There is a broad disconnect between the beauty cultivated by disabled communities and the ways in which schools continue to position disability as a problem that resides in the individual student. To shift conceptions of disability in schools, there is a significant need to educate folks about disability history and pride, especially disabled…

Successful social engagement is one of many important outcomes for deaf youth as they transition from high school to adult life. This study examined the effect of self-advocacy and social/life skill trainings in secondary school settings on social engagement after high school using propensity score modeling and data from the large-scale and…

Parenting is a complicated journey that never ends for those who raise children with special needs. Families need to make several difficult decisions about life after high school, and they are often left alone to navigate those choices. Decisions on life after high school are one of several choices families are left to navigate. This qualitative…

Over the last 5 years, high school students with disabilities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) have experienced a higher rate of dropout compared to their peers, adding to an ever-widening gap in learning and graduation rates. The rationale for this study was the growing numbers of dropouts among students with…

Self-advocacy skills are critical to high school and post-secondary success. Unfortunately, students with disabilities often times struggle with self-advocacy. While there are effective, evidence-based programs to teach self-advocacy skills, there are few scales that directly measure self-advocacy. The current research study was conducted to…

The active involvement of secondary school students with high-incidence disabilities (HI) in instructional accommodations is essential to both enacting the accommodations and to the accommodations effectiveness. Very little is known about students with HI's knowledge about instructional accommodations, experiences with them, or opinions on…

The use of peer support arrangements can be an effective strategy to improve educational services for students with disabilities, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). When developing peer support arrangements, secondary teachers should consider aligning these services with evidence-based predictors of positive postschool outcomes…

Background: Research shows that individuals with disabilities are more likely to experience abuse than their peers without disabilities. Yet, few evidenced-based abuse prevention interventions exist. This study examines whether positive outcomes identified previously in an evaluation of IMPACT:Ability were maintained 1 year later. Methods: A…

Research across the board has focused predominately on postsecondary transition services as they occur, after students with disabilities have left high school and entered the postsecondary realm of education. There has yet to be a study to address the feasibility of combining the important early intervention strategies necessary for success within…

Background: Individuals with disabilities experience higher rates of abuse than the nondisabled. Few evidence-based prevention interventions have been published despite a need for such work. This study evaluated IMPACT:Ability, a safety and self-advocacy training for individuals with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. Methods: A…

Students with disabilities need to be more involved in planning and presenting individualized education program (IEP) meetings, and teachers need an effective, efficient curriculum to teach students how. "My IEP" curriculum uses folding graphic organizers to teach students to self-direct IEP meetings, targeting self-advocacy and…

Youth with disabilities, compared with their typical peers, have a higher likelihood of dropping out of school and experience poorer transition outcomes. Evidence supports programs and interventions focusing on inclusive education and leadership skills results in successful transition to college and career. This article describes the experiences…

This paper originates from a study conducted to examine the challenges faced by the Schools for Special Education (SLB) in their effort to empower people living with disabilities. The study aimed: 1) to describe the stages involved in the education for empowerment of the disabled groups through schools for special education, 2) to present an…

Promoting self-determination in students with disabilities is recognized as an integral component of education today. For most students with disabilities, self-determination should be addressed through instruction and in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Yet, IEPs are rarely evaluated to determine if goals targeting self-determination…

The most salient aspect of independent living and successful post-high school transition to employment is having the ability to independently use transportation. Adolescents and young adults with disabilities continue to experience significantly lower employment rates than their peers without disabilities (Wagner et al., 2003). One way to support…