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This study explored factors that impact telehealth service utilization for treatment of African Americans with disabilities with opioid use disorder in rural communities. A focus group was conducted involving 12 different mental health, substance use, and rehabilitation counseling professionals. The analysis was completed using NVivo (Version 12). The results identified critical barriers that included historical distrust of technology and healthcare systems, digital divide/unavailability of Internet modems, fear of losing confidentiality, and agency non-approval. The benefits were improved communication, reduction of stigma, continuity of care, and convenience of collaboration. The findings indicate the need for additional research in this topic area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provided a comprehensive overview of challenges that African Americans with disabilities residing in rural areas often face in the United States when accessing telehealth treatment to mitigate opioid misuse. A scoping literature review was conducted focusing on this target population, telehealth, disabilities, opioid treatment, and rural healthcare systems. Systematic searches on eight electronic databases were carried out in line with the study's aims. The results identified treatment benefits and advantages, expansion challenges, and multicultural considerations for telehealth delivery. There may be a need to increase rehabilitation research in this area to inform needed changes in policies and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Article explores the intersection of race and disability in the context of employment discrimination, arguing that people of color with disabilities can and should obtain more robust relief for their harms by asserting intersectional discrimination claims. Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw first articulated the intersectionality framework by explaining that Black women can experience a form of discrimination distinct from that experienced by White women or Black men, that is, they may face discrimination as Black women due to the intersection of their race and gender. Likewise, people of color with disabilities can experience discrimination distinct from that felt by people of color without disabilities or by White people with disabilities due to the intersection of their race and disability. Yet often our legal and cultural institutions have been reluctant to acknowledge the intersectional experience, preferring instead to understand people by a singular trait like their race, gender, or disability. While courts have recognized the validity of intersectional discrimination claims, they have offered little guidance on how to articulate and prove the claims, leaving compound and complex forms of discrimination unaddressed. This Article thus offers an analysis of how courts and litigants should evaluate claims of workplace discrimination based on the intersection of race and disability, highlighting in particular the experience of Black disabled individuals. Only by fully embracing intersectionality analysis can we realize the potential of antidiscrimination law to remedy the harms of those most at risk of being denied equal opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disproportionate placement of racial minorities and males into special education for learning disabilities (LDs) raises concerns that classifications occur inaccurately or inequitably. This study uses data from the Education Longitudinal Survey of 2002 to investigate the social etiology of LD classifications that persist into adolescence. Findings suggest the overclassification of racial minorities is largely consistent with (clinically relevant) differences in educational performance. Classifications may occur inconsistently or subjectively, with clinically irrelevant qualities like school characteristics and linguistic-immigration history independently predictive of disability classification. Finally, classifications may be partially biased, with male overclassification largely unexplained by this study’s measures and racial minorities’ risk of classification increased in schools with fewer minorities (the latter not statistically significant). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

* Families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds are found to be passively involved in transition planning and decision-making. * The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA, 2004) stressed the need to reduce disproportionality and increased secondary transition requirements. The purpose of this article is to provide a research synthesis of CLD family involvement in the transition process. * Barriers of CLD parental involvement are identified. Recommendations for policymakers, school administrators, and teachers are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many children adopted from the public child welfare system have special needs, little is known about the experiences of African American adopted children with disabilities and their families. The purpose of this study is to explore different categories of disabilities, including chronic health issues; emotional, mental, or behavioral (EMB) disorders; and intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) on adoption outcomes in a sample of African American children. Data were from the Post-Permanency Round II Survey collected in 2008. A random sample of 412 adoptive parents or legal guardians self-reported their children's disability diagnoses and family caregiving experiences. Hierarchical regression modelling was used to investigate the relationship between child disability and child and parental outcomes. Results indicated that chronic health issues ( β = .10, p < .05), EMB disorders ( β = .16, p < .01), and IDDs ( β = .12, p < .05) were positively associated with parental burden. In addition, asthma ( β = .10, p < .05), from the larger physical health issue category, was also associated with parental burden. However, none of the disability categories was significantly related with caregiver commitment or adoption dissolution. Future research should disentangle the definitions of special needs or disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we offer a critical (crip) (re)reading of Rebecca Skloot's book, "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" to foreground the complex ways in which disability as a central organizing logic intersects with race, class, and gender to animate a "haunting" narrative. By centering Elsie's narrative, we call upon disability studies scholars to continue to engage in the project of dismantling ableist, capitalist, white supremacy. As such we privilege intersectionality as a critical framework in engaging disability at the intersections of race, class, and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns regarding the overrepresentation of minority groups, particularly African Americans, in special education date back many years. While practices such as culturally responsive teaching and response to intervention have been implemented to combat the erroneous placement of students in special education programs, an important focus that remains is the academic progress and postsecondary outcomes for African American students placed in special education programs. To increase the number of African American students with disabilities (SWDs) who successfully pursue postsecondary education at the college or university level, taking a step back and focusing on factors that have led to the success of school-aged African American SWDs is important. In an attempt to counter the vast amount of negative information found in current literature regarding African Americans in special education, this study highlights two African American high school SWDs who have demonstrated academic success. Teachers who work closely with the students, the parents of the two students, and the students themselves were interviewed and observed to gain insight about factors they attribute to each student's academic success. Upon transcribing and analyzing interview data, three key themes emerged: (a) expectations, (b) support, and (c) organization. This article discusses these findings and also describes other noteworthy findings, including a spirit of teamwork among the individuals and the practice of inclusion as an important factor in each student's academic success. Finally, the authors discuss limitations of the study along with implications for future research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to present the academic experiences and perspectives of undergraduate African American male students labeled with disabilities. This study was intended to investigate an underexplored area that crosses the boundaries of ethnicity, disability, and postsecondary education. The students' reflections offer three key findings: (a) a disability label often leads to lower expectations and negative academic stereotypes; (b) students actively develop counternarratives to thwart the internalization of negative stereotypes; and (c) attendance at a historically Black university can assist students in the development of a self-identity that counters ideologies of African American as intellectually inferiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents literary criticism of the books "Up From Slavery" by Booker T. Washington, "A Slave Girl's Story: Being an Autobiography" by Kate Drumgold, and "Shadow and Sunshine" by Eliza Suggs. It explores the role of concepts of disability in 19th- and 20th-century formations of black subjectivity and in the ideology of racial uplift. Topics discuss interdependence citizenship, and autonomy.

