Washington State University, Responsibility Opportunity Advocacy and Respect (WSU ROAR) is an inclusive 2-year residential postsecondary education program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. WSU ROAR is a recognized comprehensive transition program located in rural eastern Washington. Within the program, there are four…

People with intellectual disabilities who are deaf face obstacles participating in social environments that do not take into account their need for accessible visual communication. In the present case series, we describe the development of the adaptive skills profiles of eight participants in a fully inclusive therapeutic living community,…

Almost everyone enjoys a walk through a garden, bending to sniff a flower, enjoying a fresh air breeze, listening to water bubbling from a fountain, and watching sunlight dapple through trees and plants. At Allegheny Valley School (AVS), the emphasis on multisensory environments (MSE) for individuals with intellectual and developmental…

Moving Forward Towards Independence, a California-based nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by a group of parents, is a unique residential program where young adults with disabilities learn to enjoy productive, fulfilling and healthy lives within a caring, responsive community made up of fellow residents, trained staff members, parents and…

This article features Melmark New England, a private, nonprofit, community based organization dedicated to serving children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, acquired brain injury, neurological diseases and disorders, and severe challenging behaviors. The Melmark parent corporation, a Pennsylvania based provider of services for those…

An approach to independent living for adults with developmental disabilities features "chaperoned" condominium boarding houses which allow the residents to own their own homes while experiencing the support of other unit owners and around-the-clock staff. (CL)

A model in which autistic and other developmentally disabled persons are provided individualized treatment within a home-like residence has been shown to provide successful transitions from institutions to community settings. (CL)

In the United States, data on the number of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (ID/DD) living in institutional and other congregate care settings have been gathered and reported since 1977 through the Residential Information Systems Program (RISP) at the University of Minnesota (e.g., Prouty & Lakin, 1997). These data were…

Comparison of 154 families who placed developmentally disabled family members in residential programs and 377 families who cared for family members at home suggested increased incidence of family problems as well as more severe impairment among families who placed the developmentally disabled. (Author/DB)

A curriculum development model was formulated for training resident advisors (RAs) to work with developmentally disabled clients in small community homes. Overall findings suggested that the alternative living arrangement pilot training programs were highly effective in helping students acquire the knowledge and skills requisite to successful RA…

The paper describes the background and development of The Residential Facilities Worker Training Program, a 2-year degree program at Seattle Community College (Washington) to train staff persons to work in community based residential settings with developmentally disabled children, adolescents, and adults. Need for the program is discussed,…

Among developmentally disabled persons (N=35,000) young and middle aged adults were found to receive psychotropic medication at higher rates than children, adolescents, or elderly persons. Medication increased with severity of retardation, restrictiveness of residential setting, severity of problem behaviors, and presence of a psychiatric…

The report describes a 1.5-year project to create a comprehensive plan for the development of residential services for persons with developmental disabilities in New Mexico. Findings represent input from advocates, family members, state officials, community representatives, legislators, and local service administrators. Part One of the report…

Institutions for people with disabilities can be "deinstitutionalized" by changing the way they are organized and regulated. The process of developing community learning environments in residential programs involves design of daily living routines, assessment of residential living skills, identification of teaching objectives, development of…

The document reports results of a needs assessment of the incidence and prevalence of developmental disabilities in New Mexico, in conjunction with estimates of the probable demand for residential services. An introductory section outlines the scope of the study and distinguishes among three types of demand for services: potential demand,…