions guiding this study were: How do African American, first generation college students…

Three case histories concerning difficulties in the social dimension of mainstream inclusion were reviewed retrospectively. For two of the pupils, one of whom had a disfigurement, nothing seemed to help. For the third, who also had a disfigurement, things were resolved more readily than expected. Importantly, in the successful and unsuccessful…