This article conceptually examines constructions of disability within 3 philosophical models including the implications of these constructions on the author's experiences of negotiating and mediating familial and educational contexts as a deaf African American female. Following the introduction, the first section entitled The Religious Model: Blackness and Disability as Manifestations of Past Sins highlights biblical representations of people with disabilities within the historical, social, and cultural contexts of blackness. The second section entitled The Medical Model and the Overrepresentation of African Americans in Special Education is a continuation of her experiences as a deaf African American female but within educational contexts. The author discusses the influence of the Medical Model on the over-diagnosis of Black children in special education. The third section entitled The Social Model and Intercontextuality provides an examination of possibilities offered by the Social Model for African Americans with disabilities particular in regards to intersectionality and contextuality. The concluding section entitled Spirituality as Leadership: Disability as a Blessing in Disguise includes an examination of spirituality as an epistemological, subjective, and “in-motional” space through and in which contradictions, exaltations, and complexities of being an African American person with a disability is navigated, embraced, rejected, and redefined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors reviewed the overrepresentation research published between 1968 and 2006 to answer two questions: (a) What are the characteristics of overrepresentation studies? (b) How do studies frame the problem? Systematic procedures were used to search four international databases, and criteria were applied to identify relevant studies. Findings suggest that overrepresentation research has been mostly published in special education journals, the number of studies has increased over time (particularly since 2000), most overrepresentation research focused on the learning disabilities category and on African Americans, and most studies used quantitative designs. Overrepresentation research has been framed in three ways: a sociodemographic model in which characteristics of individuals and contexts are examined, a critical perspective in which power issues related to race are addressed, and a framework that examines the role of various professional practices in the creation and maintenance of overrepresentation. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper was to determine the relationship between race, perceptions of racism and disability on life satisfaction. Data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) examined through chi square and regression analysis found that African Americans with disabilities and without disabilities show a stronger relationship between dissatisfaction with life and perceived racism in the work and health care settings than Caucasians. Other issues such as lower employment and income contribute to dissatisfaction with life significantly more for African Americans. Regression analysis showed that having a disability and perceived racism decreased the likelihood of life satisfaction. These results have implications for rehabilitation professionals who need to consider not only disability, but race when working with clients to achieve an increase in life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a larger study, this article is based on the findings of individual interviews and biographical questionnaires conducted with 10 African American males in special education. These students attended two low-performing, urban high schools located in the midwestern part of the United States. Using critical race theory as the theoretical framework, this article focuses on these students' perceptions of school counselors and their attitudes toward school counseling services. Implications, based on the findings, are given to school counselors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate lifetime and 12-month prevalence of 13 psychiatric disorders for older African Americans. Methods: Data are from the older African American subsample of the National Survey of American Life. Selected measures of lifetime and 12-month Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) psychiatric disorders were examined (i.e., panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder, dysthymia, bipolar I and II disorders, alcohol abuse/dependence, and drug abuse/ dependence). Results: Twenty-three percent of older African Americans reported at least one lifetime disorder and 8.54% reported at least one 12-month disorder. Alcohol abuse, PTSD, and major depression were the most prevalent lifetime disorders. The most prevalent 12-month disorders were PTSD, major depression, and social phobia. Age, sex, education, and region were significantly associated with the odds of having a lifetime disorder. Conclusion: This is the first study of prevalence rates of serious mental disorders for older African Americans based on a national sample. Demographic correlates of the prevalence of disorders are discussed with an emphasis on age and regional differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. We examined 4-year lower extremity disability trajectories. Methods. Nine hundred ninety-eight African American men and women 49-65 years old were evaluated at baseline and