Youth with disabilities receiving transition from services from State/Federal VR agencies accounted for more than one quarter of closed cases within in FY 2010 (RSA, 2010). This unique population of clients, however, has received little attention in empirical studies, scholarly journals, and as a focus within training programs. By investing in…

Results are reported for 3 years of in-service training provided to managers and direct care personnel employed in community, residential, and vocational programs for developmentally disabled adults. The data demonstrate the efficacy of the training model in that 1015 (97%) of 1080 training objectives attempted were completed by the trainees at…

The authors propose a model for statewide planning and dissemination in the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development process, as mandated in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. (CL)

The manual is intended to aid programs funded by the Handicapped Children's Early Education Program (HCEEP) in designing and implementing staff development programs. Section I presents a working definition of staff development and outlines the preliminary steps necessary before a program is designed and administered. The section delineates the…

The authors describe the Special Needs In-Service Project to develop workshops to enhance the vocational and career options of special needs learners. Seven training areas are listed: program development and management skills; prevocational and vocational education materials for special needs training personnel, counselors, and paraprofessionals;…

This brief paper summarizes recommended practices that teachers and administrators serving in supervisory roles can take to ensure the effectiveness of paraeducators working with students who have disabilities. Recommended practices are grouped into four general areas: (1) assign appropriate responsibilities and tasks (preferably by the…

This article presents a rationale for the importance of relationships as a focus for training infant/family professionals and paraprofessionals. It describes six innovative training strategies that have been used as part of the ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Clinical Infant Programs' City TOTS (training of trainers) project. (Author/DB)

Background: To date, little attention has been given to the concept of quality of life around human resources employment programmes for staff working with persons with a dual diagnosis. Method: This article describes the implementation of quality of life principles to service provision for people with dual diagnosis and its application to staff…

The manual is intended for training personnel who provide transportation services to handicapped students. Sections cover: types of special education transportation, state regulations (Illinois) governing special education transportation, major concerns of transportation providers, brief descriptions of the various areas of exceptionality (e.g.…

The report covers the first two years of the 3 year Alternatives for Paraprofessional Training (APT) project. The project addresses the need for training paraprofessionals who currently are working with young handicapped children in rural and urban areas of Texas. APT provides onsite competency based training for paraprofessionals through a…

Procedures for individualizing inservice for special education personnel are outlined and described. Six steps are pictured in a flow chart and detailed in the test (sample substeps in parentheses): establish organized management (establish agency goals, prepare explicit job descriptions of personnel responsibilities); prepare and administer staff…

This document offers three articles reporting research and practice on the use of paraeducators to provide support to students with disabilities and their teachers. Emphasis is on research funded by the Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs. The first article notes the increasing use of paraeducators to provide…

This study reports the characteristics, career intentions, and professional development needs of staff from a wide variety of services for people with a disability in New South Wales (Australia). Staff were predominantly female; male staff were unlikely to regard their career futures as being in the disability field; and employers were providing…

The paper outlines a procedure of providing staff development designed to meet the needs of all educational personnel, including teachers, support personnel, administrators, and parents. The role of the Central Ohio Instructional Resource Center in staff development is examined, followed by a discussion of needs assessment methods (such as content…

A regional survey of 142 supported employment program managers and 519 direct service personnel found most of the personnel are female, young, highly educated, minimally paid, and with basic knowledge of supported employment philosophy, management, and implementation strategies. A need for technical assistance to refine skills was identified.…