Developing and validating a scale to measure trauma-informed practices used by teachers in inclusive schools in Ghana and the United Arab Emirates.

Research on trauma-informed practices is common in Western countries, but non-Western countries have made minimal contributions in this regard. This study aimed to develop an instrument which could be used to measure perceived competence of teachers in the implementation of trauma-informed practices for students with disabilities in Ghana and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Teacher Trauma Management Scale (TTMS), developed using the trauma framework by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration was used to collect data from 514 teachers in Ghana (n 270) and the UAE (n = 244). Data were subjected to confirmatory factor analysis) and a two-way factorial analysis of variance was conducted. While one hypothesis was supported by the study findings, the other was only partially supported. The findings provided theoretical and structural support for the newly developed TTMS in a non-Western context. This study highlights the need to develop contextual trauma management training models or a curriculum for training teachers.

Accommodating and supporting students with disability in the context of nursing clinical placements: A collaborative action research.

AIM/OBJECTIVE: To examine issues and challenges encountered by university and clinical milieus in addressing the needs of students with disability during their clinical placements; and to identify existing or potential accommodation and support measures to address the challenges encountered. BACKGROUND: The influx of students with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder [with or without hyperactivity], mental health disorders or on the autism spectrum has caused an increase in the number of students with disabilities of more than 900% in universities in the past decade. This increase is causing added pressures to both the academic services providing student assistance and the personnel responsible for these students' clinical placements. While several studies have focused on measures designed to accommodate students with disabilities during their theoretical courses, only a small number worldwide have focused on student accommodation and support in the context of clinical placements. In the current paper, strategies highlighted in these studies were grouped under three categories: prior, during and post clinical placements. DESIGN: Collaborative action research conducted amidst three learning communities. METHODS: The larger study included learning communities from three disciplines: education, social work and nursing. Three tools helped guide the discussions: 1) brainstorming and classification tool; 2) contribution and feasibility tool; and 3) carrousel tool. The current study focusses solely on the findings from the five meetings of the nursing learning community (n = 14 participants). RESULTS: Six categories of challenges were documented: 1) Poor writing skills; 2) Difficulty adapting to clinical milieus; 3) Difficulty linking theory with practice and setting priorities; 4) Difficulty managing specific and situational needs; 5) Issues with interpersonal skills and overall attitude; and 6) Challenges pertaining to students' professional responsibility to disclose their condition. Several accommodation and support measures were identified for each set of challenges and were also grouped under three categories: prior, during and post clinical placements. CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed that the issues identified could in fact be faced by any students, albeit their impact and complexity increased considerably when dealing with students with disability. It brought to light that the implementation of some of the measures identified will require changes to the structure of nursing programs. It also highlighted the ever-growing complexity of the clinical instructor role and the fact that clinical instructors do not always feel adequately prepared to support students with disability.

Docencia universitaria y estudiantes con discapacidad: cuestiones sobre accesibilidad y adaptación en el estudio / University teaching and students with disabilities: questions about accessibility and adaptation in the study

Este trabajo aborda la discapacidad en el contexto universitario, desde la adecuación a las necesidades y características de la persona. Esta mirada busca que quienes presenten necesidades especiales asociadas a la discapacidad, dispongan de los medios, apoyos y recursos suficientes para asegurar la igualdad real y efectiva de oportunidades dentro de la comunidad universitaria. De acuerdo con ese objetivo, con este artículo se pretende generar una reflexión en el docente universitario, sobre las cuestiones de accesibilidad y adaptación -como aspectos básicos- en la atención a su alumnado con discapacidad. Estos aspectos se relacionan con la búsqueda de desarrollo tecnológico, formativo y personal-social, propio de una Universidad abierta a la sociedad, apuntando hacia valores de normalización, integración e inclusión. En una primera parte, se tratan generalidades sobre el desarrollo tecnológico y usuarios con discapacidad, para pasar a una segunda en la que se abordan cuestiones de la accesibilidad y la discapacidad, continuando con su concreción en el currículum universitario del alumnado con discapacidad.

This work addresses disability in the higher education context, in terms of reasonable and achievable adjustments related to the individual's needs and features. This approach aims to ensure assistive technology, support, and resources as means to guarantee real and effective access to equal opportunities for those members that may present special needs, due to their disability situation, within the university community. Therefore, this paper attempts to generate a reflection for university lecturers about accessibility and adaptation, as basic aspects in their duty of supporting disabled students. These aspects are directly related to technological, educational and socio-personal development, present in those higher education institutions open to society and oriented to values such as integration and inclusion. In the first place, some general information is provided about technological development and users with disabilities. In the second place, certain aspects related to accessibility and disability are addressed, and their materialization in the university curriculum of disabled students.

