Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Disability'

Disability Mainstreaming zielt (analog zu Gender Mainstreaming) darauf, Anliegen und Bedürfnisse der Personengruppe 'Menschen mit Behinderung' nicht allein in den für diese Gruppe offensichtlich wichtigen Bereichen anzusprechen, sondern sie in allen gesellschaftspolitischen Handlungsebenen mitzudenken und dementsprechende Forderungen umzusetzen. Dabei wird ‚Behinderung‘ vorrangig als soziale Konstruktion interpretiert, die mit der Erfahrung von Diskriminierung und Exklusion einhergeht.

Disability Mainstreaming zielt (analog zu Gender Mainstreaming) darauf, Anliegen und Bedürfnisse der Personengruppe "Menschen mit Behinderung" nicht allein in den für diese Gruppe offensichtlich wichtigen Bereichen anzusprechen, sondern sie in allen gesellschaftspolitischen Handlungsebenen mitzudenken und dementsprechende Forderungen umzusetzen. Dabei wird ‚Behinderung‘ vorrangig als soziale Konstruktion interpretiert, die mit der Erfahrung von Diskriminierung und Exklusion einhergeht.

The thesis sits between three academic fields: disability studies, development studies and East Asian studies. It is an unusual but important study of disability in a nonwestern culture. The thesis is unusual because it explores macro-level (rather than grassroots) constructions of disability, focusing on institutions and ideologies. It is important because no-one has (to my knowledge) undertaken this kind of macro-level analysis on a developing country; and also (again, to my knowledge) because the story of the macro-level construction of disability in China has not been told before. In this thesis, evidence and arguments are put forward with reference to the historical construction of disability in imperial China (Chapter Three), in late Qing and early Republican China (Chapter Four) and in state socialist China under Mao Zedong (Chapter Five). These chapters explore the place of impairment in Confucian cosmologies; the imperial construction of an administrative category of disability; the influence of western ideas and institutions on internal Chinese debates about the body and nation; and the place of disability and disabled people in state socialist China. A hypothesis of a discourse of body, nation and development is developed, and continues through the next four chapters which focus on disability in post-Mao China. Chapter Six examines the unexpected appearance of disability on the national government’s agenda in the 1980s. Chapter Seven explores disability-related policies and their underpinning values. Also in Chapter Seven, three studies are provided which incorporate field-based data to inject some balance (from the “grassroots") into what is otherwise an intentionally imbalanced thesis. Chapter Eight analyses the content and implications of disability propaganda; Chapter Nine tackles the difficult subject of disability legislation, in which equal rights and eugenics appear to go hand in hand. The result is a study of disability and development - and of discourses of disability and development - which will inform current thinking and will provide important information on disability policies, provision and propaganda in post-Mao China.

These three qualitative studies describe and analyze how and when young dyslexic people manage disability labels in talk. The theoretical framework informing this study includes post-structuralist approaches to analyzing talk about disability (Tremain, 2002, 2006; Goodley, 2011) and on-going debates about using discourses to model the relationship between impairment, disability and culture inside and outside social model of disability (Hughes & Paterson, 1997; Corker, 1998; Allan, 1999; Shakespeare, 2000; Corker & Shakespeare, 2002; Grue, 2011) and resistance against ableism generally (Gabel & Peters, 2004). The research design involved semi-structured interviews of twenty-six students with dyslexia (Seidman, 2006) who attended a specialized high school and a review of three documentary films. The three articles detail different approaches to the same phenomenon of navigating and describing dyslexia. The first article engages a primary analysis of how new discourses of the gifted dyslexic brain include persisting notions of a broken brain using Foucauldian discourse analysis (FDA) in educational documentary film. The second study reframes existing studies of conceptual metaphor among dyslexics moving discussion beyond dyslexia as a barrier to a dynamic range of metaphors including dyslexia as a journey, puzzle and even as existence. Contemporary studies of conceptual metaphor and disability continue to reveal how disabled students navigate the differences between impairment and disability. The third article relates long-standing theories of learning differences to the lack of claiming disability among dyslexic students. By exploring passing as able-bodied as a phenomenon, I theorize how schools, even specialized settings, as ableist institutions oppress, silence and foreclose the possibilities of group identity. This research contributes to discursive approaches to understanding dyslexia as disability and connects disabled identities in talk to work with dyslexic students in schools. Suggestions for future research include understanding neurodiversity movements in relationship to learning disabilities, continuing to examine conceptual metaphor use among dyslexics to build out a typology and the political and economic roots of the discourses of learning differently.
Human Development and Education

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Comparative Media Studies, 2006.
Includes bibliographical references.
This work examines how images of disability are used to frame cultural narratives regarding technology. As advances in biotechnology ensure that more people will be living with technological prosthetics against and beneath their skin, there is an increasing importance in examining how such bodies challenge traditional cultural attitudes regarding identity and non-normative bodies. This work uses a cultural studies approach to explore the intersections between disability and technology. Additionally, memoir is often included to illustrate some of the complexities regarding how experiences with disability and technological prosthetics can influence aspects of identity. Like disability, technology is often framed in gothic terms of lack or excess, and thus a discussion of the "techno-gothic" also features in this work. Furthermore, such a discussion is also relevant to seemingly unrelated modes of characterizing the other, such as the archetype of the cyborg, the queer body, or the formation of non-traditional social groups, even to images of the city as urban ruin.
(cont.) This work demonstrates that, while images of disability rarely inform us about the everyday experience of disability, they can inform us about how technology frames non-normative bodies as either "less than" or "more than" human, and how the tropes and language associated with disability is often used to characterize technology itself.
by Alicia "Kestrell" Verlager.
S.M.

Thesis (PhD (Educational Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the intersection of disability and gender: being intellectually disabled and being a young woman. It specifically, explores the lives of intellectually disabled young women and sexuality. This study attempts to explore the contributions that intellectually disabled young women can make to the understanding of the sexuality needs and concerns of young women with intellectual disability. It is an attempt to make public their needs and concerns regarding sexuality issues as they have been recognised to be the ultimate lost voices in disability research, and have historically been excluded in the production of sexuality knowledge. A mixed method approach is used, where the data for the research was produced during interviews with 21 participants between the ages of 18 and 23. A focus group discussion was also held. All the women were either current learners or past learners at a school for “mentally handicapped learners”. Ten mothers were interviewed with regard to their views on sexuality and their intellectually disabled daughters. A questionnaire was given to 12 teachers to complete as well. Involving mothers and teachers is an attempt to establish the dominant views of the significant persons and professionals in the lives of these young women, including those who are directly and indirectly responsible for their sexuality education. In interviews and the focus group, study participants discussed the various social messages they receive, as intellectually disabled persons, with regard to domains of sexuality: friendship, dating, and marriage. The participants gave insight into the levels of their knowledge with regards to sex and sexuality education, menstruation, contraception, pregnancy and childbirth, and sexually transmitted infections. The young women shared their predominantly negative experiences of being stereotyped, with some participants expressing their resentment. Their low levels of social, biological, and physiological sexuality knowledge make appropriate sexuality education a priority. The study concludes with recommendations regarding the type of sexuality education the young women propose and suggested responses for special schools.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie focus op die kruispad van gestremdheid en geslag: om intellektueel gestremd en om ‘n jong vrou te wees. Dit ondersoek spesifiek die lewens van intellektuele gestremde jong vroue en seksualitiet. Hierdie studie poog om die bydraes te verken wat intellektueel gestremde jong vrouens kan maak om die seksualiteitsbehoeftes en bekommernisse van jong vrouens met intellektuele gestremdheid te verstaan. Dit is ‘n poging om hulle behoeftes en bekommernisse oor seksualitiet hoorbaar te maak omdat dit as die opperste verlore stem in navorsing oor gestremdheid uitgewys is, en hulle histrories van die generering van kennis oor seksualitiet uitgesluit is. Die benadering is ‘n gemengde metode waartydens data vir die navorsing gedurende onderhoude met 21 deelnemers tussen die ouderdomme van 18 en 23 jaar gegenereer is. ‘n Fokusgreopbespreking is ook gehou. Al die vroue is òf huidige òf vorige leerders van ‘n skool vir “versatndelike gestremde leerders”. Onderhode is met tien moeders gevoer ten opsigste van hulle beskouings oor seksualitiet en hulle verstandelik gestremde dogters. ‘n Vraelys is ook vir 12 onderwysers gegee om te voltooi. Die moeders en onderwysers is betrek in ‘n poging om die heersende beskouings van die betekenisvolle persone en professionele mense in die lewens van hierdie jong vrouens te bepaal, insluitend diegene vat direk en indirek vir hulle seksualiteitsopvoeding verantwoordelik is. Tydens die onderhoude en fokusgroepbespreking het die deelnemers aan die studie die onderskeie social boodskappe wat hulle as verstandelik gestremde persone kry, bespreek met verwysing na die domeine van seksualitiet: vriendskap, uitgaan en die huwelik. Die deelnemers het lig gewerp op hulle vlakke van kennis oor seks en seksualiteitsonderrig, mesntuasie, voorbehoeding, swangerskap en kindergeboorte, en seksueel oordraagbare infeksies. Die jong vroue het hul oorwegend negatiewe ervarings van stereotipering gedeel, en sommige deelnemers het hulle afkeer uitgespreek. Hulle lae vlakke van sosiale, biologiese en fisiologiese kennis van seksualiteit maak toepaslike seksualiteitsvoorligting ‘n prioriteit. Die studie sluit af met aanbevelings oor die tipe seksualiteitsopvoeding wat die jong vroue voorstel en stel wyses voor waarop spesiale skole kan reageer.

