In the past, people with disabilities were largely segregated from mainstream society. Medical psychotherapy was a niche discipline, located mostly in hospitals and nursing homes. However, things are changing. There are more people with disabilities, and they are more integrated into society. General Practicing Psychotherapists need to know how to…

Recently, consensus among researchers and professionals has emerged about factors that contribute to postschool success of youth with disabilities. Prominent among these factors are targeted academic preparation, family involvement, youth empowerment, and service collaboration and linkages. Work experience and paid employment have been identified…

One of the biggest fears and challenges a parent of a child with special needs faces is navigating the post-22 landscape. When a child hits the age of 22, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is no longer required to provide daily services and support. Whatever the abilities, or disabilities, of a child, every parent has the…

This paper presents a critical analysis of Wolfensberger's formulation of normalization as both a valid human service ideology and also a "research-anchored" scientific theory. It finds that the core statement of the model is tautologous, and thus cannot be considered a scientific statement. The empirical status of two major auxiliary…

This paper is based on a retreat in which vocational rehabilitation professionals examined their own developmental experiences in community settings and related them to their professional role. Vocational rehabilitation professionals are required to act as leaders as they facilitate the process by which people who have experienced traumatic loss…

Project SpecialCare was designed to expand child care options available for families of young children with disabilities through development of a model for training home-based and center-based caregivers. The SpecialCare model was field-tested with 187 caregivers representing 55 different care settings in eastern Virginia. The SpecialCare model of…

The Rural Institute: Center for Excellence in Disability Education, Research, and Service, is one of sixty-four Centers for Excellence in Disability Education across the nation. It is an inter-disciplinary organization that promotes full participation in rural life for individuals with disabilities. The Rural Institute accomplishes this goal by…

This study looks at Canadian families' efforts to begin an inclusive life for their children with disabilities--and for society--"right off the bat," in the child care arena. It examines quality child care situations that welcome children with disabilities. It explores needed reform of public policy and programs to build on those…

This manual on development of transition planning programs/services for high school youth with disabilities and their families is based on the premises that both youth and family members need to be actively involved in every step of the transition planning process, that empowered families can access necessary transition and adult services needed…

This book is the product of a forum titled New Research Directions and Paradigms, held at the Congress of the International Association for the Scientific Study of Mental Deficiency in Australia in August 1992. The book presents 13 chapters, all written within a critical paradigm for disability research which critiques the reification of…

This report discusses a 3-year project to examine and develop agency structures to implement a more person-centered design in Minnesota agencies assisting individuals with disabilities. Five of the eight participating agencies offered residential services; two offered vocational, employment, and day programs; and one offered both residential and…

This book provides a history and overview of transitional services and educational programs provided for high school students with disabilities and proposes a new model of comprehensive transition education and services. The book is organized in 12 chapters: (1) "Secondary Special Education in Perspective"; (2) "Transition Education and Services…