(1) immigration opinions( Analysis paper) and (2) Dorothy's diary Essay

(1) immigration opinions( Analysis paper) and (2) Dorothy's diary - Essay Example The poems and pictures however scorn the immigrants indirectly where they are portrayed as filthy and strange and talk in â€Å"accents of menace.† This presents a contradiction between the foreigners’ attitudes and behavior. In the text by Josiah, the immigrants are defined in terms of their benefits to the foreigners which contrast with the poem and the photos but it however leads to the same conclusion of how unwelcome they are in the foreign land despite the political advantages they might bring to the foreign country. Josiah Strong in his essay talks about the immigrants having only two influences to the foreigners: moral and political influences. In the moral influences, immigrants are described as individuals who have no moral or religious training or have only little of the training and hence cannot compare to the foreigners. The â€Å"strange speech† of the immigrants and their beliefs are viewed as demoralizing and the change from the native to the foreign country makes them have temptations of the foreigners hence demoralizing them even further. They are seen to be the majority perpetrators of crime in their foreign land an indication of their lack of morals. The political aspect is different and it is the immigrants who influence the foreigners. The foreigners seeking political power use the immigrants to gather the votes by getting them in the churches or using their socialist ideologies in their campaigns. Majority of the immigrants join the Catholic Church and the Mormon Church and that is where the politicians target to get their votes and make promises to the poor, naà ¯ve and hopeful immigrants. The immigrants in the end are however seen to pollute the civilization and ways of life of the foreigners through their influx in the cities. They are in the end therefore a threat and not so much of a blessing. In the picture â€Å"The Modern Moses,† immigrants are seen crossing the ocean to

Computer History and Development Essay Example for Free

Computer History and Development Essay The dictionary defines a computer as an electronic device for storing and processing data, typically in binary form, according to instructions given to it in a variable program. Primarily created to compute; however, modern day computers do much more today: supermarket scanners calculate consumers groceries bill, while keeping track of store inventory; computerized telephone switching centers play traffic cop to millions of calls, keeping lines of communication untangled; and automatic teller machines let’s banking transactions to be conducted from virtually anywhere in the world. Technology has been around for a centuries; growing rapidly year by year. One of the most important items Technology has produced is computers. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer also known as ENIAC was regarded as the first general purpose electronic computer. What came before the ENIAC; well, there is the abacas which some consider the first computer. Created over 5000 years ago in Asia and is still in use today. Using a system of sliding beads arranged on a rack, users are allowed to make computations. In early times, the abaca was used to keep trading transactions; until, this became obsolete with the introduction of pencil and paper. Within the next twelve centuries emerged a significant advancement in computer technology. The year was 1642, when Blaise Pascal, the 18 year-old son of a French tax collector, invented the numerical wheel calculator, also known as the â€Å"Pascaline. † Pascaline was a brass rectangular box that used eight movable dials to add sums up to eight figures long. This device was great and became popular in Europe; the only drawback was the limits to addition (Pascals calculator, 2010, para. ). Another event that epitomizes the Pascaline machine came from an inventor by the name of Gottfried Wilhem von Leibniz; a German mathematician and philosopher in the 1600’s. Gottfried Wilhem von Leibniz added to Pascline by creating a machine that could also multiply. Like its predecessor, Leibnizs mechanical multiplier worked by a system of gears and dials. Original notes and drawings from the Pascline machine were used to help refine his machine. The core of the machine was its stepped-drum gear design. However, mechanical calculators did not gain widespread use until the early 1800’s. Shortly after, a Frenchman, Charles Xavier Thomas de Colmar invented a machine that could perform the four basic arithmetic functions. The arithometer, Colmars mechanical calculator, presented a more practical approach to computing because it could add, subtract, multiply and divide. The arithometer was widely used up until the First World War. Although later inventors refined Colmars calculator, together with fellow inventors Pascal and Leibniz, he helped define the age of mechanical computation. The real beginnings of computers that we use today came in the late 1700’s, thanks to Charles Babbage with the invention of the Analytical Engine. Babbage machine was a steam powered machine; although, it was never constructed it outlined basic elements of a modern general computer. Several more inventors added to machines that were out in the late 1800’s to help pave the way for the first generation of computers (1945-1956) (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 4). Wars had a great deal in the advancement of modern computers; the Second World War governments sought out to develop computers to exploit potential strategic importance. Therefore, in 1941 a German engineer Konrad Zuse had developed the Z3. The Z3 was created to design airplanes and missiles (Computer History Museum Timeline of Computer History, 2010, para. 3). Another computer that was created for war times was the ENIAC, first commissioned for the use in World War II, but not completed until one year after the war had ended. It was installed at the University of Pennsylvania, with a partnership alongside the U. S. government, its 40 separate eight-foot-high racks and 18,000 vacuum tubes were intended to help calculate ballistic trajectories. There was also 70,000 resistors and more than 4 million soldered joints; truly a massive piece of machinery that consumed around 160 kilowatts of electrical power. This is enough energy to dim the lights in an entire section of Philadelphia. This computer was a major development with speeds 1000 times faster than the current Mark I. For the next 40 years John von Neumann along with the University of Pennsylvania team kept on initiating new concepts into the computer design. With the combined genius of all the personnel they continued with new products such as the central processing unit (CPU) and also the UNIVAC. The Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC) became one of the first commercially available computers to take advantage of the CPU. This helped out the U. S. Census bureau. First generation computers were characterized by the fact that operating instructions were made-to-order for the specific task for which the computers were to be used. Computers had different binary-coded program called a machine language that told it how to operate. This made the computer difficult to program and limited its versatility and speed. Other distinctive features of first generation computers were the use of vacuum tubes, which were known for their breathtaking size, and magnetic drums for data storage (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 10). The second generation of computers, from 1956-1963, began the age of smaller computers. With the invention of the transistor in 1948, bulky vacuum tube in televisions, radios and computers were all replaced. The transistor became available in a working computer in 1956, and the size of computers has been shrinking ever since (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 13). Along with smaller computers the transistors paved the way for faster, more reliable and more energy-efficient products; thanks in part to the advances made to the magnetic-core memory. The first to take advantage of this new found technology was the early supercomputer, from IBM and LARC. These supercomputers were in demand by atomic scientist because the enormous amount of data that these computers could handle. By 1965, most big business processed financial information using second generation computers. With the second generation computer came new career opportunities such as programmer, analyst, and computer systems expert. Although, transistors was and improvement over the vacuum tube, they still generated a lot of heat, which damaged sensitive internal parts of the computer; the quartz rock eliminated this problem (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 16). Third generation computers (1964-1971) began with Engineer Jack Kilby, with Texas Instruments, developing the IC (Integrated Circuit) in the mid 1900’s. The IC combined three components onto a small silicon disc, which was mad from the quartz. Later on scientist were able to fit even more electronic components onto a single chip, called a semiconductor. As a result, computers became smaller as more components were fitted on these chips. The third generation computer gave birth to the operating system. This allowed machines to run different programs all at once with a central program that coordinated and monitored the computer’s memory (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 16). With the fourth generation of computer’s (1971-2000) only thing to do was to go down in size. There were three major chips that helped with computer downsizing the LSI, VLSI, and ULSI. Large scale integration (LSI) could fit hundreds of components onto one chip. Very large integration (VLSI) could fit hundreds of thousands of components onto one chip. Ultra-large scale integration (ULSI) could fit millions of components onto chips (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 17). The size and prices of computers went down due to the fact, that so much was able to be put into an a area about half the size of a U. S. dime. Intel, which was founded in 1968, developed the Intel 4004 chip in 1971, which would become standard in everyday house hold items such as microwaves, television sets and automobiles. With such condensed power allowed for a new market, everyday people. Computers were no longer just developed exclusively for large business or government contracts. It was the late 1900’s, when computer manufacturers sought to bring computers to a more general consumer. These smaller and sleek computers came with a more user-friendly software packages such as word processing and spreadsheet programs. Early company who took advantage of selling these more user friendly computers was Commodore, Radio Shack, and Apple Computers. In 1981, IBM launched its personal computer for multi-purpose use in the home, office, and schools. IBM made the personal computer even more affordable and the numbers increased rapidly within the next year. Personal computer usage more than doubled, going from 2 million in 1981 to 5. 5 million in 1982. Fast forward 10 years later, there are 65 million PC’s owned by general consumers. With the introduction of Human Computer Interface (HCI), users could now control the screen cursor using a mouse mimicking one hands movement instead of typing every instruction. Smaller computers became more powerful, especially in the workplace, were they could be linked together to share memory space, software, and communicate with each other. This was achieved using telephone lines or direct wiring called a Local Area Network (LAN) (LaMorte, C Lilly J, 2010, para. 20). The fifth generation of computers (Present and Beyond) is a generation that is in the works of some great advancements in computer technology with the utilization of computer chips. One of the major components of a computer is the chip; these are conducted of semiconductor materials and semiconductors that eventually wear out. A semiconductor is a material that is typically made of silicon and germanium; both of them are neither a good conductor of electricity nor a good insulator. These materials are then fixed to create an excess or lack of electrons (Semiconductor, 2010, para. 2). Integrated circuits grow old and die or are discontinued. This process can happen in many ways; modern chips as used in computers have millions of transistors printed on a small chip of silicon no bigger than a fingernail. Each microscopically transistor is connected to the others, on the surface of the chip, with even smaller aluminum or copper wires. Over the years, the thermal stress of turning the computer on and off can cause tiny cracks in the wires. As the computer warms up the wires can part and cause the computer to stop working. Even a few seconds of off-time can cool the system enough to allow the wires to re-connect, so your computer may work just fine for a few minutes, or hours, then after it warms up, it may fail, letting it cool off can bring it back to life for a few minutes or more (Computer Freezes and Crashes, 2010, para. 16). Of course, some chips are much more inclined to failure than others. The competition tries to gain an advantage on the market by building cheaper or faster chips; cheaper and faster means hotter and shorter-lived parts. Better quality equals higher prices; when the price goes up and nobody buys the products. Low quality products die of old age too early and they get a bad names, this causes products to not be sold. Most modern computers are constructed from the cheapest parts available. With this information being known, Intel, one of the best chip manufactures, designs their parts to be very vigorous and endure heat and malfunction. Intel was founded on July 18, 968, as Integrated Electronics Corporation. Intel Corporation is a worldwide semiconductor chip maker corporation based in Santa Clara, California, and is the worlds largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. They invented the series x86 microprocessors; these processors are found in most personal computers (Intel, 2010, para. 20). Intel along with other competing companies is predicting no more mouse or keyboards by 2020. Right now with Intel-developed sensor and brain waves scientist are hoping they can find ways to harness brain waves to operate computers. This all would be done of course with consumer’s permission. Scientists believe that consumers would want the freedom gained by using the implant. The idea may be far-fetched now but 20 years ago tell a person that it would become almost necessary to carry a computer around; that idea would have been rebutted. Look around now, people cannot leave a computer or computer device home or even in a vehicle without feeling like something is missing, an almost naked feeling. Scientists believe that consumers will grow tired of dependence of computer interface. Whether it’s fishing out accessories or even just using the hands to interact, Scientists think consumers would prefer to manipulate various devices with their brains. Currently a research team from Intel is working on decoding human brain activity. The team has used Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI), these are machines that determine blood flow changes in certain areas of the brain based on what word or image the consumer is thinking of. This idea sounds farfetched but almost two years ago, scientist in the U. S. and japan announced that a monkey’s brain was used to control a humanoid robot. Scientist and the Intel team are currently working on getting to a point where it is possible to mentally type words by thinking about letters (Intel Chips in brains will control computers by 2020, 2010, para. 4). The story of the computer is amazing; to see how far technology has come is almost unreal. Evolving from the first computer the ENAIC, a huge machine that had thousands of tubes everywhere; computers are now small enough to be placed in a brief case for on the go use. Furthermore, with the everyday advancement of technology it won’t be long before farfetched ideas become a reality.

Hamlets Transformation from Good to Evil in the Play Hamlet by William

Hamlet's Transformation from Good to Evil in the Play Hamlet by William Shakespeare Hamlet’s Transformation from Good to Evil In the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, Hamlet endures exorbitant amount of pain and anger because of his father’s death, his mothers hasty remarriage, and the loss of his only love, Ophelia. The losses that Hamlet has to deal with, the anger and lack of forgiveness that he allows to build within himself, allows Hamlet’s true thoughts and character to be revealed through his soliloquies, which are reviewed and discussed throughout this essay. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet reveals his wishes that he could just melt away and be no more, with death comes relief from this world, but he beliefs that suicide is immoral and that the whole business of the world is useless and unprofitable. Hamlet reflects on the greatness of his father and how the leadership went from a noble and glorious King to a atrocious man that does not desire in any way to serve the country or its people, but thrives the power and extravagance that is provided by being King. Hamlet also shows his anger and disbelief with women in general â€Å" Frailty, thy name is women† and towards his mother with her hasty marriage to Clauduis. Hamlet now becomes informed that his uncle, Clauduis, has killed the King, Hamlet’s beloved father, from a ghost, his father’s ghost. The ghost requests that Hamlet pay revenge to the evil murderer, Clauduis. Hamlet is to kill Clauduis to avenge his father’s dea...

