Approximately 97 million people worldwide have disabilities that require alternative communication (AAC) devices for communication support. However, many disabled children do not possess the motor abilities and spelling skills needed to use such devices, leaving them marginalized and unable to benefit from this technology.
Living in Nebraska is often referred to as “the good life” by many of the state’s nearly 2 million residents. But according to a recent review of family needs across the state, that “good life” is more accessible to some than others.
An examination of local, state and national databases by University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers underscores the need to strengthen support for families as a key step toward achieving the state’s economic goals. Their analysis found Nebraska families becoming more diverse and complex, due largely to changes in the demographic makeup of the state’s population in recent decades.
The journey from detention to diploma is a challenging one for students transitioning from expulsion or the juvenile justice system to the classroom.
More than 25,000 youth reside in detention facilities on any given day in the United States. About two-thirds of those youth do not successfully re-engage with school upon their release, due to the lack of effective transition supports.
A few years ago, Michelle Hughes, an audiologist and professor of special education and communication disorders, came across a journal article about an individual who experienced a drug overdose and ended up with sudden hearing loss.
Then she found more articles featuring similar stories. She was fascinated.
In recent years, illnesses, quarantines and school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic have increased emphasis on the importance of instructional time for children’s academic achievement following absences from the classroom.
There is also recent evidence that pandemic school closures disproportionately affected U.S. schools that had students with lower third-grade standardized test scores and higher shares of students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Imagine being locked inside your own body, isolated and struggling to meaningfully connect and communicate with those around you.
Now imagine trying to cope with such isolation as a child.
For children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI), the lack of reliable communication methods has devastating impacts on their quality of life, well-being, medical care and social interactions.
Becoming a teacher is not easy. Along with the required formal education, the process requires plenty of patience, preparation, curiosity and enthusiasm.
One less-apparent ingredient of learning to be a teacher is the ability to navigate the ever-changing landscape of diversity in schools, including socio-economic, racial, linguistic, cultural and other demographic characteristics.
Nearly 28 million children in the U.S. experience childhood adversity — neglect, parental substance abuse, mental illness, racism and bias.
Such hardships cause significant stress to children at crucial stages in their development, putting them at risk for academic difficulties and health and behavioral issues — all of which have consequences into adulthood.
