This brief paper summarizes survey materials gathered by the Multi-Agency Collaborative Initiative on Inclusive School Reform. The agencies involved are the National Association of State Directors of Special Education, the Council for Exceptional Children, the National Education Association, and the American Federation of Teachers and other…

A survey was conducted of the families and teachers of 1009 students with severe disabilities from five states, to identify factors associated with their integrated educational placement. The questionnaires were designed to measure 19 variables which integration literature suggests are predictive of integrated placement. Logistic regression…

This proceedings contains presentations, workshop summaries, program profiles, and other highlights of a conference on rural disability issues. The major conference theme was the normalcy of having a disability. A plenary discussion developed a list of 17 rural community disability priorities. Keynote speeches were: (1) "Rural Economies and…

This paper addresses the involvement of students with severe communication disorders in school curricula. First, current best practices regarding eligibility for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services are addressed. This is followed by a discussion of whether students who use AAC systems should be educated in regular or special…

This paper describes the development of Turkish Children and Mothers, a project designed to help 5-year-old preschoolers in the Ruhr Valley of Germany develop linguistic, motor, cognitive, and social abilities. The paper also describes various aspects of the project, including those that relate to maternal involvement, educational facilities, the…

The paper describes application of an interactive model to providing services for young children with special needs being mainstreamed in community day care programs. In this model, the resource consultant coordinates service delivery in interactions with: (1) the child and family; (2) early childhood educators; and (3) resource specialists. The…

The makeup of student bodies in higher education has become more diverse, but students tend to be clustered in segments of the postsecondary system and in various levels and fields. Many campuses do not effectively integrate students who are different. Institutions that are successful in this area tend to: (1) focus on student success and provide…

The study obtained cross-cultural measures of quality of life (QOL), based upon perceptions of individuals with mental retardation/developmental disabilities (MR/DD) of their degree of satisfaction, productivity, independence, and community integration. The Quality of Life Questionnaire was administered to 92 persons in MR/DD programs in…

This guide is intended for use in the development of an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, and civics. The guide was produced in response to the high proportion of amnesty applicants illiterate in Spanish, their native language, and in need of instruction in ESL and civics, which are necessary for legalization. The guide consists of five…

Immigrants leaving Vietnam through the Orderly Departure Program in Bangkok, Thailand, experience stress and difficulties very different from those endured by refugees fleeing by land or boat. The cultural orientation program addresses their needs to assimilate their loss, gain equilibrium, and get resettlement guidance and information. These…

The Integrated/Extended Day Heritage Language and Black Cultural Program (HL/BC) teaches children their heritage language and culture as part of an extended school day, running concurrently with a regular program. An evaluation of the program in the 1984-85 school year, based on questionnaires to those involved, provided the following results: (1)…

Thirty teenage exchange students from Denmark and the United States were interviewed concerning the differences they perceived in the two cultures. Salient differences were cited in the domains of family rules, education and schools, use of alcohol, romantic relationships and sexuality, communication and friendships, ethnic differences and…

This conference report focuses upon transition issues for those individuals with profound multiple-sensory impairments. It contains presentations, reactions, and syntheses of discussions by working groups. The keynote address, by H. D. Bud Fredericks, is titled "Those with Profound Handicaps: Who Are They? How Can They Be Served?."…

In 1978 the Springfield, Massachusetts school system began using sociometric techniques to analyze classroom social structure in grades 3-6 in order to provide feedback to teachers and data for evaluating the progress of integration. The sociogram asked students to choose whom they would work with on a school project, eat lunch with, pair up with…

The articles in this monograph reflect varying points of view as expressed by state and local education administrators, parents, and students concerning the provision of distinctive services for language-minority students. The introduction provides a legislative history of educational programs and services for limited-English speaking students.…