The ADA definition of disability reflects an historical shift from defining disability within the individual (the medical model) to constructing disability within the social environment (the socio-political or interactional model). Further, this shift reveals a movement away from paternalistic to empowering rehabilitation policies and service delivery systems. Similarly, academic programs in Rehabilitation are updating their undergraduate curriculum in ways that reflect changes that have taken place in public policy and service delivery related to disability, knowledge emerging from the field of disability studies, and a changing student demographic. Disability related rehabilitation research has not yet fully reflected this shift, and this has resulted in data and knowledge that are of limited utility. It has been well researched that negative attitudes toward individuals with disabilities held by rehabilitation professionals will limit the scope of services generated and provided by professionals and, ultimately, have a detrimental effect on a successful rehabilitation process. Knowledge about the ways that undergraduate students conceptualize disability may illuminate the content and origin of positive and negative attitudes and beliefs.The present study was a phenomenological examination of the framework students employed in conceptualizing, understanding and making meaning of the concept of disability. The study utilized in-depth interviews and students' course assignments in order to answer the question, "How do undergraduate students in disability related majors construct disability?" Data revealed six common themes which were: participants had difficulty defining the category of disability; disability was understood as an individual problem, requiring special accommodations, assistance and services; there was an altruistic desire among participants to challenge stereotypes surrounding disability, alongside limited self-awareness of the application of stereotypes in their own construction of disability; the meaning of disability was a reflection of participants' own identities; Concepts of opportunity, restraint, power and privilege had limited relationship with disability; and, motivation for professional practice was related to a desire to help those who need assistance. Suggestions were made relating to the undergraduate curriculum and future research.

From a sociological perspective and using a narrative methodology applied to interviews with physically disabled subjects, this research presents a discursive and biographical inquiry of disability, pointing out – in particular – gender perspectives and social construction of sexual actions. Thus, not only narratives of actual disabled subjects will be analyzed, but also body projects, identities and sexual embodiments of those able subjects who engage in disability on different levels: identification, sexual desire, body project, sexual embodiment. Sexuality and gender identity are considered crucial to this analysis as they are conceived as social activities in which the body is the main agent and due to their constitutive role in subjectivation processes.

This qualitative study examined the participatory experiences of people with an intellectual disability as members of government disability advisory bodies in Australia. These forums are one of the strategies adopted by governments to enable people with an intellectual disability to participate in the formulation of social policy. Such opportunities have arisen from progressive policy that frames people with an intellectual disability as full citizens with equal rights to inclusion and participation in society. Little research has considered how people with an intellectual disability experience the participatory opportunities that have grown from this recognition of their rights. This reflects the more traditional focus on their status and participation as consumers and service users. The central question of this study is how people with an intellectual disability experience participation in government advisory bodies, and how such forums can be inclusive and meaningful. This study positions people with an intellectual disability as the experts about their own experiences by relying primarily on their first person accounts of their experiences. Ethnographic and case study methods were employed including in-depth interviews with the central participants, document analysis, observation of the work of the advisory bodies and interviews with others involved in advisory bodies. Analysis led to the development of a typology of participation that describes the political and personal orientations people have to participation. The study found that structures and the processes used by advisory bodies can mediate people�s experiences; however more significantly, the experiences of people with intellectual disability are shaped by their perception of how they are regarded by others. Central to this is the efficacy of support based on the development of collegiate relationships, similar to the notion of civic friendship described by Reinders (2002), rather than support that is solely focussed on tangible accommodations The study concludes that citizen participation bodies have not fully recognised the personal and political potential of members with an intellectual disability. It presents evidence that people with an intellectual disability are capable of this form of participation, can provide legitimate and informed perspectives on policy and can engage meaningfully, given full recognition of their capacity to participate as well as structures and processes that enable this.

This thesis is concerned with the relationship between the political economy and UK governments’ approaches since the 1970s to out-of-work disability benefits. It uses a historical materialist analysis of both the current mode of production and the social model of disability to understand how and why there is a disconnect between government approaches to disability and disabled people’s lived experiences. The concept of a ‘validating device’ – the mechanism used to determine who is exempt, on the grounds of disability, from having to seek employment - is utilised to analyse changes in out-of-work disability benefits and the accompanying assessments. The thesis pulls together four different areas of study which are key to understanding why the disconnect has occurred. The first area of research and analysis relates to the position and importance of the administrative category of disability to the functioning of capitalism, arguing that it is impossible to fully understand the current position of disabled people who are unable to engage in waged labour without considering their role and position in the capitalist mode of production. The second area is strongly linked to the first and concerns the history and current situation of out-of-work disability benefits in the UK, making links with what is known about changes in the labour market. The third area uses documentary analysis to chart the development of the conceptual framework underpinning the current validating device, the Work Capability Assessment, showing how a system was created which treats disabled people’s experiences as contentious. The fourth area directly relates to disabled people’s experiences of the assessment process. Data from focus groups, interviews and online surveys explores both how people experience the assessment and the nature of the relationship that is created by the validating device. The thesis concludes that changes in the determination of who is eligible for out-of-work benefits have been driven primarily by developments in the political economy rather than by individual capacity or need; and that it is there is a consequent disconnect between current policy approaches to disability and disabled people’s lived experiences. It argues that neither previous developments nor the current situation can be understood without a wider analysis which places disabled people’s experiences in the context of past and current developments of the capitalist mode of production.

This portfolio examines, contextualises and evaluates the contribution of six selected publications focussed on the social model of disability and discrimination within adult nursing in the UK. The publications all appear in peer reviewed journals and trace a developing understanding of the concept "disability‟, recognition of the impact of discrimination and the role that nurses play in sustaining this situation. It develops the idea that a shift towards the social model of disability will be instrumental in challenging disability related discrimination. Implications for adult nursing are examined including the potential of social advocacy and the need for a closer relationship between nursing studies and disability studies. The contribution to the knowledge base is unique in the context of adult nursing suggesting that embracing the social model may facilitate a legitimate contribution to the aims of the disability movement. A framework is developed for the evaluation of the contribution of the submitted papers using the concepts; Model of disability, Interests being served, Non-exploitative approaches and Challenging disablism by extensive dissemination [MINC]. The portfolio draws on many more than the six submitted papers in demonstrating an extensive dissemination strategy. The complexity of the concept of disability and the role of nurses in disability research is explored and critiqued. Contemporary critical theory is drawn on as an epistemological base combining critical analysis and reflexivity with empirical procedures. It concludes with tangible links into future developments of this body of work in championing the need for challenging discrimination and the potential use of the social model as a valuable tool in moving towards this goal.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- La Trobe University, 2008.
Research. "A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy [to the] School of Social Work and Social Policy, Faculty of Health Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora". Includes bibliographical references (leaves 302-318)

The assessment of people with disabilities is complex. The priorities adopted and issues addressed vary. The Multiple Sclerosis Disability Profile was developed and is currently used to assess people with MS in Australia. However, little is known about its psychometric properties and people with MS have not had a previous opportunity to comment on its relevance to them. Therefore the reliability and validity of the Disability Profile was assessed using widely used assessment methods and the views of people with MS. Standard methods for assessing the characteristics of assessment scales were used and one hundred and three people with MS were asked to nominate important issues that need discussing when assessing the person with MS. Support people and health professionals provided additional views. The research was conducted from a theoretical perspective that considers the relationship between disability and citizenship. The internal consistency of the Disability Profile was found to be excellent (Cronbach's Alpha= 0.9656). Furthermore it was found that the inter-rater reliability of the Multiple Sclerosis Disability Profile can be improved with clearer operational definitions, increased training for health professionals in the use of the instrument and reduced number of responses per item. Moreover the assessment of disability needs to be improved to achieve more sensitivity and to incorporate the handicap score devised in the course of this study. These amendments will enable improved discrimination when assessing handicap. However further research is required to assess the reliability and validity of the amended instrument. As the Disability Profile is a starting point for assessment, therapy and support for the person with MS, the revisions proposed here offer health professionals a holistic assessment instrument with acceptable reliability and viability.

