The volunteer shelter bed program development guidelines in this booklet are offered as a community-based alternative to the institutionalization of status offenders. The volunteer shelter bed program is described as a nonsecure residential alternative for status offenders, which can be implemented without the creation of new facilities or the…

Fourteen papers delivered at the 1976 national forum on residential services sponsored by the National Association for Retarded Citizens are presented. Among topics addressed are historical perspectives on institutional change and normalization, a continuum of residential alternatives, deinstitutionalization, funding resources, funding strategies,…

Presented are guidelines on planning and establishing a small, residential halfway house for the male adolescent/adult retardate in which mental health and use of the halfway house to replace institutionalization of selected retardates are emphasized. The halfway house is explained to be planned on premises of community participation and program…

Four major dimensions of the philosophy and ideology of L'Arche, a center for mentally handicapped persons using a "community" approach, are: the value of a person with mental handicaps; the importance of mutual relationships; the importance of a sense of community; and the spiritual dimension. (Author/CB)

The literature is reviewed on the variety of living options for physically disabled adults in the United Kingdom with reference to influences from Northern Europe and the United States. Noted are hospital units, residential care programs, collective and sheltered community housing, and integrated housing. (DB)

The majority of 177 British Columbia residents surveyed in neighborhoods with and without group homes for mentally handicapped persons reported favorable (36 percent) or neutral (48 percent) attitudes toward group homes in residential neighborhoods. More respondents in neighborhoods with group homes (42 percent) than without (29 percent) favored…

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…

This article summarizes data showing that 77.1 percent of residential service recipients with mental retardation/developmental disabilities are living nationally in settings of 15 or fewer residents. Graphs show proportions living in residences of various sizes in 1982 and 1999. A table lists, by individual state, the numbers and proportions of…

This site visit report describes activities, strengths, and challenges of the Area Agency for Developmental Services in Region VI of New Hampshire, with an emphasis on bringing people with developmental disabilities out of the state institution to community-based services. The agency provides case management services, family support services, and…

This report presents patterns and trends in services provided to persons with developmental disabilities through the Washington State Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) and related agencies from 1989 through 1994. Following an executive summary, individual chapters provide extensive detail on: (1) the Division and this project; (2) types…

This community living assessment tool for parents of children with deaf-blindness was developed to help parents identify the strengths and weaknesses of their child's residential program using a user-friendly instrument. Three areas of assessment are covered: physical attributes of the home, available resources for promoting capabilities, and…

The site visit report describes the Residential Support Program of the Centennial Developmental Services, a community-centered board providing residential services and support to persons (currently 67) with disabilities in Weld County, Colorado. Residential settings include a group home, supported apartments, foster homes, natural family homes, or…

Two articles examine issues of transition for people with mental retardation. The first article describes how the Ohio Association for Retarded Citizens (ARC) developed a parent-based project to monitor the quality of residential placements. The project was intended to assess both the strengths and weaknesses of community residential programs, to…

Described is a system for providing comprehensive community residential living for the developmentally disabled. (Author/CL)

A review of research on the role of social competence in the community adjustment of developmentally disabled persons indicates that facilitation of such adjustment should focus on remediation of maladaptive behavior, instruction in social skills and behavioral competencies, assessment before placement in the community, and continued on-site…