Vocationally at-risk students have one or a combination of handicaps affecting mobility, coordination, communication, self-care and/or cognition which may significantly interfere with the goals of successful student-to-adult transition, namely employment, productive work, and independent community living. A program for students with physical…

This study investigated the adult adjustment (1 year after leaving school) of 615 people with mental disabilities who had graduated from special education programs in Iowa in 1985 and 1986, as well as 62 dropouts who began in the same classes. Current living situation, leisure activities, and marital status were studied, with a special emphasis on…

This background paper seeks to clarify the concept of transition for students with severe disabilities and to describe New Hampshire's response to the federal school-to-work initiatives. A conceptual framework is presented for linking educational outcomes more closely with improved adult life expectations. The framework seeks to encourage local…

This informational booklet contains background materials regarding the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) initiative to redesign its monitoring system. The booklet is intended to expand the knowledge and understanding of those individuals selected to participate in the RSA-sponsored monitoring conference that was held August 24 and 25,…

This set of six activity books and a teacher's guide is designed to help students from eighth grade to adulthood with special needs to learn independent living skills. The activity books have a reading level of 2.5 and address: (1) "How to Get Well When You're Sick or Hurt," including how to take a temperature, see a doctor, and use medicines…

This report is an outcome of a project designed to seek, screen, evaluate, describe, and disseminate highly effective approaches used by two-year colleges to serve students with significant disabilities. "Two-year colleges" included academic institutions, technical colleges, and vocational institutes. From a pool of 18 applicants, the…

This report is based upon a review of current Idaho policies, laws, regulations, and practices that have affected the lives of people with developmental disabilities, interviews with a sample of administrators and staff members representing government, voluntary agencies, self-advocacy groups, and provider agencies, and insights gained from…

Part of a series that provides practical resources to transition personnel on topics essential to the process of preparing individuals with disabilities for adulthood, this manual focuses on transition issues related to students with visual impairments. Chapter 1 discusses the nature of visual impairment and reactions to visual impairment. Chapter…

The postgraduation outcomes of 298 special education graduates with specific learning disabilities or mental disabilities were analyzed. Outcome measures analyzed were current employment environment, employment outcomes, work-related benefits, primary reported source of income, and living arrangement. (Author/BRM)

Background: Information on long-term prognosis in autism is limited. Outcome is known to be poor for those with an IQ below 50, but there have been few systematic studies of individuals with an IQ above this. Method: Sixty-eight individuals meeting criteria for autism and with a performance IQ of 50 or above in childhood were followed up as…

This technical assistance manual describes school-based outreach strategies that involve parents in preparing youth with special needs for postschool jobs and independence. A model of preventive education is featured which stresses that postschool problems of unemployment and community adjustment can be anticipated and can, therefore, be treated…

Functional curricula are intended to facilitate the development of age-appropriate skills that are essential for participation of individuals with autism within a diversity of integrated environments. When one is considering which skills to teach, the longitudinal process of promoting increased independence throughout life must be considered, and…

This paper provides an overview of the transition process for students with severe handicaps. For secondary age youths with severe handicaps, explicit and intensive transition planning is necessary to bridge the gap between school experiences and adult life. The transition planning process is designed to build the skills necessary for an…

The workbook is designed to help foster parents and youth in substitute care to work together to assess, develop, and practice employment skills, and to maintain a record of demonstrated skills that will accompany the youth throughout his or her stay in foster care. The workbook begins with a comprehensive skills assessment, and each skill is…

This paper categorizes the many benefits of physical activity, offering information concerning the type of dose necessary to get that benefit. In 2000, Health Canada and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with other agencies, sponsored a symposium to determine whether there was a dose-response relationship between…