at four annual follow-ups. Lower extremity disability was the number of difficulties with nine standard activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADLs (IADL), and lower body function items. Mixed-effect models were used. Results. The 9-item lower extremity disability measure had factorial validity and high reliability (α > 0.88). The mean baseline lower extremity disability score was 2.43, and at the subsequent follow-ups it was 2.23, 2.35, 2.60, and 2.70. The mixed-effect model included significant random intercept and aging effects. Fixed factors with the largest effect sizes (all p ≤ .001) were physical performance (-0.238 lower extremity disabilities per point on the Short Physical Performance Battery [SPPB]), fear of falling (1.094), poor or fair self-rated health (0.735), self-reported arthritis (0.659), clinically relevant levels of depression symptoms (0.641), body mass index (0.047 per kg/m² unit), aging (0.082 per year), and asthma (0.558). Conclusions. To improve lower extremity disability trajectories among African Americans, interventions should focus on improving SPPB scores. In addition, fear of falling, poor or fair self-rated health, and clinically relevant levels of depression symptoms should be considered potential intervention candidates warranting further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African American youths are often overrepresented in programs for the mentally retarded. Possible explanations for this phenomenon include stereotypes related to abilities, different social and educational environments, and problems of instrumentation used in identifying mental retardation. This study reviewed the files of all first- through fifth-grade students in a large midwestern city who had already been identified as mentally retarded and placed in special education in order to determine how often that district's own criteria for placement were precisely met, and, when they were not, the reasons for the deviations. Findings show a significant difference in the rates of placement using precise criteria between African American and white students. In addition, significant differences were also found in the rationale for the placement where precise criteria were not followed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To study the prevalence of ocular manifestations in African American and Caucasian patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis at the initial ophthalmic examination and to determine the relationship between angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) levels, chest x-ray findings, and ocular signs of sarcoidosis. Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study. Participants: Eighty-one consecutive patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis seen at the Doheny Eye Institute from January 1989 through April 2005. Methods: Medical records were reviewed to obtain demographic data, biopsy site, initial ocular findings, pulmonary symptoms, and results of serum ACE levels and chest x-rays. Associations between ACE level/chest x-ray stages and ocular manifestations related to sarcoidosis were obtained from these data. Main Outcome Measures: Ocular manifestations related to sarcoidosis. Results: Of the 81 patients, 35 were Caucasian; 29 were African American; and the remaining 17 were Hispanic, Asian Indian, and other races. Female patients were older than males (P = 0.05). Sixty-five (80%) of the 81 patients had ocular manifestations related to sarcoidosis. Thirty-three patients (40.7%) had uveitis, 12 (14.8%) had adnexal granulomas, and 25 (30.8%) had keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Of the 33 patients with uveitis, 22 presented with nongranulomatous inflammation. There was no significant association between ocular manifestations related to sarcoidosis and serum ACE levels (P = 0.43) or chest x-ray stage (P>0.99). Of the 29 African American patients, 26 (89.7%) had ocular manifestations related to sarcoidosis, compared with 24 (68.6%) of the 35 Caucasians (P = 0.12). The African American patients were younger (mean age, 44.4 years) than the Caucasian patients (mean age, 52.0) (P = 0.003) and had higher mean ACE levels (P = 0.003). A significantly high proportion of African American males presented with uveitis (P = 0.005), and a significantly high proportion of African American females presented with adnexal granulomas (P = 0.05). Conclusions: The present study reveals that patients with sarcoidosis can present initially with clinical features of nongranulomatous uveitis. Relative to Caucasians, African American patients with sarcoidosis tend to be younger when they first present to the ophthalmologist and to present with uveitis and/or adnexal granuloma. Serum ACE levels and chest x-ray stages may not help predict the occurrence of ocular changes in sarcoidosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article discusses the critical study of the portrayal of disabilities in African American literature. The role of African Americans suffering from melancholia, a disabling mental or emotional condition, is also discussed. Contemporary African American literature claims melancholia as a means of political empowerment while holding the white racist system responsible for the emergence of the condition. There is little information about a link between disability studies and the mental disabilities exhibited by characters in African American literature.

