Case study methodology was used in combination with a participatory action research (PAR) approach to examine the process of redesigning one high school science course to incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and to promote access to the general curriculum. The participants included one general education teacher and two special education teachers. Two sections of the course were targeted for redesign. Each section included students with disabilities (mild, severe) and without disabilities. The redesign process involved changes to the course in the areas of curriculum, instructional delivery/organization of learning environments, student participation, materials, and assessment. Data were collected across one school year through documents, interviews, and focus groups and were analyzed qualitatively using a constant comparative method. DESCRIPTORS: participatory action research, universal design for learning, general education curriculum Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997, 2004) require schools to provide services that enable all students with disabilities to participate and progress in the general curriculum. The law does not define where access should be provided or who is qualified to provide access (Dymond & Orelove, 2001). One potential option is for students to obtain access in the high school general education classroom. Dymond, Renzaglia, Gilson, and Slagor (in press) found that 96% of the general and special educators at one high school believed students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD) should access the general curriculum in general education classrooms whereas only 56% believed access should occur in a special education
Tompkins-McCaw Library of Virginia Commonwealth University has planned and implemented four one-year outreach service projects during the past two years. These projects were funded by the National Library of Medicine and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine Southeastern/Atlantic Region. The projects focus on information access for public health nurses, HIV/AIDS information access, and circuit librarian services in rural Southern Virginia. This article documents issues and challenges which have been identified from these projects and suggests ways to resolve them.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.