OBJECTIVE: This study explores and compares the impact of in-person and online versions of a Research-based Theatre production named \"Alone in the Ring,\" aimed at increasing knowledge and fostering positive attitudes towards persons with disabilities in healthcare professions. The study examines changes in attitudes towards disabled persons in healthcare professions, levels of engagement in the play and knowledge about the experiences and challenges of disabled individuals in healthcare professions. It also investigates possible actions to increase inclusion for disabled persons in healthcare education and practice.
BACKGROUND: Disabled students face numerous barriers in healthcare education and practice, many of which are rooted in stigma and negative attitudes. Research-based Theatre promotes experiential learning to address these attitudes and stereotypes. The performance \"Alone in the Ring\" is based on a comprehensive study of the experiences of disabled students and clinicians in health professions, aiming to promote inclusion for students with disabilities in these fields.
METHODS: This study uses a pre-test and post-test design with two comparison groups.
METHODS: The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed method design to explore the impact of online versus in-person Research-based Theatre teaching in healthcare education. Participants were graduate health students (N = 198); 100 watched the in-person version and 98 watched the online version. Surveys were administered before and after the performance. Participants were also invited to share their experiences in semi-structured interviews and their responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.
RESULTS: Results indicated that students generally felt more comfortable with disabled persons in healthcare professions in the post-survey compared to the pre-survey, with online participants reporting greater comfort and higher engagement than those in-person. Knowledge of disabled persons\' experiences and challenges, as well as possible actions to increase belonging and inclusion, improved significantly for both groups from pre- to post-performance, with online participants showing a greater change. Qualitative data revealed that online theatre was perceived as authentic and beneficial for accessibility, engagement and emotional impact on students, though challenges included potential distractions and technological issues. Positive correlations were found between changes in knowledge, positive attitude and engagement, suggesting that increased engagement and a shift in attitudes can promote knowledge and awareness of the inclusion of disabled persons in healthcare professions.
CONCLUSIONS: These results support the use of online theatre-based academic teaching that experientially engages students, increases empathy and can promote more inclusive healthcare educational settings for disabled persons.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is prevalent among children, including those with disabilities. Although the World Health Organization recommends school-based oral health promotion (OHP) programmes involving teachers, limited research has explored teachers\' roles and perspectives.
OBJECTIVE: To assess special education teachers\' involvement and difficulties regarding oral health education (OHE), attitudes towards OHP and barriers to oral healthcare access for students with disabilities (SWDs).
METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, involved 264 special education teachers using a validated, self-administered questionnaire, and descriptive and analytical statistics were used for data analysis.
RESULTS: Only 39% of teachers incorporated OHE into their teaching, and just 20.8% received training for OHE delivery. Teachers showed strong support for integrating OHE into the curriculum (84.1%) and a no-sugar policy (78%). There was, however, less support for school-based toothbrushing (39%). OHE barriers included insufficient resources (56.1%), limited knowledge (29.2%) and misconceptions about primary teeth removal (47.4%). The three most common barriers to oral healthcare access were extended waiting lists (75.0%), long waiting times (73.1%) and fear of dental equipment (67.4%).
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the need for collaboration between healthcare professionals, educators and parents to enhance OHE and reinforce OHP for SWDs within special education and beyond.

People with disabilities (PWD) are considered a historically marginalized population that experiences significant health disparities resulting from the unequal distribution of resources as evidenced in the social determinants of health. Health professions education presents an opportunity to explore the policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes that are needed to improve social conditions and address known disparities for PWD. Evidence suggests that inclusion of learners with diverse lived experiences, including students with disabilities (SWD), strengthens our understanding of the influence of social determinants on health and our ability to address known barriers. Unfortunately, PWD and other minoritized individuals are grossly underrepresented in physical therapy. It is imperative that Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) education more intentionally promotes the full inclusion of SWD to improve representation and to better support the complex needs of this population. In this perspective we describe key social determinants of health for PWD, offer strategies for increasing representation and inclusion of SWD in DPT education, and summarize how the inclusion of SWD in DPT education can enhance our understanding of and ability to address social barriers for this population.

UNASSIGNED: Disability influences activities of daily living, leading to unsafe conditions, poor quality of life, and dependence on others and assistive technologies. Despite limited access and unmet needs, assistive technology enables users to participate in education and be independent members of their community. Students with disabilities in higher education face many challenges in their day-to-day activities and evidence is limited in the study area. Therefore, this study aimed to explore assistive technology experience and daily living challenges among students with disabilities in higher education.
UNASSIGNED: A descriptive qualitative study design was employed at the University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia, between December 20, 2022, and January 20, 2023. A purposive sampling method was employed to recruit 14 students with disabilities. An in-depth interview was employed using semi-structured questionnaires. Open Code version 4 software for coding and reflexive thematic analysis approach was employed for the analysis.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 14 students with disabilities were included in an in-depth interview. Four main themes emerged, which included activities of daily living, attitudes toward people with disabilities, barriers to accessibility, and access to assistive technology.
UNASSIGNED: Barriers to activities of daily living among students with disabilities were poor accessibility of infrastructural facilities, lack of teaching/learning materials in an accessible format, and negative attitudes. The present study\'s finding is needed to support students in higher education for their academic achievement and to design appropriate rehabilitation strategies and policies on the accessibility of physical infrastructures, inclusive education, and the provision of assistive technology.

