Parents of individuals with autism face many challenges in accessing appropriate services and supports for their offspring. Parents also play vital roles in advocating for their offspring's rights and needs. Furthermore, despite advocacy programs becoming increasingly common, it remains unclear how to best foster advocacy among parents of…

I began my life as a prison theatre artist 25 years ago. Over the years, through first-hand experience with prisoners, their families, and others, I came to understand some of the more oppressive elements of the state prison system, and the relation of that system to the larger prison-industrial complex. This essay is a reflection on the key…

In 2009, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's (UWEC) women's studies program offered its first iteration of the faculty-led international immersion course Women's Lives and Experiences in Nicaragua. This program was created and initially led by Dr. Rose-Marie Avin, a faculty member in the economics department and an affiliate member of both…

Since 1999, the authors have written numerous articles and books, given hundreds of presentations, served on national eLearning groups, and created new international online programs, all while paying careful attention to the trends, issues, and best practices in the effective use of technology tools and distance learning methods. In this article,…

On 10 October 1925 a ceremony was planned for the scenic fields behind the former tribal school in Oneida, Wisconsin. The event was expected to accomplish a number of goals: it would assert political authority by a group of Oneidas, establish traditional leadership of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy locally, and affirm the Wisconsin…

Relative to other fields, social work has been slow to adopt geographic information systems (GIS) as a tool for research and practice. This paper argues that GIS can benefit social work by: (1) continuing and strengthening the social survey tradition; (2) providing a framework for understanding human behavior; (3) identifying community needs and…

Assessment is a worthwhile undertaking when meaningful data are generated, evidence-based improvement initiatives are thoroughly considered and discussed, and results are ultimately used to improve educational effectiveness. National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) results are oriented toward such practical use. Each year, more campuses use…

Dying persons are encouraged to name as durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC) someone who will thus be empowered to make end-of-life treatment decisions for them in the event that they become incapacitated. We use data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study to investigate whether and whom older adults designate as their DPAHC. DPAHC…

The Kanuhkwene Project, based on a traditional concept of community, was developed by Oneida women to address critical social issues. Kanuhkwene empowers through connection with the social world and the natural world, and is instructive for what it shows about the possibilities of mainstream social services versus traditional Native American…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of the Whole Schooling Research Project, a collaborative, qualitative study of inclusive education and its relationship with exemplary teaching and schooling practices in 16 schools in Michigan and Wisconsin from 1998 through 2002. The study focused on the application of five principles of…

Despite the many studies of student departure, colleges and universities continue to face difficulties in retaining underrepresented student populations. The authors argue that contemporary social integration and multicultural theories of student retention theory do not adequately address the academic needs of underrepresented students of color.…