This essay explores the issues of disability, race, and gender as presented in "Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom," an narrative of their escape from slavery in the United States by William and Ellen Craft. Ellen Craft and her husband escaped by traveling to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania disguised as an invalid white gentleman and his valet. Although the Crafts described the use of the feigned disability, most academics who review the narrative, don't explore the implications of disability and race as American social identities. Disability is an identity that is usually associated with white, upper-class people.

This article presents an introduction to the topics explored by the articles contained in the September 2006 issue of "MELUS." The authors mention that the introduction of disability studies into the fields of humanities and cultural studies has taken disability from the control of medical science and has helped to expand the understanding of the world of those with disabilities. Ethnic studies have long considered race as it relates to gender, class, sexuality, and more, but there is very little work on the relation of race/ethnicity and disability.

Because there is a high incidence of work-related disabilities in the African American community, which is due to several factors, African Americans are likely to be recipients of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. In this article, the author reviews SSDI policies and examines cultural variables specific to African Americans that may negate return-to-work incentives. Social cognitive theory is offered as a framework for understanding behavioral responses of African Americans concerning various work incentives, particularly those embodied in the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TTW-WIIA). The author offers suggestions for policy revisions and recommendations for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents information on the incidence and causes of substance abuse and disabilities in Black women, identifying common problems and risks. Drug abuse is technically a disability; however, there is little in the literature that jointly addresses issues of drug addiction and disability. Black women are the second largest group of women with disabilities and one of the largest groups to suffer the consequences of drag use such as HIV/AIDS, a rising source of disability highly correlated with drag abuse. Psychiatric co-morbidities related to disabilities and drag abuse are identified. Implications for research and treatment are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African American women are at increased risk for disabilities. There is very little information available, however, regarding psychological interventions with African American women with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to discuss psychological intervention in working with African American women with acquired disabilities from a womanist perspective. Themes and interventions will be discussed. Recommendations for working with African American women with disabilities in a therapeutic context will be offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates ethnic differences in late-life disability among African Americans. Ethnic differentials attributed to differences in physical capacity versus cultural response to disabling disease; Performance-based and self-report disability measures; Differential disability levels that favor White Americans compared to ethnic minorities.

Compares African American and European American persons with disabilities from a southeastern state vocational rehabilitation (VR) agency using closure data from the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR). Reasons for low acceptance rates among minority individuals; African American family strength models.

Explores attitudinal and perceptual correlates of employment status among African Americans with disabilities in the United States. Significant association between being employed and positive attitudes toward employment, seeking and receiving rehabilitation and high self-esteem.

Examines the cultural factors involved in assessing the vocational aptitudes of African American clients in rehabilitation settings. Psychometrics of African Americans; Attention to their cultural idiosyncrasies; Focus on the influence of response style, performance motivation, and language on the vocational aptitude test performance.

Discusses the general issues relevant to African American women with disabilities with focus on sexuality and career development. Need for rehabilitation professionals to acquire skills necessary for working with ethnically diverse population; Interactions of multiple stigmas on persons with disabilities; Awareness of psychosocial and vocational problems.

Identifies Afro-Americans who apply for and receive public vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. Examination of the effectiveness of services; Importance of providing services to disabled Afro-Americans in public VR programs; Exploration of effective modalities for developing and delivering services to handicapped Afro-Americans. INSETS: The Statement;The Response;The Comment.

Examines multicultural practice perspectives of early interventionists serving African-Americans in a southern state of the United States, in relation to the requirements of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. Positive attitude to the multicultural nature of individual and agency practices; Ratings of systemic support for multicultural practices.

Examines the importance of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 for the education of African Americans with disabilities. Relationship between disability and minority status; Legal overview of ADA; ADA and the private sector; ADA and the public sector; ADA policy guidelines.

Focuses on the representation of Afro-Americans in emotionally handicapped classes. School-based practices; Cultural differences; Definition and criteria used to identify and assess students for placement in classes; Pearson product-moment correlations.

Adjustment to a physically disabling condition is a challenge for any patient who confronts a future of severe impairment and limited mobility. The emotional trauma is usually devastating at least until the initial shock of the disability dissipates. For the disabled African-American patient, the physical and psychic pain are compounded by personal and social factors not experienced in similar intensity by other disabled patients. A conceptual framework for better understanding the nature of the forces that impinge on the ability of the disabled African-American patient to adjust and an understanding of the impact of multi-level systems on the life of the disabled African-American is provided. The influence of racism, be it intentional or unintentional, is explained as it relates to the services and the attitudes of health care systems. The family as a significant and vital system is discussed as the major contributor to the successful adjustment of African-American disabled persons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]