The purpose of this study was (a) to explore the latent factors in the "Reasonable Accommodation Factor Survey" (RAFS) instrument and (b) to compare scores on the latent factors of the RAFS by participant's role. Eight latent factors were identified through an exploratory factor analysis with orthogonal rotation. The reliability tests…

Over the past 10 years increasing numbers of charter schools have been considered a viable option for many students seeking to obtain a quality education. Public charter schools and their administrators and teachers are obligated to follow the principles enshrined in federal mandates, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement…

Few instruments or studies have been designed to measure the degree of stigmatization experienced by college and University students with disabilities. Yet, many researchers acknowledge through qualitative studies and other forms of experiential data that postsecondary students with disabilities do in fact encounter significant stigma effects.…

An increasing number of library patrons are hard of hearing. The U.S. Bureau of Census projected that 35 million North Americans would suffer from hearing loss by the year 2005 based on the age-population projections. These individuals would have at one time been labeled as deaf due to the lack of assistive hearing technology such as hearing aids…

Five hundred graduates with learning disabilities (LD) from three universities in the United States completed a survey related to their postschool employment outcomes and experiences. The present study presents data related to their decisions regarding LD disclosure in employment settings. Although 73% of the respondents reported that the LD…

The Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act mandates that every student with an Individualized Education Program be considered for assistive technology (AT). As a result, future special educators need to have the knowledge and skills regarding AT. In this article, the authors report findings from a national study of special education teacher…

In this study, the authors developed, administered, and evaluated a measure of individual actions of college students with disabilities and their perceptions of postsecondary and social supports. An exploratory factor analysis resulted in nine reliable factors in these three areas. Follow-up regression analyses revealed that self-advocacy…

Disability laws such as the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandate equal access to academic programs, activities, and services for students with disabilities. Therefore, disability laws require that institutions of higher education offer students with learning disabilities (LD)…

The University of Tennessee Libraries' Diversity Committee administered a climate assessment survey to determine the readiness of the libraries for a comprehensive diversity initiative. This article discusses the design and methodology of the survey and analyzes the results. The survey served as a valuable starting point in charting a successful…

This statistical abstract focuses on how many Americans have a disability. It begins by defining "disability" according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Data are presented from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) that provide the number of Americans with disabilities most consistent with the ADA definition. Graphs…

Since 1996, the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), located in Southern California, has been under a federal court consent decree requiring compliance with laws pertaining to the delivery of special education services and the elimination of architectural barriers in schools. In 2003, the consent decree was modified, creating…

Discusses the requirement of the Americans with Disabilities Act for self-evaluation of public libraries and reports data on accessibility from a survey of public libraries in Illinois. Leased facilities and transition plans are considered; and a self-evaluation form is presented that covers persons consulted, accessibility, employment and…

More than 10 years have passed since the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) came into effect for employers of 15 or more employees. Americans with disabilities continue to be more unemployed and underemployed than their nondisabled peers. Small businesses, with fewer than 500 employees, continue to be the…

During the last 25 years, the number of students with disabilities seeking higher education has tripled. However, these students may not readily identify their disability to those responsible for coordinating disability services. Consequently, academic advisors may be among the first campus employees to become aware of an individual's disability.…

Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a complete accounting of every resident in the United States. While there is no Congressional mandate requiring an accurate enumeration of Americans with disabilities by the Decennial Census, communities and people with disabilities will be affected if the Decennial Census is inaccurate. Census data…