College Bound?

Increasing numbers of students with disabilities who have been included in high school have transitioned to college over the past several decades. While many of those students are eligible for accommodations in high school, fewer of those same students with disabilities request or receive accommodations in college. The purpose of this chapter is to present the need to begin the transition process early, present the self-knowledge and skills that students need to support their success, outline the language, laws, and culture of college that students must negotiate, and propose the use of the summary of performance as an initial solution to the challenge of transition. Inclusive education has done much to spur changes in higher education and disability support. The supports are available in higher education. Students need the knowledge and skills to access them, use them, and self-advocate with their college counselors and instructors to meet their goals.

Challenges Encountered by Newcomers with Disabilities in Canada

Through a secondary data analysis of administrative data of the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) between 2003 and 2013, we aim to understand the interlocking challenges encountered by newcomers with disabilities in Canada that contribute to this population’s financial hardship. Our findings show that newcomers with disabilities on ODSP were more likely to have post-secondary education, to be older adults, to be married, common-law, and to be female who were divorced, separated, or widowed as compared to Canadian-born recipients, who were more likely to be less educated, younger, single and male. The ratio of Canadian-born to newcomer recipients on the ODSP was high between 2003 and 2013, indicating that the latter were under-represented on the program. Implications for this under-representation support future research to examine the full integration and participation of newcomers with disabilities in Canada.

1490Activist and Epidemiologist: Collision or Synergy?

Focus of Presentation In this presentation, I discuss how activism and lived experience can enhance epidemiological research. I argue that my lived experience of disability and activism, enhance my research because I: have understanding of the contexts in which disabled people live, I focus on what is relevant to disabled people, and have the impetus to interrogate government knowledge claims. I illustrate this through two research/activism scenarios: COVID-19 pandemic proposed reforms to Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – which provides individual budgets for nearly 500,000 Australians with disability. Findings During the COVID-19, I spearheaded ‘calls to action’ for governments to respond to the specific risks faced by people with disability. I led a research demonstrating the risks to disability support workers. My expert witness testimonies at the Disability Royal Commission were central to the Commission’s recommendations. And my work changed government policies relating to managing outbreaks in disability settings and vaccination. In relation to the NDIS, I have critiqued the research government conducts, and the data they use, to support their arguments for reform. Conclusions/Implications Being an activist with lived experience requires reflexivity to ensure individual biases are not reinforced, but it also offers opportunities. Research is contextualised and the pathway to change more easily charted. Epidemiology should foster the careers of researchers with lived experience who maybe activists as well. Key messages Lived experience researchers and activists can enhance epidemiological research bringing unique insights and new opportunities for change.

Transition to Employment: A Guide for Supporting Post-Secondary Students with Disabilities

This guide is a resource for supporting post-secondary institutions, namely representatives from career services, co-operative education, and disability support offices. The guide is designed to help those supporting post-secondary students with disabilities as they transition to the workforce.

The Availability of Services and Facilities Provided for Students with Disabilities at Al al-Bayt University in Jordan from Their Own Perspective

The study aims to examine the availability level of services and facilities provided for students with disabilities at Al Al-Bayt University from their own perceptions. Descriptive and analytical methodologies were used. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of (65) criteria distributed on (6) domains. Participants included all students with visual, hearing, and physical disabilities, with a total of (53) students from all faculties. All students receive support from the disability support division at the university. Results indicated that the availability of services and accommodations provided for students with disabilities were ranked respectively as follows: facilitations regarding information resources, social services, administrative facilitation, academic services and accommodations, physical accommodations, and finally library services and accommodations. The mean degree on the total score was (M = 1.81) which indicates a medium level. Also, results showed no statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) due to type of disability on all domains and on the total degree for the nature of services and accommodations provided. There were also no statistically significant differences at (α = 0.05) due to the type of faculty on all domains and on the total degree for the nature of services and accommodations provided. Received: 4 March 2021 / Accepted: 6 May 2021 / Published: 8 July 2021

Supported Decision-Making in Criminal Proceedings: A Sociolegal Empirical Study

This article outlines a project in which supported decision-making (SDM) and broader support to exercise legal capacity were provided to accused persons with cognitive disabilities in the Australian criminal justice system. The program was developed to advance the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in relation to unfitness to plead laws. The researchers collaborated with three community legal services in three Australian jurisdictions. Four nonlegal “disability support people” were trained to work with accused persons alongside legal counsel to maximize their participation in the trial process and avoid the need for unfitness to plead determinations under current laws. The article draws on qualitative research conducted in the form of interviews with clients, lawyers, and support persons. The findings provide an evidence base for implementing SDM for persons with disabilities in the criminal justice system. It also helps answer the question of whether unfitness to plead laws should be repealed in pursuit of a “universally accessible” justice system in line with the CRPD.

The unpredictable body, identity, and disclosure: Identifying the strategies of chronically ill students at university

The experiences of university students with chronic illnesses have been neglected in previous research, despite the fact that they make up the third largest disability category in the UK. The propensity of chronic illnesses to fluctuate unpredictably sets them apart from other forms of disability, yet little is known about how this inherent uncertainty impacts experiences in higher education, or the strategies students develop in order to simultaneously manage their illness and studies. This article presents a thematic analysis of episodic interviews with 13 current or recent UK university students with chronic illness. One student (Sophia)'s narrative is used as a case study through which the main themes are illustrated, with the stories of other students woven around this, building up a picture of uncertainty and unpredictability.The ill body was consistently experienced as a frustrating barrier around which life had to be reshaped. Utilising university disability support required disclosure and the acceptance of a disabled identity, yet also minimised the intrusion of illness by enabling students to work within their limitations, reducing the risk of symptom exacerbation or relapse.While participants did not struggle to be accepted as disabled or to access support, the fluctuating nature of their chronic illnesses failed to fit the narrower conceptualisations of disability that institutional systems were often created for. Participants felt that the support systems provided were not designed for liminal conditions, that standard support and adjustments were not always relevant to their needs, and that provision was inconsistent. In conclusion, this mismatch between the needs of chronically ill students and support provision demonstrates that gaps between equality policy and practice exist in UK higher education institutions.