This study follows the concerns and stresses of four Australian people with mental retardation for five months as they moved out into a community-based supported accommodation. The transition was seen as a positive event which lowered stress, however, other issues gradually re-emerged and their perceived stress level soon rose again. (Author/CR)

The study interviewed 73 Australian young people with a range of disabilities who had completed their school program in 1985. Subjects expressed their ideas concerning successful transition from school to adult life including the need for a planned transition process, a job-related school curriculum, and structured procedures to facilitate…

A comparison of 14 Australian adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities and 13 typical adolescents found no significant differences between the groups on community usage and lifestyle patterns. The discussion promotes the inclusion of community factors when investigating community integration of adolescents with a disability. (Contains…

A study investigated the views of 47 Australian parents with intellectual disability, 15 significant others, and 26 service workers on parents' service needs. Parents identified community participation as their greatest unmet need, specifically help to explore work options, know what community services are available, and to meet people. (Author/CR)

This booklet explains the features and benefits of learning communities and summarizes Australia's experience with them. Part 1 traces the history of learning communities from the 1970s through the present, presents several definitions of the term "learning community," lists reasons for becoming a learning community, and explains the…