Education & Special Populations

Academic Ableism: Disability and Higher Education Academic Ableism brings together disability studies and institutional critique to recognize the ways that disability is composed in and by higher education, and rewrites the spaces, times, and economies of disability in higher education to place disability front and center. For too long, argues Jay Timothy Dolmage, disability has been constructed as the antithesis of higher education, often positioned as a distraction, a drain, a problem to be solved. The ethic of higher education encourages students and teachers alike to accentuate ability, valorize perfection, and stigmatize anything that hints at intellectual, mental, or physical weakness, even as we gesture toward the value of diversity and innovation. Examining everything from campus accommodation processes, to architecture, to popular films about college life, Dolmage argues that disability is central to higher education, and that building more inclusive schools allows better education for all.

Achieving Equity and Excellence: Immediate Results from the Lessons of High-Poverty, High-Success Schools Achieve high performance for all in your school. In Achieving Equity and Excellence, author Douglas Reeves outlines how to make dramatic improvements to student learning, behavior, and attendance in a single semester. Study the mindset of high-poverty, high-success schools and follow their example to implement the equitable and just practices necessary to make student success a sustainable reality. Use this resource to empower students, teachers, and administrators: Study the landmark research on the practices of high-performing, high-poverty schools, and discover updated research showing how these results can be applied. Discover what high-poverty schools do differently to achieve high performance, and learn how to implement these strategies in your classroom. Transform any school into an effective and productive school through learner-centered teaching. Learn the importance of action during the change process and why action must come before belief to implement equitable teaching practices. Explore effective accountability systems, the different levels of accountability, and how these systems should be implemented to meet the needs of diverse learners.

Careers in Human Services

College Success for Students with Disabilities The demanding workload and fast pace of college often overwhelm students. Without access to the right resources, many of the three million U.S. college students with disabilities fail or drop out--at a much higher rate than their peers. This guide helps students, parents, counselors and psychologists find the appropriate resources and accommodations to help students with disabilities successfully transition to college. The author explains Americans with Disabilities Act laws and outlines steps for requesting and implementing college staff, classroom and testing accommodations. Student testimonies are included, advising on which assistive technologies and resources have worked to achieve academic success.

College Success for Students with Learning Disabilities College Success for Students With Learning Disabilities offers students the knowledge, guidance, and strategies they need to effectively choose a college, prepare for university life, and make the most of their collegiate experience. This revised edition: Outlines the rights and responsibilities of students with learning disabilities. Gives advice on talking to professors and peers, getting involved, and asking for and receiving accommodations. Helps students utilize their strengths to meet and exceed academic standards. Provides additional information on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and ADHD. Includes a handy guide to universities with special programs and advice from current college students with disabilities. Planning for college can be one of the biggest moments in any student's life, but for students with disabilities, the experience can be challenging on many different levels. This book will empower future students and provide them with hope for success.

The Complete Guide to Teaching Exercise to Special Populations A new addition to the tried and trusted Complete Guide series, The Complete Guide to Teaching Exercise to Special Populations is a vital resource for fitness professionals who prescribe exercise program to anyone categorized as belonging to a special group .'Special population' covers many of us with a health condition which may mean we need a supervised and well-informed exercise program. Covering a wide range of conditions from osteoporosis, heart conditions, arthritis and back pain, this book provides supervised exercise programs to suit various needs. Comprehensive and informative, The Complete Guide to Teaching Exercise to Special Populations is packed with clear photographs and diagrams and covers the condition, diagnosis, treatment as well as an array of practical tips for designing activity programs.

Creating Inclusion and Well-Being for Marginalized Students It is increasingly challenging for teachers to educate without a deeper understanding of the experience of their students. This is particularly the case in marginalised groups of young people who are subject to loss, grief, trauma and shame. Through a snapshot of the diverse student populous, this book explores the impact of these experiences on a student's learning and success. Topics covered include poverty, obesity, incarceration, immigration, death, sexual exploitation, LGBT issues, psychodrama, the expressive arts, resilience, and military students. The authors share the children's perspective, and through case studies they offer solutions and viable objectives.

