Contextual factors affecting inclusion during children's transitions from preschool to school.
THE TRANSITION FROM preschool to school is an opportune time to investigate the process of inclusion, as this marks entry into the formal education system. Few empirical studies have focused on how children with impairments experience the transition to school. Those available indicate that the stresses surrounding transitions for...

Building design and the lived experience of people with Neurodegenerative disorders in Western Australia.
Abstract: People with neurodegenerative disorders (NDD) who live in and want to remain in the community often have to modify their home or move to a new home to accommodate their changing needs. This paper examines the home environment as experienced by people with NDD, in terms of Lawton's...

Disability, society, and the individual. (In Review).
Julie Smart Aspen Publishers, Inc. Gaithersburg, MD 2001, 357 pages, $49.00, soft cover One of the challenges an individual encounters in reviewing any textbook is to comprehensively and yet succinctly provide the reader with a "preview" of an upcoming attraction. Disability, Society, and the Individual is an...

Ethnic disproportionality in students with autism spectrum disorders.
Introduction Originally described by Leo Kanner (1943) and recognized as a special education eligibility category by the U.S. Department of Education in 1990 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA], 1990), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in reciprocal social interactions, communication, and interests and behaviors...

Material hardship in U.S. families raising children with disabilities.
In the United States, children with disabilities are significantly more likely to live in families that are considered to be poor. Fujiura and Yamaki (2000) found that 28% of U.S. children with disabilities lived below the federal poverty threshold, as contrasted with 16% of children without disabilities. The federal...

The road to empowerment: a historical perspective on the medicalization of disability.
ABSTRACT The aims of this paper are to analyze the role of medical and health professions in creating and establishing the disability category. We also explore how the diagnosis, measurement, and treatment of disability have contributed to stigmatization and promoted social, political and economic inequality. Theories from...

Negotiating the dependency/nurturance tightrope: dilemmas of motherhood and disability *.
WESTERN NORMS CONCERNING MOTHERHOOD AND FEMINITY offer women a tightrope upon which to balance dependency and nurturance. On the one hand, these norms imply that good women should be dependent, so long as that dependency is evidenced through a relationship with a male provider (Fraser and Gordon, 1994). On...

Emotion-focused coping: a primary defense against stress for people living with spinal cord injury.
People living with spinal cord injuries (PWSCI) routinely encounter a variety of stressors. In addition to stressors realized by their able-bodied peers, they experience disability-related problems and stress. According to Livneh and Sherwood (1991), disability-related stress can come from threats to (a) life and well-being; (b) body integrity; (c)...

Quality of life assessment in the measurement of rehabilitation outcome.
This article provides a review of the current status of the quality of life (QOL) construct and its application in the measurement of rehabilitation outcomes for people with disabilities. Demonstrating positive outcomes of rehabilitation services and interventions is a primary concern in rehabilitation in the current environment of accountability....

Starting kindergarten: transition issues for children with special needs.
To investigate issues in transition to kindergarten for children with special needs, we explored several sources of information (peer-reviewed literature, government websites, parent surveys, and interviews with professionals). We found that administrative issues like lack of integration and the evaluation of services available to children and families, and parent...