Journal of Disability Policy Studies current issue

In Memoriam: Craig Fiedler

Rylance, B. J. — 2009-05-05

Alternative Dispute Resolution: A New Agenda for Special Education Policy

Mueller, T. G. — 2009-05-05

The number of due process hearings between parents of children with disabilities and school districts is growing nationwide. This litigation costs millions of dollars and destroys the relationships between the home and school envisioned during the creation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This article provides a discussion of the status of our nation with regard to conflict between families and school districts. Current dispute resolution procedures, such as due process, formal complaints, and mediation, are all discussed as they relate to this growing national problem. Information regarding resolution meetings and alternative dispute resolution strategies are also discussed, as well as recommended structures for practicing appropriate dispute resolution in special education.

Temporary and Partial Disability Programs in Nine Countries: What Can the United States Learn From Other Countries?

Mitra, S. — 2009-05-05

This article reviews and compares disability benefit systems in nine countries—Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, and the United States. It focuses on temporary and partial disability benefit programs and on how such programs may help return persons with disabilities to work. An analysis of the general advantages and disadvantages of temporary and partial disability programs is presented. Specific concerns if such programs were to be implemented in the United States are addressed. Time-limited programs seem to have the potential to improve return to work among persons with disabilities and reduce program costs. Caution is needed in adopting such a program, as implementation would be complex and the employment outcomes of recently adopted time-limited programs overseas are yet to be evaluated. In contrast, the study found that partial disability benefit programs are complex to administer and appear to offer little potential to encourage return to work.

Access and Coordination of Health Care Service for People With Disabilities

Hwang, K., Johnston, M., Tulsky, D., Wood, K., Dyson-Hudson, T., Komaroff, E. — 2009-05-05

Individuals with disabilities often have multiple complex medical and nonmedical needs. Furthermore, in the current facility-directed health care system, they are at enhanced risk of receiving poorly coordinated, suboptimal care. This is especially problematic because individuals with disabilities face multiple barriers to receiving quality health care services, ranging from structural barriers (e.g., physical access to doctors' offices) to procedural barriers (e.g., difficulty scheduling appointments, problems obtaining insurance coverage). By contrast, a consumer-directed approach to health care (distinct from facility-directed health care) can be effectual, cost-effective, and subjectively satisfying. This brief commentary addresses the importance of a consumer-directed approach to the delivery of health care to individuals with disabilities and the need for specific assessments of the experiences of people with disabilities regarding their care. As such, it proposes recommendations for future policy interventions.

Postsecondary Education for Individuals With Disabilities: Legal and Practice Considerations

Katsiyannis, A., Dalun Zhang, , Landmark, L., Reber, A. — 2009-05-05

Participation of students with disabilities in postsecondary education has been increasing steadily in the past two decades. Many of these students need reasonable accommodations and other assistance in order to stay enrolled and graduate with a degree. However, recent studies indicate that faculty in higher education have little knowledge about legislative mandates regarding their obligation in serving students with disabilities. When faculty members are ignorant of the legislative mandates pertaining to students with disabilities, accessibility to learning may be compromised. Lack of disability legislative knowledge may also lead to a failure to provide reasonable accommodations and may ultimately result in litigation. This article provides an overview of legislative mandates, examines relevant litigation, and discusses practice considerations regarding the participation of students with disabilities in postsecondary settings.

From Concentration to Dispersion: The Shift in Policy Approach to Disability Employment in China

Jin Huang, , Baorong Guo, , Bricout, J. C. — 2009-05-05

In China, there has seen a significant increase in the disability employment rate over the past 20 years, largely due to socioeconomic growth factors and disability employment policy development. Extant research has failed to account for the systemic policy and socioeconomic changes that have radically changed the employment landscape for persons with disabilities in China over the past three decades. An examination of disability employment in China reveals a shift of the policy approach from concentration to dispersion. The concentration approach, compatible with a central planned economy, has given its way to its market-based parallel, the dispersion approach. Characteristics of the three main forms of disability employment—welfare enterprises, the quota schemes, and self-employment—are discussed in depth. Finally, modifications to the current disability employment policies are suggested.

Developing Online Community Accessibility Guidelines for Persons With Disabilities and Older Adults

Jaeger, P. T., Bo Xie, — 2009-05-05

As online communities have become an important means of social interaction and community participation, ensuring their universal accessibility is essential for social inclusion. Although accessibility standards have been developed to make information-oriented Web sites more inclusive to users with disabilities and older adults, similar efforts have not been devoted to accessibility standards tailored specifically for online communities that are primarily communication oriented. Existing guidelines for Web site accessibility can be used as the starting point in designing accessible online communities for persons with disabilities and older adults, and public policy needs to play a significant role in ensuring the accessibility of the Web 2.0 environment. To ensure full accessibility of the online environment, however, it is necessary to move beyond guidelines that focus on one-way transfer of information and to develop guidelines for multidirectional communication. This article explores the social, policy, and developmental issues of the accessibility of online communities.