This research considers the hypothesis that eugenic ideology still influences social work practice in contemporary Britain. Exploring the issues through a feminist perspective by utilizing a narrative approach with individuals with learning disabilities. For many people with learning disabilities access to 'Human Rights' is rather elusive and this work seeks to examine this through the lens of eugenic ideology and a Bourdieusian approach to social work. The purpose being to ascertain if eugenic ideology is still present, if only through the Bourdieusian concept of "doxa", if so how does this affect the life choices and human rights of the people in the research. Based on the 'lived experiences' of a number of individuals with learning disabilities, all of whom were members of a self-advocacy group in England. All participants had previously been involved as service users in the selection of Social Work students for a London university and were contributors to the programme in this capacity over a period of several years. Involvement of participants in the research with the self-advocacy group was by open invitation to the group members, and individual 'life stories ' were documented through recorded interviews by the researcher over a period of several months. Utilizing a narrative approach to the life stories from a feminist perspective the experiences were examined against the historical backdrop of eugenics, articles of the Human Rights Act and Bourdieu's theory of practice. The findings show oppression, inequality and a lack of 'Human Rights' experienced by the participants, this against a policy background of 'Valuing People' and 'Personalisation' which both set out to promote strategies of social inclusion and real opportunities for people with learning disabilities. The 'caring ' professions including social work are implicated in the continuing and ongoing oppression and symbolic violence of people with learning disabilities. Whilst the terminology of 'eugenics' is no longer an acceptable topic of conversation, the impact of the ideology continues to permeate the ‘collective unconsciousness' (doxa) of many including those who are involved in the decision making processes of individuals identified as learning disabled. The implications for practice is that awareness of the pernicious effects of the eugenic movement need to be taught as part of the history of social work and included in the curriculum, if we are to avoid repeating the horrors of the history of the eugenic movement. By utilizing Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, capital and field, together with doxa and hysteresis it is possible to arrive at a new model of Social Work practice to address discrimination and to promote anti oppressive practice. The "Hysteresis Wheel', is a model developed as a result of this research.

All persons are subjects of law, but not everyone has the “capacity” to fully exercise them. On this basis, people with disabilities have seen their opportunities for development as human beings limited.Why it that people with disabilities have been historically marginalized by the Law? In this article, the author presents a detailed analysis on the subject, including the legal paradigm change that was the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Todas las personas somos sujetos de Derecho, perono todos tenemos la “capacidad” para poder ejercerlos plenamente. Bajo este argumento, las personas con discapacidad han visto limitadas sus posibilidades de desarrollarse como seres humanos.¿Por qué las personas con discapacidad han sido históricamente marginadas por el Derecho? En el presente artículo, la autora nos presenta un detallado análisis sobre la materia, incluyendo el cambio de paradigma jurídico que supuso la adopción de la Convención sobre los Derechos de la Personacon Discapacidad.

The aim of this thesis is to outline the story of intellectual disability from a medical perspective as experienced by the author during more than 40 years working in the NSW Health system. Most of the writing over the last 30 years is from a sociological perspective after the idea of normalization changed the philosophy of care, and medical perspectives have been largely absent. The first chapter provides an introduction and historical background to the concept of intellectual disability. The story over the centuries is one of parallels and conflicts in the medical and sociological discourses. The second chapter examines the representation of intellectual disability both in the symbolic sense in art, literature and film, and the political sense as advocacy and human rights and the effect of the social rights discourse on processes of inclusion and exclusion. The third chapter is an account of the history of intellectual disability in NSW, Australia since colonization, and the impact of the social rights movement on changes of policy and provision of services. The conclusion looks at the future and the structure of the Ideal Society. The thread, which runs throughout these aspects of intellectual disability and unites the themes, is that of changing discourses. New discourses emerge as others are silenced and the same discourse can also have different meanings at different times in history. The ideas were presented as papers at international meetings of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disability (IASSID): Foucault’s Power Knowledge Model applied to Genetic Screening. (Helsinki 1996); Intellectual Disability in Literature and Film. (Seattle 2000); Prejudice and Identity in Intellectual Disability. (Montpellier 2004);Intellectual Disability in Literature and Film was presented at Health Illness and Representation, The Association for Medical Humanities UK meeting (London 2006).

Intellectual disability, and in particular profound intellectual disability, has an impact on all aspects of a quality of life including that of spiritual development. Some insight into this influence can be gained from a historical review of the attitudes in general towards people with an intellectual disability. Such a review may be especially pertinent when inferences can be drawn from a religious context. References from the Bible through to contemporary sources present, at best, a mixed record. Contemporary responses from the church have taken the form of policies and guidelines, as well as theological argument, encouraging the inclusion of people with intellectual disability in many aspects of church life. Such policies support programs both within and outside the church. In spite of such initiatives there remains a sense of unease regarding the spiritual status of persons with a disability and, in particular, those with an intellectual disability. A field research study addressed the specific issue of the portrayal of disability in the Bible. Given that for many, the Bible is a significant reference source, and for some, literally conveying the word of God, it is a matter for some concern that a majority of Biblical references to disability were perceived as being unfavourable. Calls for a theology of disability are countered by a preference to find a place for disability in an inclusive theology. An acceptance of disability as an integral part of the human state has been supported by reflections on image Dei leading to the concept of a Disabled God. A long-standing scholastic tradition in the church has begun to respond to the influence which may be exerted by non-verbal, nonrational symbolism. That such means of communication may have an influence on the spiritual lives of people with an intellectual disability, is no more evident than in participation in the sacraments, more particularly in the Eucharist. A field research project focussed on possible modifications to the Eucharist such that participation by persons with an intellectual disability may be enhanced. Through omission of content, together with substantial editing and rewarding, a service order was developed with the text supported by auditory, sensory and symbolic input. For persons with a profound intellectual disability, their presence and participation in the Eucharist epitomizes the hope of their spiritual journey.

This thesis identified the factors that influence the participation of Aboriginal people in the New South Wales Government Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) funded disability services, as described from the experiences of non-government disability service providers and paid disability service workers in New South Wales, Australia. Although it is known that the rates of morbidity are much higher among Aboriginal people compared with the non-Aboriginal population, the participation rates of Aboriginal people in disability services are under-representative. Various authors have examined these phenomena from the view point of Aboriginal people who may be interested in using disability services. However, there is limited understanding on the views of non-government and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal workers of disability services about the factors that influence the participation of Aboriginal people in disability services. This study aimed to help fill this knowledge gap by achieving the following three research objectives: 1. Identify how and when the participation of Aboriginal people in disability services was identified in documented policy. 2. Identify and describe the factors that influence the participation of Aboriginal people in disability services as perceived by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal employees in two NSW Government Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care funded disability services. 3. Develop an Explanatory Framework that adequately encapsulates and represents the factors identified in this study as influencing the participation of Aboriginal people in disability services. One Aboriginal community controlled organisation and a generic disability organisation were the sites for investigation. Objective one was achieved through a critical historical analysis of policy documents developed by the governments, one Aboriginal community controlled organisation and one generic disability organisation. A rigorous electronic and manual search of publications spanning three decades from 1981 was undertaken. This analysis demonstrated that the disability services sector’s strategies to accommodate the needs of Aboriginal people with a disability have made a limited impact on the service participation rates and have been hampered by Eurocentric models of disability and research. A conceptual framework is proposed to assist disability researchers and policy analysts working with Aboriginal people with a disability. The conceptual framework brings together the strengths of both the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and the Indigenous Standpoint Theory. The second objective was achieved via a situational analysis of transcripts of interviews, focus groups and field notes that were conducted with Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal paid employees of the same government funded organisations. Twelve factors that influenced the participation of Aboriginal people in disability services were identified from the data. Consistent with objective three, an Explanatory Framework was developed which illustrated the relationships between these factors. This framework demonstrated that the factors that influence the participation of Aboriginal people in disability services are inter-dependent historically, culturally and institutionally. The identified factors and explanatory framework are used to guide recommendations for future research, policy development and service provision in the sector.
Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Interest group involvement in public policy making has long been a topic of interest to researchers. In Ireland, as in other developed democracies, the input of interest groups to public policy making generally and to social policy making in particular is now significant. In an Irish social policy context, an area where there is considerable interest group involvement is disability. The emergence of disability as a social and political issue in Ireland led to the Irish National Disability Strategy in 2004. Interest groups in the Irish disability sector were engaged in the development of the Strategy and their influence in shaping its outcome is the focus of this study. The study analyses the views of twenty seven participants drawn from Irish disability interest groups and disability policy makers for the purpose of answering its research question: what factors make Irish disability interest groups effective in influencing disability policy. An Effectiveness Factor Framework, comprised of nine factors asserted by a number of prior researchers as being conducive to promoting interest group effectiveness, is devised and its applicability to ascertaining the effectiveness of disability interest groups in the context of their influence on the Strategy is examined. The study finds that group leadership. the strategies and tactics deployed by the groups, the social, economic and political environment in which the groups operated, the degree of access the groups had to policy makers and the extent that the groups worked together, are the most important determinants of disability interest group effectiveness in the context of the Strategy. In addition to its specific contribution to the literature on disability interest group effectiveness, this study extends knowledge in the broader area of interest group effectiveness as well as broadening understanding of the Irish social policy making process more generally

