This paper discusses the design of a program by the Nashville (Tennessee) Center for Independent Living (CIL) to train consumers with disabilities in employing, training, supervising, and firing personal attendants. The program, supported by the Tennessee Developmental Disabilities (DD) Planning Council, provided an opportunity for program design…

This manual contains training materials on full participation in independent living for a national conference for personnel in agencies concerned with independent living for people with disabilities. Preliminary materials include the conference agenda, background information about the trainers, and organizational information on Independent Living…

This packet of information focuses on innovative practices related to supported living for people with disabilities. It opens with an article by John O'Brien, "Supported Living: What It's Not," which summarizes common misunderstandings of supported living. The next section describes eight innovative agencies in the area of support…

This report explores ramifications of vocational rehabilitation services being provided in independent living programs through tracing the development of disability rights and independent living movements from their inception to the present. Comparisons are drawn between the programmatic approaches of state rehabilitation agencies and independent…

This report resulted from a qualitative research site visit to the Madison Mutual Housing Association and Cooperative in Madison, Wisconsin. The agency was selected due to its reputation for inclusive efforts to provide housing to a broad constituency including people of differing abilities, ages, income levels, and ethnic backgrounds. The Madison…

This practicum developed a program to help students with disabilities to locate adequate employment, utilize community services, and live independently in the community. Practicum activities involved developing a comprehensive K-12 vocational curriculum, developing a policies and procedures manual for competitive/supportive employment, increasing…

This case study describes the recent development of two housing co-ops "Courtyard" and "CHORD," in Toronto (Ontario, Canada) that are inclusive of people with disabilities, that is, the co-ops were developed by people with disabilities, their families, and friends. Focus is on components utilized in the planning and development…

This document summarizes the plan of New York's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities (VESID) to reform its system of service delivery. It first describes activities begun in 1989 to improve the accessibility of vocational rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. The plan then details…

These transition guidelines are designed to give Utah school districts direction in planning transition programs for Utah students at risk and/or students with disabilities. The guidelines present best practices in planning to assist these special needs students from school to life in their communities. The five-step process includes planning,…

The Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Berkeley, California, is described as a mecca for the disabled since 1972, when a coalition of severely disabled people founded the Center with the goal of integrating disabled people into the community-at-large. The CIL's mission is to create and maintain independence for disabled people through…

This document is the product of meetings of the Prime Study Group of the Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, whose mission was to: examine consumer choice and decision making in rehabilitation; review the legislation and consumer movements leading to greater consumer choice; identify the roles and responsibilities of the consumer, the counselor,…

This monograph presents the Arkansas Transition Agreement developed by the Interagency Council on Self Sufficiency (ICSS), which has the goal of developing, implementing, and monitoring a statewide process for transition of students with disabilities from school to integrated postsecondary education, employment, and community living. Following a…

A deliberate, systematic approach is presented for assisting students with handicaps through the transition process from school to adult life. The key elements of transition are identified as: longitudinal vocational and independent living skills training; cooperative and interagency transition planning; parent, student, employer, and…

The Secretary of Special Education of Puerto Rico has been searching for ways to offer appropriate special education services for young people between 13 and 21 years of age whose educational level does not allow them to benefit from current prevocational or vocational services. At present groups are being organized to offer services for…

This paper provides information to support the implementation and management of independent living services for individuals with disabilities. The paper compiles the experiences of numerous people involved in programs providing services which support disabled individuals as active consumers of commercial rehabilitative aids and devices. It…