Background: To combat stereotype threat, several school-based field trials have leveraged self-affirmation theory (Steele & Liu, 1983; Liu & Steele, 1986), wherein affirming one's important beliefs and values can buffer against identity threats. Self-affirmation theory posits that individuals are motivated to maintain a positive overall…

An integrated program to teach self-advocacy techniques to students with disabilities was implemented in one Louisiana School District. Students (171) with mild disabilities were exposed to explicit instruction in self-advocacy skills. Student's GPAs were compared from one semester in the 2018-2019 school year and one semester in the 2019-2020…

One factor that may contribute to the success of students with disabilities in postsecondary educational settings may be their ability to advocate for academic accommodations. By incorporating self-determination practices into the curriculum and transition process during high school, students with disabilities may acquire the self-advocacy skills…

Many educators use the "Me! Lessons" to teach high school students with disabilities self-advocacy and self-awareness knowledge and skills. We conducted a mixed-methods study to examine the usefulness of the lessons, obtain student and parent perceptions of the lessons and to examine the lessons' impact on student knowledge. This study…

Students with disabilities experience higher unemployment, attend postsecondary environments less often, and engage less in their communities after graduating from high school compared to their peers without disabilities (Newman, Wagner, Knokey, Marder, Nagle, Shaver, & Schwarting, 2011). In middle school, young adolescents with disabilities…