This research contributes to the field of disability studies, and that of education, by challenging the continued practice of holding accountable persons with a neurodevelopmental disability for the behavioural manifestations of that disability. This is a tendency found inadequately explained by either established or emergent models of disability. This study also identifies that in the wider field there is limited parental narrative available to offer an embodied perspective of the implications of neurodevelopmental disability, nor the childhoods these produce. This is considered a primary barrier toward understanding the reality of challenging childhood and the scope of disability accountability in the UK. Neurodevelopmental disabilities have expanded both in range and prevalence throughout the previous four decades, they now affect 3-4% of all children. Disproportionate tendency to accord blame within this population is revealed by both the reasons cited for official school exclusions and the population most vulnerable to exclusionary sanction. Differentiation is made in this thesis between blame and accountability, as it is contended that whilst all persons with a behavioural impairment are accountable in principle for the manifestations of their disability, blame per se, refers to specific individual acts and is impacted upon by wider social indices. This thesis introduces the term ‘challenging childhoods’, and refers to childhoods which exceed the normal excesses of childhood, typically witnessed during key developmental miles stones (for example adolescence). Rather this thesis privileges childhoods which through disability, defy control, and are as a result overwhelming, both for schools and for parents. Throughout this thesis I refer to discrete diagnostic classifications as medical labels, this is a strategic term which acknowledges that disability classifications are contested as is the medical model to which they are aligned. This thesis offers an original contribution to knowledge through the development of a Culpability Model of Disability. This model highlights the vulnerability to accountability referenced above, and charts the juncture where physical and psychological disabilities digress. This is termed the twin pathways of attribution ii and charts how persons with physical disabilities are protected from discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, whilst for those with psychological disabilities, these rights are qualified in law. The primary reason identified for this digression is based upon potential or actual impact on others, and this is cited to be key to the disavowal of equality rights. Two incompatible responsibilities are identified in the school context, serving to exacerbate accountability tendencies. These are a need to maintain and improve standards, through summative output, alongside also the need to be inclusive as demanded legislatively. The Culpability Model posits it to be the resolution of these tensions which is fundamental to both accountability and to exclusionary response. This research, inspired by my own parenting experience and research output from a prior study, adopts an analytical autoethnographic approach to interrogate the nature of disability challenge and accountability in the UK school context. Three areas of challenge were highlighted through experience, firstly the medical legitimacy accorded to a disability classification, secondly, perceptions around the accuracy of diagnosis and finally accountability for the behavioural effects of a disability which are considered medically to be diagnostic criteria. Using qualitative methods, the study engaged three main groups, teachers, SENCOs and families. Methods included self-complete diamond ranking exercises and guided face to face and free narrative interviews. Further data was generated from two longitudinal volunteering placements in the special sector, alongside individual interviews with Baroness Warnock and Leslie Henderson, founder of a North East autism charity. Blame emerges as a pervasive theme and is revealed through ongoing causational discourses, framed around a nature versus nurture distinction. I concluded that psychological disabilities are stimulating of punitive responses when ‘behaviour’ is an issue, alongside an increased tendency to confer personal and familial blame. This thesis concludes that accountability and disposition to accord blame are illogical under the tenets of a medical understanding of disability, and as such are considered to be discriminatory.

This study aims to critically explore how Saudi teachers understand the phenomena of inclusion, disability and the label of intellectual disability. It also seeks to research the extent to which the two implemented models of inclusion/special education in Saudi mainstream schools respond to the academic and social requirements of disabled learners, to uncover the disabling barriers and to offer suggestions for ending or, at least minimising, inequalities and exclusion of children labelled disabled from and within Saudi mainstream schools. Drawing on theories from a range of disciplines, including educational psychology, critical disability studies and education theory, I explored these issues through conducting in-depth semi- structured interviews with 31 participant teachers on an individualised basis. My thematic analysis has generated four key findings. First, the vast majority of participant teachers have misconceptions around inclusion, disability and the label of intellectual disability. They conflate integration and inclusion, locate ‘the problem’ of disability within-child and view people labelled with intellectual disabilities as ‘unable’ thus less than human. Second, participant teachers have different views about the two models of inclusion/special education implemented in schools where they teach. They have positive viewpoints about the mainstream classrooms model but negative perspectives about the self-contained classrooms model. Third, the analysis also uncovers that mainstream schools where participant teachers teach are fettered with disabling barriers and practices and that the Saudi education system are bound up with ableism. Fourth, to eliminate or, at least reduce, inequalities and exclusion of people labelled disabled from and within Saudi mainstream schools, participant teachers suggest raising awareness, creating an inclusive space for all, reviewing, enforcing and developing inclusive policies and regulations and promoting the core values of inclusive education. I also offer further recommendations for the Saudi Ministry of Education to take into consideration in Chapter 8 (section 8.5).

Given its vast population, India has one of the highest absolute numbers of people with intellectual disability (PwIDs) in the world. Studies have placed the prevalence as high as 3.1% of children aged between 2 to 5 years and 5.2% of children aged between 6 to 9 years. India recently passed the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act), to align itself with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This thesis applied the complementary methods of the review of academic and grey literature, document analysis of the RPwD Act, and in-depth informant interviews to become the first full study on the extent to which the RPwD Act meets the needs of PwIDs. Drawing on the biopsychosocial model of disability and intersectional theory, the findings show that the RPwD Act only partially meets the needs of PwIDs. The RPwD Act does incorporate progressive elements such as affirmative action provisions in the labour market, measures to prevent unethical research on PwIDs, and steps toward inclusive education. However, the Act stipulates a disability certification process that remains mired in the medical model of disability and is mostly inaccessible in rural areas. It also continues the system of legal guardianship dating to the colonial era which deprives many PwIDs of legal capacity and leaves some of them confined to long-term institutions with highly inadequate levels of care. Other problems in the Act include inadequate provisions to provide privacy, reproductive rights and education, and protection from discrimination.

Given the critiques by many Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) scholars who argue that Disability Studies is really White Disability Studies, this dissertation explores the challenges of teaching critical Disability Studies at the undergraduate level. At the heart of the challenge of teaching Disability Studies is the conflict between disability scholars, some of whom argue against politics of desirability, pointing to the disabling/debilitating processes that make rights-based analyses inadequate. While Canadian university institutions use discourses of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and claim to follow state recommendations for accessibility and reconciliation, universities themselves still often are disabling. Indigenous and Black students, facility, and staff still experience inaccessible study and work spaces, including carceral logics that represent Indigenous and Black knowledges as inherently intellectually inferior. I argue that these logics are not separate from ableist practices that limit disabled participation in university spaces; disability must be examined through an intersectional—and explicitly race-based—lens. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this dissertation takes on the problem of teaching Disability Studies in two parts: the first part gives a more theoretical examination of the conflicts within Disability Studies, the problems of accessibility/reconciliation according to university Teaching and Learning websites, and the accessibility issue of anti-Blackness in university. The second part aims to give a more pragmatic and practical examination of the same issues, pointing to a failure-based self-reflexive classroom, and giving two mock assignments for educators and students to consider their place in ableist white supremacist institutions.

