Assisted living is dedicated to serving individuals with a wide array of disabilities. Training and education are vital for staff and residents in assisted-living facilities because resident care depends on staff knowledge to provide for their safety and welfare. However, little research has been conducted on assisted-living facilities, let alone…

As of 2007, 718,119 instructional assistants were employed in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009b). Of those instructional assistants, 373,466 were classified as full-time special education instructional assistants (Data Accountability Center, 2009a). As the employment of instructional assistants continues to grow,…

Public schools must make available special education and related services to all IDEA-eligible (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) students with disabilities beginning at age three and through age 18. Services to students, ages 19, 20, and 21, are permissive. That means the decision to serve 19, 20 and 21-year-old students is determined…

Describes the competencies needed by persons who work with special needs learners and personnel preparation activities to assist teachers and others working with the handicapped in postsecondary settings. (SK)

This study describes responsibilities and training needs of paraeducators in physical education. Paraeducators (n = 138) employed in 34 midwestern schools received a 27-item questionnaire. Of the 138 paraeducators contacted, 76 responded, resulting in a 55.1% response rate. Only 16% of the total respondents (n = 76) reported receiving specific…

Reviews personnel needs and special education program components for training special education teachers for handicapped American Indian children. Describes the American Indian Special Education Teacher Training Program at the Pennsylvania State University. Summarizes 10 projects with curricula featuring content related to linguistic and cultural…

A literature review was carried out to establish what evidence exists about disabled children's participation in decision-making, both regarding their own lives and about the shape of service delivery. There is evidence that disabled children hold and can express views, given the right environment. However, participation of disabled children needs…

The clinical aspects and staff training needs for two substance use disorder (SUD) treatment programs that serve persons with co-existing disabilities are described. The article addresses SUD prevalence among persons with disabilities and the corresponding specialized treatment needs and accommodations that may be necessary. The philosophical…

A study investigated the demographic characteristics of 567 administrators of college and university offices for students with disabilities (OSD), how they perceived various professional roles and functions, and relationship of these perceptions to institutional and program characteristics. Results were compared with a similar study conducted a…

The effects and implications of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, Public Law (PL) 94-142, are discussed in this collection of conference presentations. A panel gave an overview of legislative and legal aspects of the law and its implications for personnel development and funding. Small group sessions were held on: individualized…

This study was designed to identify areas in the vocational rehabilitation (VR) field in which long-term training is likely to alleviate existing labor shortages and areas in which short-term training is critically necessary to ensure adequate service to VR clients. The study sought to paint a national picture of training needs affecting…

This document is a monograph in a personnel development series addressing issues that are pertinent for policy-making personnel concerned with vocational assessment by teachers and administrators of vocational and special education. Section 1 addresses the state of the art in personnel preparation and vocational assessment and includes five…

As part of a project dealing with personnel training requirements for vocational educators who serve handicapped students, this investigation identified the training needs of both vocational teachers and teacher educators. According to the final report of this phase of the project, input was solicited from both vocational teachers and vocational…

In an effort to gather information on the status of special education programs in rural areas, visits were made to 33 school districts in 14 states representing 4 different administrative organizations (intermediate school districts, cooperatives, county systems, single districts) and 5 geographical regions. School populations ranged from 850 to…

This report describes rationale, planning processes/tasks, and evaluation techniques of a 1985 workshop on special education needs of migrant handicapped students and findings and recommendations of workshop participant groups. The workshop was designed to analyze present policies relating to migrant handicapped students, to develop strategies for…