Disability and World Language Learning The release of a report by the Modern Language Association, "Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World," focused renewed attention on college foreign language instruction at the introductory level. Frequently, the report finds, these beginning courses are taught by part-time and untenured instructors, many of whom remain on the fringes of the department, with little access to ongoing support, pedagogical training, or faculty development. When students with sensory, cognitive or physical disabilities are introduced to this environment, the results can be frustrating for both the student (who may benefit from specific instructional strategies or accommodations) and the instructor (who may be ill-equipped to provide inclusive instruction). Soon after the MLA report was published, the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages issued "Diversity and Inclusion in Language Programs," a position statement highlighting the value of inclusive classrooms that support diverse perspectives and learning needs. That statement specifies that all students, regardless of background, should have ample access to language instruction. Meanwhile, in the wake of these two publications, the number of college students with disabilities continues to increase, as has the number of world language courses taught by graduate teaching assistants and contingent faculty. Disability and World Language Learning begins at the intersection of these two growing concerns: for the diverse learner and for the world language instructor. Devoted to practical classroom strategies based on Universal Design for Instruction, it serves as a timely and valuable resource for all college instructors--adjunct faculty, long-time instructors, and graduate assistants alike--confronting a changing and diversifying world language classroom.

General and Special Education Inclusion in an Age of Change: Impact on Students with Disabilities This volume addresses general and special education inclusion and how the education field has changed over time. The topic of inclusion has transformed over the years from when it was first introduced and as a result of legislation, new trends, and current research investigations. In addition, this topic can be somewhat controversial depending on the disability the child might have or those professionals involved in the process of instructing individuals with disabilities. Currently, there is no comprehensive resource that effectively covers these advances with the breath of topics as this volume.  This volume will address the most current perspectives and issues related to general and special education inclusion and will be written by leaders in the field with particular expertise in this area. This volume will be an excellent resource for special educators, administrators, mental health clinicians, school counsellors, and psychologists.   The layout of the volume will allow readers to follow general and special education inclusion in a very logical and thoughtful process from students with high incidence disabilities to those with low incidence disabilities.

Minding the Achievement Gap One Classroom at a Time The achievement gap is a persistent and perplexing challenge for educators. While school and system level reforms continue to be discussed in statehouses and district offices, individual teachers are challenged to do something now to help students who are falling short of standards, including students who are English language learners and receiving special education services. A companion to the ASCD best-seller Improving Student Learning One Teacher at a Time, this book identifies small, specific adjustments to planning, teaching, and assessment practices that will support more effective learning in every student, every day, and help close the achievement gap on a classroom-by-classroom basis. Here, you'll learn how to: Use readily available tools--curriculum documents, a plan book, and a grade book--to improve all students' access to, interaction with, and mastery of lesson content. Design daily lessons that clarify learning goals and require students to use high-yield learning strategies, seek feedback, and reflect on their progress. Promote the progress of English language learners through coordinated pursuit of content and language goals, and synchronize instruction to improve the performance of special education students in both co-teaching and resource environments. This book also features the voices of working educators who share how "minding the gap" has helped them engage academically at-risk students, ELLs, and special education students; improve students' test scores; and sustain these gains over time. If you are a classroom teacher or specialist committed to helping all your students become more successful learners and unwilling to wait for high-level solutions or even the results of another "data retreat," then this is just the resource you need.

Simplified Signs: A Manual Sign-Communication System for Special Populations, Volume 1 Simplified Signs presents a system of manual sign communication intended for special populations who have had limited success mastering spoken or full sign languages. It is the culmination of over twenty years of research and development by the authors. The Simplified Sign System has been developed and tested for ease of sign comprehension, memorization, and formation by limiting the complexity of the motor skills required to form each sign, and by ensuring that each sign visually resembles the meaning it conveys. Volume 1 outlines the research underpinning and informing the project, and places the Simplified Sign System in a wider context of sign usage, historically and by different populations. Volume 2 presents the lexicon of signs, totaling approximately 1000 signs, each with a clear illustration and a written description of how the sign is formed, as well as a memory aid that connects the sign visually to the meaning that it conveys. While the Simplified Sign System originally was developed to meet the needs of persons with intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism, or aphasia, it may also assist the communication needs of a wider audience - such as healthcare professionals, aid workers, military personnel, travelers or parents, and children who have not yet mastered spoken language. The system also has been shown to enhance learning for individuals studying a foreign language. Lucid and comprehensive, this work constitutes a valuable resource that will enhance the communicative interactions of many different people, and will be of great interest to researchers and educators alike.

Simplified Signs: A Manual Sign-Communication System for Special Populations, Volume 2 Simplified Signs presents a system of manual sign communication intended for special populations who have had limited success mastering spoken or full sign languages. It is the culmination of over twenty years of research and development by the authors. The Simplified Sign System has been developed and tested for ease of sign comprehension, memorization, and formation by limiting the complexity of the motor skills required to form each sign, and by ensuring that each sign visually resembles the meaning it conveys. Volume 1 outlines the research underpinning and informing the project, and places the Simplified Sign System in a wider context of sign usage, historically and by different populations. Volume 2 presents the lexicon of signs, totaling approximately 1000 signs, each with a clear illustration and a written description of how the sign is formed, as well as a memory aid that connects the sign visually to the meaning that it conveys. While the Simplified Sign System originally was developed to meet the needs of persons with intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, autism, or aphasia, it may also assist the communication needs of a wider audience - such as healthcare professionals, aid workers, military personnel, travelers or parents, and children who have not yet mastered spoken language. The system also has been shown to enhance learning for individuals studying a foreign language. Lucid and comprehensive, this work constitutes a valuable resource that will enhance the communicative interactions of many different people, and will be of great interest to researchers and educators alike.

