Eight community rehabilitation workers (CRW), 5 supervisors, and 45 people with disabilities and family members in South Africa identified CRW learning needs that should be addressed through a continuing education program. All three groups identified the need for skills in advocacy and public education, social work, community development, and…

The Coimbra Early Intervention Project was undertaken in Portugal to develop the first coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency program involving health care, education, and social service, using existing resources in the community. The program now operates regionwide and supports more than 100 families and children with disabilities or at…

Interviews with federal, state, and local officials about the federally funded youth-at-risk grant program found that federal and state philosophy and goals were similarly focused on developing community coalitions to address youth issues, whereas local leaders focused on developing school-age child care activities and viewed coalition-building as…

Differences in service utilization and community adjustment between community mental health clients with and without substance abuse disorders were studied for 144 outpatients, 37 percent of whom had dual diagnoses (substance abuse and another disorder). The association of dual diagnosis with poor service use and adjustment is discussed. (SLD)

Drug use patterns were surveyed in Colorado's community services system for 1,282 individuals with developmental disabilities. A psychotropic drug use rate of 18.6 percent compared favorably to other reported rates and rates in Colorado's institutional settings. Substantial experience with psychotropic and anticonvulsant medications across all…

The senator from Massachusetts introduces this special issue by reviewing his family's interest in persons with mental retardation, the potential of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) program, and the importance of improving care for residents of ICFs. (DB)

Discusses programs sponsored by groups that promote history instruction in the state of Maine. Reports recent developments concerning Maine's social studies curriculum. Underscores the significance of and financial problems facing "Maine's Common Core of Learning," a program setting out what the state's youth should know in the…

In a rural Montana outreach project, ex-addicts educate intravenous drug users (IVDUs) regarding drug- and sex-related behaviors at high risk for spreading the AIDS virus, and provide IVDUs with the means to modify these high-risk behaviors. The project also gathered information about the behaviors and attitudes of IVDUs in Montana. (KS)

This paper reviews 27 studies of parental attitudes on the deinstitutionalization of a family member with disabilities. Studies of existing institutional placements found high levels of satisfaction and opposition to deinstitutionalization, whereas studies of community placements found high levels of satisfaction with community placements and…

The article traces the experiences of the Malaysian Association for the Blind in developing rehabilitation services for rural blind persons. It explains the rationale for a community-based approach to rehabilitation and concludes that center-based and community-based approaches to rehabilitation complement each other in bringing services to rural…

This article traces developments over the last several decades in the vocational preparation needs of people with mental retardation, noting a predictive phase, an interventionist phase, and an ecological phase. It suggests studying vocational programs in the context of the labor market developments of individual countries and urges more…

Reviews the literature that identifies substance abuse as a primary contributing factor to child abuse and neglect. Describes a three-year research demonstration project currently in its second year that is designed to identify substance-abusing families; stabilize families' current situation; and improve the likelihood of families' long-term…

Three dependent variables of household recycling behavior were studied in a suburban community over eight weeks, 10 independent variables serving as predictors. Results indicate that many of the independent variables that predicted recycling behavior in past research have weaker relationships in current, more convenient curbside programs.…

Discusses the importance of competitions for gifted students and offers practical tips and techniques for utilizing competitions, not only to enhance talents, but also to nurture positive relationships between the school and community. Gives an example of a community's involvement in supporting competitions. (Author/CR)

Discusses multiple challenges faced by community-based English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and adult-literacy programs, explaining how to integrate ESL instruction into existing literacy programs, respond to diverse student needs, create community partnerships to support and fund the ESL program, contribute back to the community, and build capacity…