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Personal Qualities Essay

1. Characterization: What do you learn about the attitudes, beliefs, and personal qualities of the duke and the king from their words and actions? In what way is the characterization of the duke and the king satiric? Consider their claims about their lineage, their acting, and the faulty historical and literary allusions they make. What is Twain suggesting by having the king and the duke pull their first â€Å"con† at a religious revival? The duke and king have little sense of right and wrong, or at least choose to ignore it. they are unlearned  but fairly intelligent men who think more highly of themselves than they ought to, as is strongly hinted at by their claims to lineage, and they take pride and joy in swindling others of their money, heedless of religion or other core principles held by most people. This doesn’t change at all. ThEww characters are satiric towards society as a whole, putting money before all else. 2. Theme: What epiphany does Huck have in Ch. 23 that advances his inner conflict? What theme is Twain addressing? Buck realizes that Jim has a family as well, and can feel just like any other man. Here, twain is addressing the theme of equality. 3.  Pathos: A quality in a work or a portion thereof that makes the reader experience pity, sorrow, or tenderness is called pathos. Generally the character is pathetic, helpless, and/or an innocent victim suffering through no fault of his or her own. Identify and explain an example of pathos in Ch. 23. Twain uses pathos when he writes how Jim is homesick and misses his family, and how Jim feels guilty for beating his daughter, not knowing she was deaf. This is a sad story, used to evoke emotion from the reader, thus making the passage more enticing. Twain does this throughout the book in order to hold the attention of the reader.

Are humans naturally good or evil? Essay

Fundamentally speaking, are humans naturally good or evil? This is a question that has been repeatedly asked throughout humanity. For thousands of years Philosophers have debated whether we have a naturally good nature that is corrupted by society, or an evil nature that is kept in check by society. I believe that we are all born what society calls evil. Our instinct is to kill and survive but as society and civilization has evolved we have been taught to live in a different manner. We try to rationalize our behaviour to act civilized. Evil is our inner beast that we choose to control or be controlled by. Jack from Lord of the Flies is a very good example as he was a boy who was well mannered. He agreed with Ralph about the idea of having rules amongst the boys on the island. He said that rules are necessary as they were not savages that they were English and they English are always right. As time passes, he forgets society and manners. He becomes the savage from within, the savage that was always a part of him but was hidden. Children behave in a bad way and can be thought of as evil but we change their behaviour and teach them what we call manners. We change their behaviour to suit our surrounding’s and the image we have made ourselves portray and disobey our human nature. The Darwin Theory clearly states that us humans have evolved from apes. Apes are animals that hunt to survive. We are more advanced than apes but still have a similar motive as our nature. We were born to hunt to survive like other animals. It is us whom have evolved in such a manner that we have created society. We have taught ourselves to act in a certain way. Cavemen are the original humans. They are early prehistoric humans. They behaved in a manner that was the original purpose for them, to kill to eat, to survive. We show our nature at an early age. We show our selfishness, to want things for ourselves. You only have to look at a child to see the signs of our evil trait. However, a child can be thought quickly to behave in a moral way. The child will often stick to the boundaries set at an early age for the rest of their lives. ‘Moral acts’ persevere our reputation in society because of our fear of the law. Us humans are born evil but obtain our inner sanity and change our actions to become good and civilized. On the other hand, there are some who cannot control their inner self and act upon their nature as they kill and break what we call the law, our society’s rules. Some of us do not obey the law. This is why we have serial killers, murderers, and criminals. Our world constantly has violence. As is proven by the constant wars happening around the world. Many people believe that media is to blame for the evil created in us. That theory is wrong as it all starts since the moment we are born as our first instincts can determine our future personalities. The media can be blamed to trigger the evil within us but not to create it as it was always there. Even though we are born what society calls evil, some people cannot contain their inner aggression and desperation for the kill sensation so they become a murderer. They become serial killers who react to the thrill of the chase. They sometimes fantasize for years about the type of victims and the method of the kill before they act upon the urges. The serial killers have been proven to have an extra X (female) chromosome. Having the extra female chromosome is also called Klinefelter’s syndrome. Tests have proven that serial killers carry the extra chromosome. The serial killer Bobby Joe Lang had an extra chromosome, which lead to him growing breasts during his adolescence stage. This led him to being bullied at school. This leads onto another question. Does a bad upbringing trigger the evil within us? This is shown in the novel Lord of the Flies, as Piggy is a character that suffers from many disabilities such as being overweight, his sight and his asmar. His parents passed away when he was younger. He lived with his auntie and comforted his sorrow and grief with the sweets from her shop. This led to him being bullied for many years not only at school but also in the island by the other boys. Piggy’s character was shy and sensible. He was not treated in the same way as the others because of his disabilities, which led him into disbelieving in himself, and caused low self-confidence. To conclude my essay I would like to state that out of the 7 billion people in the world, 10 million of them are prisoners. I believe that all people are born evil but only some people trigger their evil from within whereas others learn to control it.

About Corporations in the United States

About Corporations in the United States Although there are many small and medium-sized companies, big business units play a dominant role in the American economy. There are several reasons for this. Large companies can supply goods and services to a greater number of people, and they frequently operate more efficiently than small ones. In addition, they often can sell their products at lower prices because of the large volume and small costs per unit sold. They have an advantage in the marketplace because many consumers are attracted to well-known brand names, which they believe guarantee a certain level of quality. How Large Corporations Benefit the American Economy Large businesses are important to the overall economy because they tend to have more financial resources than small firms to conduct research and develop new goods. And they generally offer more varied job opportunities and greater job stability, higher wages, and better health and retirement benefits. Nevertheless, Americans have viewed large companies with some ambivalence, recognizing their important contribution to economic well-being but worrying that they could become so powerful as to stifle new enterprises and deprive consumers of choice. Whats more, large corporations at times have shown themselves to be inflexible in adapting to changing economic conditions. In the 1970s, for instance, U.S. automakers were slow to recognize that rising gasoline prices were creating a demand for smaller, fuel-efficient cars. As a result, they lost a sizable share of the domestic market to foreign manufacturers, mainly from Japan. In the United States, most large businesses are organized as corporations. A corporation is a specific legal form of business organization, chartered by one of the 50 states and treated under the law like a person. Corporations may own property, sue or be sued in court, and make contracts. Because a corporation has legal standing itself, its owners are partially sheltered from responsibility for its actions. Owners of a corporation also have limited financial liability; they are not responsible for corporate debts, for instance. If a shareholder paid $100 for 10 shares of stock in a corporation and the corporation goes bankrupt, he or she can lose the $100 investment, but that is all. Because the corporate stock is transferable, a corporation is not damaged by the death or disinterest of a particular owner. The owner can sell his or her shares at any time or leave them to heirs. Disadvantages Large Corporations Have on the American Economy The corporate form has some disadvantages, though. As distinct legal entities, corporations must pay taxes. The dividends they pay to shareholders, unlike interest on bonds, are not tax-deductible business expenses. And when a corporation distributes these dividends, the stockholders are taxed on the dividends. (Since the corporation already has paid taxes on its earnings, critics say that taxing dividend payments to shareholders amounts to double taxation of corporate profits.) This article is adapted from the book Outline of the U.S. Economy by Conte and Carr and has been adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of State.

In the play Hamlet, Ophelia and Gerturde Essays

In the play Hamlet, Ophelia and Gerturde Essays In the play Hamlet, Ophelia and Gerturde Paper In the play Hamlet, Ophelia and Gerturde Paper Ophelia and Gertrude are the most prominent female characters in Hamlet and as a result they do seem quite susceptible and vulnerable in the patriarchal society of Denmark that the play is set in. Many of the ideas and suggestions presented in the play are put forward by the dominant male characters. Since both women seem to have a loving attachment to Hamlet, when it comes to suggestions for establishing the cause of Hamlets madness, they are often used by the men as bait to lure him in. This in itself could testify for the idea that both Gertrude and Ophelia are collectively victimised. This is demonstrated in the scene just before Hamlet talks to Ophelia about his real feelings for her. Claudius declares he and Polonius will act as lawful espials and they then may of their encounter frankly judge. Ophelia does not voice her opinion of their plans, although she is present for the entire discussion. Through this, she is shown to be passive with no strength to defy the orders of others. This could be due to a weak character or the fact that Ophelia is forced to conform to the ideals of the time and doesnt know any better. Through this repression, Ophelia is some what victimised as she feels and knows she must respect her elders wishes and obey her father. In one of the earlier scenes of the play, after Ophelia has been discussing her courtship with Hamlet to her brother Laertes, Ophelia attempts to express to her father these feelings that Hamlet has claimed to have for her. She says He hath of late made many tenders of his affection to me. To which Polonius replies Affection? Puh! You speak like a green girl. This makes the audience aware of Polonius attitude towards his daughter, he quickly dismisses all the claims she makes and by calling her a green girl he is emphasizing her young naivety. This attitude does not seem dissimilar to some held by other male characters, Laertes calls her chariest maid and there is definite emphasis on her innocence and purity throughout. Polonius effectively exploits her to the other characters by commanding Ophelia not to respond to or read her love letters from Hamlet and then publicly humiliating her by reading extracts out to members of the royal court. The aim of this is quite self centred, they are merely trying to account for reasons for Hamlets madness. Polonius shows a lack of respect or consideration for his daughters feelings, which doesnt help, what we could perhaps assume to be, her steadily deteriorating mental state. Ophelias character is effectively trapped by Hamlets decision to feign madness. His behaviours leave her distressed and confused and she is unwittingly victimised by him. He declares to her that I did love you once and in his next statement he says I never loved you. As a character with relatively little to say, the audience does not begin to understand Ophelias feelings towards Hamlet until she turns mad. These earlier statements not only seem to trigger the emotional turmoil that she suffers, but later on we are presented with a possibility that the statements were not true, and that Hamlet did love Ophelia. By this point it is too late and his only shown moments of love and affection towards her are when she is gone. Hamlet says I loved Ophelia; forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum. Thereby defying everything he has said to her before. In this situation, Ophelia has become the helpless victim, her lover murders her father and says he doesnt love her and she is left alone and helpless when he is sent away to England. Her madness however provokes some insight into Ophelias inner most feelings, the only time we really learn anything about her character. Behind the poetic words of her song seems to lie plausible meaning How should I your true love know and And I a maid at your window, to be your valentine seems to show for the first time some of her feelings of love and longing for Hamlet. Whereas He is dead and gone; At his head a grass- green turf, at his heels a stone. seems to be a blatant reference to her fathers recent death, the appearance of these two matters in her mad evoked sing-song seems to indicate further the importance of them to her and demonstrates that she has now become a victim of her own feelings. Her weak character allows her to succumb to her bout of emotions rather than allowing her to get along with her life, her death signifies her character being finally engulfed by this. In comparison to Ophelia, Gertrude is shown to be victimised in a quite different way. Although it never seems entirely clear if she was aware of the plot to kill her last husband, she has been effectively forced into a situation with little control over what is going on around her and where she must make the right connections or face learning to fend for herself. At King Hamlets death, Gertrude is the first living victim, as she is not linked by Royal Parentage she is almost forced to remarry quickly to her deceased husbands brother to maintain her position as Queen. She is not guiltless for this, she worries for her son constantly as his madness becomes apparent. However, she shows some ignorance as to all the plausible causes for his state saying it is no other but the main. His fathers death and our oer hasty marriage. It is not until later that some other possible reasons are explored, and through this explanation she, like Ophelia, is somewhat victimised. Gertrude only wants the best for Hamlet, yet here she is used in plans where she is not always aware of whats going on, and her efforts to get through to him are hapless as well as the subject of monitoring by the other royal courtiers. Gertrudes efforts to amend circumstances after King Hamlets death lead only to her son turning against her, Hamlet feigning his madness now feels he has the capability to have control over his mother much like the other male figures in the play. He quite openly insults and manipulates her feelings, for example in Act 3 Scene 4 he says The heyday in the blood it tame inflicting her with the idea that she is getting quickly older. Gertrude has no power to protect herself from her sons disposition and this is demonstrated by her weak replies to what he is saying to her O Hamlet, speak no more. Thou turnst my eyes into my very soul. It is clear that Hamlets behaviour towards her is highly distressing and it may follow that she is now becoming some what frightened of what he could do to her. Following his murder of Polonius, she is harrowed by what she has witnessed and seems to succumb to all ideas presented to her regarding him, even his being sent away to England. Despite her helplessness, Gertrude has attempted to gain some control over the political standing of Denmark when King Hamlet dies. To some degree she has remarried not only to keep her position (or perhaps to fulfil possible desires for Claudius) but in an attempt to keep her beloved country from falling into disarray under an entirely new monarchy. She is a weakened character but she is also devoted and concerned for the well being of others and of her nation. Gertrude, like Ophelia, is a victim of Hamlets madness, however she pulls through better and this may be contributed to her maturity or the arguable point that she doesnt suffer as much as the young Ophelia. In conclusion, Shakespeare has produced two somewhat vulnerable and slightly passive female characters. They are certainly both the subject of victimisation and this is predominantly caused by the oppression and grief they face from members of the opposite sex, particularly Hamlet. Their representation as weak minded reinforces the ideals of the time, that the men should be strong and go out and fight and the women must be passive and obedient at home. They are victims not only of their associates but of patriarchal society.

