Expansionary policies to widen participation in higher education have led to a growth in alternative entry pathways into university. This study considers the experiences and retention outcomes of those entering Australian universities through different pathways, and how these vary across diverse student groups. Data were drawn from linked student…

This study investigated how early childhood special education teacher candidates described their professional identities. Professional identity is how individuals think about and act as members of the profession, and it has the potential to impact instructional practice and decisions to stay in the field. Through a qualitative thematic analysis of…

Most U.S. students with disabilities are served in general education classrooms, and this practice has resulted in the need for collaboration between general and special educators. Yet, educators feel unprepared to engage in teacher collaboration to support their students' needs. The goal of this study was to improve P-12 teacher collaboration and…

My project addressed the broad questions of what barriers exist to accessibility for students and staff with disabilities at Arizona State University (ASU) and the reasons both historical and contemporary why those barriers exist. The second objective of my analysis was to provide potential solutions to these problems utilizing the voices and…

This dissertation examines how disabled students and faculty access and navigate higher education through a rhetorical perspective. More specifically, this dissertation focuses on the tactics these disabled rhetors use to navigate encounters with academic ableism and what they can teach faculty about creating an accessible composition classroom. I…

Quality inclusive education has been guaranteed at the international policy level, but for inclusive education to be realized, teachers must be prepared to teach students with a wide variety of support needs. With well over a billion English language learners worldwide, and considering the fact that language learning can present many unique…

Current research indicates that inclusive classrooms with students with disabilities are rising, and schools are challenged with shifting their structures and curriculums towards inclusion. This doctoral dissertation aims to understand pre-service program models and how they prepare teachers for inclusive environments, including their knowledge…

Pre-service teacher perception of inclusive education plays a critical role in the field of K-12 education, ensuring that students with disabilities receive the best possible instruction in the least restrictive environment. This qualitative case study used one-to-one interviews and focus groups to gather data from 16 pre-service teachers enrolled…

Background: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) requires consistent disease management for blood sugar regulation. A theoretical framework can assist with interpreting behavioral processes needed for disease management. However, limited qualitative studies have explored disease management practices among college students with T1D using a theoretical framework.…

The photovoice-based action research project took place in a university in Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was aimed to document opportunities and challenges that students with disabilities were faced with in attending emergency remote higher education activities, as well as in returning to face-to-face higher education once restrictions…

This article offers a comparative thematic analysis of two datasets: the online writings of Autistic self-advocates on navigating neurotypical programs (emic dataset), and discussions on autism within the most widely circulated undergraduate Adapted Physical Activity (etic dataset). Our 3 themes describe some of the most significant ways that APA…

Students with disabilities may struggle with postsecondary transition since secondary school is often a scaffolded environment with supports. The use of self-determination may help ease transition difficulties, but if choice-making and goal-setting opportunities are few, the transitional process may be more complicated. The lack of…

The goal of this study was to test whether cognitive load is associated with mindfulness and self-efficacy in students with and without learning disabilities. In this study, 60 students with learning disabilities and 60 students without learning disabilities were evaluated for cognitive load, mindfulness, and self-efficacy using three separate…

Introduction: Since the 1970s, many universities and agencies have prepared professionals in visual impairment through distance educational approaches, including concentrated off-campus courses, video and telephone connections, and synchronous or asynchronous online methods. Although online professional preparation in visual impairment has become…

The research investigates the hypothesis that teachers' attitudes toward inclusive education may be related to their value priorities. Specifically, it is hypothesized that some teachers' personal values correlate positively with their attitudes toward inclusive education. The study, conducted during a pre-service teacher training course, involved…