The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore the use of retelling as a culturally responsive literacy strategy for Juan, a Pacific Island (Chamorro) special needs student on the island of Guam. Data were collected from the following sources: (1) participant-observation (2) fieldnotes (3) audiotaped recordings of students' oral…

Nearly half a million children in the United States are currently being served by the foster care system. Infants and toddlers represent the largest single group entering foster care. While these very young children are at the greatest peril for physical, mental health, and developmental issues and tend to spend the longest time in the foster care…

This article presents the findings of a short-term quantitative/qualitative study concerning the attitudes of Vietnamese educators towards individuals with disabilities and its possible implications relative to the development of inclusion and special education in Vietnam. The current conditions regarding the education of students with and without…

Schools and classrooms require an active effort to create and welcome the diverse cultures of their students and families. Many students may question others as peers who come from other cultures and speak other language, wear different clothes, and different customs. The teachers of special education can help student overcome these attitudes by…

The mission for Urban SEALS (Special Education Academic Leaders), a federally funded doctoral preparation program, is to prepare doctoral-level special educators, including those who are culturally and/or linguistically diverse (CLD) to assume leadership roles in the education of urban students with disabilities who are CLD. This report provides…

The article provides a rating scale for selecting instructional materials for culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional students, and identifies exemplary curriculum materials for language development and mathematics instruction from nine publishers. (DB)

The importance of multicultural content in children's literature is a prominent theme in current professional literature for librarians and educators. Since children's audiovisual materials are a popular part of library collections, the multicultural content of nonprint materials should also be analyzed. This study analyzed the lyrics of 405 songs…

This kit presents all components of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT), a newly developed instrument designed to measure the general intelligence and cognitive abilities of children and adolescents (ages 5 through 17) who may be disadvantaged by traditional verbal and language-loaded measures such as children with speech, language,…

A series of self-study questions is presented to examine policy and practice issues important in developing culturally competent programs for children with special needs and their families. Cultural competence refers to a program's ability to honor and respect the beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes, and behaviors both of families who are…

This document presents the proceedings of a conference attended by Project Directors (or their designees) of projects funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and having a significant component of technical assistance (TA) and/or dissemination activities. The conference was designed to provide new information to projects, to…

The second of five modules is designed to acquaint preservice teachers with the issue and plight of culturally diverse and handicapped students in the public education system. An initial section offers guidelines for a presession and describes organizational structure of the module. Three sessions, to be presented in 50 minute classes, cover…

A survey instrument was developed to examine preservice teachers' understanding of classroom issues related to exceptional needs and cultural diversity. The instrument was administered to 832 preservice teachers at universities in Alabama, Michigan, Montana, New York, and Washington at 3 levels (beginning, middle, and end of program). Data are…

Rural teachers are confronted with the task of providing appropriate education to exceptional students, as well as addressing the added elements of language and culture issues as these pertain to handicapping conditions. Key points in the identification and instruction of these students are initial referral, early intervention, and appropriate…

This study reviewed the literature on and conducted three national surveys concerning delivery of services to people with disabilities from minority backgrounds. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are reviewed, with a focus on initiatives to serve persons with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. A review of…

This project attempted to identify differences in the communicative skills of American Indians compared to other applicants for employment in the food service industry and conducted a demonstration training program to improve both verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The study developed out of a perceived lack of communicative competence…