When entering the Blind Childrens Center (BCC), what a person might not realize is that four of the five visually impaired children in a classroom share the same diagnosis of Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (OHN). ONH is the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in young children. It is important that these children participate in an inclusive…

Numerous reasons exist for using a classroom-community model with severely/profoundly handicapped youth, including skill generalization, reinforcer sampling, awareness by nonhandicapped people, appropriate role models in the community, elevated teacher expectations, parent expectations, demonstrations of competence by students, and facilitating…

A model for a community youth football program that includes disabled youth identifies five divisions of restriction based on: the amount of physical contact; level of activity strenuousness; emphasis on competition and winning; and special accommodations required. Handicapped youth football programs emphasize skill development and provide…

Planning and implementing successful community-based social integration experiences for infants and toddlers with multiple disabilities require consideration of such issues as the developmental needs unique to this age-group, family needs and concerns, health and safety considerations, and training needs of staff. (JDD)

Integrating infants with visual impairments into playgroups for nonhandicapped infants and their parents has been successfully accomplished and offers benefits to both infants and parents. A model demonstration project, "Parents and Visually Impaired Infants Project," integrated infants into a community program involving play, music, and…

Describes the founding and operation of a family center in Macon County, North Carolina, that combines Head Start, day care, disabilities mainstreaming, prenatal care, and a parent-child center all in one complex. The New Horizons Center will serve as a training site under the Smart Start statewide preschool initiative. (MDM)

The booklet describes the goal of the Canadian Association for Community Living that all Canadian citizens with mental retardation will, by the year 2000, be part of families and communities with a voice in decisions affecting their lives. The history of the association since the 1950's is briefly reviewed and remaining obstacles to the longterm…

A participant observer describes activities taking place at a L'Arche community, where persons with mental handicaps live and work together with nonhandicapped members of society. Findings are reported concerning work, social life, meetings, and other events, emphasizing the sense of community created through welcoming people and sharing…

The community of Austin, Texas has several programs for after school day care for students with disabilities, including: Extend-A-Care, where nondisabled peers participate in play and care activities with disabled children; summer camps for autistic children sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department; and summer camps operated by the Easter…

Discusses why individuals with disabilities participate in sport, introducing the broad array of sport opportunities available to them. A four-level continuum of sport opportunities for individuals with disabilities is described, providing examples of implementation at each level. Questions, challenges, and suggestions for program organizers are…

A field study demonstrated a process for determining the appropriate level of community-based consultative support for families, professionals, and paraprofessionals working to integrate children with autism. The resultant differentiated service model calls for an interministerial service plan to facilitate various transitions. (Author/JDD)

This paper focuses on the integration of preschool children with moderate to profound disabilities in a day care center. The paper offers a rationale for day care integration, outlines best practice components, and describes a program which merged an early intervention program for children with disabilities with a community-based child care…

The paper deals with a mental health program designed to treat the 2 1/2 to 5 year old Mexican American child with severe emotional or behavioral problems. Components of the program included a mutual agreement with Parent Child Centers (Headstart) in the community; staff who had expertise to evaluate, diagnose, design, and implement an individual…

Designed as an operating manual, the document is designed to strengthen the efforts between Monroe County Community Action Program (M.C.C.A.P.) Head Start and other services helping meet the needs of the handicapped child, to insure continuity of experiences for handicapped children moving from Head Start into the public school systems of Monroe…

This article presents the 2006 honorees, sponsors, and teams for the Disability Awareness Night[TM]. Disability Awareness Night[TM] is a unique and powerful community outreach program. Its vision is to continue to raise awareness outside of the community of individuals with disabilities to continue the goal that this program will open doors to…