Learning How and When to Say No

Learning How and When to Say No Learning to say no to people is one of the best things you can do for yourself, yet many people find it extremely difficult. Why? Because they want to be liked. The ironic thing is, people will like you better and respect you more if you say no when its appropriate! Why Say No 1. People will respect you. People who say yes to everything in an attempt to be liked are quickly recognized as pushovers. When you say no to someone you are letting them know that you have boundaries. You are showing that you respect yourselfand that is how you gain respect from others. 2. People will actually see you as more dependable. When you say yes only when you have the time and true ability to do a great job, then youll gain a reputation for being dependable. If you say yes to everything, youre bound to do a bad job at everything. 3. When youre selective with your tasks, youll sharpen your natural strengths. If you concentrate on the things youre good at, youll be able to improve on your natural talents. For example, if youre a great writer but youre not so great as an artist, you may volunteer to write speeches but you shouldnt sign up to make the posters for your club. Concentrate on your strength and build your skills (and your experience) for college. 4. Your life will be less stressful. You may be tempted to say yes to people in order to please them. In the long run, youre only hurting yourself and others when you do this. You stress yourself out by overloading yourself, and you experience increased stress when you realize youre bound to let them down. When to Say No First lets point out the obvious: Do your homework. You should never say no to a teacher, friend, or family member who is merely asking you to live up to your responsibilities. Its not okay to say no to a class assignment, just because you dont feel like doing it for some reason. This is not an exercise in cockiness. It is OK to say no when somebody is asking you to step outside your true responsibilities and outside your comfort zone to take on a task that is dangerous or one that will overload you and affect your academic work and your reputation. For example: If a teacher suggests that you become the president of a club that he or she is advising, but your schedule is already over-packed.If a popular athlete asks you to help with his/her homework and you dont have time.If anybody asks you to do their homework for them.If anybody asks you to give them information that was on a test (if they have a later class with the same teacher). It can be very difficult to say no to somebody whom you really respect, but youll find that you actually gain respect from them when you show enough courage to say no. How to Say No We say yes to people because its easy. Learning to say no is like learning anything: it seems really scary at first, but its so rewarding when you get the hang of it! The trick to saying no is doing it firmly without sounding rude. You must avoid being wishy-washy. Here are some lines you can practice: If a teacher asks you to take on more responsibility than you need: Thank you for thinking of me, but I will have to say no. Im just over-scheduled at this time.If a teacher asks you to do something you dont feel comfortable with: This sounds like it would be a great opportunity for somebody, but its not right for me.If somebody wants you to cheat: Sorry, I dont share my homework. That would get us both in trouble.If somebody tries to push work off on you: I just dont have the time to do a good job at that right now.If somebody tries to overload you with a task: I cant do that because I have an assignment due tomorrow.If somebody tries to unload a problem on you: I understand your situation, but I dont have an answer for you. When You Have to Say Yes There will be times when you want to say no but you can’t. If youre working on a group project, you have to take on some of the work, but you dont want to volunteer for everything. When you have to say yes, you can do it with firm conditions. A conditional yes may be necessary if you know you should do something but you also know you dont have all the time or resources. An example of a conditional yes is: Yes, Ill make the posters for the club, but I wont pay for all the supplies. Saying no is all about gaining respect. Gain respect for yourself by saying no when its necessary. Gain the respect of others by saying no in a polite way.

Family and Medical Leave Act Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Family and Medical Leave Act - Research Paper Example A1. Addressing the Question of whether it matters that a parent literally had nothing to do with a biological child in order for the child to take advantage of the Family and Medical Leave Act to care for that parent FMLA provides that every eligible employee is entitled to take up to 12 weeks of work leave to take care of a parent suffering from a medical condition. This leave is usually unpaid and the employee’s job is protected during this period1. A parent is defined by the FMLA as a foster, step, biological or adoptive parent, including any individual who represented loco parentis to the employee while he or she was a child2. Loco parentis, means where an individual takes the responsibility of caring for the child with which he has no legal or biological connection. However, the FMLA does not cover leave for parents- in- law, whereas the military has its own provisions as pertains to the definition of a family3. With reference to the case scenario illustrated, the employe e qualifies to take a FMLA leave to take care of his or her biological parent even if the parent did not take care of him as a child (United States Department of Labor, 2010). However, in the cases of a loco parentis the FMLA outlines other individuals whom an employee is allowed by law to go and see in case of illness or accident. These are individuals who acted as proxy for the child in the absentia of his parents and, thus, qualify to be their parents more than their biological parents. In this case scenario, if the loco parentis and the biological parent to the employee happen to be ill, the law provides for the cover of loco parentis unlike the unavailable parent because this is the person who took care of the employee. However, the employee needs to provide documented evidence that ascertains that the loco parentis actually took care of him or her during childhood (United States Department of Labor, 2010). A2. A Discussion as to Whether the size of the business can have any ef fect on whether employee is eligible for family leave under the FMLA A company that has 50 or more employees is required by the FMLA regulations whether the company is non- profit or profit making; private or public. This is since small businesses have been documented to have employees who are less than 50 during a specific period of time. However, in case the company has had 50 employees in the past 20 weeks prior to the current slope in employee number, FMLA requires that the company complies with the FMLA regulation. In case the company has not had 50 employees, the 20 week factor of having a continuous 50 employee is the consideration factor (United States Department of Labor, 2001). Consequently, whether a company has full time or part time workers determines the application of the FMLA. A company that has part time workers is required by the FMLA to provide 12 weeks unpaid leave for an employee either for medical or family reasons on condition that the employee has worked for at least 1250 hours. This excludes time off and the part time employee needs to have worked for more than 12 months to qualify for this recommendation. Though the leave of part time workers is unpaid, FMLA expects that the company will continue providing health care benefits for the employee on leave, and consequently restore him or her to his original position once their leave is over (United States De

Cutting edge material - interior design Assignment

Cutting edge material - interior design - Assignment Example The natural cooling element in sports apparel is among the cutting edge fabric technology of this time. Technical apparel fabrication from the company VIRUS is a good example of such technology. The fabric is used to reduce the skin surface temperatures (Poon, 2014). The fabric becomes the athlete’s friend at high temperatures (Poon, 2014). It can reduce the temperature on the skin by up to 5 degree Celsius (Poon, 2014). It is made my recycled jade shavings and has apparently no negative impact on skin. Cowhide rugs can adorn your walls and floors with elegance. They are fashionable and convenient as they are very easy to clean (Shackelford, 2013). One can put them in libraries, halls, family rooms and just about anywhere. If one spill something on them, the stain be easily cleaned with dry cloth or paper towel (Shackelford, 2013). If the stain is a tough one, use a wet cloth. Sticky and dried up stains can come off easily by brushing them off. Poon, Cassidy. â€Å"VIRUS – Cutting Edge Action Sport Performance Apparel launches in Australia.† LinkedIn. N.p. 2014. Web. 26 August 2014 https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140407100610-13040073-virus-bleeding-edge-fabric-technology-to-the-action-sport-athlete. Renzi, Jen. "Joseph La Pianas Mesmerizing Rugs for Patterson, Flynn & Martin."Architectural Digest. N.p., 2013. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.

Greek and Roman art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Greek and Roman art - Essay Example The Greek Architecture is roughly divided into the Archaic Age, Classical age and the Hellenistic age. The period starting from 800-500 BC is known as the Archaic age (Pedly, 2007).. Structured temples with a rectangular shape centre and portico in the front started to appear in the Archaic Age. Excavations dating earlier to this age were found in Heroon at Lefkandi a village in Euboea Island (Catling et al., 1991). This structure was referred to as â€Å"Heroon† meaning the â€Å"Heroes Grave†. The mound is nearly 13.8 meters wide. The excavation here dated back to 950 BC. A cemetery like structure with the remains of a man’s ash and a women’s body were found here in 1960 (Lemos, 2009). The Lefkandi excavations are considered quite significant in the history of Greek Architecture because they provide ample insight into the late bronze and early ion age civilizations like Xeropolis (Lemos, 2009). Excavations carried out in Lefkandi in 2003 bought up severa l cemeteries in the area similar to the Heroon of Lefkandi. The structures of these cemeteries are the base of later Greek temples built in the Archaic age. There is a wooden veranda similar to the later days Greek temples Portico. The ashes of the man were stored in a bronze amphora with carvings depicting hunting scenes (Catling et al., 1991). ... The area surrounding Lefkandi is widely known as Old Eretria. These people who settled here should have live here from the early Bronze Age till the beginning of the Archaic period (Catling et al., 1991). They might have moved away from the area because of the Lelantine War. Another notable cemetery found close to the Heroon of Lefkandi is the cemetery for Toumba1. The building should have been erected around tenth century BC. The burial mound has a main entrance on the eastern side, three rooms and a wide corridor. Rows of wooden columns supported the roof and the building ends with an apsidal on the west (Catling et al, 1991). There is a row of post-holes on the walls facing north and south. There is a huge wooden veranda known as peristrasis. This veranda and the post-holes are found in early Greek temples constructed during the Archaic age too (Lemos, 2009). The people buried here are considered to be quite rich as several costly offerings starting from pots to jewellery were exc avated along with the bodies. They should have been offered to the dead as a token of love and gratitude (Lemos, 2009). The Heroon at Lefkandi is considered as a prominent archaeological discovery due to various reasons. The Archaic period is often considered as the beginning of Greek architecture and civilization. But, the Lefkandi excavations proved civilizations and occupations dating back to two hundred years or before prevailed in the area. These excavations were the substantial proof for the culture of Late Helladic IIIC2 period which prevailed around 1075 BCE (Evley, 2006). Many more cemeteries constructed exactly in the style of later day Greek temples like Skoubris and Palia Perivolia was found in the area (Catling et al., 1991). The

Philosophy, theory and ethics in property Essay

Philosophy, theory and ethics in property - Essay Example It may be noted that the decline of traditional industries and population drift has left many properties surplus to requirement. Dilapidated and unmanaged empty buildings naturally create an atmosphere in which crime and vandalism can flourish; making the neighbourhoods less popular. Where older buildings have outlived their useful life demolition is the only viable option to provide more promising areas with the green spaces and rooms for parking, which is the modern requirement. Though it is essential to build new homes or business establishments, we must utilise the existing stock and provide opportunity to continue the business and job opportunity to the original occupants. Encouraging a mix of uses is the core of sustainable and vibrant communities as people living in town centres bring custom to shops and other businesses which will prevent the empty space becoming deserted and potentially unsafe at night. In this context private sector can play an important role in constructiv e utilisation of land, property, and resources to deliver better service to the society. When considering a property for development and converting into retail commercial units the potential for conflict of interest between commercial and residential use needs to be considered. Once the property has been identified the developer will need to carry out a basic feasibility study, looking at the likely costs against expected revenue and increase in property value, to determine whether or not the scheme is going to be financially viable. Service of residential agents can provide individual inspections of buildings, feasibility report for viable conversion, and help bring empty properties back into use. An application for listed building consent has to be submitted to the local planning authority before going for changes that affect character of the building and the premises. It is also necessary to adhere to local guidelines on demolition of old buildings, taking prior permission from the authority and stake holders, if any, and approving development plan. There is a growing importance for regional level planning due to growing scale of daily life, particularly in the major urban regions; the increasing need to integrate planning of urban and rural area; and more pluralistic societies. It may be seen that along with population growth there is increasing demand for mobility, accessibility, and redefined quality of place, which necessitate more effective planning aimed at nature preservation, water management, sustainable environment, and cultural heritage. Societal developments are now connected with international developments and a new balance is needed between city and countryside, between nature and landscape, between infrastructure and environment, and regional and international development. An integrated approach to sustainable development will enable efficient, effective, consistent, and coordinated input plans and strategies to address rural issues that incorporate natural, built and historic environment into the strategies and p lans. "The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduces fundamental changes to the planning system" (van den Berg, 2005). It necessitates spatial structure of vital, but uncontrollable, metropolises to be improved for accommodating multicultural/multiethnic populations, new economic systems, and modern lifestyles. Thus, major actors involved in spatial planning

Why was Caesar assassinated Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why was Caesar assassinated - Essay Example Rome was ruled by a triumvirate consisting of Julius Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. However, with the death of Crassus, a conflict raised between Pompey and Caesar. Caesar whose continuous growth in power resulted in the conflict as Pompey saw Caesar as a threat to himself. In January of 49 BC Caesar crossed the Rubican River in Northern Italy while Pompey fled to Greece and within 3 months Caesar managed to control the entire Italian peninsula. Caesar then followed Pompey to Greece and then Egypt where he was presented with the head of Pompey as a gift (â€Å"The Assassination of Julius Caesar, 2004). Caesar thus became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire. In spite of support from common man Caesar’s growing ambitions and his growth in power were seen as a threat by many especially by the aristocrats and the members of his own senate decided that he had to be stopped. As Caesar continued to become powerful he declared himself dictator in February 44 BC (â€Å"The Assass ination of Julius Caesar, 2004). The senate thought that he would annul the senate rendering their position powerless and would become a tyrant with his decision being omnipotent. The fear for loss of power, the jealousy of seeing a colleague becoming more powerful, the annoyance at acceptance of people for Julius’s power and the arrogance of Julius led to his assassination. Caesar had always had been the one to show off his power, his arrogance and his lifestyle were a reflection of that. Suetonius and Dio write of how his gestures showed his arrogance. For instance when a senatorial delegate informed him about the honors that were being bestowed on him he received them while sitting at the temple of Venus Gittrix. Suetonius further mentions that he had no restrain over his thoughts and that showed when he spoke.(suetonius) "The republic is nothing but a name, without substance or reality. Sulla was stupid to abdicate the dictatorship. Men ought to consider what is becoming when they talk with me, and lookupon what I say as a law."(suetonius) Such arrogance created a negative image of Caesar and his conspirators believed that it was his power that had corrupted him and the only solution they thought was best for the situation was to assassinate Caesar. In spite of his arrogance common people supported him. They cheered him; they called him rex, Latin for king. They already thought of him as their king, their leader. During the crowning ceremony, when he was offered crown, he refused to accept it. People cheered him even then, they thought of this refusal to accept crown as his refusal to accept power. His conspirators on the other hand thought of this as a tactic to gather popular support and considered it as his arrogance and disregard for the general rules laid by senate. The senators who feared Caesar the most included Cassius, Decius, Cicero, Casca and others. However, their fear and hatred never gathered a concrete decision till Cassius realized t hat Brutus feared and disliked Caesar just as much as they did. It was with Brutus that the conspiracy materialized and led to the assassination of Caesar. Cassius was Brutus’s brother in law and they are considered the main conspirators. Cassius knew that Brutus was popular among common people and hence his involvement in the conspiracy was critical. The reason that he confirmed his involvement on various occasions. â€Å"Cassius, gripping Brutus tightly, asked him, â€Å"What will we do in the senate house if Caesar’

