Many technology features that were originally developed to help people with specific sensory impairments are now widely in use. Research is beginning to show the benefits of giving all students access to these capabilities. As such, educators should not hesitate to integrate technology features into instruction for students who struggle with…

Approximately 700 urban and rural 10th- (M=16.6 years) and 12th- (M=18.9 years) grade students in China completed measures assessing their beliefs about parental authority and individual autonomy, as well as aspects of their relationships with their parents. Urban adolescents indicated a greater willingness to disagree openly with their parents, a…

Schools strive to educate fully every child who walks through their doors. Yet many schools find themselves burdened with large numbers of struggling learners who have not yet acquired the necessary foundation skills that are required in order for them to be able to master the curriculum successfully. Here, the author discusses the Universal…

In this paper,we report the importance five women community college, college, and university presidents place on certain leadership tenets. Interestingly, the advice they offer for other women who aspire to leadership often ties to the perceived importance of certain tenets. We report these data and speculate about implications for future women…

This article draws on the authors' experiences of undertaking health and social research involving children in Australia and England and focuses on securing the informed consent of children to participate in such research. A clear trend within literature, service provision, legislation and international conventions recognizes children as…

Children learn through movement and interactions with their environment and/or with others. For children who have physical limitations, this natural developmental process is affected. The use of assistive technology to enhance movement, communication, play and learning allows the child with physical impairments to learn in a more independent…

This study analyzes the variation in one measure of son preference that is of particular relevance in rural China: whether a woman considers it important to have a son, and the reasons why sons are important. To summarize our conclusions, we find that the expectation that a son will provide financial support in old age is strongly associated with…

Recent literature in the field of transition studies emphasizes importance of creating self-determination supports to promote independence, autonomy, and quality of life in students with disabilities. Much of that literature, however, has not taken cultural and familial factors into consideration. A review of the Navajo family and disability…

This study investigated the degree of agreement between adolescents' and parents' perceptions of the adolescent-parent relationship, and the links between these perceptions and adolescents' school achievement and personal autonomy. Questionnaires were completed by 353 adolescents attending an all-male, inner city, Catholic high school, and by…

The SUCCESS program is a series of interactive computer programs designed to enhance student empowerment by allowing entering college freshmen to use computers in an environment of personal control and autonomy. To determine the effect of SUCCESS programs on students' perceived locus of control and empowerment, a study was conducted at New York's…

This paper surveys past and current theories about the workings of the mind, current brain research and psychological applications of non-linear dynamics. Parallels are drawn between the world of high-functioning autism, gifted individuals with learning disabilities, and aspects of genius. An organizing theory is presented, which includes these…

This feature issue of a newsletter on community integration of individuals with developmental disabilities considers the role of assistive technologies. It describes efforts to utilize consumer direction, public policy, creativity, energy, and professional know-how in the pursuit of technology-based opportunities to enhance community inclusion,…

This document presents the proceedings of a symposium which discussed critical issues in employment of persons with disabilities in Europe, Australia, and North America. After introductions, the major presentations included the following: "Labor Market Forces" (Roderick A. DeArment, U.S. Department of Labor); "Civil Rights in the…

This issue presents nine articles which address identifying, pursuing, and obtaining postsecondary training and employment by youth with disabilities. It discusses how families and professionals can help young people develop important self-determination and self-advocacy skills. It also introduces adult service systems to aid in obtaining…

Based on a hypothetical situation in which second language learners must attain substantial skills in a very short time, the paper recommends intensive training not in the language itself, but in skills and strategies for learning the language. This requires achieving self-directed learning skills to: create a climate maximizing learning; identify…