Youth with Usher syndrome (USH) can experience unique challenges in postsecondary preparation. Currently, there is a paucity of research addressing the postsecondary preparation experiences of youth with USH. The purpose of this study was to learn from college students with USH about their lived experiences of preparing for postsecondary…

Despite legislation being consistently passed to support post-secondary outcomes for students with disabilities, year after year since the completion of "The National Longitudinal Transition Studies," national employment statistics continually demonstrate that implementation of intentions is wanting. A large percentage --50-60%-- of…

There is a dearth of evaluation and research on academic and social integration for college students who are blind and visually impaired (BVI), not only in Saudi Arabia, but around the globe. Failure to integrate students academically and socially at the university could affect the student's self-esteem, self-determination, and sense of belonging,…

Blind/Visually Impaired (VI) youth of Bangladesh face a significant level of segregation and oppression compared to all people with disabilities living in the country. They are excluded from mainstream education and also face severe inaccessibility in terms of infrastructure and resources. This study aimed to identify the current barriers and…

This quasi-experimental study examined preservice teachers' attitudes, dispositions, and levels of self-efficacy regarding their ability to work with students who are blind or visually impaired effectively. This study assessed preservice teachers' attitudes of blindness using Bell and Silverman's (2011) Social Responsibility about Blindness Scale.…

The methodological aim of the study was to examine what motivates students with blindness or visual impairments VI to pursue a degree at the university level. The researcher looked at multiple motivating factors and focused on self-efficacy and what causes a student with a VI to complete or drop out of college. The study was conducted with…

Many academic institutions around the world are utilizing and investing in online learning management systems (LMS). While several research studies have examined the functionality of this type of technology, little attention has been paid to accessibility issues, in particular to the complex web-based interfaces for learners with disabilities,…

Quantum mechanical (QM) and molecular docking methods are used to probe systems of biological and synthetic interest. Probing interactions of nucleobases within proteins, and properly modeling said interactions toward novel nucleobase development, is extremely difficult, and of great utility in RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics. The issues in…

This dissertation bridges the fields of haptics, engineering, and education to realize some of the potential benefits haptic devices may have in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. Specifically, this dissertation demonstrates the development, implementation, and assessment of two haptic devices in engineering and math…

The current uses of audio podcasts, the accessibility of audio podcasts, and the benefits of using audio podcasts in U.S. online college courses as a form of access to visual course content that would be otherwise unavailable to learners with vision loss had not been examined and described. To provide instructional designers with a firm basis for…

The concept of liminality describes the experiences of individuals who live "between and betwixt" as a result of their indeterminate status in society. This concept seems appropriate to describe the experiences of people who live with vision loss, because we simultaneously belong to two social or cultural groups. On the one hand we must…