Inclusive education focuses on implementing education for individuals who do not follow typical learning trajectory and require special educational needs (SEN). Educational systems in many countries around the world, including Saudi Arabia, tend to implement and practise inclusive education in order to fulfill relevant international conventions and achieve educational standards of acceptable quality in educating children and young people with medical and neurodevelopmental conditions. This study seeks to reveal some of the factors that may help to overcome the obstacles faced in the implementation of inclusive education from the point of view of academics of special education in Saudi universities. To achieve this goal, the study used semi-structured interviews as its primary tool for data collection. Sixteen male and female faculty members specialized in special education in several Saudi public universities were interviewed. The data were analysed thematically. Two master themes were derived from the thematic analyses, 1) theoretical factors and 2) applied factors. Both master themes had several sub-themes. A number of factors were identified as helping to implement inclusive education thereby changing the behaviours and attitudes towards including students with disabilities Saudi context. It is suggested here that similar factors might exist in other countries in Middle East and beyond.

UNASSIGNED: Although trauma is one of the leading causes of behaviour problems among children with disabilities, there has been limited scholarly interest in trauma management within the discourse of implementation of inclusive education.
UNASSIGNED: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) trauma management model was used to study teachers\' awareness of trauma management among students with disabilities studying in regular classrooms.
UNASSIGNED: A total of 271 teachers were recruited from two municipalities in the central region of Ghana to complete the Teacher Trauma Management Scale developed for this study. The data were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis, mean scores, multivariate analysis of variances, and linear regression.
UNASSIGNED: The results showed teachers\' uncertainty towards trauma management, and a positive correlation was also found between the tenets of the study framework.
UNASSIGNED: The study concluded with a recommendation for contextual development of the curriculum to guide teacher training in trauma management.
UNASSIGNED: Studies on trauma management within the discourse of implementation of inclusive education are scarce. This study extends the literature on inclusive education to teacher development to support trauma management among students with disabilities in regular schools.

BACKGROUND: Inclusive education is critical for the successful integration of students with disabilities into general education schools, and principals\' attitudes play a crucial role in this process. Despite the recognized significance of attitudes, there remains a gap in understanding these attitudes among principals in Arabic-speaking regions concerning inclusive education practices. This study aims to bridge this gap by validating and assessing the reliability of the Arabic version of the Principals\' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education (PATIE) scale.
METHODS: To measure these attitudes in the Arab region, the current study validated and assessed the reliability of the Arabic version of the Principals\' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Education (PATIE) scale using a sample of 391 principals from schools that have in place inclusion programs for students with disabilities. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to validate the scale\'s structural, discriminant, and convergent validity, while Cronbach\'s alpha and composite reliability (CR) were utilized to evaluate the scale\'s reliability.
RESULTS: The results demonstrated the strong validity and reliability of the Arabic version of the PATIE, with all five factors displaying good reliability.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the scale can effectively measure attitudes toward inclusive education in Arabic-speaking countries. This study\'s implications for research and practice are significant, as they underscore the importance of positive attitudes among principals in promoting inclusive education and provide a validated tool for measuring these attitudes.

UNASSIGNED: The aim of this study was to explore the impact of AT in identity for students with disabilities in higher education and if/how this changes over time.
UNASSIGNED: Using a longitudinal qualitative research design, semi-structured interviews were conducted with students with disabilities (n = 13) in higher education in Ireland on two occasions during an academic year. A trajectory approach to longitudinal analysis was employed. This involved the use of matrices and identification of a through line for the study, which connects participant change over time.
UNASSIGNED: The through line identified was feeling valued, which was central in the negotiation of identity over time across three themes: feelings of autonomy and competence; claiming disability; and feeling like you belong as a student. AT impacted experiences across the three themes which subsequently promoted or undermined students\' sense of value. Reciprocally, feeling valued influenced use and perceptions of AT. Factors specific to a higher education context were also identified which influenced meanings attached to AT over time.
UNASSIGNED: Creating an environment where students feel valued is key in promoting use of and positive perceptions of AT. This should form an integral part of AT and disability policy in higher education.
Assistive technology (AT) use can have significant implications for one’s identityAT indirectly impacts on students with disabilities’ sense of value through its influence on three areas of identity change/continuity; feelings of autonomy and competence, claiming disability and feeling like you belongFeeling valued was central to the negotiation of identity over time for students with disabilities in higher educationCreating an environment where students feel valued is integral to supporting students in their pursuit of a positive sense of identity and key in promoting use of and positive perceptions towards AT. This should form a central part of AT and disability policy in higher education.

This study examined factors that may influence the self-efficacy level of special education teachers in delivering transition services to students with disabilities. Five independent variables were examined: attitudes, preparation level, teaching experiences, academic degree level, and level of available resources. The current study sample comprised 231 intermediate and secondary special education teachers in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The results showed that attitudes are the best predictor of teachers\' self-efficacy to provide transitional services for students with disabilities. Teacher preparation for transition services was the second most important variable that was positively associated with teachers\' self-efficacy.

Students in the United States have federally-established rights regarding access to assistive technology (AT) devices and services, yet those rights are not consistently upheld for a variety of reasons acknowledged in the literature. We conducted a interview-based study with 48 education professionals, family members and students to analyze the facilitators and barriers that influence AT access for students in the State of Delaware. Study results were consistent with the extant literature, and revealed numerous violations of student rights guaranteed under U.S. special education law. Some barriers were attitudinal, yet most arose from the inadequacy of infrastructures: professionals lacked training, funding was inadequate or difficult to access and, in most areas, there was no definitive guidance relative to the processes that should be followed and how decisions regarding AT-related decisions regarding devices and services should be documented. Elements revealed to facilitate AT access and use were the availability of resources - highly-qualified personnel, time, training, funds, and access to devices - and persistence among educators and family members in pursuing AT solutions for students.