The possible casues of abuse of mentally retarded persons in residential facilities are examined and a study of all reported abuse cases occurring in Alabama's residential facilities from January, 1984, to September, 1986 is reviewed. Fifty-seven confirmed cases of abuse were identified for further examination using facility records and system…

Nene College (United Kingdom) has developed a residential enrichment program for gifted ten- and eleven-year-olds in Northamptonshire County. The paper outlines the logistics of program implementation, including determining academic and social content and the selection of children and teaching staff. (DB)

A survey of 46 agencies providing residential support to persons with disabilities examined their capacity to support persons with disabilities who present challenging behaviors. Two independent variables (organizational stability and administrative leadership) and four dependent variables (staff structures, staff training, measurement systems,…

Thirty adults who had no experience with mental retardation rated slides of residential settings as to their "home-likeness." Of 26 features of living rooms studied, furniture position, lighting type, and lighting flexibility were highly correlated with home-likeness, whereas building code-specific features and seating type were minimally related…

Results of a nationwide study of public mental retardation/developmental disabilities spending in the states during Fiscal Years 1977 through 1986 were analyzed and identified trends such as continuing growth in spending for community services, contraction of total spending for institutional operations, and predominance of support for intermediate…

The paper presents a proposal for the addition of a specialized adoption agency for sexually abused children and youth to current services of a residential group home. The proposal resulted from the lack of appropriate families for children completing the Agency's Preparation for Adoption Program. Evidence suggested placements have been hindered…

This statistical report provides a summary of the characteristics of the 2424 young people committed to residential programs of the New York State Division for Youth during 1985. It provides information on the patterns in individual and regional placement. The data are presented in such a way that comparisons can be made across years. A summary of…

Institutions for people with disabilities can be "deinstitutionalized" by changing the way they are organized and regulated. The process of developing community learning environments in residential programs involves design of daily living routines, assessment of residential living skills, identification of teaching objectives, development of…

The report documents the evaluation of a New York City program providing instruction in supplementary career education and daily living skills to students (N=335) residing in 11 institutions for the neglected and delinquent. The program objective was that 80% of the students would master 80% of their individual short-term objectives. Data analysis…

A program created to help mentally retarded adults move from a state facility to an independent living situation in Jackson, Mississippi, is described. The three stages of the program are outlined as follows: (1) new clients are housed in a cluster unit of apartments close to staff housing, during which time they are assessed according to the…

Elements of a model for delivering statewide behavioral programing services to individuals with mental retardation in residential, training, and educational settings are described. The model includes such components as identification of levels of behavioral competence among staff members, an intervention approval process, regional behavioral…

The paper describes the community residence and independent living services offered by Perkins School for the Blind which serves multi-impaired, blind, visually impaired, and deaf blind individuals. The first part reviews existing community living options and emphasizes the need for thorough diagnosis, extensive training in daily living skills and…

Evaluation of effects of moving mentally disabled individuals from a British National Health Service hospital into community group homes found much overlap between the institutions' caring routines and practices with the community hostel setting, providing only slightly more opportunities for personal choice, privacy, personalization, integration,…

Interviews with 137 primary caregivers with developmentally disabled family members (ages 2-62) on waiting lists for out-of-home placement found that caregiver stress was a significant predictor of the urgency of placement need. Behavior problems of the disabled person were almost as important. Lack of support services was correlated with…

This article discusses development and implementation of a community-based residential program for deaf blind young adults at the Hilltop House (Texas). The article outlines principles of sound management, realistic staff expectations, developmentally appropriate activities, family participation, crisis management, medication, and close…