Date of Graduation
5-2017
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership (EdD)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Curriculum and Instruction
Advisor/Mentor
Holt, Carleton R.
Committee Member
Christman, James
Second Committee Member
Bengtson, Ed
Keywords
Education; Education; Independent living; Low incident disability; Severe disabilities; Special education; Transition
Abstract
Increasing the independence of individuals with severe disabilities is of increasing concern to schools and federal agencies. Improving quality of life for high needs individuals with disabilities is an objective of transition programs, which allow consumers to adapt from one aspect of life to the next. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between variables (a) vocational assessment and exploration; (b) workplace readiness training; (c) independent living skills; and (d) self-advocacy and self-care and the independence level of individuals with severe disabilities residing and receiving their education within an institutionalized setting. Finally, this study will examine the efficacy of the Functional Independent Skills Handbook curriculum and assessment in addressing the independent living skills needs of individuals with severe disabilities in-residence in a state institution. Participants include adolescents with severe disabilities receiving services from the Special Purpose School at the Parsons State Hospital.
The results obtained by this study may be of extreme use to educators, service providers, and policy makers in Kansas, as well as other states utilizing a similar institutionalization model for severely disabled individuals. The study yielded statistically significant results that a focused, leveled curriculum emphasizing (a) vocational assessment and exploration; (b) workplace readiness training; (c) independent living skills; and (d) self-advocacy and self-care can increase the independence level of individuals with severe disabilities.
Citation
Dalgarn, J. (2017). The Quiet Discrimination of Lowered Expectations: A Study on the Independent Living Needs of Severely Disabled Individuals in Kansas. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1885
Included in
Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Secondary Education and Teaching Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons
