Laurie E. Powers

Multicultural Aspects of Parent Involvement in Transition Planning

This study surveyed 308 African-American, Hispanic-American, Native-American and European-American parents to assess their level of participation in various transition planning activities and how important each activity was to them. In addition, 52 school professionals completed a parallel survey of their perceptions toward parent participation. Analyses indicate that culturally and linguistically diverse parents are active in the transition process and, in some instances, their level of reported participation surpassed that of European-American parents. In contrast, professionals described culturally and linguistically diverse parents as less involved than European-American parents in the majority of transition activities. The results are discussed in terms of how the participation of culturally and linguistically diverse parents can be better supported and the importance of transition planning extending beyond school to include other life domains.

“Bring My Scooter So I Can Leave You” A Study of Disabled Women Handling Abuse by Personal Assistance Providers

This study investigated the perceptions and experiences of women with physical and cognitive disabilities related to abuse by formal and informal personal assistance providers. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted with 72 women to explore how women define personal assistance abuse, the barriers they face in handling abuse, and strategies they recommend to prevent and/or stop abuse. Key themes that emerged included (a) the role of social and personal boundary confusion and power dynamics within the personal assistance services relationship; (b) expanded forms of abuse experienced by women with disabilities; (c) the complexity of using family and friends as providers; (d) personal, social, and systemic barriers that impede womens response to abuse; and (e) the benefits of supports that validate womens experiences and bolster their capacities to prevent and manage abuse. Findings suggested that, with experience, support, and appropriate resources, women with disabilities can effectively manage this challenge.

TAKE CHARGE for the Future: A Controlled Field-Test of a Model to Promote Student Involvement in Transition Planning:

This study investigated the efficacy of an intervention model to promote student involvement in transition planning. The intervention included the coaching of youths in the application of student-directed planning skills to achieve transition goals, peer-based mentorship and parent support, and in-service education for school transition staff. An independent groups, repeated measures design was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention with 43 youth who experienced diverse disabilities. Results indicated that students in the treatment group demonstrated significant increases in their involvement in transition planning activities, empowerment, transition awareness, and level of participation in transition planning meetings compared with youths in the wait-list or control group. Implications of these findings are discussed and the need for additional research emphasized.

Transition Goals and Experiences of Females with Disabilities: Youth, Parents, and Professionals

This study examined the influence of gender on the transition goals and experiences of female students with disabilities. Data were gathered from 146 participants, including female youth with disabilities (n = 67), parents of young women with disabilities (n = 34), and professionals who work with them (n = 45). Findings suggest that females with disabilities have unique experiences related to (a) type of transition goals established for them; (b) factors that shape these transition goals, such as self-perception, mentors, peers, family, and exposure to opportunities; (c) sources of support and impediments to transition to adulthood, such as special education personnel and programs; and (d) contextual issues, such as cultural and linguistic diversity. Practice and future research implications are discussed.

Participatory Action Research: Reflections on Critical Incidents in a PAR Project

This article describes a participatory action research (PAR) project designed to evaluate Parent to Parent programs in five states in the United States. The PAR team consisted of two groups: 1) parent leaders of programs that create one-to-one matches between help-seeking parents of children with disabilities and volunteer supporting parents and 2) university-based researchers. Based on a narrative record of the project, critical incidents are presented along with reflections of factors that contributed to the success of the project overall. The project successfully gathered evaluative data about Parent to Parent self-help programs. Results of both the PAR project and the study it created are presented. A process of developing a shared understanding of the programs and of the purposes for evaluating them, along with an on-going willingness of parents and researchers to compromise, led to creative solutions to difficulties that arose in meeting the needs of researchers and parents. As a result of the project, published data from a controlled experimental study are now available showing that Parent to Parent assisted parents in developing more positive views of their circumstances and a stronger sense of efficacy in coping with family and child challenges. Interviews indicated some of the reasons why Parent to Parent succeeds and fails. The study also revealed operational problems in the programs that were previously unrecognized. As a result of the project, the participating programs have made several changes to improve their services and they have begun to use the research data to support their legitimacy to funders and to expand their services to new populations.

Understanding and Promoting the Transition of Minority Adolescents

Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were used to investigate the barriers minority families encountered as their adolescent youth with disabilities move into adulthood and to identify what issues or goals are most important to families during this time of transition. The qualitative study consisted of focus groups or interviews with adolescents and their family members from Native American, African American and Hispanic communities. The transcripts were coded by a multicultural research team. The analysis of the coding revealed seven key themes: (a) insensitivity/discrimination; (b) lack of accommodations; (c) unresponsive services/supports; (d) typical adolescent issues; (e) contextual barriers; (f) desire for optimum capability and (g) the importance of family and family values. A survey designed to corroborate the findings of the qualitative study was completed by 308 African American, Hispanic, Native American and Euro-American parents who rated the extent to which certain barriers, experiences or issues around transition were true for their child. The quantitative results were generally consistent with the qualitative findings, suggesting that minority adolescents, overall, appear to encounter greater barriers to transition than do their nonminority peers.

A comparison of two psychosocial interventions for parents of children with acquired brain injury: An exploratory study

Parents of children with acquired brain injury experience severe stress. Many experience periods of emotional distress related to their childs injury and its sequelae. This study compared two kinds of support groups for parents of children with sequelae of severe brain injury. One group participated in a psychoeducational stress management program that emphasized instruction in coping skills and group discussions of coping efforts. The program included regular homework assignments, practice exercises, and follow-up discussions of the use of skills. The second group was an informational support group. Parents identified topics that they wanted to discuss and were also encouraged to share their feelings with group members. The impact of the two groups was measured with standardized self-report measures of depression and anxiety. Parents in the stress management group experienced significant reductions in depressive and anxious symptoms. Parents in the informational and sharing group, as a group, showed increases in depressive and anxious symptoms.

Development of an Abuse Screening Tool for Women with Disabilities

Abstract Women with disabilities are at increased risk for violence, including forms of abuse that can be experienced by all women as well as forms unique to women with disabilities, such as abuse by personal assistants. The purpose of this study was to develop an abuse-screening tool unique to women with disabilities. The tool, which was based on previous research, was field-tested with 47 women who experienced physical and/or cognitive disabilities. Final refinement of the tools wording and formatting was accomplished through focus groups and individual interviews. Women with disabilities were receptive to participating in screening, which facilitated the identification of abuse and risk factors. Recommendations for abuse screening and risk assessment with women who have disabilities are presented.

Disabilities and Health Toward a National Agenda for Research

The authors believe that a coordinated national agenda on health and wellness research regarding persons with disabilities that (a) focuses disparate national efforts and (b) advances a unified holistic model is needed. They propose a framework for such an agenda that includes five core principles and six issue areas, with recommendations. The five principles address good health as a normative expectation, a theory-driven knowledge base, heterogeneity of the disability experience, translation of research to practice, and coordinated research. Funding entities, scientific researchers, and disability communities must begin working with an integrated conceptualization of disability; facilitating diagnostic-specific and cross-disability research; recognizing diversity within the disability population; promoting opportunity, accessibility, and accountability; prioritizing application of research into practice; and coordinating research agendas among funding entities. It concludes with identifying key responsibilities for funding entities, researchers, and disability advocacy organizations and persons with disabilities.

Leadership by People with Disabilities in Self-Determination Systems Change

People with disabilities have been in the forefront of advancing self-determination services and policies. This article discusses the involvement of individuals in person-directed services and the roles of individual leaders with disabilities and disability organizations led by people with disabilities in shaping policies and systems. Findings from 3 surveys of the involvement of individuals with disabilities in disability organizations and agencies are presented. Cross-disability principles for self-determination and recommendations for promoting disability leadership are discussed. Advancing leadership requires supporting the development of individual leaders with disabilities, building the capacities of organizations led by people with disabilities, and encouraging cross-disability partnerships.