Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities

This study reports opinions and practices of teachers of students with visual impairments (TSVIs) in 34 states regarding functional literacy for students with visual impairments (VIs) and significant cognitive disabilities (SCDs). The survey asked TSVIs to select a definition of functional literacy, indicate agreement with a series of literacy statements for both students who use and do not use vision to access pictures and print, and list factors that contribute to successfully teaching functional literacy. Data from the survey returns were analyzed descriptively and McNemar’s test of paired proportions and the Mann Whitney U test were conducted to investigate response differences for some items. A high level of agreement was evident overall, but teacher perspective differed when considering students who cannot visually access pictures or print. Some differences were also evident based on the functional literacy definition the respondents selected. Implications for teams working with students with VIs and SCDs in the area of literacy are discussed.

This research explores the stage of novicity in communicative partnerships between new facilitators and the individuals with disabilities who use supported typing as their primary method of communication with whom they work. We interviewed novice and experienced facilitators, and typers who have recently worked with new facilitators to examine not only the series of processes through which novice facilitators experience and learn to support typing but also typers’ responses to those experiences. We draw connections to sign language interpreters and paraprofessionals to highlight the complexity of providing communication access and support. Two key tracks of talk emerged—one centered on skills and the other on relationships—which we lay out in a discussion of typers’ and facilitators’ perspectives on expectations, training, trust, and agency. Our results suggest the critical nature of establishing individualized expectations for and by both typers and facilitators, as well as the importance of working through the distinctive experiences brought forth in this period of novicity, as fundamental elements of developing communication partnerships.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of special education directors toward community-based vocational instruction (CBVI). Participants included a non-proportional random sample of 47 directors from one state who completed an online or paper-based survey. Independent variables were directors’ years of experience, geographic location, whether the district provided CBVI in the summer, and the curriculum of students who participated in CBVI. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics along with a content analysis of open-ended questions. Results indicate that respondents support the use of CBVI and experience few barriers to implementation. Insufficient staff and inadequate public transportation were the highest rated barriers. Views regarding the intensity with which CBVI should be provided and the age and types of students who should receive CBVI differed from practices recommended in the field. Significant group findings were evident for the variables of years of experience and curriculum of students who participated in CBVI.

Because of their highly intensive and variable learning needs, learners with severe intellectual disability present significant challenges to special educators and other stakeholders in terms of selecting and implementing effective instructional practices. Although scholars have made considerable progress in conducting and synthesizing research necessary to identify evidence-based practices (EBPs), much work remains to enable evidence-based reforms to broadly improve instruction and outcomes for learners with severe intellectual disability. In this article, we describe the importance of evidence-based reforms for learners with severe intellectual disability; discuss advances in the identification of EBPs for these learners, including a summary of the interventions identified as EBPs for this population in the professional literature and by online resources; and conclude with recommendations for improving the identification and implementation of EBPs for this population.

This article describes the potential impact that state guardianship laws may have on the transition planning process for students identified with intellectual and developmental disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Improvement Act. The authors utilize a disability studies framework to describe how the goals of transition planning under the IDEIA –which promote autonomy and independence– appear to be in direct conflict with the goal of guardianship laws –which is to remove from young adults all or some decision making authority over their own lives. The appointment of guardians for students at the age of majority necessarily limits opportunities for students to develop decision making skills, just at the time in their lives when they should be supported by teachers and school staff to become self-determined adults. The presumption of competency as an underlying approach to all students with disabilities is discussed, and which, if used, will assist teachers, family members, and students themselves in better preparing for and successfully meeting the goals of the IDEIA. The authors suggest that parents, families and educational professionals need to be made aware of alternatives to guardianship that position the student at the center of the decision-making process in order to ensure that the goals of the IDEIA are realized for each student.