Increasing the independence of individuals with severe disabilities is of increasing concern to schools and federal agencies. Improving quality of life for high needs individuals with disabilities is an objective of transition programs, which allow consumers to adapt from one aspect of life to the next. The purpose of this study is to examine the…

The purpose of the present study was to investigate practices that support the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in the learning and social activities of inclusive K-8 schools to inform inclusive school reform research and practice. Eighteen K-8 students with severe disabilities in six schools recognized for their implementation of…

We first conducted a synthesis of literature to identify essential transition teacher competencies to guide curriculum development for a personnel preparation program. The synthesis yielded a list of 67 competencies needed by transition teachers. Using the 67 competencies, we next created an electronic survey in which respondents were asked to…

In Kansas, paraprofessionals have very specific roles and responsibilities in special education, and increasingly, in classes for severely handicapped and deaf blind students. Paraprofessionals have instruction responsibilities under the supervision of the classroom teacher. Additional duties include assisting with supplementary work for advanced…

The second of a two volume discussion of Kansas' statewide model for inservice and preservice education of teachers of severely handicapped students is the final report. An introductory section provides an overview of the project's goals and discusses the need for teachers of the severely handicapped in Kansas. Objectives for the third year of the…

Describes a program at the Rehabilitation Institute, a private nonprofit agency in Kansas City, Missouri, to explore the vocational rehabilitation of severely disabled clients referred by the Missouri and Kansas rehabilitation divisions, involving group and individual counseling, vocational exploration facets, psychological testing, medical…

This paper reports on a qualitative ethnographic research study on the inclusion of children with severe disabilities into a Montessori preschool program in Lawrence, Kansas. The program has served 20 children with disabilities since its inception in 1986. The program's emergent model involves a split program (utilizing a special education…

The first of a two volume report on a project to develop a statewide (Kansas) model for inservice and preservice training of teachers of severely handicapped students describes the general approach to the model as well as details its necessary features, the project's organization and its relationship with the State Department of Special Education…

This guide was developed to assist families and professionals working with people having severe disabilities to improve the overall quality of life these individuals experience. An introduction contrasts new attitudes (such as emphasizing individual strengths and personal control and autonomy) with existing practices which often focus on students'…

Results are reported from 12 on-site visits and from mailed questionnaire returns regarding the continuing effects of the Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title IV-C, Innovative Exemplary Program, on education in Kansas. At each district visited, information was obtained, and verified when possible, regarding the changes resulting from…

Project PRIDE, a regional model for providing educational services to severely/profoundly handicapped school-aged individuals in rural southeastern Kansas, was designed to develop exemplary services in multiple special education cooperatives using a regional resource team approach. Resource team members served as consultants to classroom personnel…

This compilation includes 14 supplements to the Kansas state plan for education, all relating to various aspects of special education. Several of the supplements offer guidelines for specific age groups or conditions, providing information on definitions, screening and identification, curriculum and instruction, administrative structures, related…