Historically, researchers focused on individuals with severe disabilities have utilized single-subject research methodologies to study the application of the behavioral theory to learning. In contrast, disability studies scholars have primarily used qualitative research methodologies to study quality of life or policy issues related to individuals…

The emergence of the standards-based reform movement has raised a number of issues related to the design of educational programs for students with severe disabilities, and a debate has arisen that presents an "either/or" choice between the general education curriculum and an ecological curricular framework that has traditionally guided…

Students with disabilities should not only be members of general education classrooms, but must also be able to learn meaningful skills in those settings, not just socialize with peers. This article reviews effective teaching methods and their contextual fit with the working of a general education classroom. The response to intervention (RtI)…

The newsletter describes the staff and training activities of the Teaching Research Infant and Child Center which consists of two national model centers--Early Education for the Handicapped Model and a Severely Handicapped Education Model. It is reported that staff training procedures developed at the Boulder (Montana) River School and Hospital…

This book chapter addresses the evolution of integrated classrooms in Manitoba (Canada), with particular attention to two models, the cluster model and the neighborhood school integration model. The cluster model integrates a large number of children with disabilities within a large accessible school. The neighborhood school integration model is…

This information brief explains the Transition Service Integration Model, an approach to integrating service systems at the point of transition for youth with significant disabilities. It explains that the Transition Services Integration Model is designed to combine the resources of school and postschool systems in sharing the costs of a…

A family-focused intervention model was implemented with 16 families having young children (birth to 3 years) with moderate or severe disabilities. Individualized Family Service Plans were formulated and implemented, resulting in high levels of parental satisfaction, accelerated rates of progress by the children, and acquisition of functional…

This paper outlines the arrangements for assessing school leavers under Sections 5 and 6 of Great Britain's Disabled Persons Act, summarizes the results of research in Avon (England) following the lives of 50 people with severe learning difficulties just before and after they left school. Presents a model for individual and strategic planning to…

These guidelines were developed as part of Maine's statewide project for inclusive schools, Project LEARNS (Local Education for All in Regular Neighborhood Schools). The model proposes that students with severe disabilities be provided with a range of services and supports within regular classes rather than with a continuum of placements. The…

The report describes first year activities of a National Scope Supported Employment Demonstration Project which included a survey of supported employment providers (N=605) to define approaches used, impediments, and best practices. Among findings were the following: vocational rehabilitation facilities and developmental centers together provided…

The report describes the first 3 years of the Homecoming Project, which was designed to return disabled students in regional special education programs to regular classes in 26 local Vermont schools. Fifty-eight such students (of whom 45% were moderately or severely handicapped) were transitioned into regular classes and 19 other students at risk…

This brief paper offers an inventory to help implement change strategies and achieve person-centered planning for people with severe disabilities. The inventory is intended to examine use of 12 resources that facilitate change and increase the chance of good outcomes. A visual display of the model on which the inventory is based is provided first.…

This manual on curriculum adaptation for inclusive classrooms was developed as part of the PEERS (Providing Education for Everyone in Regular Schools) Project, a 5-year collaborative systems change project in California to facilitate the integration of students with severe disabilities previously at special centers into services at regular school…

Although disabled students need the same comprehensive assistance in making the transition from school to work as their nondisabled counterparts, most disabled youth, and particulary those with severe disabilities, do not receive adequate assistance in this area. This situation can be remedied by approaching the transition to employment as a…

This curriculum was developed to fulfill the need for a longitudinal, community-referenced curriculum for students in Kentucky with moderate and severe handicaps that could provide the basis for programming from the elementary level through completion of a student's school career. The curriculum consists of guideline chapters on how to use this…