With Washington trapped in budget battles and partisan gridlock, cities have emerged as the best source of government innovation. Nowhere is this more visible than in New York City. Since taking office in 2002, Mayor Bloomberg has introduced a steady stream of innovative policies, from a competition to recruit a new applied sciences campus and a…

The Coimbra Early Intervention Project was undertaken in Portugal to develop the first coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency program involving health care, education, and social service, using existing resources in the community. The program now operates regionwide and supports more than 100 families and children with disabilities or at…

Describes Sistering, a daytime drop-in program in Toronto for isolated women. Contends that the program's competence-oriented practice framework provides the nurturing and education the women need. The women are seen as individuals capable of learning effective ways of coping. (JAC)

This report describes visits of two Americans to Bratislava, (Slovakia) and Prague (Czech Republic) as part of a larger project providing technical assistance to improve the care and services for children with special needs in these countries. A summary of the Bratislava visit lists people met and places visited (with a brief description of each…

Four Native American communities in Manitoba (Canada) known as Hollow Water devised a healing system for sexual abuse--the Hollow Water First Nation Community Holistic Circle Healing (CHCH). While integrating elements of a number of federal and provincially funded services, the 13-step CHCH healing process is based on the seven Midewin teachings…

This report focuses on a project in Afghanistan that coordinates the efforts of several agencies to develop community-directed disability, rehabilitation, and education services. The program stresses community mobilization aided by skills transfer from expatriate specialists, and includes physical therapy, prosthetics, living skills and mobility…