The language on university websites and the policies provided by Disability Services provide material for a rhetorical analysis addressing the marginalization of students with disabilities on college campuses. In this thesis, I discuss the degree to which university distributed texts marginalize students with disabilities. My discussion begins with commentary on Critical Disability Studies, the theoretical influence for this thesis. Following the discussion of theoretical modes in disability studies is a brief commentary on the history of disabilities in academic contexts. After historically contextualizing Disability Services on university campuses, I analyze the rhetoric of San Diego State University (SDSU) and the University of California San Diego's (UCSD) informational texts aimed at students with disabilities, including analysis of how and to what degree information is provided, but also the language of the written policy itself. Through my rhetorical analysis, it is clear that SDSU's values are effectively conveyed through language, whereas UCSD explicitly and implicitly separates the Office of Disability Services from disability advocacy. My aim in writing this thesis is to convey the importance of rhetorically sensitive and intentionally constructed language regarding disability and to situate language as a critical factor in creating an inclusive university environment.

Nel nostro Paese, la figura professionale del Disability Manager (DM) è stata introdotta per la prima volta nel 2009 con il Libro Bianco su Accessibilità e Mobilità Urbana, frutto di un lavoro congiunto tra Comune di Parma e Ministero del Lavoro, della Salute e delle Politiche Sociali (MPLS). All’interno di questo documento essa è stata identificata nel ruolo di un esperto delle politiche sulla disabilità all’interno delle Pubbliche Amministrazioni e le sono stati attributi compiti di vigilanza rispetto alle politiche realizzate dagli enti in materia di disabilità. Questa originaria collocazione è stata successivamente estesa, da alcuni recenti disposti normativi, alle aziende nelle quali il DM rappresenta un professionista competente per sostenere il processo di inserimento lavorativo delle persone con disabilità. Tra questi disposti, il Decreto Legislativo 151, ha annunciato l’approvazione di specifiche Linee guida di riforma del collocamento mirato contenenti gli elementi utili a definire il profilo professionale del DM. A distanza di sette anni queste Linee guida non sono state ancora emanate determinando il permanere di incertezze nella definizione di questa figura (MPLS, 2017). Questa situazione di incertezza, tuttavia, non ha impedito al mondo dell’associazionismo delle persone con disabilità e a quello delle aziende di guardare a questa figura. L’ISTAT in uno studio del 2019 volto a indagare le condizioni di vita delle persone con disabilità in Italia, ha rinvenuto come proprio in questi ultimi anni si siano affermate nel mondo del lavoro esperienze e pratiche di disability management volte a supportare l’inserimento lavorativo delle persone con disabilità. Questa diffusione ha determinato un crescente bisogno formativo al quale da tempo cercano di rispondere le Università italiane con l’attivazione di percorsi, anche molto differenti tra di loro, finalizzati a formare questa figura professionale (Amatori & Giorgi, 2020). Si sta quindi affermando nel nostro Paese un vero e proprio fermento promettente (Besio & Sacchi, 2020) che in mancanza però degli indispensabili riferimenti normativi che connotino questa figura sta assumendo contorni incerti, apparendo talvolta come confuso. Una situazione differente è quella che si è delineata a livello internazionale dove la figura del DM e gli elementi caratterizzanti il suo profilo professionale, inclusi quelli relativi ai percorsi formativi, sono già da tempo oggetto di ricerche e studi e sono giunti a chiare esplicitazioni e formalizzazioni (Zappella, 2014). È all’interno di questo quadro che originano i due interrogativi a partire dai quali si è sviluppato il presente lavoro di ricerca: quali sono gli elementi caratterizzanti il profilo professionale del disability manager quali sono e quali caratteristiche hanno i percorsi per la sua formazione? Dopo la disamina della normativa inerente al diritto al lavoro delle persone con disabilità, le risposte ad entrambe le domande sono state ricercate attraverso una revisione della letteratura e una analisi documentale di materiali di differente tipologia (pubblicazioni scientifiche, documenti web, bandi di proposte di formazione) prodotti sia a livello internazionale sia nazionale, finalizzate ad individuare denominazioni, definizioni, azioni professionali, ambiti lavorativi, destinatari, competenze e percorsi formativi del DM. A partire dalla riflessione sui dati trovati sono state formulate una proposta di definizione di profilo professionale e di percorso formativo, un master biennale di primo livello in Case&Disability Manager.
In Italy, the Disability Manager (DM) was introduced for the first time in 2009 with the Libro Bianco su Accessibilità e Mobilità Urbana, the result of a joint work between the Municipality of Parma and the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Policies (MPLS). In this document, the DM was identified as an expert in disability policies of the Public Administrations. This original position was then extended, by some recent laws, to companies in which the DM represents a competent professional to support the labour market inclusion of persons with disabilities. Among these provisions, Legislative Decree 151 announced the approval of specific guidelines for the reform of the placement of persons with disabilities containing the elements useful for defining the professional profile of the DM. Seven years later these Guidelines have not yet been issued, resulting in the persistence of uncertainties in the definition of this figure (MPLS, 2017). This situation of uncertainty, however, has not prevented the world of associations of persons with disabilities and that of companies from looking at this figure. ISTAT in a 2019 study aimed at investigating the living conditions of persons with disabilities in Italy, found that in recent years experiences and practices of disability management aimed at supporting job placement have become established in the labor market of persons with disabilities. This diffusion has led to a growing training need to which Italian universities have been trying to respond for some time with the activation of paths, even very different from each other, aimed at training this professional figure (Amatori & Giorgi, 2020). A promising ferment is therefore emerging in our country (Besio & Sacchi, 2020) which, however, in the absence of the indispensable regulatory references that connote this figure, is assuming uncertain outlines, sometimes appearing as confused. A different situation is the one emerging at an international level where the DM and the elements characterizing his professional profile, including those relating to training courses, have already been the subject of research and studies and have come to clear explanations and formalizations (Zappella, 2014). It is in this framework that originate the two research questions of this work: 1) what are the elements that characterize the professional profile of the disability manager; 2) what are and what characteristics do the paths for his or her training have? After the examination of the legislation concerning the right to work of persons with disabilities, the answers to both questions were sought through a literature review and a documentary analysis of materials of different types (scientific publications, web documents, calls for training proposals) products both internationally and nationally, aimed at identifying names, definitions, professional actions, work areas, recipients, skills, and training courses of the DM. Starting from the reflection on the data found, a proposal for defining a professional profile and training path was formulated, a two-year first level master in Case & Disability Manager. The first edition of the master delivered by the University of Bergamo was the subject of an evaluation research aimed at detecting the opinions of the participants regarding some elements characterizing the training planned and delivered, its strengths and criticalities and its correspondence with the profile of the proposed DM.

The goal of this research was to identify and correct flaws in the Disability Determination Services at the initial claims stage of review. The research included examining previous literature, comparing the Texas Disability Determination Services mission statement the agencies performance measures, examining the Supreme Court case Mathews v. Eldridge and applying the Mathews v. Eldridge three-part balance test to a recent rejected claim from Texas Disability Determination Services.

This thesis consists of two papers related to the stochastic modellingof disability insurance. In the first paper, we propose a stochastic semi-Markovian framework for disability modelling in a multi-period discrete-time setting. The logistic transforms of disability inception and recovery probabilities are modelled by means of stochastic risk factors and basis functions, using counting processes and generalized linear models. The model for disability inception also takes IBNR claims into consideration. We fit various versions of the models into Swedish disability claims data. In the second paper, we consider a large, homogeneous portfolio oflife or disability annuity policies. The policies are assumed to be independent conditional on an external stochastic process representing the economic environment. Using a conditional law of large numbers, we establish the connection between risk aggregation and claims reserving for large portfolios. Further, we derive a partial differential equation for moments of present values. Moreover, we show how statistical multi-factor intensity models can be approximated by one-factor models, which allows for solving the PDEs very efficiently. Finally, we givea numerical example where moments of present values of disabilityannuities are computed using finite difference methods.

QC 20131204

People with disabilities are a ‘disadvantaged’ group, not only due to their impairment, but also due to the formal and informal institutional inertia that they contend with in Western Societies. This disadvantage has been recognised and acknowledged in the social model of disability. This model understands that disability is a social construction placed on people with impairments. The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a tool which identifies inequities in policy, and is potentially a useful tool to aid the response of policy makers to the needs of people with disabilities. Arguably, the New Zealand HIA guidelines reflect the underlying principles of the social model of disability. Using a mixed methods research strategy, this thesis sets out to understand in a global context using a top-down quantitative analysis, to what extent the New Zealand HIA guidelines which acknowledge the social model of disability are translated into practice. It then subsequently investigates from a bottom-up qualitative perspective, what factors influence this relationship. It is argued in this thesis that there are barriers to translating the rhetoric about people with disabilities found in the HIA guidelines into practice. Three sets of inter-related barriers identified include attitudinal barriers to people with disabilities, generic HIA barriers, and barriers related to the feminist interpretation of the construction of disability. In this thesis, the research findings conclude that it is difficult to operationalise the disability awareness present in the HIA guidelines due to barriers which are related to the ‘othering’ of people with disabilities. This is discussed in relation to feminist analyses of the construction of people with disabilities, and it needs to be addressed by wider societal reforms. The thesis makes the recommendation that a national awareness-raising campaign about people with disabilities be undertaken in New Zealand in an attempt to rectify this situation.

