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Autistic people face high unemployment rates. One reason for this may be that hiring processes are inaccessible. This study aimed to establish autistic people's unique experiences of hiring processes in the United Kingdom, by comparing them to the experiences of non-autistic neurodivergent people and neurotypical people. Using qualitative and quantitative data from 225 autistic, 64 non-autistic neurodivergent and 88 neurotypical adults, we identified a series of (dis)similarities in participants' views and experiences of recruitment for employment. Similarities across the three groups included: (1) frustration with the focus on social skills; (2) a perceived need for more flexible hiring processes; (3) a desire for more clarity; and (4) the importance of the environment. Participants also acknowledged the important role employers play in one's decision to disclose a diagnosis or access need. Yet, autistic people faced a set of unique barriers to successful recruitment, over and above those that non-autistic people faced. For example, the perceived pressure to mask autistic traits to succeed and concerns about stigma and discrimination. Participants' recommendations for improvements included the use of more practical recruitment strategies (e.g. work trials), more clarity about what to expect, and improvements in recruiters' understanding of the challenges autistic and neurodivergent candidates may face.

Black and Brown lives are abruptly ending due to racism. We regularly see this in the media with folx like Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, among countless others. [...]

In June 2020, in a rural Rust Belt town in the Midwest, over 100 residents stood on the grounds of the county courthouse and publicly protested for Black Lives Matter. Once students began to arrive, the protest shifted. Latinx youth led chants, held signs, and stood in the front of the other protesters, moving the protest forward, away from the courthouse and toward the busy street of passing cars. I knew these de facto protest leaders well--they were my former students. This town is considered part of the New Latino Diaspora (NLD), a U.S. region not traditionally associated with Latinx settlement population. Here Latinx families represent almost 30% of the population and have been marginalized in community spaces and schools. Rural students are stereotyped, and Latinx students are marginalized as well, bearing layers of cultural and social inequity. This study disrupts the assumption of rural middle America as simple, homogenous, and conservative and, using geosemiotics, seeks to explore the intersectional ways in which Latinx youth position and identify themselves as activists, expanding current conceptualizations of rurality and literacy while examining how Black lives matter to Latinx youth.

This article examines the activism of student protesters in a rural Rust Belt community's Black Lives Matter protest, challenging prevailing stereotypes about civic engagement, literacies, and youth involvement in rural settings. Utilizing critical ethnography and nexus analysis to examine disruptions of discourses in place and interview student participants about their activism, findings showcase how students strategically practiced multiliteracies to upturn power dynamics and assume leadership roles within a socio‐spatial landscape. Examining youth protest literacies can inform education partners of the ways students already engage in civic discourse and how understanding their co‐construction of space can inform practices across learning communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives Hearing loss frequently goes undiagnosed and untreated, with serious sequelae. Hearing screening facilitates diagnosis and treatment but is not routinely conducted in primary care. This study addresses the attitudes and insights of patients and primary care clinic personnel relative to the routinization of hearing screening in primary care for older adults. Research Design and Methods Data presented are from the qualitative portion of a larger study. The main study compared screening completion for 3 approaches to coordinating telephone-based hearing screening with primary care—1 offering hearing screening within the primary care encounter and 2 providing information for at-home screening (1 with and 1 without provider encouragement). Focus groups/interviews were conducted with personnel (n  = 38) at the 6 participating clinics, patients who completed screening and were referred for diagnosis (n  = 14), and patients who did not complete screening (n  = 10). Analysis used the general inductive approach. Results Most patients had unaddressed hearing concerns prior to the study. Negative attitudes toward hearing loss/treatment were common, and experiences of family and friends influenced attitudes, but lack of urgency was the primary barrier to screening completion. Respondents favored routine primary care-based hearing screening for older adults, but clinic personnel noted challenges of time, space, workflow, and reimbursement. Discussion and Implications Findings favor greater routinization of hearing screening in primary care. Routinization will be enhanced by improved reimbursement for screening and follow-up; specialist engagement with primary care and the public (including leveraging older adults' social networks); and further research on specific integration options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we explore the dynamic interplay of youth agency, spatial justice, and literacy practices across community spaces through micro‐analysis of photographs and interviews of children and youth. Through a lens of spatial reclamation, the study investigates how children and youth disrupt adult‐designed spaces to restory and reclaim narratives, ultimately reshaping the socio‐spatial landscape. Combining the concepts of restorying and spatial justice, we explore the awareness and agency children exhibit when challenging dominant expectations, particularly examining instances of rulebreaking and safety negotiation. Examining two distinct settings—a school playground and a community protest—the study reveals how youth engage in embodied performances that rupture anticipated discourses in place. The findings underscore the multilayered nature of youth rulebreaking as a form of resistance and as a form of leadership, emphasising the potential for transformative socio‐spatial impact as youth reclaim narratives through new co‐constructions of space. Across age groups and geographies, Black and Brown youth and children emerge as leaders in reshaping spaces through their acts of resistance, redefining boundaries, and leading peaceful protests. The article calls for a nuanced understanding of how spatial justice intersects with restorying, urging educators and researchers to reconsider acts of reclamation as literacies across adult‐dictated spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this critical literature review, we examine how middle-level pedagogies, specifically critical pedagogies, impact students' academic, physical, and socioemotional development. This literature review examines critical pedagogies research in middle-level education, focusing on methods that address systemic inequities and center diverse and historically marginalized student populations. Examining the literature from 2013 to 2023, key findings indicate that critical pedagogies, including culturally responsive teaching practices, diverse instructional approaches, and decolonial and antiracist strategies can impact student engagement and development. When used purposefully to foster equity, these approaches disrupt institutional power dynamics, promote social justice, and support diverse student needs. However, there is a lack of research on these pedagogies when in practice for a sustained amount of time, as well as a lack of inclusion of literature with student voices. Because of this, we call for future research to include the perspectives and voices of middle-level students to better understand and refine critical pedagogical practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]