Nongovernment organizations providing services to visually handicapped persons in developing nations should direct increased efforts toward project evaluation, monitoring, documentation, and dissemination, to ensure that innovative, flexible strategies direct self-help information to the "grassroots" level in forms that are familiar,…

Obstacles to implementation of speech-language services in a collaborative effort between speech-language pathologists and classroom teachers include access to the classroom and extension of language goals into the curriculum. Strategies to overcome the obstacles are discussed through descriptions of preschool-level and primary-level projects of…

Presents analysis and typology of community-based care for young Hispanic mother with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Develops conceptual framework that examines retrospectively needs generated by AIDS over time, appropriateness of services, and assessment of interventions. Presents conclusions regarding definition and implementation…

Consent engineering is a consultative approach used by public policy-makers to secure the legitimacy of proposed policy changes by involving representative interest groups in decision making. Using the example of five reorganizing secondary schools in Victoria, Australia, this article outlines the circumstances obviating consent engineering at the…

Parents of children with disabilities (n=80) or giftedness (n=19) commented on their children's participation in an open enrollment program. Twelve broad topics were identified by the Minnesota parents, including teacher/administration attitude, transportation/location, programs for special needs students, student's attitude and behavior change,…

An approach to outsourcing following college or university reorganization, termed re-sourcing, involves developing an unlimited partnership with an external service provider that creates value for the enterprise. A re-sourcing relationship evolves from a search for a partner who understands the institution's unique mission and is committed to…

This study compared results of supported living services for 20 adults with mental retardation and 20 adults receiving traditional residential support. Results indicated that supported living participants experienced significantly more and varied community activity, did both community activities and preferred community activities more frequently,…

An analysis of transcripts from focus groups of service providers and parents of children diagnosed with autism found convergence in the areas of collaboration, family support, financial issues, equity, early identification, advocacy, training, and inclusion. Divergent themes included access, home programming, the law, best practice, and…

Explores "alternative delivery systems" in inner-city education, the variety of programs and schools available to children being educated in the urban centers. Traces the origins of the problems of urban schools, describes the articles of this special issue, and identifies themes that emerge in attempts to solve urban school problems. Contains 18…

Examines how parents become involved in state-funded prekindergarten programs for children identified as at risk for later school failure. Participants included 21 teachers at two programs in a midwestern school district. Significant differences exist between home-visitation and family-center models of program delivery in the types of activities…

Introduces a special issue on the advantages of conducting "Level 1 research," a method of service-delivery accountability which involves systematically monitoring clinical outcomes without attempting to scientifically prove what is causing those effects. This type of research is compared with both Level 3 research (scientific research) and Level…

A survey of 25 families of children (ages 3-9) with autism and pervasive developmental disabilities found that families interacted with a host of different agencies and professionals to receive services. Many families reported difficulty accessing needed services and minimal involvement in planning or implementing these interventions. (CR)

A self-evaluation of one small but innovative agency providing supported living and other community supports to individuals with developmental disabilities is presented. Key elements that appear to perpetuate a culture of commitment among direct support and supervisory staff are described, including naturalness, individualization, introspection,…

This paper analyzes the case file of an adult male labeled as having mental retardation. The focus is on exploring the power dynamics that underpin services. Using Foucault's treatise on discipline as an analytic tool, the paper examines the mechanisms through which a defective identity is constructed, thereby legitimizing social control.…

A survey of 62 Idaho teachers of gifted students focused on the teachers' daily practices in organizing the curriculum experiences of their students. Teachers reported they used a variety of curriculum/teaching models and program options. More teachers used Creative Problem Solving than any other single program. Service delivery was most often a…