In the autumn of 1997 it was announced that Radio 4's programmes were to be rescheduled and a commitment was given that disability would become a mainstream issue for the network. The new schedule and the mainstreaming initiative were implemented in April 1998. One of the immediate effects of rescheduling was the disappearance of Does He Take Sugar?, the network's weekly programme which presented in-depth treatment of general disability issues. By way of replacement, You and Yours, Radio 4's consumerist programme of longstanding, was given the remit to include regular coverage of disability issues in its content. It was intended that the outcome of these decisions would be that regular coverage of disability would emerge from a niche slot within the network and be positioned within the mainstream of the network's output. On the one hand, the implementation of the proposal to mainstream disability yielded the possibility of an increase in the coverage of disability issues on Radio 4 in an integrated way. On the other hand it could mean a loss of effective and focused treatment of disability issues and a qualitative shift in the nature of coverage. The proposal to mainstream disability issues on Radio 4 thus touched on central issues concerning the treatment of socially disadvantaged groups and the quest for equality. Its implementation took place at a time when the UK disability movement was growing in political power, and disabled people in Britain were becoming aware of the promise of potentially beneficial socio-cultural changes reflected by developments such as the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act CDDA 1995). This thesis examines three aspects of the introduction of the mainstreaming initiative and the early years of its implementation: a) it draws on interviews with key players, conversations with others involved, participant observation reports and documentary evidence to examine the rationale behind the mainstream initiative and, in the light of the decision to drop the network's programme which focussed on general disability issues (Does He Take Sugar?), it examines the decision to retain In Touch, the network's niche programme for blind or visually impaired listeners; b) it presents a quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis of the network's pre and post-mainstreaming treatment of disability issues. This includes analysis of ten editions of Does He Take Sugar? the disability issues covered in You and Yours during the months of September 1998, 1999, 2000 and analysis of the series No Triumph, No Tragedy. presented by a former member of the Does He Take Sugar? team in the summer of 2000.

This thesis is an evaluation of the badness of disability and equality. It argues that disability poses a problem for equality and that, given the new advances in reproductive and gene technologies, egalitarians should strive to give an answer to how we should best reduce the inequality between disabled and non-disabled individuals of future generations. To support the claim that disabilities pose a problem for equality, I argue against the recently proposed Mere Difference View of disability. Firstly, the view is not successful in responding to why, if disabilities are neutral, inflicting disability is still impermissible. Secondly, some intellectual disabilities, for example, do not bring about positive features capable of compensating for the negative features that they also bring about. If some disabilities are bad states of being, some disabled individuals will be worse off than non-disabled individuals other things being equal. Given that disabled individuals are subject to inequality due to their disability, I analyse how able traditional compensatory accounts of egalitarian justice are when it comes to improving this inequality. I conclude that given the existence of intellectual disabilities, traditional compensatory accounts are not fully satisfactory and that egalitarians should look at whether other means, like enhancements and preventive techniques, would do this job better. Paradoxically, techniques that lead to the reduction in the incidence of disabilities make things worse with respect to one new aspect of inequality, namely the concentration of inequality. In scenarios of disability reduction, where there are only a few remaining disabled individuals and a great number of non-disabled individuals, disabled individuals would be worse off than a great number of non-disabled individuals. This situation can potentially also have a negative impact in the wellbeing of the few remaining disabled individuals if the fact that disabled individuals become a very small minority puts less pressure in society to accommodate them. I conclude that reducing the incidence of disabilities can make things worse for inequality in at least one respect. This conclusion has crucial consequences for policy making. I recognise that the question remains about how this aspect should be weighed against the fact that scenarios of disability reduction promote utility - they contain more individuals with higher wellbeing - and against the fact that, under views that ascribe positive value to relations of equality, scenarios of disability reduction would also be, in one way, promoters of equality.

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory arthritis affecting a fifth of patients with skin psoriasis. Inflammation of the joints and tendons causes pain, stiffness, reduced function and disability. Work disability is increasingly recognised as an important, patient centred, functional measure of disease yet little is known about work disability in psoriatic arthritis. The overall aim of my thesis is to examine patient reported work disability in psoriatic arthritis by undertaking the following; • A systematic review of the relevant literature • Classification of a cohort of patients to study • Validation of a commonly used work outcome measure used in other rheumatic diseases • Selection of a suitable measure of structural damage to inflamed joints for investigating the associations of work disability in longitudinal observational studies. The results of the systematic review identified limited data reporting high levels of work disability associated with a wide variety of disease and non-disease related factors. The review also identified the lack of a validated outcome measure for use in psoriatic arthritis. I report the classification of a large single centre longitudinal cohort of patients with psoriatic arthritis and evidence supporting the retrospective application of a psoriatic arthritis classification criterion. Subsequently I report a preliminary validation study of the work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire to measure work disability in psoriatic arthritis and a further study comparing the existing measures of structural damage in psoriatic arthritis. Finally I developed and supervised a multicentre observational study to examine the associations of work disability in psoriatic arthritis. The study identified reduced work effectiveness to be associated with measures of disease activity, whereas unemployment was associated with recent disease onset, greater age and worse physical function. The study will provide a valuable cohort for prospective study of work disability and the effect of medical treatment and will form part of my planned post-doctoral studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references.
This dissertation consists of three essays which examine the impact of public policy on labor market outcomes of those with disabilities. The first essay analyzes a microlending program for people with disabilities in India. People with disabilities are disproportionately represented among the poorest of the poor in developing countries. An increasingly common method of combating poverty in developing countries, providing microlending through self help groups, has been largely unavailable to the disabled. This essay reports on one of the first programs in India to provide people with disabilities access to self help groups and microlending. Between 2002 and 2004, the Indira Kranthi Patham program began over 23,000 self help groups for people with disabilities in rural Andhra Pradesh. I evaluate the effect of this program on borrowing, education, labor market, and asset ownership outcomes by comparing people with disabilities to their non-disabled siblings in treatment and control villages. The estimates suggest that the program led to increased borrowing, education, and asset ownership, while having negative to zero impact on labor market participation among the disabled. The second essay evaluates the labor market effects of the American with Disabilities Act. In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) to improve the labor market opportunities of the disabled. Immediately following the enactment of the ADA, the employment rate of people with disabilities declined. However, the longer term labor market consequences of the ADA have not been studied. Interest in the longer term post-ADA employment trends of people with disabilities derives from the weakening of the ADA's employment provisions by the Supreme Court. The weakening of these provisions has decreased the cost to employers of hiring disabled workers. This essay uses variation in state disability laws and data from twenty years of the March Current Population Survey to determine the short and longer term impact of the ADA on labor market outcomes of people with disabilities. The estimates suggest that the ADA led to a short-term decline in weeks worked and labor force participation of those with disabilities while having an insignificant impact on these outcomes in the medium and longer run. The final essay explores the wage implications of the American with Disabilities Act for those with disabilities. Those with disabilities have persistently lower wages than the non-disabled. To improve labor market outcomes of the disabled, Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Immediately following the enactment of the ADA, the wages of people with disabilities decreased. However, the longer term wage consequences of the ADA have not been studied. Interest in longer term post-ADA wage trends of people with disabilities derives from the weakening of the ADA's employment provisions by the Supreme Court. This essay uses variation in state disability laws and data from twenty years of the March Current Population Survey to determine the short and longer term impact of the ADA on the log weekly wages of people with disabilities. Using data from the March Current Population Survey, this essay shows that the ADA led to a longer term increase in the weekly wages of those with disabilities. This finding is sensitive to the composition of the sample. Furthermore, this essay presents evidence that the wage effect of the ADA varies according to level of education.
by Allison V. Thompkins.
Ph.D.

