The article illustrates how social change for individuals with disabilities can be made through the legislative process. The author recounts a four-year process that concluded with the passage of legislation for a preschool program for handicapped children supported by an appropriation of one million dollars. (Author/CL)

Designed for parents of handicapped children in Kentucky, the booklet contains suggestions for parent involvement and advocacy. Planning informal activities is the focus of the first section which covers informal get togethers, discussion groups, and film viewing sessions. Planning steps for more formal group activities such as workshops are…

This workbook is a guide for the development of self-help/advocacy groups for parents of children and adolescents who have serious emotional problems. The workbook offers background information and then offers guidelines for: (1) creating a beginning plan for the development of a self-help/advocacy group; (2) developing concrete plans for…

Described is an empowerment and self-advocacy training program for individuals with disabilities and parents of young children with disabilities, called Partners in Policymaking. Discussed are first-year activities, program evaluation data from participants, and both quantitative and qualitative short-term outcome data collected from first-year…

This report reviews ongoing projects by the Parent Advocacy Center for Educational Rights (PACER), in particular its parent training program and programs for students. The Parents Helping Parents project is described and evaluated, including its efforts concerning public information, workshops for all parents, workshops for special groups,…

Recognizing the need for a new approach to the problem of federal/state jurisdictional overlaps in delivery of services to Indians, the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped contracted with the National Association of State Boards of Education and Indian Education Training, Inc. to conduct a series of national and regional conferences which…

A resource document for implementation of community coordination of child care (the 4C concept), this organizational guide is based on the experiences of 24 local programs in Michigan communities, 1969-75. Flexible models are presented, capable of accommodating to the uniqueness of each community. Functioning to maximize resources, a 4C Council is…

This resource training manual for family advocacy workers is designed to help these workers meet the needs of families who care for adolescents with emotional disabilities. It is intended for use with a companion manual which focuses on the needs of youth themselves, and stresses that effective case management must integrally involve both youths…

This report describes achievements of a Linn County (Oregon) project to design, implement, and evaluate a county-wide comprehensive interagency model for achieving improved outcomes for children with or at risk of developing emotional/behavioral disabilities. The project stressed systems change, driven by full parent participation and interagency…

The Next Steps Conference was one of a series of meetings held for the purpose of increasing the capacity of family members, professionals, and other interested citizens to work together on behalf of children who have serious emotional disorders and to shape an agenda for improved services. The conference was organized around four major issues:…