This monograph presents the final report of the Swedish component of TeleCommunity, a nine-nation European project exploring the potential of videotelephones. This particular study focused on the use of videotelephones to increase levels of independence, social integration, and participation in social life among adults with moderate mental…

This manual offers practical guidelines validated by research for applying instructional strategies to adults with mental retardation who are learning community-based tasks. It provides a sequenced strategy for: (1) selecting person-centered instructional goals; (2) developing quality task analyses of community-based, chained tasks; (3) selecting…

Distance education's use of the instructional systems design model has been challenged by critics who suggest that the learner is passive and learning is superficial. A suggestion is that distance education should be structured so that learners assume a more active role in the development and use of autonomous and self-directed learning…

This paper describes a study of the connections between beliefs about mathematics, autonomy, and knowledge structures in mathematics. Assumptions underlying the study were (1) that students' beliefs and knowledge are constructs of the individual and play a dynamic role in the learning and doing of mathematics; and (2) that autonomy theoretically…

The roles of teachers in traditional second language classrooms are examined and measured against current conceptual trends within the discipline of foreign language learning and teaching. These trends, especially those in interpersonal communication and learner autonomy, require a new understanding of the classroom role of the language teacher.…

The monograph emerged from experience with an independent learning program at the English Centre of the University of Hong Kong. Students enrolled in classroom-based English spend part of their study time improving their English in ways they have chosen themselves, with the support of self-access learning facilities and counselors. They were asked…

This document reports on a survey of 309 Virginians with disabilities, of all ages, concerning first, the satisfaction with and need for services, and second, the current status of efforts to increase independence, community integration, and productivity among Virginians with developmental disabilities. Individual chapters address: the survey…

This paper contrasts three theoretical positions which lead to different predictions about the impact on instruction and learning of enhanced teacher roles in school and classroom decision making. The "teacher professionalism" view maintains that empowerment enhances instruction and learning, the "bureaucratic centralization"…

This first of three volumes of the 1992 Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) Conference Papers includes 10 papers from the plenary and keynote sessions. The theme of "When Basic Skills and Information Processing Just Aren't Enough: Rethinking Reading in New Times" (Allan Luke) is the moral and political consequences of ways of…

This report discusses basic issues in the provision of residential services for people with developmental disabilities. Main points of the discussion include: (1) the service system for this population is in a crisis of accountability as meeting safety and quality requirements threatens to become counterproductive; (2) the current system is well…

This policy bulletin addresses the issue of protecting the safety of people with developmental disabilities from their increased risk of neglect, abuse, and mistreatment. An article by Steven J. Taylor considers "The Paradox of Regulations," noting both the protective effects of regulations and their effect in stifling innovation and…

This annotated bibliography identifies 31 recent (1989 through 1992) articles of interest to college students with disabilities and personnel involved in postsecondary career centers and disability services offices. A preliminary section provides a review of the literature as a whole. Abstracts summarize articles' major points or studies'…

This guide examines the evolution of human services systems toward the recognition that individuals with handicaps can make consumer choices and should be included in decision-making sessions. Consumers with disabilities are seeking empowerment through their presence and participation in political processes and community events. Choices regarding…

This guide to personal empowerment provides 47 exercises for dealing with feelings of despair, isolation, and powerlessness associated with the growing threat of nuclear war, progressive destruction of the environment, and unprecedented human misery. The first of eight chapters describes psychological responses. to planetary perils and discusses…

The process of autonomization in ESL(English as a second language) classes of the Canadian government sensitizes students to English and to their performance in English. Students then establish priorities for their own skill development and determine how to reach their goals. A case study of one student in the Advanced Language Training Program is…