An individual with a disability complains that under the blanket term "disabled" individual needs and rights are not respected, privacy is invaded, people are always being evaluated but never asked to evaluate services they receive, and everything must be part of a "program" rather than just part of daily life. (JDD)

Meeting the challenge of providing supported living for people with developmental disabilities calls for new relationships among people receiving support, those providing support, and families. The focus should be on assisting people with developmental disabilities to establish a sense of place, security of place, and effective personalized…

This paper discusses a model crisis intervention program for community-based individuals with developmental disabilities and mental illness, featuring cross-system access between existing services and emphasis on staff training. Outcomes of the Rochester, New York, program reveal that 69% of 267 individuals referred to the program required only 1…

The costs of providing residential services for persons with mental retardation in 160 group homes, 130 family homes, and 41 apartments in Michigan and Nebraska were found to vary more by type of living arrangement than by resident level of need. Within professionally staffed arrangements, costs varied largely as a function of staffing levels.…

This article examines the importance of self-determination for all people. A national survey of 4,544 adults with mental retardation concerning how independent, integrated, and productive they perceived themselves to be and how important each of these outcomes was to them revealed that people with mental retardation are not likely to be…

Drug use patterns were surveyed in Colorado's community services system for 1,282 individuals with developmental disabilities. A psychotropic drug use rate of 18.6 percent compared favorably to other reported rates and rates in Colorado's institutional settings. Substantial experience with psychotropic and anticonvulsant medications across all…

This study compared results of supported living services for 20 adults with mental retardation and 20 adults receiving traditional residential support. Results indicated that supported living participants experienced significantly more and varied community activity, did both community activities and preferred community activities more frequently,…

This article critically comments on previous articles that question the benefits of inclusion for students with severe disabilities. It argues for the inclusion of students with disabilities and suggests that functionality is not found in segregated classes but in one's thoughtful immersion into the complexity of community. (Contains references.)…

This article describes adulthood in general and that of individuals with severe cognitive impairments. It examines traditional roles, rites, and rituals of adulthood, including: voting, marriage, consensual sex, and moving out. How one parent intends to assist her daughter in accessing these markers of adulthood is discussed. (Contains…

A survey of 801 support services for adults with developmental disabilities living in community settings in Canada found a diminution of government's role in funding and guiding service provision and the emergence of private-for-profit services. Differences between nonprofit and private sectors include a greater propensity in nonprofit agencies to…

This brief report presents data, by state, showing the proportion of mental retardation/developmental disabilities residential services recipients living in community homes of different sizes. In fiscal year 1995 most (51.8%) residential support service recipients lived in homes of 6 or fewer residents. (DB)

This article reviews research on inclusion of students with severe disabilities and concludes that greater attention to the acquisition of functional skills may be necessary if inclusion is to realize its promise as an instructional model that benefits students across the range of skills areas necessary for independent adult life. (Contains…

This article describes development and psychometric properties of the Community Living Attitudes Scale, Mental Retardation, a 40-item measure based on the input of self-advocates and focused on contemporary community living philosophies. Tested with 742 individuals, the measure's factor structure was confirmed, and subscales of Empowerment,…

The effectiveness of a multi-element approach to increase the self-determination of three adolescents with physical and multiple disabilities was examined. The intervention involved equipment and performance adaptations, brief in-school simulation training, and instruction and support for parents and home assistance providers. Dramatic increases…