Thesis advisor: Richard Kearney
The pursuit of living a good and moral life has been a longstanding ideal of philosophy, an ideal that dates back to the writings of Plato, and more specifically, Aristotle. This ideal establishes that a good life as a happy and flourishing life is pursued by developing the right motives and the right character. And in order to live this life, one must, then, develop a virtuous character, i.e., be a virtuous person, who desires the good. Finally, in the pursuit of the good, one must not do so alone; rather, one should pursue the virtuous life with others, i.e., friends, because they enhance our ability to think and to act. This specific position which is taken up by Aristotelian virtue ethics, however, has recently come under scrutiny by certain studies in social psychology. Particularly, the concept of character has been discredited by empirical studies. Furthermore, the classic model of the virtuous person has assumed only persons with able-bodies. As a result of these two criticisms, Aristotelian virtue ethics has been discredited as a fantasy ethics available for only a few to achieve. The principle aim of this dissertation is to develop and defend an account of Aristotelian virtue ethics which is grounded in empirical psychology and enables people with disabilities to flourish as moral exemplars within a society. The value of virtue and character for ethical debate is imperative for human happiness within moral life. Instead of happiness being something an individual strives to acquire or feel, Aristotelian virtue ethicists have argued that true happiness is human flourishing. In other words, in order to be happy, humans should focus not just on what it is good to do, but also, and more importantly, focus on who it is good to be. To live a good life, then, it is necessary that one is a good person, or has a good character. Thus, to acquire virtues such as charity, benevolence, honesty, and generosity and to shun vices such as dishonesty, cruelty, or stinginess, is the task, Aristotelian virtue ethicists have argued, that leads to eudaimonia, i.e., human flourishing. The person who has acquired virtuous character traits, then, is the person who is most happy in life. However, the attempt to understand human happiness as a result of a virtuous character has become vulnerable to criticism from philosophical positions grounded in empirical psychology and disability theory. In light of the charge that virtue ethics is a fantasy ethics, many philosophers argue that Aristotelian virtue ethics should be abandoned because it is an ethics with little or no scientific basis. In my defense of Aristotelian virtue ethics, I first address the objection that Aristotelian virtue ethics is a "fantasy ethics" which has no grounding in empirical psychology, and thus, as a result, should not be used for moral theory. This objection has been put forth by certain "Situationist" philosophers, who cite psychological studies which demonstrate that the idea of a virtue as a "global character trait" is something that humans do not actually, or very rarely, possess. This objection to Aristotelian virtue ethics has dealt a devastating blow. In response to this objection, philosopher Nancy Snow has mounted a defense of Aristotelian virtue ethics which is grounded in empirical psychology. Snow's defense, though superficially appealing, has two intractable problems. I address the failure of her proposal in Chapter One: The Problem of Virtue as Social Intelligence. The first problem Snow faces concerns her use of CAPS as a method for virtue ethics to be used throughout life. I call this problem the longitudinality problem, which argues that Snow's proposal for the constancy of virtue for longer than a period of six weeks is overreaching. The second problem Snow faces concerns her reliance on virtue as social intelligence for the actual achievement of being virtuous in daily living. This problem turns on the empirical criteria for what makes a person capable of virtuous action and I call this problem the exclusivity problem, which excludes people with "Autism" form being virtuous. As an alternative to Snow's account, I begin my defense of Aristotelian virtue ethics by developing the following account of empirical virtue based on a narrative identity which desires and actively pursues the good in life-long striving. This moral desire is encouraged through the shared dialogue of virtuous caregiving, which enables a moral novice to flourish and grow into a moral expert. This pursuit of the good enables everyone to flourish and incorporates insights from disability, embodied cognition and social psychology. To accomplish this task, I begin with an examination of the first of two foundational components of character, i.e., the four processing levels of CAPS theory in Chapter Two: Moral Perception. Although CAPS theory provides a solid beginning for an account of virtue, it is not a sustainable theory throughout life. This theory of social-cognitive moral psychology needs to be supplemented by developmental moral psychology. CAPS theory also assumes the individual's perspective in the dynamic interaction between situation and character. It assumes a person's intentions, and this assumption of intentionality - desires, intentions, and beliefs - assumes a person's embodiment in that situation. In other words, CAPS theory assumes lived embodiment. In this chapter, I turn to the method of phenomenology used by both psychologists and philosophers of embodied cognition to account for the moral "interpretation of the situation" experienced by people with illness or impairment. As a complimentary to CAPS and the second foundational component for character, certain moral psychologists have argued for the narrative development of Event Representations for virtuous character. This development begins with the shared dialogue of the caregiver and dependent asking the dependent to recall events which have just occurred. In this practice, the caregiver's aim is to help the dependent form memories and incorporate those memories into the creation of a narrative identity. In Chapter Three: Representations of Moral Events, I extend the caring relation to this practice of shared dialogue to incorporate certain forms of intellectual disability, such as "Autism" and Alzheimer's disease. To accomplish this, I incorporate the roles of narrative and trust in order to construct the relation of dependency and interdependency as trusting co-authorship rather than reciprocal capability. After establishing the importance of the caregiver in the development of one's narrative identity, I employ the life narrative longitudinal psychological approach to moral development as a structure for the moral event representations and schemas guided by the caregiver. Finally, I argue that the co-authorship of one's life story animates one's moral desire for the good and as a result, leads to the development of interdependent virtues. In Chapter Four: Moral Self-Coherence through Personal Strivings, I examine the importance of personal strivings for a sense of lived self-coherence for character over time. My argument is that our personal strivings are unified by the life story which animates and directs those strivings throughout our lives. Although our personal strivings may be altered or deterred due to life transitions including accident, illness, and "disabling injury," they still retain a sense of unity through our overarching life story. It is this narrative which gives unity to both our psychological intentions and bodily intentions, even when they are experienced as a phenomenally lived dualism due to illness, stroke, or impairment. In order to make my argument, I examine ten case studies from medical patients. I argue that our personal strivings toward the good guide our growth of character from a moral novice to become a moral expert. In Chapter Five: Flourishing Bodies, I develop an empirically grounded model of a virtuous character which begins with interdependent virtues and eventually grows into independent virtues. To do this, I draw on the two foundational components of character: CAPS theory and event representations. From the caring relation and shared dialogue of the caregiver, an individual begins to develop basic moral schemas, tasks, and scripts. This is when the individual is a moral novice. As the novice pursues excellences in these practices, the novice grows into a moral expert according to those virtues and becomes virtuously independent. The moral expert, unlike the moral novice, executes virtuous action with ease. Having acquired skills of virtue and knowledge, the moral expert knows the right thing to do at the right time and does so with the right reasons. MacIntyre, however, acknowledged the limit of ethics and turned to politics to address specific needs for people with disabilities such as care, financial support, educational support, and political proxy. The purpose of the final chapter, The Virtue-Oriented Politics of Interdependence, is to follow MacIntyre's endeavor and to propose a virtue-oriented politics of interdependence as an initial solution. First, I examine the various forms of oppression facing people with disabilities in society. In order to address these forms of oppression for people with disabilities, I argue that a shift in the central component of a political framework is needed. Instead of focusing on distribution or recognition, one should focus on education in the broad sense. In conclusion of my dissertation, The Fragility of Virtue, I provide a perspective of our human condition that is a vulnerable one. In this final section, I discuss the role of our collective vulnerability and the fragility of human goodness with regard to illness and impairment. And that our interdependence is strengthened through the virtue of friendship. I finish with a proposal of the role of sacrifice as a way to reconcile the pursuit of a flourishing life in the face of our own fragility
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Philosophy

Thesis advisor: R. Shep Melnick
This paper's main focus is on the American Disability Insurance law. It begins with an outline of the debate that led up to the passing of the original legislation. The paper then examines the law more closely and depicts the changes the law has undergone in the last 50+ years. Next, the current disability benefits process is depicted and questions are posed about inherent difficulties in the disability insurance program. The paper then examines the challenges mental disability causes for the disability insurance program, using a case study of bipolar disorder. Disability insurance programs abroad are next explored with a focus on how other countries have dealt with the problems the United States is facing in its own program. The paper concludes with an examination of the future prospects of the American Disability Insurance program; suggestions are made regarding useful changes to the law
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2007
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Political Science
Discipline: College Honors Program

Thesis advisor: Eve Spangler
Using a three article, mixed methods format, this dissertation will examine the profound pressures placed on women to conform to "good" mothering standards within the context of raising children with neurological disabilities. Furthermore, this work will offer critical insights into political and bureaucratic mechanisms that present barriers to mothers' advocacy on behalf of their children with neurological disabilities. * Article One will explore the cultural context and performance of intensive mothering as well as structural barriers to fulfilling the image of a "good mother" from the standpoint of middle class mothers raising children with neurological disabilities. * Article Two will consider low income mothers' experiences navigating bureaucratic support systems for children with neurological disabilities and situate those experiences within the context of the intensive mothering ideal. * Article Three will examine the bureaucratic systems designed by a patchwork of federal laws to support people with disabilities and their families and how these systems both aid and undermine mothers' achievement of the intensive mothering ideal. Ultimately, this work will be used to shape policy recommendations to facilitate mothers' increased access to needed supportive services for children with neurological disabilities
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Sociology

The thesis opens with four cases that demonstrate various aspects of the prevention of intellectual disability (ID). The following four chapters introduce ID and many related issues (Chapter 2), the concept of geneticisation (Chapter 3), the epidemiology of ID (Chapter 4) and the concept of prevention (Chapter 5). In Chapter 6 prenatal diagnosis and screening are examined thoroughly. The two major models, the reproductive autonomy model and the public health model, are described and scrutinised. For example, the questions of informed consent, screening as a request of the women involved, reassurance, concept of risk, locus of control and eugenics are critically discussed. Chapter 7 deals with genetic counselling in general and directive versus non-directive counselling in particular. Chapter 8 asks the question 'Why should ID be prevented?' Five arguments are presented and critically examined: the eugenic argument, the foetal- wastage argument, the societal burden argument, the family burden argument and the quality of life argument. In Chapter 9 Mary Ann Warren's multi-criterial theory of moral status is presented and applied to potential or actual individuals with or without intellectual disability. More practical issues are raised again in Chapter 10, which deals with the prevention of ID with respect to three syndromes. The conclusive chapter (II) returns to the cases described in the beginning.

