This dissertation explores teacher and paraeducator training with a specific focus on generalization of training outcomes and social validity. Chapter 1 presents brief background information to introduce the research questions posed in Chapters 2, 3, and 4. Chapter 2 presents a systematic literature review of educator training studies that…

Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) were created to provide students with disabilities with equitable accommodation within American Public Classrooms. Simultaneously, there was a problem that when parents' trust for the Exceptional Student Education program and the IEP team was not developed with a staffing specialist, then students with…

The regulations of the Individuals with Disabilities Act and the New York State Part 200 Procedural Safeguards mandate that parents of students with disabilities be afforded an opportunity to attend their child's Committee on Special Education (CSE) meeting to discuss needs and services. Historically, CSE meetings have been held in school…

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors which are influencing the low number of students living with autism spectrum disorders who graduate from four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities within six years of enrollment. This instrumental case study investigated the higher education experience for 13 students who…

This participatory action research (PAR) dissertation study investigates the implementation of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles by community college faculty in first-year writing courses to support students with learning disabilities at a New Jersey community college. Through a collaborative approach involving faculty as active…

Federal law mandates that students with disabilities (SWDs) receive specially designed instruction (SDI), which includes the adaptation of the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to meet SWDs' unique needs, to ensure access to the general education curriculum (Rodgers et al., 2021; Ten Napel, 2017) within the least restrictive…

The high school (HS) graduation rate of students with disabilities who have individual education programs (IEP) is historically low compared with their non-disabled peers. The problem was that a statewide initiative to improve the standard HS diploma graduation rate of students with disabilities, the April Dunn Act (the Act), was perceived as…

The literature extensively documents the detrimental effects of exclusionary discipline on student outcomes, despite its continued excessive utilization. Exclusionary discipline often results in teachers not having the necessary support and training to deal effectively with problematic behaviors, which are useful for students who need behavioral…

This qualitative descriptive study explored how middle school general education teachers describe their role, the support they received, and the ways they implemented RTI strategies to support students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom setting in the Northwestern region of Georgia. The Response to Intervention conceptual framework was…

The problem explored in the study was that elementary and middle school special education teachers in the southeastern United States were not using positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) strategies with their students with disabilities (SWDs), even though the framework had been implemented at their schools. Perceptions of elementary…

The leadership of school building principals who serve as LEA representatives in the context of individualized educational program (IEP) meetings is given the importance of these meetings which directly impact the educational programming for marginalized special education students and further safeguard district compliance with legal mandates. The…

Virtual Reality (VR) is rapidly gaining popularity as a consumer technology, yet accessibility has not been prioritized. VR enables users to interact with immersive virtual worlds, but effective interaction requires the ability to perceive and navigate the environment. Fortunately, over the past thirty years, hundreds of scene-viewing and…

This mixed method research was to develop and validate an instrument to measure paraeducator self-efficacy for paraeducators who work with students with disabilities. This research study's framework was DeVellis' (2017) scale instrument development process conducted in three phases: item development, scale development, and scale evaluation. The…

The number of students with disabilities attending postsecondary institutions of higher education continues to rise. With it, it is necessary to understand better how they experience their institution beyond curricular spaces. Presently, there exists a gap in the knowledge of how these students experience co-curricular support, including…

In this self-study, I propose a curriculum fragment methodology to work toward a greater understanding of the boundaries (Herdandez-Saca et al., 2023) between special education and disability studies that strengthens both teacher education and disability studies in education (DSE). Specifically, I engage in critical reflection on my teaching…