Stigma against mental illness is a complex construct with affective, cognitive, and behavioral components. Beyond its symbolic value, federal law can only directly address one component of stigma: discrimination. This article reviews three landmark antidiscrimination laws that expanded protections over time for individuals with mental illness. Despite these legislative advances, protections are still not uniform for all subpopulations with mental illness. Furthermore, multiple components of stigma (e.g., prejudice) are beyond the reach of legislation, as demonstrated by the phenomenon of label avoidance; individuals may not seek protection from discrimination because of fear of the stigma that may ensue after disclosing their mental illness. To yield the greatest improvements, antidiscrimination laws must be coupled with antistigma programs that directly address other components of stigma.

Addressing public stigma and disparities among persons with mental illness: the role of federal policy.

Assistive Technology is any device, auxiliary aid, or low to high technology tool that allows a user with a disability (cognitive, physical, or neurological) to perform tasks that would be extremely difficult or impossible without the apparatus. Access to assistive technology in schools and public places is an attempt to "level the playing field" for individuals with disabilities by providing them with access to services, education, and employment. Technology support enables individuals with disabilities to complete daily living activities, work successfully, benefit from learning environments, and enjoy leisure time. School librarians can serve in leadership roles for students with autism, their families, and other school professionals by locating assistive technology tools; training teachers, families, and students to use these tools, evaluating the effectiveness of the devices; helping teachers integrate equipment into the school curriculum; monitoring student progress on and satisfaction with the apparatus; and helping teachers modify the curriculum to better support individualized student learning. Introduction Assistive Technology (AT) tools are used frequently by educators in Special Education Programs to expand opportunities for students with disabilities. The 1975 Education for the Handicapped Act (EHA - P. L. 94-142) defined provisions of special and regular education that were appropriate for children with disabilities and guaranteed a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to children with disabilities (Treppa, 1988). It described the need for an individual education plan (IEP), required children to be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE) possible, and supported parental involvement in the education of their children with disabilities. Funding for AT was made available through The Education for the Handicapped Act in 1967 (Sze, 2009). An amendment in 1986 expanded the range of students served. Previously, the needs of students between the ages of 5-21 were addressed; the 1986 amendment made it possible to provide services to younger children ages 0-5 with special needs. Further amendments in 1990 changed the name of the Act to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), extended eligibility to children with autism, and defined assistive technology devices and services that could be included in a student's IEP. An additional amendment in 1997 mandated the use of AT devices and services in the IEP and granted families permission to use devices purchased by the school in the home setting (Sze, 2009; Treppa, 1988). An amendment to IDEA in 2004 defined AT as any device or system that improved, increased, or maintained the functional capability of an individual with a disability (Myles, 2009). This manuscript defines AT, describes some of the characteristics of learners with autism, and explores the leadership role of school librarians in the integration of AT to support students with autism. Findings from an online survey which explored the type of services school librarians provide to students with autism and their knowledge of technology to assist students with autism are presented. Definition of Assistive Technology Assistive Technology includes both non-technical auxiliary aids, mechanical, and electrical devices: dry-erase boards, photo albums, three-ring binders, tape recorders, timers, calculators, voice output devices, scanners, digital cameras, trackballs, augmentative and alternative communication devices, computer software, simulations, and virtual reality. These implements can help an individual with a disability (visual, hearing, cognitive, physical) accomplish a task that would otherwise be impossible, extremely time consuming, or difficult without the tool. In an attempt to create a broad network of access to AT for individuals who are elderly and those with disabilities, The Assistive Technology Act (The Tech Act) of 1998, (P.L. 100-407) was passed. …

Assistive technology and autism: Expanding the technology leadership role of the school librarian

Assistive Technology (AT) has become an important tool used by special needs children for improving their quality of life by empowering their abilities, therefore improving their personal independence. The purpose of this Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study was to closely examine the experiences and meaning-making of parents, of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), using assistive technology. Specifically, this study will examine parental experiences using assistive technology in support of the ASD child, using the frame work of expectancy value theory (Atkinson, 1957) and the tenants of Ardelt and Eccles’s (2001) parental self-efficacy theory to understand the dynamic interplay between the personal, behavioral, and environmental influences (Bandura, 1997). Using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) within the parental expectancy-value theory framework, this study will investigate the following research question: How do parents of autistic children make sense of their experiences with assistive technology? The findings indicate that although parents find value in their everyday use of technology, they do not perceive technology as being critical for their disabled child at home. The findings of this study may lend new meaning and understanding in supporting children’s academic success, while conclusions drawn could be used to inform, create dialogue, and aid in the development of ways to support parents of children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

https://repository.library.northeastern.edu/files/neu:cj82q1878/fulltext.pdf

Parents of Autistic Children and Their Experiences with Assistive Technology.

La ensenanza de un lenguaje extranjero requiere de un aprendizaje constante, practica y esfuerzo hacia el perfeccionamiento del idioma meta, que en este caso es el ingles. Sin embargo, como facilitadores del proceso de ensenanza-aprendizaje de un nuevo idioma, los docentes deben aumentar sus conocimientos y experiencias en el ambito de la educacion inclusiva. Este estudio examina la comprension general y las percepciones de una muestra de diecisiete profesores de ingles de la parroquia Sucre de la ciudad de Cuenca sobre la educacion inclusiva, las necesidades educativas especiales (NEE) y las discapacidades. En consecuencia, esta informacion se recopilo a traves de encuestas y entrevistas aplicadas a docentes de establecimientos tanto publicos como privados. Los hallazgos muestran que, a pesar de la predisposicion de los participantes, la falta de preparacion y conocimiento sobre el tema produce una perspectiva algo negativa hacia la inclusion de estudiantes con NEE asociadas a discapacidades en los contextos educativos regulares.

/pdf/teachers-perceptions-on-inclusive-education-for-high-school-14k903ffnm.pdf

Teachers’ perceptions on inclusive education for high school students with special - education needs associated with disabilities in the EFL classrooms of district two of the Ministry of Education – Cuenca, Ecuador

/pdf/the-education-for-all-handicapped-children-act-trends-and-4jpjc8mj19.pdf

Michael S. Treppa

Papers

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act: Trends and Problems with the "Related Services" Provision