Taking Flight: College for Students with Disabilities, Diverse Learners, and their Families Taking Flight provides the essential information students with disabilities will need to be successful in college. Rather than just focusing on the academic skills needed in college, Taking Flight addresses college as a system that needs to be mastered and the strategies and self-awareness needed to be successful. Thus, it explores topics including: The concept of disability Self-expression The college bureaucracy Roommate relationships And having fun! Perry T. LaRoque explores these topics by using personal stories, humor, frank advice, and years of expertise. Taking Flight addresses the truly relevant topics and issues needed for happiness and success in college and provides readers with not only how to do well in the system, but how to overcome a system not designed for today's diverse learners.

Twice-Exceptional and Special Populations of Gifted Students The expert guide to meeting the needs of twice-exceptional and other at-risk gifted students! Special learning needs, cultural expectations, and issues of poverty greatly complicate the identification of gifts and talents among at-risk students. And traditional gifted programs fail to fully address the unique needs of these special populations. Twice-Exceptional and Special Populations of Gifted Students offers critical insights and promising practices designed to prevent these high-potential, at-risk students from falling through the cracks. Key features include: Susan Baum's thorough synopsis of the critical issues affecting twice-exceptional students and other special gifted populations; Strategies for identifying giftedness masked by gender, cultural, economic, and/or behavioral issues; Examples of appropriate programming options for a variety of high-potential, at-risk populations. Applying the modifications, accommodations, and additional services suggested in this ready-reference, educators will at last be able to adequately nurture the academic, social, and emotional development of twice-exceptional and other special populations of gifted students.

What's Missing: Best Practices for Teaching Students with Disabilities What's Missing describes the ten research-based practices that have proven effective in working with students with disabilities. The practices for instruction and for inclusion are detailed in individual chapters in order for the reader to select a specific practice, read information about it, review a possible scenario, and then be given specific strategies on how to implement it. The book begins with an introduction and a brief history of special education legislation to the present.

Classroom Communication and Diversity Classroom Communication and Diversity is an integral resource for teaching awareness of diversity issues and communication in the classroom. Drawing on the research in the communication and education disciplines, authors Robert G. Powell and Dana Caseau provide theoretical models and useful strategies for improving instructional practices. They address the ways in which culture influences communication in the classroom, and assist teachers in developing the skills necessary to meet the needs of the students in their classrooms. New to the second edition is an expanded skills component, additional teaching resources, and an increased focus on the role of diversity in the classroom. Much of the information shared in this text derives from the authors' research and experience in schools and from the experiences of others, including teachers, parents, and children. Their experiences, combined with the cross-disciplinary approach, produce a volume of unique perspectives and considerable insight.

Dyslexia: A Very Short Introduction Since dyslexia was first described in the British Medical Journal in 1896, there has been debate about the definitions and diagnostic procedures used, with some casting doubt on its very existence. However, there is now a considerable body of research regarding the nature and characteristics of this relatively common learning disorder. The contemporary view of dyslexia has emerged from a century of research in medicine, psychology, and more recently neuroscience, and we now understand enough about this learning disorder to guide policy and practice. This Very Short Introduction provides an accessible overview of this exciting field of research, beginning with its history, and drawing on testimony from people living with dyslexia. Considering the potential causes of dyslexia, and looking at both genetic and environment factors, Margaret Snowling shows how cross-linguistic studies have documented the prevalence of dyslexia in different languages. Discussing the various brain scanning techniques that have been used to find out if the brains of people with dyslexia differ in structure or function from those of typical readers, Snowling moves on to weigh up various strategies and interventions which can help people living with dyslexia today.

Including Students with Special Needs: A Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers Provides opportunities for students to interact with the material in meaningful ways. This book offers practical information that leads to solutions and improves learning and instruction. It includes information on high-stakes testing of students with disabilities. It presents coverage of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders.