Philosophy, theory and ethics in property Essay

Philosophy, theory and ethics in property - Essay Example It may be noted that the decline of traditional industries and population drift has left many properties surplus to requirement. Dilapidated and unmanaged empty buildings naturally create an atmosphere in which crime and vandalism can flourish; making the neighbourhoods less popular. Where older buildings have outlived their useful life demolition is the only viable option to provide more promising areas with the green spaces and rooms for parking, which is the modern requirement. Though it is essential to build new homes or business establishments, we must utilise the existing stock and provide opportunity to continue the business and job opportunity to the original occupants. Encouraging a mix of uses is the core of sustainable and vibrant communities as people living in town centres bring custom to shops and other businesses which will prevent the empty space becoming deserted and potentially unsafe at night. In this context private sector can play an important role in constructiv e utilisation of land, property, and resources to deliver better service to the society. When considering a property for development and converting into retail commercial units the potential for conflict of interest between commercial and residential use needs to be considered. Once the property has been identified the developer will need to carry out a basic feasibility study, looking at the likely costs against expected revenue and increase in property value, to determine whether or not the scheme is going to be financially viable. Service of residential agents can provide individual inspections of buildings, feasibility report for viable conversion, and help bring empty properties back into use. An application for listed building consent has to be submitted to the local planning authority before going for changes that affect character of the building and the premises. It is also necessary to adhere to local guidelines on demolition of old buildings, taking prior permission from the authority and stake holders, if any, and approving development plan. There is a growing importance for regional level planning due to growing scale of daily life, particularly in the major urban regions; the increasing need to integrate planning of urban and rural area; and more pluralistic societies. It may be seen that along with population growth there is increasing demand for mobility, accessibility, and redefined quality of place, which necessitate more effective planning aimed at nature preservation, water management, sustainable environment, and cultural heritage. Societal developments are now connected with international developments and a new balance is needed between city and countryside, between nature and landscape, between infrastructure and environment, and regional and international development. An integrated approach to sustainable development will enable efficient, effective, consistent, and coordinated input plans and strategies to address rural issues that incorporate natural, built and historic environment into the strategies and p lans. "The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduces fundamental changes to the planning system" (van den Berg, 2005). It necessitates spatial structure of vital, but uncontrollable, metropolises to be improved for accommodating multicultural/multiethnic populations, new economic systems, and modern lifestyles. Thus, major actors involved in spatial planning

International and Comparative Human Resource Management Essay - 5

International and Comparative Human Resource Management - Essay Example The rapid technological advancement has greatly influenced the change observed in the business environment. Organisations’ processes are constantly being re-engineered and delocalised because work can now be carried out both at home and in the office. The re-engineering process has reduced middle management levels as today’s lower level managers are faced with more work and decision making activities. The work processes have been restructured to comply with the existing technology in the business environment, fragmentation against departments has been reduced in an attempt to fasten decision making process and accomplishment of tasks, the quality and speed of strategy execution has been improved, employees are empowered and information flows swiftly within the organisation (Thakur 2001, p. 311). For instance Joel Salatin owner of the Polyface Farm in Virginia has adopted sustainable agricultural operations such as use of green technology to maintain the quality of his l and and animals. He is also able to meet the sophisticated demands of consumers that desire to use green technology products which are deemed to be safe as they cause less harm to the environment and their health. The business environment has been changed to a business of data by ‘formatting’ the workplace. Today workers manipulate data related to the products they are producing instead of the working materials. The communication technology has acquired a multiplier phase enabling all players in the business environment to get the same information simultaneously and thus react or act on it at the same time

Management Consultancy Services Essay Example for Free

Management Consultancy Services Essay Following the Enron case and others, the place and role of professional advisers within corporate governance was thrown into public focus and as a result the professional management bodies across the world revisited their policies on various regulatory mechanisms. The policies formulated by Institute of Management Consultancy, United Kingdom is taken as a reference in the discussions below. The general principles are summarized. Self-regulation is best delivered through a modern, professional approach, i.e. through standards backed by disciplinary arrangements that are supported by external validation and a Code of Professional Conduct and Ethical Guidelines that apply to all members. A framework is required at the organizational and individual level to ensure that clients are able to make an informed decision about their choice of consultancy advice. A sector-wide definition of management consultancy should be developed that will assist in a number of ways, including the debate around self-regulation, and be sufficiently flexible to accommodate new providers of consultancy. The sector-wide definition should be Management consultancy is the provision to management of objective advice and assistance relating to the strategy, structure, management and operations of an organization in pursuit of its long-term purposes and objectives. Such assistance may include the identification of options with recommendations; the provision of an additional resource and/or the implementation of solutions. The definition of a management consultant should be Management consultants are those organisations and/or individuals that participate in the process of management consultancy within a framework of appropriate and relevant professional disciplines and ethics designed for the activity of management consultancy. The principle of detailed technical regulation of management consultancy should be rejected and that the essential skills of consulting are primarily behavioral, stressing the importance of competences and ethical standards. Any regulatory regime requires a significant element of independence from the profession in terms of membership and operation. The option of a regulatory system that provides easily accessible information from clients on the performance of firms and individuals should be considered carefully. The global nature of consultancy means that the complexities of jurisdiction and applicable law need to be taken into account and the dangers of regulatory systems being used as restraints on trade or for the furtherance of the interests of trade blocs recognized. The question of the interaction of parallel regulatory systems needs to be explored thoroughly with a wide range of professional and trade bodies. Management consultancy is immensely competitive. Any self-regulatory regime must not fetter the ability of management consultants to compete for business, with the opportunities for other companies that they may bring. The Government does not have a formal role in regulating the profession of management consultancy. Its role is to encourage and support stakeholders in management consultancy, including clients and other institutes, to develop a system that protects users and enables the UK profession to compete in a global market. 2. PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANCY ORGANIZATIONS CHALLENGES Traditionally the state has awarded associations of professionals the privilege of self-regulation in return for an assurance that members abide by a set of standards and an ethical code of conduct to ensure protection of the public interest. As increasing levels of education and social awareness give rise to greater expectations traditional structures, rules and regulations are challenged and justification for privilege is questioned. The position of trade and professional bodies is also made more complex by the increasing demand from members for such bodies to defend them from these pressures. This representational role has to be balanced carefully against the public protection responsibility. The regulatory function itself is not without its pitfalls. They are cent red on ensuring that everyone in the market is covered, how any regulations are to be enforced and also possibly ensuring that restrictive trade practices legislation is not used against them. All such arrangements are potentially unstable and perhaps are held together predominantly by the fear of more onerous statutory regulation. But these difficulties are compounded in an international environment. The increasing globalization that result in emergence of a single market mean that the developments of rules and regulations concerning two issues competition amongst professionals and standardization of qualifications are of particular concern. But the profession is also global in nature and regulation has also to be seen in against a shifting pattern of international trading and political structures. One driver for change is seen as ..deregulation and privatization, combined with a gradual shifting of policy-making to the global level. If regulation is the key, what form should it take? It can be introduced at a number of levels, i.e. the activity (technical regulation); individuals (standards and qualifications); firms (the trade association model) or the profession as a whole (ethics and principles). All of them have their difficulties. Some believe that the accounting profession in the USA had the wrong approach, i.e. Based on strict adherence to rules, it inadvertently encouraged innovations of the worst kind; creative accounting. 3. SHOULD MANAGEMENT CONSULTANCY BE REGULATED? There is, equally, the view that regulation is not needed at all. The market will regulate itself. This, of course, ignores that fact that business takes place within a societal framework and the view that the market is the ultimate regulator is, surely, flawed. It is based on the notion, sound in theory but questionable in practice, that the market is a perfect mechanism. Others suggest that the secret lies in the education of the client to make it an informed marketplace. It also has to balanced with the view that, if management consultancy wishes to be seen as professional, Professional awareness and behavior come when the early juggling with a little knowledge gives way to skilled application of a generally accepted body of knowledge according to accepted standards of integrity. It is also the case that the development of partnerships between clients and professional service firms (including investment by the latter in the former) may well limit the willingness of clients to shop around. The key question then is what is regulation for. In essence of course it is to ensure that the customers or stakeholders receive the goods and services that they need and that the suppliers claim to provide. In the case of management consultancy this must mean that clients receive the best possible advice to help them in taking their organizations forward. In a market dominated by a few global brands, it is about extending the transparency and extent of choice to enable clients to choose on the basis of expertise, quality of delivery and cost. It is also about balancing the need to extend these principles down from the firm to the individual and the costs of any system. The government view has been that good self-regulation coupled with demanding industry and people standards help companies compete in a global marketplace. When combined with effective self-regulatory systems and where appropriate supporting mechanisms exist to encourage good practice and resolve cross-border disputes, this development will reduce barriers and realize a single market worldwide. 4. STEP 1 IN REGULATAION WHO ARE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS? A number of definitions have been developed in recent years. The following is a small selection: Management consultants are used first to provide wider additional expertise than is available within a single organization. Thus a change in production or marketing may require expertise in designing and implementing a new system. Secondly, management consultants are used to provide objective appraisals where it is often easier for the expert outsider to see the broader picture and recognize the long-term requirements. Thirdly, the management consultant may be needed to provide additional assistance where there is a temporary increase in the management workload. This may be to cope with a major change or new development in any area of management responsibility. The rendering of independent advice and assistance on management issues. This typically includes identifying and investigating problems and/or opportunities, recommending appropriate action and helping to implement those solutions. Management consulting is an independent professional advisory service assisting mangers and organizations in achieving organizational purposes and objectives by solving management and business problems, identifying and seizing new opportunities, enhancing learning and implementing changes. The term Management Consultancy applies when a firm is engaged for a definitive duration to undertake specific enquiries, conduct studies, identify options and make recommendations or give advice of a strategic nature relating to the organization, management and operation of [the organization] for consideration/implementation. These definitions or descriptions have a number of threads in common. They are concerned with management issues of a significant, although not necessarily strategic, importance. Secondly, they are concerned with the role of the expert outsider. Finally, they extend the role of management consultants beyond advice and into implementation. Taking these threads into account the Institute believes that the sector-wide definition should be Management consultancy is the provision to management of objective advice and assistance relating to the strategy, structure, management and operations of an organization in pursuit of its long-term purposes and objectives. Such assistance may include the identification of options with recommendations; the provision of an additional resource and/or the implementation of solutions. Some have raised the issue of whether, if the professional activity is defined, the role of the individual management consultant also needs to be placed within a definitional framework. 5. REGULATION WIDER ISSUES Conversely, it is likely to be the case that others, even if introduced for the best of reasons, may see any system of regulation, as a restraint of trade. The danger is that the introduction of any self-regulatory system may also require an accompanying increase in bureaucracy and industry overheads and that the perceived failure of any such system may provoke a call for statutory intervention. The potential costs of any regulatory regime, however light its touch, are also of concern when Government does not seem to appreciate the costs, whether financial or opportunity, that may arise. Additional administration for practices and activity by professional bodies require resourcing and, in many cases, it is practitioners who have to bear the burden. The reality is that management consultancy, like every other business, is immensely competitive. Any regulatory proposals must take into account the need for the consulting profession to retain flexibility to adapt to a new global and technology-driven world. While global practices dominate the market, internal consultancies within domestic companies are turning to external and, hence, foreign markets, for business and small practices in niche markets are also competing on a global stage. The key is responding to the needs of clients rather than a regulatory regime that will always be behind developments in the marketplace. 6. CODE OF ETHICS INSTITUTE OF MGMT CONSULTANTS, USA All IMC USA members pledge in writing to abide by the Institutes Code of Ethics. Their adherence to the Code signifies voluntary assumption of self-discipline. The Code specifies: Clients * Members will serve their clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity, using a professional approach at all times, and placing the best interests of the client above all others. * Members will establish realistic expectations of the benefits and results of their services. * Members will treat all client information that is not public knowledge as confidential, will prevent it from access by unauthorized people, and will not take advantage of proprietary or privileged information, either for use by them, their firm or another client, without the clients permission. * Members will avoid conflicts of interest, or the appearance of such, and will disclose to a client any circumstances or interests that might influence their judgment and objectivity. * Members will refrain from inviting an employee of an current or previous client to consider alternative employment without prior discussion with the client. Engagements * Members will only accept assignments which they possess the expertise to perform, and will only assign staff with the requisite expertise. * Members will ensure that before accepting any engagement a mutual understanding of the objectives, scope, work plan, and fee arrangements has been established. * Members will offer to withdraw from a consulting engagement when their objectivity or integrity may be impaired. Fees * Members will agree in advance with a client on the basis for fees and expenses, and will charge fees and expenses that are reasonable, legitimate and commensurate with the services delivered and the responsibility accepted. * Members will disclose to their clients in advance any fees or commissions that they receive for equipment, supplies or services they could recommend to their clients. Profession * Members will respect the individual and corporate rights of clients and consulting colleagues, and will not use proprietary information or methodologies without permission. * Members will represent the profession with integrity and professionalism in their relations with their clients, colleagues and the general public. * Members will report violations of this Code to the Institute, and will ensure that other consultants working on behalf of the member abide by this Code. The Institute of Management Consultants USA, Inc. (IMC USA) adopted its first Code of Ethics in 1968. Since that time IMC USA has modified the wording of the Code for additional clarity and relevance to clients. The current Code was approved February 22, 2002. It is consistent with the International Code of Professional Conduct published by the International Council of Management Consulting Institute (ICMCI) of which IMC USA is a founding member. Members who apply for the CMC (Certified Management Consultant) designation must pass a written examination on the application of the IMC USA Code of Ethics to client service. The CMC mark is awarded to consultants who have met high standards of education, experience, competence and professionalism. 7. CODE OF ETHICS THE GROUND REALITY This paper is based on an Ethics Survey conducted by the Institute of Management Consultants among American business consulting clients of IMC members who are Certified Management Consultants (CMCs). Results * Over-promising expected results and/or benefits (Nearly half of the respondents-46%) * Not serving the best interest of the client (32%) * Under-delivering results vs. commitment (31%) A high percentage of respondents40%indicated that they believe professional service firms would lie to protect themselves. Thirty-nine percent (39%) also indicated that they think employees would lie to protect themselves. Counterbalancing this, however, was the expression of 54% of the respondents who indicted that in a difficult situation, they believe employees will behave honorably. Half of the respondents also believe that professional service firms do place a high value on the welfare of the clients organization. It can therefore be concluded that while business executives believe that both employees and professional service firms do have an interest in the success and welfare of the organization/enterprise, they also feel that both groups would be inclined to act to protect their own interest or enhance their own position-an action which could inevitably be to the detriment of the enterprise. Two additional issues in which professional service firms can be faulted by business executives included: * Allowing the projects scope to expand/creep. (One-fourth of the respondents indicated this was happening frequently.) * Being imprecise or non-specific when setting expectations. (Only 19% indicated that this happens frequently, yet 68% indicated this occasionally happens.)

