This strategic plan begins by outlining the philosophy, mission, statutory basis, structure, programs, and resources of the Texas Commission for the Blind. The plan discusses the growing incidence of blindness in Texas and the need for training to keep individuals with blindness active and independent. The challenges faced by the Commission and…

The concept of autonomous identity, derived from Piaget's theory of personality, is distinguished from other applications of the term "autonomy" in psychological theory. Introductory comments suggest that both biological and mental development express autonomy in the same two senses: as self-regulating and progressively self-liberating.…

This book provides a comprehensive synthesis of major developments, trends, issues, and practices relative to self-direction and adult education and offers strategies that have direct application to practice. Its intended audiences are practitioners and professors, students, and researchers in adult education. Part I is an introduction. Chapter 1…

Distance education may be considered in two ways: (1) as a substitute for conventional, face-to-face education; and (2) as a mode of education in its own right. Those who view distance education the first way treat students as members of a class and include a fixed schedule of classes, assignments, and course duration. Those viewing distance…

This paper reviews the behavior modification and internalization models of parental control of children, and explores the conceptualizations of children's responses to control that are emerging from the literature on development. In the behavior modification model, no distinction is made among types of child compliance or noncompliance.…

Traditional conceptions of academic freedom in higher education are based on the 1940 statement of the American Association of University Professors. Sanctions were most typically administered hierarchically: administrators, perhaps pressured by forces outside the institution, punished offending faculty by denying or revoking tenure. Based on the…

This manual provides a suggested curriculum, intended for use in the natural environment, for individualized instruction on street travel skills for adults with developmental disabilities. Suggestions are given for instruction in home or classroom; the community; vocational settings; recreational settings; and special pedestrian situations (for…

Personal futures planning is a tool for fostering new ways of thinking about people with developmental disabilities. Futures planning helps groups of people focus on opportunities for people with disabilities to develop personal relationships, have positive roles in community life, increase their control of their own lives, and develop the skills…

This digest discusses empowerment for older adults, examining the aging of the population and the adverse effects of societal attitudes toward aging on the self-esteem, locus of control, and emotional health of older adults. The Social Reconstruction Syndrome (SRS) is discussed as a model for interventions to offset the adverse effects of social…

The psychometric properties of the Autonomy and Relatedness Inventory (ARI)--a measure of the quality of primary intimate relationships--was assessed. This 30-item instrument was designed to assess both positive and negative dimensions of any type of dyadic relationship. Cross-sectional data from in-home interviews with 213 mothers with 5- and…

This document contains the final report on the Life Skills for Adolescents Project in northwestern Texas. The report is in the form of a process evaluation of progress toward achieving the project goal of enabling adolescents leaving substitute care to be better prepared to manage their own lives. The report describes the efforts of the project…

Interactions between learning styles, gender, and life cycle stages of graduate students were investigated. Six learning styles were identified through use of the Grasha-Riechmann Student Learning Styles Scales: avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive, independent, and participant. Life cycle stages were based on Levinson's theory of the…

The amorphous nature of nonverbal study can benefit from the unifying yet pluralistic perspective of the humanities and liberal arts. Those who teach, write, and create under the broad rubric of the humanities appreciate the complexity of human life and try to honor the subtle and the special in human actions and creations. When addressed from…

The proliferation of critics and critical approaches has produced a trend toward fragmentation and isolation among the practitioners involved. A suggestive counter-trend indicates that there is intense curiosity among critics to watch colleagues encounter texts, grapple with the preliminary questions of stance and method, and share the experience…

The relationship between characteristics of academic disciplines and intellectual traits of undergraduates was studied. Subject matter areas were structurally reflected in the university as department or major field groupings. A total of 2,278 students, graduating in either 1969-1970 or 1979-1980, were administered the 14 scales of the Omnibus…