Meeting Students Where They Live: Motivation in Urban Schools Motivation and hope are two items in short supply in many urban schools. But it doesn't have to be that way, according to Richard L. Curwin. Based on input from teachers across the United States and on his own personal experiences, Curwin offers suggestions that every school can use to keep students in the classroom and looking toward a brighter future. In Meeting Students Where They Live, Curwin urges teachers and administrators in urban schools to move away from a focus on control, uniformity, lack of tolerance, and ironclad rules toward an approach based on compassion, understanding, tolerance, and safety for all. Each chapter examines problems common to urban schools and offers comprehensive, long-reaching remedies, plus concrete strategies for engaging troubled and hard-to-reach youth. Meeting Students Where They Live explores ways to: Welcome all students; Build lessons that involve and engage; Stay motivated and energized; Design assignments that students will actually do; Use evaluation to encourage and build learning rather than defeat it. Meeting Students Where They Live also includes classroom activity sheets submitted by teachers working in a variety of urban environments--from inner-city schools to a detention center.

No Citizen Left Behind While teaching at an all-Black middle school in Atlanta, Meira Levinson realized that students' individual self-improvement would not necessarily enable them to overcome their profound marginalization within American society. This is because of a civic empowerment gap that is as shameful and antidemocratic as the academic achievement gap targeted by No Child Left Behind. No Citizen Left Behind argues that students must be taught how to upend and reshape power relationships directly, through political and civic action. Drawing on political theory, empirical research, and her own on-the-ground experience, Levinson shows how de facto segregated urban schools can and must be at the center of this struggle. Recovering the civic purposes of public schools will take more than tweaking the curriculum. Levinson calls on schools to remake civic education. Schools should teach collective action, openly discuss the racialized dimensions of citizenship, and provoke students by engaging their passions against contemporary injustices. Students must also have frequent opportunities to take civic and political action, including within the school itself. To build a truly egalitarian society, we must reject myths of civic sameness and empower all young people to raise their diverse voices. Levinson's account challenges not just educators but all who care about justice, diversity, or democracy.

Teaching Exceptional, Diverse, and At-Risk Students in the General Education Classroom Based on the belief that even small accommodations make a difference in the success of students with disabilities, this text provides teachers with the knowledge, tools, and practical strategies that will empower them to spark learning in every student. From students with disabilities, culturally diverse students, and students with limited English proficiency to economically disadvantaged students Vaughn/Bos/Schumm provide teachers with the tools they need in their diverse classrooms. Revised to reflect recent changes in the law and current terminology, the strength of the book continues to be its numerous learning activities and sample lessons addressing both elementary and secondary classrooms, as well as its four chapter unit on curriculum adaptations with specific strategies and activities for teaching reading, writing, mathematics, and content areas. The strong emphasis on professional planning and collaboration make it an excellent resource for all teachers.

To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled: Strength-Based Strategies for Helping Twice-Exceptional Students with LD, ADHD, ASD, and More To Be Gifted and Learning Disabled is one of the most popular resources available on identifying and meeting the needs of twice-exceptional students. This updated third edition provides a comprehensive look at the complex world of students with remarkable gifts, talents, and interests, who simultaneously face learning, attention, or social challenges from LD, ADHD, and other disorders. Through case studies and years of research, the authors present a rationale for using a strength-based, talent-focused approach to meeting the needs of this special population. From a thorough description of twice-exceptionality and the unique learning patterns of these students, to strategies for identification, comprehensive programming, talent development, and instructional strategies, this book is for anyone who works or lives with a child who has both startling talents and disabling weaknesses.

Why Cant U Teach Me 2 Read? Why cant U teach me 2 read? is a vivid, stirring, passionately told story of three students who fought for the right to learn to read, and won, only to discover that their efforts to learn to read had hardly begun.  A person who cannot read cannot confidently ride a city bus, shop, take medicine, or hold a job, much less receive e-mail, follow headlines, send text messages, or write a letter to a relative. And yet the best minds of American education cannot agree on the right way for reading to be taught.  In fact, they can hardly settle on a common vocabulary to use in talking about reading. As a result, for a quarter of a century American schools have been riven by what educators call the reading wars, and our young people have been caught in the crossfire.  Why cant U teach me 2 read? focuses on three such students.  Yamilka, Alejandro, and Antonio all have learning disabilities and all legally challenged the New York City schools for failing to teach them to read by the time they got to high school. When the school system's own hearing officers ruled in the students favor, the city was compelled to pay for the three students, now young adults, to receive intensive private tutoring. Fertig tells the inspiring, heartbreaking stories of these three young people as they struggle to learn to read before it is too late. At the same time, she tells a story of great change in schools nationwide, where the crush of standardized tests and the presence of technocrats have energized teachers and parents to question the meaning of education as never before. And she dramatizes the process of learning to read, showing how the act of reading is nothing short of miraculous. Along the way, Fertig makes clear that the simple question facing students and teachers alike, "How should young people learn to read?" opens onto the broader questions of what schools are really for and why so many of America's schools are faltering.   Why cant U teach me 2 read? is a poignant, vital book for the reader in all of us.