Students who have visual impairments (i.e., those who are blind or have low vision) have additional difficulties accessing educational materials as compared to their typically sighted peers. Teachers of students with visual impairments need to be prepared to teach their students assistive technology skills that are both general and…

This pilot study examined (a) the perceived barriers to creating high-quality social and emotional learning (SEL) IEP goals for autistic students without intellectual disabilities, and (b) the impact of using a data-driven SEL IEP goal builder--a key component of the Ivymount Social Cognition Instructional Package (IvySCIP)--on the quality of SEL…

It is not known how ninth-grade regular education teachers perceive the unique stressors and challenges for students with autism spectrum disorders transitioning from middle school to high school. In addition, it is not understood how ninth-grade regular education teachers perceive their role integrated in the overall support system from parents…

To prepare high school graduates with visual impairments for college, staff members at Perkins School for the Blind developed a nine month residential program, College Success@Perkins. This article describes components of the program design and provides data on eight students who successfully completed the program in the first cohort. It concludes…

Authors share an initial exploration of the pedagogy practiced at The Camphill School, specifically in relation to the integration of technology into its program. An approved private school situated in rural Pennsylvania, which caters to students on the autism spectrum, and others with different or additional physical and developmental…

Close to 3,000 students in Allegheny County public schools were identified as experiencing homelessness during the 2018-19 school year, or 2.0% of the total student population. Meanwhile, homelessness rates have been growing in recent years and lost income due to COVID-19 is likely to bring even more students to the point of housing and…

The COVID-19 pandemic put unprecedented pressure on Pennsylvania schools to find new ways of educating students amid a worldwide health crisis. Terms like remote learning and hybrid learning became part of everyday language as local education agencies (LEAs) across the Commonwealth implemented different approaches to safely deliver instruction and…

Both the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation and the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) clause within Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004 have impacted the educational service delivery for students with disabilities and the paraeducators that provide support services. As more schools turn to inclusionary practices, the…

The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions K-12 principals and teachers have of inclusive education in a school district in western Pennsylvania school district. The dependent variables are the teachers' and principals' perceptions of inclusion and the independent variables are years of educational experience, extent of special…

Minority students and students with disabilities are disciplined disproportionately from their peers. Discipline has led to many negative consequences in the lives of youth in the United States, including the school-to-prison pipeline. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education issued guidance encouraging school districts to develop policies that…

Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (PA PKC) is a state-funded prekindergarten program for 3- and 4-year-old children to help them gain school readiness skills. The goal of PA PKC is to help reduce educational disparities by providing high quality prekindergarten for children who lack opportunities or reside in environments that place them at risk of school…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how the principles of universal design can be implemented by faculty and course designers to help give all learners access to equivalent information. It describes how information communication technologies can create barriers to information access, particularly when course content is rich in…