Environmental Studies Essays Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development

Environmental Studies Essays Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development A small manufacturing company is keen to promote its activitiesas being sustainable. As part of this process, the management has decided toimplement an EMS with a view to obtaining ISO 14001 certification. Withspecific reference to issues that are likely to be relevant to a smallmanufacturing company, discuss the role of the environmental management toolswe considered in workbook 2 and explain how these environmental managementtools are interrelated in terms of both data inputs/outputs and methodologies.Also, describe to what extent the EMS and the use of management tools could beseen as contributing to sustainable developments. Interest in environmental protection and sustainable development has beenincreasing year by year. To meet the challenges, an Environmental ManagementSystem (EMS) is implemented. An EMS is a continuous cycle of planning,implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions that anorganisation undertakes to meet its environmental obligations. The worlds firststandard for environmental management systems (EMS) BS 7750 was developed andpublished by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 1992. This later formed the basis for the ISO 14000, which was developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). In 1996, ISO 14001 which establishes the requirements for an EMS was finalised. Implementation of an EMS can improve environmental performance, reduced liability, competitive advantage, reduced costs, fewer accidents, employee involvement, compliance performance, enhance management confidence, increase efficiency, improve public image, enhance customer trust, meet customer requirements and growth management. Thekey to effective environmental management is the use of a systematic approachto planning, controlling, measuring and improving an organisationsenvironmental performance. Common aspects of an EMS are environmental policy,adequate resources, responsibilities and authorities, training, systemdocumentation, operational controls, document control, system audits andmanagement review. Most EMS models are based on the concept of Plan, Do,Check, Act model introduced by Shewart and Deming which emphasises the conceptof continual improvement. Someof the important EMS elements in common EMS models are discussed in detail.Most of the EMS components are inter-related (given in fig 1). The firstelement is the environmental policy, which is the top managementsdeclaration of its commitment to the environment. The environmental policy servesas a foundation and vision of environmental concern by the entire organisation.The policy should relate to the companys products and services, be simple,understandable, and explicit enough to be audited. The policy is relevant tocontinual improvement, pollution prevention and compliance with relevant lawsand regulations. Thesecond element is the identification of environmental aspects which arethe organisations activities, products, or services that can interact with theenvironment. These environmental aspects , which are called as significantenvironmental aspects, determine the environment objectives to beestablished and operational controls and actions defined later. Theenvironmental aspects are essential to establish positive impacts on thebottom line and providing environmental improvements. Legal and other requirements of the EMS may include federalrequirements, state and local requirements, standards in locations in which thecompanys products/services are sold and permit conditions. These requirementsshould be factored into the organisations management efforts to avoidpotential costs as non-compliance can cause possible damage to the environment,revenue loss and impact on public image. Objectives and targets establish environmental goals for theorganisation in line with company policy, environmental policy, environmentalimpacts, the views of interested parties and other factors. This is essentialto help an organisation translate purpose into action. Various EMS implementationprojects for small and medium-sized companies indicate that it is best to startwith a limited number of objectives and expand the list over time. Measurementof progress of achieving targets should be determined. An Environmental Management Program is developed byplanning to achieve objectives. Targets should be set by definingresponsibilities for achieving goals and means and time frame for achievingthem. Therefore, an Environmental Management Program acts as a road map/actionplan for achieving environmental goals. Re-evaluation of the action plan andfocus in continual improvement should be made. Structureand responsibility defines effective roles and responsibilities and ensuresthat the top management provide resources including human resources,specialised skills, technology, and financial resources. Small and medium-sizedorganisations may have advantages over large ones in structuring theirresources for environmental management as resource being limited; people haveexperience in performing multiple functions. Structure and responsibility isneeded for an EMS to live up to its full potential. Training,awareness and competency are important for awareness, motivation,commitment, skills/capability, compliance and performance as every employee canhave potential impacts on the environment by generating good ideas forimprovement. Training should be conducted and tracked and its effectivenessevaluated. Establishment of internal and external communications onenvironmental management issues for neighbours, community groups, otherinterest groups, local officials, regulatory agencies and emergency respondersshould be effected to maintain the flow of useful and required information.Effective communication can help to motivate workforce, gain acceptance for thecompanys plans and efforts, explain the companys environmental policy, ensureunderstanding of roles and expectations, demonstrate management commitment,monitor and evaluate performance and identify potential system improvements. EMSdocumentation by maintaining information on EMS and related documentsshould be done to provide adequate information to the people involved in thesetting up of the EMS and also to external parties like customers, regulators,lending institutions, registrars and the public for better understanding. Documentcontrol is a mechanism providing up-to-date procedures, instructions andother documents to ensure effective management of procedures and other systemdocuments . It ensures that people are consistently performing in the rightway. It is linked with EMS documentation, operational control and records. Operationalcontrol is effected by identifying, planning and managing operations andactivities in line with company policy, objectives and targets which includedocumented procedures to manage environmental policy, significant environmentalaspects, objectives and targets and legal and other requirements. It ensuresthat the commitments of the environmental policy is satisfied and preventdeviations from the policy. Operational control is also needed to managesignificant aspects or legal requirements. Emergency preparedness and response is to be maintained to reduceinjuries, prevent or minimize environmental impacts, protect employees andneighbours, reduce asset losses and minimize downtime. It serves as a tool todetermine whether more training and revision of emergency plans and proceduresis needed. Monitoringand measurement of key activities and performance is essential to evaluateenvironmental performance, analyse root causes of problems, assess compliancewith legal requirements, identify areas requiring corrective action, improveperformance and increase efficiency. In general, is serves as an assessment ofhow well the system is performing and helps to manage the organisation better.Monitoring is done effectively when current and reliable data is available byproper EMS documentation and Document control. Non-conformance and corrective and preventive action is essentialto identify and investigate problems, identify root causes, identify andimplement corrective and preventive actions and make sure actions are trackedand their effectiveness verified. Most EMS problems are identified by internalauditors by accessing information from operation control and monitoring andmeasurement. Records are essential to demonstrate the actual implementation ofthe EMS designed. Records have value internally as well as over time when thereis a need to provide evidence to external parties such as customers, aregistrar or the public. Accurate records is also essential for a system tooperate consistently. Virtually every element of the EMS can result in thegeneration of records as it is inter-linked. An EMS audit is a systematic and documented verification processof objectively obtaining and evaluating evidence to confirm whether anorganisations environmental management system conforms to the environmentalmanagement system audit criteria set by the organisation. In a smallerorganisation, periodic audits can be particularly valuable as managers close tothe work may not often see the problems or insufficient procedures that have beendeveloped. Management review is the key to continual improvement and forensuring that the EMS will continue to meet the organisations needs over time.They also offer a great opportunity to keep the EMS efficient and costeffective. Smaller organisations often favour employee experience over writtenprocedures and documented systems. However, personnel turnover withoutdocumented systems can stall progress. On establishment of an EMS, it isessential to evaluate how useful it is to relate to the companys policytowards sustainable development. For any company, economic growth has been considered as a major indicatorof a healthy society, but lately, the environmental cost has been recognised bythe society. So there is a need to develop sustainable development a meansof satisfying present needs without compromising the ability of the futuregenerations to meet theirs. The implementation of sustainable managementinitiatives has been mainly a reaction to environmental pressures, legalobligations, risk management, customer demands and competition. This has leadto a change in the stakeholders interpretation of sustainable developmentthrough constraints of politics, economics, science, culture and religion. The intent of an EMS is to facilitate a voluntary implementation of aneffective management system for both sound environmental performance and alsoparticipation in environmental schemes. The design principle of an EMS is notto be a regulatory device as such, but as a regulatory device with the objectiveof sustainable development. To evaluate their role in sustainable development,in their current form, EMS only functions for continual improvement onenvironmental objectives and targets after considering regulations, effects ofthe products on the environment, organisational goals and views of concernedparties. Implementing an EMS does not alter the basic obligation to comply with applicable requirements or the requirements themselves. Through compliance, they provide ways to make achievement of that end more sustainable and predictable. So EMS has emerged as a important tool in improving performance above legal minimums and widely accepted. References. Cascio, J.,Woodside, G and Mitchell, P. (1996) ISO 14000: A guide to the New InternationalEnvironmental Standards. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Hillary (1994)The Eco-Management and Audit Scheme: A Practical Guide. UK: Stanley Thornes(Publishers) Ltd. IAS (1991)International Accounting Standards (2nd Edition). Vol I II.IAS No 1-31. Copenhagen: FSRs Forlag. International Network for Environmental Management. (2004) YourEnvironmental Management Tool Box, INEM. http://www.inem.org/htdocs/inem_tools.html#Anchor-ISO-11481[12/08/2005]. Netrags. (2005)Environmental Management Systems, Netrags. http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/netregs/275207/587836/?version=1lang=_e[14/08/2005]. Rao, P K. (2000)Sustainable Development Economics and Policy. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers. SETAC (1991) ATechnical Framework for Life-Cycle Assessment. Washington DC: SETAC. Stapleton, P J.,Glover, M A. and Davis, S P. (2nd Eds) (2001) EnvironmentalManagement Systems: An Implementation Guide for Small and Medium-SizedOrganisations. NSF. Sturn, A andUpasena, S. (1997, 1998) ISO 14001 Implementing an Environmental ManagementSystem (version 2.02, 1998). Available from: www.ellipson.com[12/08/2005].

uniforms in school :: essays research papers

Most teenagers, when asked about wearing uniforms say they hate the idea. I am a teenager myself and before researching this topic I thought I would never wear them. I have found in my research numerous reasons uniforms should be implimented. First, they protect us. You may be asking how an article of clothing can protect you. It is much more difficult to conceal a weapon in a uniform that it is to conceal it in a traditional baggy pair of jeans. Second, uniforms eliminate competition. Students need to learn that school is not a fashion show. I know it's fun to go shopping for the latest trends and fads but school is a learning environment thus we should be there to learn, not check out who is wearing what. Next, uniforms are much less expensive than traditional clothing worn by teens. Some schools provide programs where kids can recieve the uniforms at little or no cost. In addition, it prepares students for the workplace by requiring them to dress in attire suitable for work. You may have heard you are what you wear. If you are dressed conservatively you are much more likely to act conservatively. If all students wore uniforms, intruders to the school could be easily recognized. This could prevent unauthorized visits as well as incidents that could be more severe. The biggest argument from opponents of uniforms is that they eliminate individuality. That is a bunch of crap. How is it that a person can be an individual when all kids dress alike? Okay so there are a few who get a little crazy with the multicolored hair or ripped jeans, to those people, I give props. I know they take a lot of shit from other kids. But, there are other ways to express yourself.

