Counseling, Adult and Rehabilitation Education

Leaders in the fields of science, engineering, technology, and math-related learning research have made a number of recommendations in the last two decades on how students learn and how these fields should be taught to maximize student outcomes of learning, critical reasoning development, and facilitating supportive learning communities (eg, Donovan & Bransford, National Research Council, 2005; Druschl, Schwingruber, & Shouse, 2007; National Research Council, 1996; Rutherford & Ahlgren, 1991).

ABSTRACT Based on a sample drawn from the NARCOMS Registry (a national multiple sclerosis research project) and four National Multiple Sclerosis Chapters (N = 3,781), this study examined the impact of severity of multiple sclerosis (MS), employment status, and gender on home and community functioning and confidence in ability to maintain an independent living status. Results from MANOVA analyses indicated that severity, employment, and gender significantly influence level of functioning in home and community, need for home accommodations, and confidence in ability to live independently in the future. When significant, ANOVA findings tended to indicate that unemployed adults with MS, particularly unemployed women with MS, experienced the greatest difficulties. Implications from the study underscore a) the need for a balanced approach to rehabilitation with emphases on both the environment and the person, b) the importance of the subjective meaning of "home" and personal control over one's environment, and c) the priority for services represented by unemployed adults with MS, particularly unemployed women with MS, to enable them to have greater confidence in their ability to maintain an independent living status.

BACKGROUND: Research has clearly demonstrated the relationship between quality of life (QOL) for adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) and selected demographic and illness-related variables. However, this investigation posed a further question: would housing satisfaction variables (e.g., need for accommodations, confidence in ability to live independently and to afford to do so, and level of daily functioning) account for additional variance in the prediction of QOL? OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore the extent to which housing satisfaction variables add to the prediction of QOL among a large sample of Americans with MS. METHOD: Quantitative analysis for the study included descriptive statistics such as means and standard deviations along with backward elimination multiple regression analysis, to determine the extent to which the independent variables, including educational level, employment status, MS status variables, and housing variables, contributed to the overall prediction model for the quality of life of adults with MS. RESULTS: Regression results indicated that housing satisfaction variables, in addition to perceived severity of MS, level of cognitive functioning, number of symptoms, and employment status, were retained in a predictive model of QOL. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest the need to include housing consultation as an important component of the array of medical, vocational, educational, and cognitive rehabilitation strategies provided to adults with MS.

One of the challenges of gaining a broader appreciation of Deaf history is the need to examine the contributions of Deaf people of color. This article summarizes the contributions of black Deaf individuals to the scholarly and public history of the period from the 1980s to the present. We begin with the 1980s since that was the era when the landmark book by Ernest Hairston and Linwood Smith, Black and Deaf in America: Are We That Different? was published and the National Black Deaf Advocates organization was founded. We then progress through the 1990s and 2000s, noting historical developments such as the advancement of black Deaf individuals to key leadership positions, expanded collaborative efforts between Gallaudet University and the black Deaf community, and the growth of black Deaf history scholarship, which addresses a broad spectrum of topics. We conclude that these historical developments, among others, during these three and a half decades gave impetus to the emergence of a dynamic collective of black Deaf scholars, leaders, and artists to further contribute to our understanding and appreciation of Deaf history.

of cultural diversity within the American Deaf community is by collecting and analyzing stories about Deaf people of color. The authors examined biographical profiles in national print and visual media published since 1988. The materials focused on life stories of individuals identified as Deaf persons of color (e.g., Deaf and identified as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian/Alaskan Native). Anecdotes were selected that provided a sociocultural rather than medical or pathological perspective and reflected the featured individual's viewpoint. Four categories of shared experiences emerged: experiences related to overcoming obstacles to educational opportunities, stories about individuals who influenced the direction the featured individual took in life, childhood and family experiences, and experiences relating to stereotypes, cultural conflicts, or discrimination. The authors conclude by discussing lessons and messages derived from the stories. America is not like a blanket-one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt-many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven together by a common thread.

Major findings of a national project on identifjfing standards for the training of interpreters for deaf people are presented. The data produced for this project was based on information collected from two separate national surveys during Summer and Fall, 1987. Selected findings on the student, faculty, and program characteristics of 51 federal and non-federal sponsored interpreter training programs are presented. Attention is then directed to a summary of the opinions of a sample of 403 interpreter educators, interpreting service professionals, and deaf and hearing consumers regarding desirable competencies for interpreter trainees to attain as part of their training. Finally, drawing on selected findings from the project, five (5) recommendations for future action are presented, with focus on the role of federal leadership in support of interpreter training. Introduction Public law 89-333, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1965, opened an important new means for state vocational rehabilitation agencies to improve services for deaf people by authorizing, for the first time, interpreting as a case service for deaf clients. Subsequent legislation (P.L. 93-112, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, P.L. 94-142, the Education of the Handicapped Act, and P.L. 95-602, the Rehabilitation Amendments of 1978) has made clear the intent of Congress to provide access to quality interpreting services for all deaf people who may need such assistance, regardless of their mode of communication. These enactments have created a demand for interpreting services that far exceeded the available supply of interpreters. Recognizing the existence of a chronic shortage of interpreters in the nation. Congress, through P.L. 95-602 (section 304 [d][l]), authorized funding of regional interpreter training programs. This discretionary grant program funded at about $900,000 annually and administered by the Rehabilitation Service Administration (RSA), provides financial support on a five-year grant cycle for up to 12 programs in strategic geographical locations throughout the country. Although the RSA-sponsored regional interpreter training programs were initially authorized in 1980, federal support for interpreter education and training dates back to the mid-1970's. This history of federal leadership and support has been instrumental in facilitating the proliferation of interpreter training programs in

This document contains 24 papers. Keynote addresses were given on the topics of autonomy for deaf adolescents and parent-adolescent dialogue. A section titled "Demographic Profiles of Deaf Adolescents in America" compares students in special schools with mainstreamed students. A section on "Family Intervention and Parent Education" includes three papers that cover preparation for adulthood, treatment of the larger than family system, and rubella babies as parents. "Transition from School to Work" examines transition workshops for parents, the family's role in transition, educational and occupational aspirations/attainments, and employers' perceptions. "Approaches to Sexual Abuse InterventioAs and Suicide Prevention" focuses on treatment of sexual abuse victims, sexual health policies, suicide prevention, and intervention with suicidal adolescents. "Strategies of Enhancing the Social and Emotional Development of Deaf Adolescents" reviews the self-image of deaf adolescents, consciousness-raising with deaf female adolescents, adapting and evaluating social skills curricula, assessing language competence, preventing substance use disorders, and inservice training in residential schools. A section on "Approaches to I.

Produced by Center on Disabilities, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai'i, Frank Sawyer School of Management, Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts and The School of Social Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas for The Society for Disability Studies