Book Summary:What is unique about the process in the discussion of healthcare and interventions to use when working with families? What assessment tools provide guidance for healthcare providers as they determine interventions for families in their care? What are the changing dimensions of contemporary family life, and what impact do those dimensions have on health promotion for families? How is family healthcare changing in terms of practices, delivery systems, costs and insurance coverage? Students are able to explore these questions and more in the Encyclopedia of Family Health. Approximately 350 signed articles written by experts from such varied fields as health and nursing, social and behavioral sciences, and policy provide authoritative, cross-disciplinary coverage. Entries examine theory, research and policy as they relate to family practice in a manner that is accessible and jargon-free. From ′Adolescent Suicide′ and ′Alternative Therapies′ to ′Visitation during Hospitalization′ and ′Weight Problems and Genetics′, this work provides coverage of a variety of issues within a family context. The Encyclopedia of Family Health provides a comprehensive summary of theory, research, practice, and policy on family health and wellness promotion for students and researchers.

The purpose of this study was to explore the demographic variables, typical vocational services, and competitive employment rates of older workers, ages 40 - 69 years of age, with disabilities using the RSA-911 database. The results describe the types of services received and the competitive employment outcomes for state and federal vocational rehabilitation consumers receiving services in 2009. Furthermore the sample of older workers (N = 1,152) was equally stratified into three age groups. Older workers, aged 60 to 69, had higher levels of education, received more types of vocational services, and were competitively employed at a much higher rate than those in the other age groups. The methods, discussion, study limitations, and recommendations for future research are presented.

This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts that coalesce around the topics of Dewey, Disability, and Democratic Education. Each manuscript is formatted for publication and the dissertation itself is prefaced by information that explains my background and how it connects to my current research. As such, the work contained in this dissertation is a product of my experiences as a social studies teacher, special educator, and administrator. Henceforth, my work focuses on Dewey, Disability, and Democratic Education. My research interests culminate in a three-article dissertation. The first paper is entitled, "Using Dewey to Problematize the Notion of Disability in Public Education." A version of this paper is currently under review for publication. In this paper I situate Dewey's theoretical underpinnings in the conversation around special education. Previous scholars of Dewey and disability have examined the ways in which his work speaks to educational growth and educational opportunity; my work adds to this body of research. However, my work is unique in that not only do I discuss pluralistic, communicative, participatory democracy as it pertains to students with disabilities, I also examine how Deweyan democracy can take shape, specifically within the context of an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting. I conclude by arguing that Deweyan democracy is not only ideal, but realistic, attainable, and necessary, especially in the lives of students with disabilities. In my second paper, I use the Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) dataset in a paper entitled, "Can We Meet Our Mission? Examining the Professional Development of Social Studies Teachers to Support Students with Disabilities and Emergent Bilingual Learners." A version of this paper has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Social Studies Research. In this work, I first examine the social studies scholarship looking at students with disabilities and emergent bilingual learners, as well as research about the nature of professional development within the social studies. I then analyze the number of students with disabilities and emergent bilingual learners that we support in the social studies to provide a portrait of the field. Next, I examine the extent to which social studies teachers receive professional development to support those student groups, as well as the extent to which the social studies teachers found the professional development to be useful. My findings indicate that social studies teachers do not receive substantial professional development to support the learning of all students, as evidenced by the limited amount of professional development received focusing on students with disabilities and emergent bilingual learners. In my third paper, I build on previous research examining the possibilities and benefits of participating in informal learning spaces such as Twitter in a paper entitled, "'So I Feel Like We Were Theoretical, Whereas They Actually Do It': Navigating Twitter Chats For Teacher Education." A version of this paper is also under review for publication. In this paper, specifically, I examine the experiences and perceptions of pre-service social studies teachers who particip¬¬¬¬ated in a discipline specific Twitter chat known as #sschat. My findings indicate that pre-service teachers found value in the chat when they were able to share resources with practicing teachers and build professional learning networks. However, there were instances when the pre-service teachers felt like they contributed little because they did not have direct experience with teaching. Additionally, the pre-service teachers expressed dissatisfaction with using Twitter as a platform for professional chats. However, I still contend and conclude that the utility of such chats outweighs the negatives. Therefore, this study sheds light on the potentiality and necessity of utilizing Twitter chats as a space to provide ongoing and systematic support to pre-service teachers to help not only them, but the field of social studies education move forward. These papers when considered together form a foundation of scholarship and further inquiry focused on Dewey, Disability, and Democratic Education, on which I plan to build in the years to come.
Doctor of Philosophy
When I completed my undergraduate social studies teaching program, the job market appeared bleak in the coalfields of southwest Virginia. Coal, no longer king, had driven the economy for years. With its decline, my community barely managed to survive. My advisor at the time, honest and plain-spoken, told me that unless I obtained a license in special education, I would most likely not obtain a teaching job. Unlike many other areas of the country, in my hometown unless you could do other things like coach or drive a bus, a license to teach social studies was of little value. There was not much money and a new hire had to be willing to do many different jobs to prove his or her worth. Luckily, I had gotten my Commercial Driver License (CDLs) through a training program offered by the county school board, and I was consequently able to obtain a position, although not as a social studies teacher. I started my career in education as a special educator and substitute school bus driver. In this position I worked in an alternative education setting and taught vocational skills to secondary students with significant disabilities (in the institutional meaning of the word). From the start of my career, I aspired to become an administrator, so I enrolled in and completed a degree in Administration and Supervision. As I was working on that degree, I moved to the general education high school level, where I held a position teaching social studies and special education in an inclusive setting. Shortly thereafter, I obtained a job as an assistant principal. The part I enjoyed most about this position was working with and thinking about how to help teachers become better at their craft. At this point is when I decided to pursue a PhD in social studies education, so I could develop my interest into a body of research and eventually a career. Two years into my PhD program I was still grappling with who I was as a scholar. As I familiarized myself with social studies scholarship, I discovered that in my first position as an alternative education special educator, I was essentially preparing my students for the responsibilities of citizenship, which is the mission of the field of social studies (NCSS, 2013). Nevertheless, it was not until I started reading the work of John Dewey that I truly realized the complexity of what I experienced when I taught in the alternative education setting. That position allowed me to examine an element that I otherwise, would not have had the privilege to see; the complexity and intellect required for physical labor (Rose, 2004) and the inter-workings of true, vibrant, Deweyan democracy. Dewey’s work sparked a new interest in me and I started developing a deep-seated curiosity about how his theoretical underpinnings related to disability and democratic education. My interest in disability then caused me to ask other questions about social studies in relation to special education, which made me reflect on my prior experiences as a social studies educator. Although I had a license in special education, there were many instances in which I felt unprepared and unsupported in addressing the needs of all students in my classes which included general education students, students with disabilities (SWDs), and emergent bilingual learners (EBLs). I began to wonder if my feelings of unpreparedness and lack of support were in isolation. As I parsed the literature, I found that there was not a significant amount of research focused specifically on the extent to which social studies teachers felt they were prepared and supported to address the needs of all learners in their classroom. Additionally, my experience in both public education and teacher education gave me insight to realize that school systems do not have funding to provide specialized professional development and similarly, teacher education is under financial constraints as well. Therefore, I began examining what informal spaces such as Twitter offer educators in terms of professional support and development. My interests and curiosity fueled my scholarly work and eventually culminated into three distinct, but interconnected manuscripts. The three manuscripts that follow coalesce around my interests in Dewey, Disability, and Democratic Education.