The World Health Organization estimates that 1 billion people in the world live with a disability, of whom UNICEF estimates 240 million are children. The majority of the world's children with disabilities live in low- and middle-income countries, where humanitarian crises are most likely to occur. Humanitarian crises increase the prevalence of…

Nearly four decades have passed since the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensured access to public education for students with disabilities in the United States. During the years following its introduction, there was a growing recognition that helping students, especially students with disabilities, in their transitions from…

The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. The paper reviews the literature defining "mainstreaming," notes that mainstreaming is not the wholesale return of exceptional students from…

A review of the literature examines stress on families of handicapped children. Among sources cited are factors related to the child, parents, extended family, and institutions designed to help the child. Sources of support are noted and implications for service (such as family participation in training) are considered. (CL)

The government of Botswana has undertaken a variety of actions, from the incorporation of special preventive programs in the basic health service to the establishment of an interministerial National Council for the Handicapped. Journal availability: see EC 133 861. (Author)

Reviews the literature on the role and application of music therapy in special education in an Australian context. Notes that music therapy in Australia is practiced in medical contexts, education contexts, and in private practice and community programs. (DB)

The concept and implementation of direction services, a one step center offering assistance to parents of handicapped children, are traced. Three basic functions of the federally funded direction service centers are noted: to help locate and provide access to the most appropriate resources for handicapped children and youth; to collect and…

This paper reviews 27 studies of parental attitudes on the deinstitutionalization of a family member with disabilities. Studies of existing institutional placements found high levels of satisfaction and opposition to deinstitutionalization, whereas studies of community placements found high levels of satisfaction with community placements and…

This article synthesizes descriptions of and recommendations for community transition teams which assist in the transition of youth with learning or other disabilities from school to adult life. The levels, composition, and functions of transition teams are described. Community-level transition teams are shown to be critical support vehicles for…

Basic information about respite care for individuals with disabilities and their families is presented in a question-and-answer format. The following questions are addressed: "What is respite?"; "Who needs respite services?"; "Who provides respite services?"; "What kinds of services are provided?"; "How…

The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. Evidence is presented of major competency deficiencies in both the pre-service and inservice training of regular teachers being asked to…

This article describes using service learning to provide inclusive community-based instruction and functional skills training to students with disabilities. The history of service learning, types of service, and components of service learning are addressed, and a case study of service learning in an inclusive classroom is provided. (Author/CR)

Major ongoing supported employment studies conducted at the Rehabilitation Research Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University are profiled in this newsletter. The training center involves individuals with disabilities in the design, implementation, and interpretation of the research. The first research study examined the opinions of 110…

This paper reviews research and evaluates information gathered on disabilities and service development in South Asia, especially India and Pakistan. The concept of "community-based rehabilitation" (CBR), which stresses the need for rehabilitation efforts rooted in the context of local cultural concepts, is discussed. The paper emphasizes…

The report addresses the need for retraining direct service personnel in community based programs as a result of deinstitutionalization. The state of the art regarding state practices in job descriptions and classifications for paraprofessionals indicated the existence of few systematic attempts to retrain current instituional staff. Few examples…