Curriculum Access for Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities

NCAC Curriculum Access for Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities: The Promise of Universal Design for Learning This report was written with support from the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum (NCAC), a cooperative agreement between CAST and the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), Cooperative Agreement No. H324H990004. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of the U. S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, and no official endorsement by the Department should be inferred. ———————————————— Curriculum Access for Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities: The Promise of Universal Design for Learning Written by Richard M. Jackson, Director of Practice and CAST’s Liaison to Boston College for the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum â €”———————————————- Edited by Valerie Hendricks ————————————————- This report addresses the following questions: * What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? * What are low-incidence disabilities? Why are schools and communities particularly challenged in serving students with low-incidence disabilities? * What are the needs of students with low-incidence disabilities? * What curricula and instructional practices are currently used with students with low-incidence disabilities? * What planning models are in use for students with low-incidence disabilities? * How can IEPs ensure greater access to the general curriculum for students with low-incidence disabilities? * What approaches exist for enabling students with low-incidence disabilities to participate in state- and district-level assessment systems? How can the UDL framework increase access to the general curriculum for students with low-incidence disabilities? Acknowledgements When one completes a writing project of this size and effort, there are many to recognize and thank. Foremost is CAST’s Valerie Hendricks, whose editing skills remain unparalleled. Valerie’s critical review, suggested reorganizations, and detailed edits in the final stages of the writing proved enormously helpful, contributing greatly to the overall quality of the work.I am also indebted to Kelly Harper and Lisa White, OSEP-supported research assistants based at Boston College, for their careful and extensive library research and literature summaries. Additionally, I want to recognize and thank other Boston College research assistants who helped with earlier editing and reference checking. They include Xiaoxia Chen, Jennifer Hawthorne and Randall Lahann. Finally, I want to express my gratitude to Chuck Hitchcock, NCAC’s project director at CAST, and David Rose, NCAC’s principal investigator at CAST, for their patience, encouragement, and commitment in seeing this project through to completion.Table of Contents Introductionvi Overviewviii I. What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? 1 Origins of Universal Design1 Universal Design in Architecture2 Universal Design in Education4 Universal Design for Learning (UDL)5 II. What are low-incidence disabilities? 9 Alternative Systems for Classification9 A Focus on Incidence9 III. Why are schools and communities particularly challenged in serving students with low-incidence disabilities?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 12Insufficient Numbers12 Finding the Le ast Restrictive Environment13 IV. What are the needs of students with low-incidence disabilities? 15 Special Education is Not a Place15 Categories and Characteristics15 Addressing Intense and Complex Needs16 Clusters of Low-Incidence Disabilities17 Blind/Low Vision18 Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing19 Deaf-Blind22 Significant Developmental Delay23 Significant Physical and Multiple Disabilities25 Autistic Spectrum28 Considering Generic Needs29 V. What curricula and instructional practices are currently use with students with low- incidence disabilities?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 Curriculum and Instructional Practices31 Toward a Definition of Curriculum33 Facing the Challenge of Curriculum Access35 Blending General and Specialized Curriculum37 Blind/Low Vision38 Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing42 Teaching Approaches43 Inclusion of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students45 Deaf-Blind49 Communication50 Orientation and Mobility50 Individualized Education51 Transition51 Inclusion in Family51 Teaching Strategies and Content Mod ifications51 Significant Developmental Delay52 Curriculum54 Instructional Adaptations56 Significant Physical and Multiple Disabilities60Autistic Spectrum61 Sensory-Motor Therapy63 Communication Therapy64 Social Skills Training64 Applied Behavior Analysis65 Multi-Treatment Programs65 VI. What planning models are in use for students with low-incidence disabilities? 67 The Evolution of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)67 Person-Centered Planning69 Group Action Planning (GAP)69 Making Action Plans (MAPs)70 Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope (PATH)71 Circle of Friends73 Collaborative Planning and the General Curriculum74 Planning in the Context of the General Curriculum76 VII.How can IEPs ensure greater access to the general curriculum for students with low-incidence disabilities?†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 78 Expanding Roles and Functions of IEP Team Members78 Origins of the IEP79 Purpose of the IEP80 Limitations of the IEP82 IDEA ’97 Challenges for the IEP82 Addre ssing the General Curriculum with the IEP85 VIII. What approaches exist for enabling students with low-incidence disabilities to participate state- and district-level assessment systems? 91 The Role of Assessment in Standards-Based Reform91 Broad-Scale Assessment Systems92Standards-Based Assessment and Students with Disabilities93 Participation of Students with Disabilities in Assessment and Accountability Systems94 Changes in Assessment Systems for Students with Disabilities96 Accommodations98 Modifications99 Alternate Assessment Systems99 Massachusetts Alternate Assessment102 Issues Remaining with Alternate Assessment108 IX. How can the UDL framework increase access to the general curriculum for students with low-incidence disabilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 113 Universal Design Revisited114 UDL and the Curriculum116 UDL Components117 Goals119 Methods120 Materials121The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS)123 Assessment124 Curriculum Flexibility for Students wit h Low-Incidence Disabilities125 References129 Appendices145 Appendix A: Tips for Universally Designed Teaching145 Appendix B: Principles of Universal Design for Instruction (UDI)147 Appendix C: Design Principles for Lesson Adaptations148 Appendix D: Expanded Core Curriculum for Blind/Low Vision Students149 Appendix E: Six Core Principles153 Appendix F: Alaska’s State Recommendations154 Appendix G: Six Guidelines for Inclusive Programs155 Appendix H: Alternate Assessment Approaches157Appendix I: Five Best-Practice Steps for States158 Introduction Twenty years ago, the publication of A Nation At Risk instigated two decades of educational reform in the United States. Yet improving our educational system remains a national priority. Today, various school reform efforts brought about by enabling legislation and funding streams are converging on the goal of providing a single high-quality education for all of America’s students. Expectations of excellence and equal access, a s well as a focus on outcomes, are driving the effort to â€Å"leave no child behind. The goal of much of this reform work is to ensure that children of color, children living in poverty, children learning English as a second language, and children with disabilities encounter no barriers as they receive the best education possible in order to become independent, productive, and participating members of the communities in which they will live as adults. Once, the â€Å"factory† model of schooling in America viewed all children as mere â€Å"raw material† to be measured and then either mainstreamed or side-tracked, with children disadvantaged by color, poverty, language, or disability automatically winding up outside the mainstream.This system of sorting and then tracking children institutionalized inequality and denial of opportunity. Reform efforts of today are directed toward eliminating this ad hoc marginalization of groups of children, such as those listed above, w ho are viewed as â€Å"at risk† in America’s schools. Reforming education, improving schools, and raising student achievement are noble and socially just pursuits, but by what means are these lofty goals to be accomplished?Many of the diagnostic and prescriptive approaches of the past have resulted in practices where presumably the least capable receive significantly less curricula. An alternative approach to understanding student learning difficulties becomes available when assessments are applied to a school itself, or, more particularly, to a school’s curriculum, instead of to students. Measurement can then proceed with the following questions: How accessible and user-friendly is the curriculum? To what extent does the curriculum permit multiple entry and exit points?To what degree does the curriculum allow for wide participation? How accurately and fairly does the curriculum assess student progress? In order to make a single high-quality public school educat ion available to all, the curriculum itself must be examined. The typical lecture-and-textbook curriculum, made accessible only to those who could demonstrably benefit from it, implies that any failure to grasp the material calls for the student him- or herself to be examined for flaws, as has traditionally been the case.Failure to examine the curriculum and to consider modifications to it presents a crucial question: are the problems confronting public schools today rooted in the students or in the curriculum? In the following pages, we take the position that the challenge of educating students with disabilities or students who are not achieving rests with the curriculum, not with the student. In particular, we posit that the problem resides within the static presentation of typical curriculum, which is unresponsive to the many and varied ways in which individual learners differ.In order to begin addressing not the deficits of students but rather the barriers erected for them by tr aditional curriculum, a framework is required for examining the curriculum as it is and for suggesting ways in which it may be made most accessible to all students. One such framework is Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (Rose & Meyer, 2002). UDL takes a trifold approach to assessing curriculum as it examines, first, the ways in which content can be represented; second, the means by which students can respond; and third, the conditions under which students can engage in the learning process.UDL anticipates an increasingly digitized information source for curriculum, which allows a UDL framework to guide the development of future digital media, delivery mechanisms, and technology tools for use in education. Today, an object as static as a textbook can be transformed in seemingly limitless ways when presented digitally (such as audio, CD-ROM, HTML). As schools become more inclusive and democratic institutions, and as technology develops exponentially, unprecedented opportunities lie ahead for all students to reach high standards in their learning and to experience a high quality of life in adulthood.In the discussion that follows, we present practices that hold promise for increasing access to the general education curriculum for our nation’s most vulnerable populations of students with disabilities. It is the general curriculum that prepares children to take on independent, responsible, and productive roles as adults. The general curriculum—delivered through publicly-funded schools (and therefore by or through democratic institutions)—affords a central opportunity for all to pursue the American dream.For students who are blind, deaf, multiply disabled, or significantly developmentally delayed, equal opportunity to pursue that dream is out of reach without advances in how we prepare and employ our teaching force, how we set policy that raises standards and expectations without discrimination, and, above all, how we deliver a curriculum tha t is flexible and widely accessible for all learners. Equal access to the general curriculum implies that all students have the right to strive for the same educational goals.Equal opportunity implies that accommodations are in place to remove or minimize the impact of disability on authentic performance, thus leveling the playing field. Equal opportunity also implies that modifications to entry points to and benchmarks of the curriculum can be made so that students with disabilities are enabled to make progress to the maximum possible extent. The central question at hand is how communities and state and local education authorities organize to provide the best education possible for students with low-incidence disabilities.One answer is that public education, equally afforded to all, can be accomplished through collaboration among stakeholders, including families, educators (both special and general), administrators, and policy-makers. We will demonstrate how adherence to a UDL fram ework for curriculum reform can yield a flexible and accessible curriculum for all students, including those with disabilities. Overview When Congress reauthorized the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997 (IDEA ’97), conditions were set for profound change in the ways disability is viewed in the broader context of schools and society.Originally, in the mid-1970s, Congress acted to ensure that no child, regardless of extent of disability, could be denied a free, appropriate, and public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. At that time, an â€Å"appropriate† education meant a special education—one that would be individually designed to address the needs that result from disability. Now, more than thirty years later, the law states that no child may be denied access to the general education curriculum—specifically, that curriculum which schools and school districts make available to all non-disabled students (IDEA ’04) .Currently, the general curriculum consists of core subject areas plus varying elective subject options. Broad frameworks for core content areas are more or less determined by individual states, which also set requisite standards for grade advancement and graduation. In the larger, national effort to reform education in general, students with disabilities are not to be denied access to the same opportunities afforded their non-disabled schoolmates.In this way, Congress seeks to align opportunities for students with disabilities with those available to the non-disabled student population. Using broad-scale assessment systems, states now measure the extent to which all students, and the schools they attend, achieve intended outcomes. There is less emphasis on analyzing the discrepancy between what schools actually provide and what they intend to provide (inputs) in favor of greater focus on results as measured by standards attainment (outputs). Better results for schools presumably le ad to better adult outcomes for students.Just as schools are held accountable for student learning through standards testing, so too will schools be held accountable for supports and services they provide for students with disabilities in order to allow them to access the general curriculum. Accordingly, students with disabilities are now compelled by IDEA ‘97 and subsequent amendments to participate in all state- and district-level assessment systems. Today, the touchstone of special education law remains the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP), which is a document detailing the range and intensity of services and supports intended for each eligible student with a disability.Unlike in the past, however, the IEP now formalizes the collaborative relationship between general and special education and also aligns the general curriculum with specially-designed instruction and other support structures necessary for enabling access to the curriculum. Some support structures relate to how instruction accommodates a student’s disability without altering standards (e. g. , extra time allotted for task completion, Braille in place of print).Other supports may involve curriculum modifications that adjust performance levels or entry points but continue to address standards’ content domain or framework. Accommodations or modifications stipulated in an IEP to adjust instruction or adapt curriculum for a student also apply to the administration of state- and district-level assessments. For students with significant developmental delays, accommodations alone may be neither sufficient nor appropriate. Alternatively, states and districts may employ alternate assessments to ascertain the extent to which students meet goals delineated on their IEPs.Alternate assessments in these cases are modifications of state standards, but they nonetheless follow the broad frameworks identified for each state’s core knowledge areas. Alternate assessment procedures can be authentic and performance-based. In frequent use are portfolios, evaluated according to rubrics that reveal the depth to which students meet standards. Alternate assessment procedures are labor intensive both to design and to carry out. Scoring by state authorities is also laborious and time-consuming.Presumably, however, the use of alternate assessments is limited to 1–3% of school-aged children, thus minimizing the extent of onerous time and effort. Moreover, time spent by teachers in initially documenting alternate assessments is well invested, as procedures become more routine over time with an IEP’s implementation. To many, this adherence to states’ curriculum standards for students with significant developmental delays appears unrealistic, but, clearly, Congress’ intent in IDEA ’97 and IDEA ’04 is to remove barriers that historically limit access to the same curriculum taught to non-disabled students.This amounts to a zero-rejec t from the general curriculum so that all students must participate in and make progress within the general curriculum to the maximum extent feasible. If one conceives of the general curriculum as the vehicle through which all students can achieve adult outcomes—outcomes understood in a broad sense as independence, participation, and productivity—then, in a just and democratic society, opportunity cannot be denied for students with disabilities.In the discussion that follows, we examine practices intended to improve access to the general curriculum for students with low-incidence disabilities. For many reasons, this population presents unique and daunting challenges for all committed to meeting IDEA ’97’s mandates. We follow a question-and-answer format in order to address key issues and to arrive at basic understandings concerning students with low-incidence disabilities. Since much of this report refers to a UDL framework, UDL will be defined.Low-incide nce disabilities are then contrasted with high-incidence disabilities to uncover some distinguishing characteristics of this population. Next, particular challenges confronting schools and communities that endeavor to serve these students and their families are examined. We then concentrate on identifying the needs of students with low-incidence disabilities. We also present disability-related needs that are unique to a particular category of specific disability and other, more generic needs that cut across categories.The reason for this is the fact that IDEA retains the use of specific disability categories for eligibility determination and classification. Over the past few decades, however, both professional literature and actual practice have supported alternative approaches for defining and classifying students with low-incidence disabilities. Thus, in order to provide students with low-incidence disabilities with appropriate and effective services, supports, and ancillary aids, it is necessary to examine alternative frameworks, differing from those traditionally in place, for understanding needs.Specialized curricula and instructional practices that hold particular promise for students with low-incidence disabilities are presented. Just as it is important to understand need from multiple perspectives, so too must curriculum and instructional practices be understood as meeting both unique as well as shared needs among students with low-incidence disabilities. We focus on curricula and practices that are highly specialized as well as those that address more typically shared needs.Because IDEA requires access to the general education curriculum for all students, it is necessary to examine ways in which specialized curricula and instructional practices can support or otherwise connect with broader approaches for improved access, participation, and progress for students with disabilities. Curriculum is highly complex. Historically, it has been examined through many different lenses. The complicated nature of curriculum theory and practice makes it difficult to envision innovative ways of making it accessible for students with disabilities.Thus, we will also examine and attempt to demystify some of that complexity. Instructional practices presented in the context of our discussion are intended to bring an effective focus to eliminating or reducing curriculum needs associated with low-incidence disabilities. As with the consideration of need, curricular options and instructional practices can also be both highly specialized to a specific disability and highly generic across disabilities. For example, approaches for engaging students who are blind or deaf can be quite unique to those disabilities, given the varieties of existing communication modes.Other approaches can be quite generic, involving, for example, applied behavior analysis or systematic instruction. After grounding in student need, curriculum, and instructional techniques, we e xamine models for collaborative planning. Students with low-incidence disabilities require services and supports beyond the classroom. These may intensify at various transition points throughout a life span and broaden out to include an array of community agencies. We examine the IEP in turn as a tool for pulling services together in support of access to the general curriculum.We then focus on approaches for enabling students with low-incidence disabilities to participate in state- and district-level assessment systems. Finally, we conclude with a consideration of how access to the general curriculum can be improved for students with low-incidence disabilities through the application of principles of universal design. I. What is Universal Design for Learning (UDL)? A major premise of this report is that access to the curriculum for students with low-incidence disabilities is greatly enhanced by universal design.Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a particular framework that appli es to education. More specifically, UDL is an approach that can guide curriculum reform. A universally-designed curriculum includes multiple means of representation (to allow various ways of acquiring information and knowledge), multiple means of expression (to allow alternatives for demonstrating knowledge), and multiple means of engagement (to challenge appropriately, to motivate, and to allow learners to express and participate in their interests). A number of current contrasting approaches to universal design will be described.We conclude with an explanation of UDL. This will allow the reader to keep UDL in mind while progressing through subsequent sections until UDL solutions for curriculum access are more closely examined in our conclusion. Origins of Universal Design Architecture reveals the extent to which humankind can establish dominion over the natural environment by harnessing resources that it has to offer. Architectural design can be subjected to all manner of criteria , including beauty, convenience, utility, durability, safety, and even exclusivity.Only in recent times has the criterion of exclusivity been successfully challenged. As populations grew, built environments afforded travel and facilitated commerce. The need for standards in architectural design became apparent as built environments became interconnected. Architects needed to consider the preferences and capabilities of those who would access built environments. In more recent times, users of built environments were living longer and, therefore, functioning with less mobility and stamina. Notions of democracy and community were transforming views of belonging and participation.During the 1960s, social movements that began in Europe around such concepts as normalization, deinstitutionalization, and communitization were beginning to have a profound impact upon those who would advocate for the disabled in the United States. Thus, the needs of people who would potentially access the buil t environment were beginning to be understood as complex and diverse. Universal Design in Architecture The passage of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 essentially outlawed discrimination on the basis of disability.So far-reaching was this piece of federal legislation that it took nearly three years for a beleaguered Congress to write the regulations that would ostensibly remove architectural barriers from all publicly supported buildings and properties. During this era, universal design in architecture was born. Like the dream of building inclusive communities for all to enjoy equally, universal design is an ideal with a process to ensure maximum participation for all. The challenge of removing physical barriers and retrofitting solutions to barriers proved to be a costly and cumbersome process, often yielding unsatisfactory results.Universal design sought to embed solutions into features at the design level—features that would benefit all, not merely accommodate the few. Curb cuts intended for wheelchair users, for example, were also found to be helpful for users of baby strollers, shopping carts, skateboardes, among others. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) extended the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of disability to the private sector, requiring all entities doing business with the public to make every reasonable accommodation in providing access.Accessibility standards, while necessary for guidance and compliance monitoring, can appear onerous or threatening in light of the fact that they are government regulations, particularly when coupled with the public’s misperceptions regarding disability. Universal design, as envisioned by Ron Mace and his colleagues at North Carolina State University’s Center for Universal Design, was intended to promote the design of products and environments that would appeal to all. North Carolina State’s Principles of Universal Design are listed below in bri ef form (without associated guidelines). PRINCIPLE ONE: Equitable Use The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities. PRINCIPLE TWO: Flexibility in Use The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities. PRINCIPLE THREE: Simple and Intuitive Use Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level. PRINCIPLE FOUR: Perceptible Information The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities.PRINCIPLE FIVE: Tolerance for Error The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions. PRINCIPLE SIX: Low Physical Effort The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of fatigue. PRINCIPLE SEVEN: Size and Space for Approach and Use Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of user’s body size, posture, or mobility. † Principles of Universal Design, version 2. 0 (Center for Universal Design, North Carolina, 1997).Application of these principles has established a framework for developing design standards in architecture, as well as for creating consumer products, that permit the greatest degree of access and usability for the widest possible range of individuals. Today, millions of Americans with disabilities enjoy access to buildings, restaurants, movie theatres, sporting events, transit properties, walkways, commercial vehicles, and bank teller machines—to name only a few venues that were once inaccessible to them.Wheelchair users, once limited to home instruction or restricted to special school buildings, now attend their neighborhood schools alongside their non-disabled agemates. However, although physical access to classrooms and other education facilities is an important first step toward educational equity for the disabled, it is not sufficient to ensure that all students with disabilities have equal access to the general curriculum or enjoy comparable opportunity to derive benefit from what school curriculum has to offer.Additional changes in the classroom environment and in the curriculum itself are also required in order for full equity to be achieved. Universal Design in Education Universal design in architecture recognized the importance of building environments that were more in line with the needs of an aging population and the requirements of those persons with disabilities who were being welcomed into the general community during the 1970s.In the 1980s, attention was brought to bear on the rapidly increasing diversity of America’s students through the publication of A Nation At Risk, a report presented to the U. S. Department of Education by the National Commission on Excellence in Education. According to this report, our nation’s schools—particularly in urban centers—appeared ill-equipped to prepare a diverse population to compete successfully in an increasingly global economy. The findings of the Commission spurred a wave of reform initiatives ith enabling legislation aimed at raising standards and outcomes for our nation’s most under-served students. More recent federal legislation, such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1997; 2004), seeks to build one education for all students, improve teacher quality, align curriculum with standards, measure outcomes at multiple points, and hold schools accountable for student performance.For no child to be excluded from—or left behind by—the general curriculum, the curriculum itself must be examined and re-designed from a fresh perspective, much in the same way that buildings, environments, and products were critically examined by the original advocates of universal design in architecture resulting in im portant and lasting changes in building standards. Colleagues at the University of Connecticut’s National Center on Postsecondary Education and Disabilities have developed a set of principles building upon and extending the principles originated at North Carolina State’s Center for Universal Design.Note that their educational design principles are essentially the same as those outlined by North Carolina State for architectural and product design (with the addition of principles 8 and 9—community of learners; instructional climate). Their new principles address more educational constructivist perspectives regarding communities of learners and a climate of high expectations and social interaction. Together, these principles set a framework for what Scott, McGuire, and Shaw (2001) call Universal Design for Instruction (UDI).Application of these principles allows postsecondary institutions in particular to dramatically widen the accessibility of course offerings by designing accommodations into course structures rather than retrofitting a series of educational work-arounds to try and meet the specialized needs of individual students after course materials have been prepared. UDI principles are listed and defined in Appendix B. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Calls for critically examining curriculum from a universal design perspective have come from many quarters (King-Sears, 2001; Hitchcock, 2001;Nolet & McLaughlin, 2000; Pugach & Warger, 2001; Rose & Meyer, 2002; Turnbull, et al. , 2002; Wehmeyer, et al. , 2002). The principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as put forth by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST, Inc. ) were first presented in an Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Topical Brief (Orkwis & McLane, 1998). Currently, typically taught curriculum in schools is a â€Å"one-size-fits-all† curriculum, best exemplified by the ubiquitous textbook.It generally lacks flexibility in how it presents inf ormation to students, how it permits students to respond, and how it engages students in the learning process. In order for typical textbooks and other curriculum materials to become accessible to many disabled students, they must undergo numerous time-consuming transformations and interpretations, to the extent that the student’s participation in classroom activities is often fragmented or delayed.Several projects supporting universal design and access approaches to the general curriculum were reviewed in Research Connections (Danielson, 1999), a bi-annual review of OSEP-sponsored research on topics in special education. Prominently featured were projects underway at CAST to create a universally designed early literacy curriculum (Scholastic’s WiggleWorks) and a universally designed document processor (CAST’s eReader).Also featured in the review was a framework advanced by the University of Oregon’s National Center for Improving the Tools of Education (N CITE) for designing the ‘architecture’ of effective instructional practices (Kameenui & Simmons, 1999). (Their design principles for lesson adaptations are available as Appendix C. ) CAST’s work is important because it demonstrates how flexible and malleable curriculum can be with the use of digital media and digital technology tools following a UDL framework.The NCITE’s work on the architecture of instruction is important because it draws upon the current knowledge base regarding effective instructional practices and illustrates how instruction can be tailored to learners depending on the degree of explicitness required. Over the years, many proposals have emerged to counter the old factory model approach to mass education begun in the 19th century with graded education.Approaches to individualized, personalized, or otherwise differentiated instruction have made enormous contributions to thinking about teaching and learning processes. What might distingui sh UDL from other efforts to improve instruction in general—or other perspectives on universal design in particular—is that UDL establishes a framework for curricular reform in education (Rose & Meyer, 2002) yet also recognizes the need to maintain a balance between curriculum and instructional practice (Hitchcock, 2001).Moreover, a UDL framework provides a perspective for collaborative teams of special and general education personnel to provide access to the general curriculum while addressing disability-specific needs in multi-level or inclusive classroom situations (Jackson & Harper, 2002). While UDL anticipates the coming digital curriculum with its inherent potential for flexibility and built-in options, it is not wholly reliant upon technology. UDL can ensure accessibility with new media and technology tools, but it depends upon the application of evidenced-based teaching practices to yield desired results (Hitchcock, 2002).To achieve these results, a UDL framewo rk relies upon three guiding principles—multiple means of representation, multiple means of expression, and multiple means of engagement—for the development of flexible teaching approaches and curriculum resources. These principles emanate from analyzation of available research on the brain and new conceptualizations of how neuroscience informs our appreciation of learning and knowing (Rose & Meyer, 2000).Areas in the brain that contribute to learning can be grouped roughly into three interconnected networks, each with a fundamental role in learning: (a) â€Å"recognition† networks, specialized to receive and analyze information (the â€Å"what† of learning); (b) â€Å"strategic† networks, specialized to plan and execute actions (the â€Å"how† of learning); and (c) â€Å"affective† networks, specialized to evaluate and set priorities (the â€Å"why† of learning) (Rose & Meyer, 2002).New insights into neurological systems worki ng within these three regions of the brain connected with learning has led to the formulation of the three guiding principles of UDL: 1. To support diverse recognition networks, provide multiple, flexible methods of presentation. For example, when introducing students to a new concept or unit, a teacher may provide multiple structures to present that information, such as a lecture, a digitized text, an activity-based exploration, a demonstration. 2. To support diverse strategic networks, provide multiple, flexible methods of expression and apprenticeship.For example, when a teacher requests student responses to demonstrate understanding and knowledge, he or she could provide a range of tools that allow students to respond in various formats, such as in writing, orally, with a slide show, with a video, with a drawing. 3. To support diverse affective networks, provide multiple, flexible options for engagement. Allow students to select an area of interest within a topic or concept to r esearch or study. For example, allow students to select one of the natural resources in a geographic area under study to research rather than assigning resources (Rose & Meyer, 2002).UDL also establishes a framework for providing access to, participation in, and progress within the general curriculum as first mandated by IDEA ’97. Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, and Jackson (2002) have defined four main components of the general curriculum: 1. goals and milestones for instruction (often in the form of a scope and sequence), 2. media and materials to be used by students, 3. specific instructional methods (often described in a teacher’s edition), and means of assessment to measure student progress.Each component can be transformed for accessibility and participation by all students by adherence to the principles of UDL. UDL offers new ways to think about teaching and learning. Students with sensory challenges, for example, require curriculum that contains alternative approaches for presenting information. Students with motor challenges, on the other hand, may require curriculum that provides alternative ways of expressing what they know and can do, while students along the autism spectrum may require curriculum that contains alternative ways to become engaged in or connected with the learning process.Broadly stated learning goals may allow students who are cognitively challenged to enter the curriculum at points where appropriate levels of challenge and support can yield both tangible and measurable results. Methods and materials with designed-in supports may permit wider access and greater participation in the general curriculum by all students, including those with disabilities. Instructionally embedded assessments may provide more immediate feedback and more frequent data points for progress monitoring and instructional decision-making.These are some of the promises of UDL. II. What are low-incidence disabilities? Alternative Systems for Classification Students with disabilities can be classified in many ways. IDEA ’97 continues to recognize disabilities in the form of more or less discrete diagnostic categories, such as mental retardation, specific learning disabilities, or emotional disturbance. Other approaches to classification include categorizing disabled individuals by degree of severity of their needs, or by how atypical an individual may be when compared to a norm.Still other approaches may emphasize the level of intensity of supports necessary for an individual to function optimally in home, school, community, and work settings. Each of these approaches has advantages and disadvantages. The categorical approach taken by IDEA may emphasize learner characteristics for each disability, but, in so doing, it could also foster a self-fulfilling prophecy in which all members of a group sharing a categorical label, in a sense, become that label.A severity approach may emphasize developmental milestones at the expense of i gnoring strengths in functional skills. An intensity approach may meaningfully focus on levels of needed support, but, at the same time, limit opportunities for an individual to move to a less restrictive setting. None of these systems of classifying individuals with disabilities are either entirely satisfactory or entirely lacking in merit.For educators, it is important to be aware that several systems of categorizing students with disabilities exist simultaneously, because eligibility criteria, placement alternatives, intervention strategies, and teaching credentials may all vary substantially from school to school, depending on which system of classification is currently being employed. A Focus on Incidence When the issue at hand for students with disabilities centers on the provision of services in local schools, the availability of qualified personnel and the technical sophistication of necessary resources must be carefully considered.In order to provide students with disabilit ies with a free and appropriate public education, it is useful to classify learners in terms of incidence, or how many students with any particular disability or combination of disabilities reside in a community. Under such a system, students with the most commonly-seen disabilities may be more appropriately served by local public schools while students with relatively rare disabilities may not find adequate resources or highly qualified personnel.High-incidence disabilities include— * communication disorders (speech and language impairments) * specific learning disabilities (including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]) * mild/moderate mental retardation * emotional or behavioral disorders Low-incidence disabilities include— * blindness * low vision * deafness * hard-of-hearing * deaf-blindness * significant developmental delay * complex health issues * serious physical impairment * multiple disability * autismNone of the disabilities listed under low-inc idence disabilities generally exceed 1% of the school-aged population at any given time. The relative rarity of students with these disabilities in public schools often poses significant challenges for local schools struggling to meet their needs. Since they encounter these students so infrequently, most local schools have little if any knowledge of how to best educate these students, of what technologies are available to assist them, and of how to obtain needed and appropriate support services from outside agencies.All students with low-incidence disabilities thus experience a commonality: they are difficult to serve in current local public school programs. III. Why are schools and communities particularly challenged in serving students with low-incidence disabilities? Insufficient Numbers Students with low-incidence disabilities are difficult to serve in today’s public schools because none of the low-incidence categories alone can form a group large enough to warrant the pr esence of full-time, school-based, and highly specialized personnel, except in the largest of big-city school districts.Therefore, students with low-incidence disabilities are more likely to be served in less inclusive settings (such as in special classes, separate schools, and residential facilities) than are students with high-incidence disabilities. Local schools that do attempt to provide maximum inclusion most often support these efforts through the use of itinerant personnel, usually teachers/consultants who travel from school to school as needed, often crossing district lines to serve the needs of their students.Each variety of low-incidence disability brings its own unique challenges to a local school system. When intensive, specialized instruction is required, such as the learning of Braille for blind students or American Sign Language (ASL) for the deaf, teacher consultation models of intervention can prove woefully inadequate for the delivery of specially-designed and car efully-targeted intensive instruction.Similarly, when faced with students who present with complex healthcare needs, local schools frequently lack the capacity to respond appropriately to medical emergencies or to provide required routine intensive care. Each group of students with a low-incidence disability has its own set of specialized needs, requiring specialized supports and specially-trained personnel to maximize their educational opportunities. While some generic support services are of use to nearly all students, most are specialized to one group.For example, a deaf or autistic child is unlikely to need to learn Braille, while a blind student will not need the level of constant medical support that a quadriplegic child or one under medical treatment for leukemia is likely to require. The low-incidence nature of these disabilities also makes it extremely challenging to maintain an adequate supply of qualified professionals to serve them. The skills and knowledge sets of these professionals are highly technical, requiring a significant commitment of time and effort to acquire through professional preparation, typically at university centers.Yet the caseloads of these professionals are small and likely to change in composition from year to year. Further added to this supply challenge is the paucity of university-based, professional preparation programs to prepare sufficient numbers of practitioners to adequately serve these students. Moreover, administrative supervision and mentoring of new inductees to the field are frequently inadequate. These professionals are mostly isolated from colleagues, limiting their opportunity for collaboration and shared growth.Opportunities for targeted professional development may be extremely limited. In sum, it is difficult to attract qualified individuals into these fields to begin with and perhaps even more difficult to nurture, support, and retain them once employed. Finding the Least Restrictive Environment Often, the least restrictive environment for students with low-incidence-disabilities cannot be found in their local public school.While IEP teams must presume that a student is to be placed in the public school closest to her or his home, a team may be compelled by assessment findings to urge placement in a specialized setting where highly-trained personnel and appropriate technologies can be concentrated and unique needs can be appropriately targeted for intensive instruction. Although students with low-incidence disabilities are required to have access to the general education curriculum, that requirement does not state that the only way in which such a condition may be met is in a full-inclusion setting in a general education classroom.An IEP team may determine that an alternative and highly specialized setting is the most appropriate, and therefore least restrictive, placement available for meeting the specific needs resulting from a student’s disability(ies), particularly if thei r local public school is not sufficiently equipped to provide a safe and successful educational experience for that student. Thus, in many cases of students with low-incidence disabilities, the true path toward greatest access to the general education curriculum may be pursued more appropriately in a separate setting (for example, in a school for the deaf or a residential school for the blind).However, in some cases, appropriate program planning for students with low-incidence disabilities in local public schools is possible and may be the preferred placement according to the IEP team, which includes the student and the student’s family. Adequate provision for these students in inclusive settings requires broad community engagement and significant systems change. Collaboration and commitment among stakeholders at the local, state, and federal levels are necessary to effect such change.With thoughtful and appropriate approaches to planning, such as those to be described, willi ng communities can amass the supports necessary to ensure high-quality educational services for even those students with the most significant cognitive disabilities or complex healthcare needs. IV. What are the needs of students with low-incidence disabilities? Special Education is Not a Place With the enactment of IDEA ’97, special education is no longer considered a place but rather a network of services and supports designed to enable students to derive full benefit from a public school education (Heumann & Hehir, 1997).As stated earlier, this does not mean that students with disabilities cannot be appropriately served in specialized settings. Rather, the intent of the law is to emphasize that â€Å"placement† or location of services is the last decision an IEP team makes during a team assessment and planning process. In earlier times, a disability-specific label itself would dictate placement, and that placement would define the treatment or nature of interventions for students. Today’s approaches use comprehensive and holistic assessments to reveal the extent of need in suspected areas of risk associated with a student’s disability.Their team then determines the setting in which needed services can best be provided, selecting from a continuum or array of placement options ranging from full inclusion in a general education classroom to residency in a hospital setting (Drasgow, Yell, & Robinson, 2001). An IEP team always starts with the presumption that a student will be placed in the same setting in which he or she would be educated if disability were not an issue, namely, a regular public school classroom (Turnbull & Turnbull, 1998).Thus, in order to place a student in a less inclusive setting, this starting presumption must be rebutted by assessment data before such a placement outside a general education setting can be made. Categories and Characteristics IDEA designates categories of disability with which specific learner ch aracteristics have been associated in the special education knowledge base (Hallihan & Kaufman, 2002; Hardman, et al. , 2002; Heward, 2003; Turnbull, et al. , 2002).These characteristics are correlates of particular disabilities and not necessarily connected with a particular disability—that is to say, they are characteristics that are commonly found in students with these particular disabilities, but for which there are often exceptions, such as cases where a student has a particular disability but not one or more of its expected associated characteristics or behaviors. â€Å"Learned helplessness,† for example, is associated with specific learning disabilities, but not all students with learning disabilities have acquired this psychological adaptation.Rather, they are at risk for acquiring learned helplessness. While there are often litanies of learner characteristics described as unique or disability-specific, the extent to which these areas of risk are observed in a n individual student can vary widely. Careful assessment and observation of an individual student and his or her needs must be undertaken to document actual need for initial intervention and not merely expected need. Such an assessment establishes a baseline of educational need(s) against which progress can be measured.Students with disabilities often become â€Å"handicapped†Ã¢â‚¬â€unnecessarily or unfairly restricted—not by their disabilities in and of themselves, but by the environment in which they live, learn, and relate. Consequently, extent of need cannot adequately be assessed without consideration of broader contexts in which an individual lives. This context includes family, community, and the local public school which would be a student’s default placement location.Thus, a team’s determination of the least restrictive and most appropriate environment for a student must take all these factors into consideration when judging the capacity or prep aredness of home, community, and local school to support and nurture a student in areas of assessed need and in assuring a student access to the general curriculum. It is imperative that any set of disability-specific needs not serve to stereotype a student, to lower expectations for a student, or to contribute to negative self-fulfilling prophecies for a student.So-called unique or disability-specific needs should be taken only as possible areas of risk for IEP teams to investigate, not inevitable features automatically conjoined to a specific disability in question. Addressing Intense and Complex Needs Identified needs of students with low-incidence disabilities are frequently complex and multiple (Browder, 2001). Addressing severe and complex needs of students is challenging for family, school, and broader community.Since the ultimate goal of education is community inclusion and high quality of life, an appropriate education must contain opportunities for each individual to achie ve independence, enjoy community participation, and increase productive and rewarding work to the maximum extent possible. Most children identified by IDEA categories as having low-incidence disabilities possess sensory, motor, or neurological deficits, and, consequently, they are typically identified and managed early in their lives through a medical model.Families of infants and toddlers with established risks receive early intervention services, most generally under the auspices of state departments of public health. Such services prepare a family and their local community to understand and cope with the impact of a child’s disability on their lives. Such services also prepare a family to actively participate in the planning and decision-making processes that accompany transitional events throughout the child’s life. Thus, early intervention and early childhood education can be effective in preventing or minimizing many long-term and predictable consequences of disa bility.Because of the possibility of mitigating many of the consequences of disability early on in a child’s life, possibly to the point where a disability essentially vanishes, IDEA encourages states to withhold disability categorization until age nine. The more generic term developmental delay is used instead, to avoid the stereotyping and lowered expectations that follow disability-specific labeling. However, states still have the option of using, for example, the terms â€Å"blind† or â€Å"deaf† if preferred.According to IDEA ’97),decisions made about a child with a disability must be informed by â€Å"persons knowledgeable about the disability† or by â€Å"qualified professionals. † States must â€Å"qualify† professionals through certification or licensure. Thus, for blind students to receive specially-designed instruction in Braille literacy, deaf students in ASL, and motor-impaired students in augmentative communication, stat es must ensure that an adequate supply of appropriately prepared professionals is available to support such students in educational programs.The need for the specialized knowledge and skills possessed by these professionals is often cited as a basis for retaining IDEA’s system of categorical labeling, as well as states’ systems for categorical teacher certification (Hallihan & Kaufman, 2002). Clusters of Low-Incidence Disabilities Hereafter, low-incidence disabilities are defined and described under the following headings: * Blind/Low Vision * Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing * Deaf-Blind * Significant Developmental Delay * Significant Physical and Multiple Disability * Autistic SpectrumNote that some of these headings do not match with IDEA’s current categories, being more general. Where appropriate, legal categorical definitions are quoted from IDEA ’97 in the text so that readers will note congruence with federal law. Blind/Low Vision According to IDEA ’97, Visual impairment including blindness means an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness. Authority: 20 U. S. C. 1401(3)(A) and (B); 1401(26)Historically, students with visual impairment have been referred to as blind, visually handicapped, visually disabled, visually impaired, partially sighted, partially blind, visually limited, or sight impaired. To understand the needs of students with visual impairments, the following factors must be taken into account: age at onset of visual impairment, degree of impairment, site of impairment, prognosis for improvement or degeneration in condition, day-to-day stability of condition, individual tolerance for visual fatigue, nd the extent and complexity of any co-existing additional impairments. Blind children are particularly challenged in understanding and moving about in physical space (Blasch, Wiener, & Welch, 1997). Withou t opportunity to directly observe space during locomotion, blind children have difficulty mentally representing and manipulating spatial concepts. They are also challenged in obtaining, manipulating, and producing many types of information, such as text, graphics, facial expressions, and gestural cues (Swensen, 1999).Achieving self-esteem is also difficult for blind children since self-awareness in the social context of school is often affected by such factors as social isolation, low expectations, and over-protection (Tuttle & Tuttle, 1996). Classroom instruction typically exploits the visual/motor channel of communication and relies upon social mediation for student achievement. Because blind students cannot partake of the visual channel of communication and are often socially isolated, they generally have limited opportunities for incidental learning.This places them at a disadvantage when attempting to participate in classroom activities. Often gaps exist in concept development, making it difficult for classroom teachers to activate prior knowledge, or leading them to make false assumptions in regard to the fundamental understanding these students have of the world around them. Moreover, the need for Braille as a necessary alternative to print creates a challenge for general education classroom teachers to provide invaluable corrective feedback, as very few general education classroom teachers can read and write Braille.Lack of eye contact and the impossibility of visually-based social recognition can have a profound impact on a blind student’s opportunity to form meaningful and cooperative relationships with peers. Such barriers must be carefully examined and skillfully addressed by practitioners in order to provide genuine and valid access to the general curriculum for blind students. Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing According to IDEA ’97, Deafness means a hearing impairment that is so severe that [a] child is impaired in processing linguistic informat ion through hearing, with or without amplification, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.Hearing impairment means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section. Authority: 20 U. S. C. 1401(3)(A) and (B); 1401(26) Needs of children who are hearing impaired must take into account factors such as age at onset of disability (in particular, pre-lingual vs. post-lingual deafness), audiometric hearing status (particularly in speech range with amplification), type of hearing loss (conductive, sensorineural, mixed, central) and possible presence of concomitant disabilities.The needs of children who are deaf and children who are hard-of-hearing must be understood as quite distinct when considering communication use. The native language of deaf children is American Sign Language (ASL), but children who are hard-of-hea ring may understand speech with amplification and may not identify with members of Deaf culture. Severity of hearing loss is measured by decibels (dB) or units of loudness. A hearing loss between 15 and 20 dB is considered slight. A person with a hearing loss of 60 dB has difficulty hearing conversational speech without amplification.An individual with a hearing loss of 100 dB is not able to hear a power lawnmower without amplification (Kirk, Gallagher, & Anastasiow, 2000). Children and adults with hearing disabilities characteristically confront significant issues with regard to social and intellectual development, speech and language development, and edu