A Concepção de Deficiência na Política de Educação Especial Brasileira (1973-2016) / The Concept of Disability in the Brazilian Special Education Policy (1973-2016)

RESUMO: o estudo teve como objetivo principal identificar e analisar a concepção de deficiência e os fundamentos teóricos que embasam as políticas públicas de Educação Especial no Brasil (1973-2016) para os alunos do Ensino Fundamental. Analisamos os documentos normativos e orientadores das políticas de Educação Especial, identificando a forma como é definido o público-alvo nas políticas, bem como as justificativas técnicas, teóricas e políticas para essa definição. A investigação foi desenvolvida por meio de análise documental de fontes nacionais e internacionais e está sustentada nos pressupostos teóricos e metodológicos do materialismo histórico e dialético, explicitando os conflitos que representam as forças sociais em disputa num movimento de contradição dialética. Dessa análise, depreendemos que a concepção de deficiência presente nas políticas educacionais, desde a década de 1970 até os dias atuais, se mantém dentro de uma perspectiva tecnicista e funcionalista. Todavia, esse tecnicismo foi sendo reconfigurado com outros discursos nos períodos analisados. A análise permitiu perceber que não há ruptura com uma perspectiva baseada na dicotomia entre normal e patológico e não há mudança da racionalidade hegemônica da concepção de deficiência, mas há variações de estratégias para justifica-las. O princípio do normal e patológico, que estava presente na racionalidade moderna, foi redefinido numa perspectiva pós-moderna. Assim, temos, hoje, o normal e o patológico definidos em termos de diferença e diversidade ou multiplicidade cultural como algo que enriquece o ser humano.

ABSTRACT: The study aimed to identify and analyze the concept of disability and the theoretical grounds that support the public policies for Special Education in Brazil (1973-2016) for elementary school students. We analyzed the Special Education policies normative and guiding documents, identifying how the target audience is defined in policies as well as the technical, theoretical and political justifications for this definition. The research was developed through document analysis of national and international sources and is supported by the theoretical and methodological assumptions of the historical and dialectical materialism, explaining the conflicts that represent social forces in dispute in a movement of dialectical contradiction. From this analysis, we can deduce that the concept of disability, from the 1970s to present days, is maintained within a technical and functional perspective. Nevertheless, this technicality has been reconfigured with other discourses along the analyzed periods. The study revealed that there is no rupture with an approach based on the dichotomy between normal and pathological, and there is no change of the hegemonic rationality of the conception of disability, but there are variations in the strategies to justify them. The principle of normal and pathological, which was present in the modern rationality, was redefined in a postmodern perspective. Thus, today, we have the normal and pathological defined in terms of difference and diversity or cultural diversity as something that enriches human beings.

Inserção de alunos com deficiência no ensino regular: perfil da cidade de Marília / Inclusion of students with disabilities in regular school: profile of the city of Marília

Objetivou-se com esse estudo identificar o perfil de professores de ensino regular da cidade de Marília que tinham alunos com deficiências matriculados em suas salas de aula, bem como o perfil da clientela atendida por estes professores. Participaram do estudo 68 professores da cidade de Marília - SP que tinham alunos com deficiência matriculados em suas salas. O instrumento de coleta de dados utilizado foi um questionário contendo 13 questões divididas em 2 partes: 1) identificação dos participantes e 2) identificação dos alunos com deficiência. Os dados colhidos nos questionários foram submetidos à análise da freqüência absoluta e relativa. Foram identificadas 10 categorias. De acordo com os resultados dessa pesquisa, concluiu-se que a inserção do aluno com deficiência no ensino regular ocorre com a modificação da formação que favorece ao profissional o conhecimento e a compreensão das distintas formas de aprendizagem do seu alunado, a fim de estruturar sua própria prática pedagógica para atender, com qualidade, a diversidade.

The aim of this study was to identify the profile of regular school teachers of Marília-SP, who have students with disabilities registered in their classrooms, as well as to identify the clientele these teachers were working with. Sixty eight teachers participated in the study in the city of Marília - SP, all of whom had students with disabilities in their classrooms. The instrument used to collect data was a questionnaire with 13 questions divided in 2 parts: 1) identification of participants and 2) identification of students with disabilities. The data was submitted to analysis of absolute and relative frequency. Ten categories were identified. We were able to conclude, based on the results of the study, that the inclusion of students with disabilities in regular school occurs due to changes in teacher development that enable professionals to acquire knowledge and understanding of the distinct ways in which their students learn. Such knowledge helps them to be better structure their pedagogical practice so as to answer to student diversity with quality teaching.