The Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) aims to increase the number of students with disabilities who achieve positive post-school outcomes and engage in higher education or competitive employment opportunities. Through their State Systemic Improvement Plan (SSIP) and State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG), Alabama is focusing on…

This study investigates the concept of self-determination in special education. The self-determination construct in special education is often described in terms of abilities and attitudes needed to achieve one's goals (Field & Hoffman, 1994a; Ward, 1988; Powers et al., 1996). Despite many similarities among definitions and models of…

The paper describes an ecological-developmental model for planning a child's transition from a preschool special education program to a public school classroom. The model stresses interactions between the various environments in which the child functions. A description of a preschool transition program based on the model is also included.…

The article summarizes nine transition models currently used in the U.S. to enhance employability of disabled students and describes Project INTERFACE, a model postsecondary demonstration project with a primary focus on minority disabled youths. (CL)

The document describes the Virginia Interagency Linkage Model, a system of interagency agreements between vocational education, special education, and vocational rehabilitative services. Formal written agreements are developed between the agencies at both the state and local levels and coordinated by a linkage team with all included agencies…

The report details findings and accomplishments of the North Central Louisiana Model Preschool Program for Handicapped Children, a regional cooperative agency and school based model. Personnel, instructional, and behavioral variables are discussed. Program objectives for 1979-80 are outlined, and the evaluation findings for each objective are…

The document describes a model program for preschool handicapped children in rural areas utilizing a cooperative approach. Section I provides background information and information on program locale, goals and objectives, and program variables (personnel variables, instructional variables, facilities, program costs, and evidence of effectiveness).…

The manual suggests steps, procedures, best practices, and key concepts to create and maintain successful interagency collaboration in the delivery of services to preschool handicapped children. Considered are the concept of collaboration, the rationale for its development, and a means of assessing a community to determine the needs and potential…

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 article briefly describes the Facilities and Information Network Development (FIND) project being implemented by the Alabama Governor's Office of State Planning and Federal Programs to provide an economical state-coordinated system of resources and services to the handicapped. (SJL)

This investigation identified purposes, activities, outcomes, and barriers reported by 45 postsecondary model demonstration projects funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). Outcomes reported most frequently at the individual, program, organizational, and community levels included student assessment, materials…

Norfolk (Virginia) has developed an interagency structure, the Norfolk Youth Network, among its child serving agencies in order to more effectively meet multiple problems of area youth. A needs assessment in 1988 revealed a high incidence of youth problems, multiple agencies working simultaneously with the same clients, and inefficient placements.…

The paper presents a framework intended to help in the adoption of new early childhood special education model programs. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) is explained to describe how individuals undergo the change process. The diagnostic component of CBAM is described in terms of three dimensions: (1) stages of concern (the feelings of…

The state of the art in involving parents in the education of their handicapped children is reviewed, and model program approaches for increasing their participation are described. Background aspects considered include research findings that demonstrate the importance of parent involvement, and a review of legislative mandates on the topic. The…

The paper discusses the results of a survey of 17 Handicapped Children's Early Education (HCEEP) demonstration programs in Illinois, Mississippi, Wisconsin, and all states west of the Mississippi River to discover how each program obtained funding to continue the programs after the 3 year grant period expired. Results of the survey revealed that…