This article, in the form of a letter from the parent of a teenager to parents of younger children with disabilities, encourages parents to take advantage of integrated educational opportunities for their children. Negative aspects of segregated education are illustrated with examples from the teenager's life. (DB)

Described is the program at Clarkston High School, which promotes independence in aurally handicapped students. Instructional services are noted to fall into several categories: self-contained and resource instruction, totally mainstreamed schedules, and resource-tutorial assistance. The program is also reported to offer the following activities…

Issues related to the locations in which educational and related services are provided to severely handicapped students are addressed. It is argued that attending special education classes in chronological age appropriate regular schools close to home is in the best interest of students, their families, and the public. (Author/SEW)

Forty-two students attending a centralized program for the trainable mentally retarded were placed in satellite units in elementary schools. After 2 years teachers reported on the extent of integration, changes in behavior, play with nonretarded students, and their feelings about the change. Parents were interviewed about their feelings before and…

This commentary on EC 231 901 notes that mainstreamed education is not always appropriate and preferable to self-contained class placement for students with mental retardation. The school must identify elements of the mainstream education program that are likely to meet the child's instructional, social, and emotional needs and contribute to the…

The paper describes a case-by-case reintegrating strategy for transfer of special education students to less restrictive environments (RLE) stressing "transenvironmental programming" (TP), student-directed interventions, and collaborative consultation. Implementation involved 10 experimental subjects and 10 controls who were elementary grade…

The "special" quality of special education is the body of knowledge, skills, and attitudes which are used in the education and training of exceptional school children. In practice, these children have been those who public school systems could not or would not teach. The history of education for exceptional children is a simple story of massive…

Individualized education programs (IEPs) written for 18 severely disabled students (ages 4-19) who attended integrated school sites scored higher on selected indicators of best practices when compared with IEPs written for students attending segregated sites. IEPs were examined for age-appropriateness, functionality, and potential for…

Reviewed are research findings on special class placement for educable mentally retarded children and proposed are administrative and curricular alternatives. Research on special class placement is described as inconclusive and relying on untested assumptions. Normalization and individualization are seen as underlying principles in assigning…

The study examined state-to-state variability in the use of alternative placements for disabled students ages 6-17 during school year 1986-87, including the extent to which students were placed in settings apart from the regular education environment. Data submitted annually to the Office of Special Education Programs (U.S. Department of…

Reviewed are research studies and their implications regarding mainstreaming educable mentally retarded (EMR) students. Discussed are studies dealing with topics such as the following: academic changes, learning potential status (stressing the need for individualization), emotional and social adjustment, locus of control (citing the difference…

The literature review describes the ideal of "a school for all" which integrates children with and without disabilities from a European perspective. Topics covered include a historical review of discrimination against the disabled, the establishment of private special schools, the increasing role of public educational authorities in…

A project is described in which students with severe disabilities from a self-contained day school were successfully integrated into a program within the main building of a regular campus which included limited participation in a regular fourth grade classroom. The project was initiated after various preparations were made, including building…