Based on position papers and proceedings of the National Institute on Program Development and Training in Recreation for Deaf-Blind Children, Youth, and Adults, the document presents approximately 50 brief articles for use by parents, teachers, rehabilitation personnel, and therapeutic recreation personnel. Sections cover the following topics…

Room management is described as a behavioral strategy developed in Great Britain and designed to increase the percentage of time that handicapped children are engaged in independent, constructive activity. Used with severely multiply handicapped children, least responsive children were unlikely to be engaged unless receiving individual attention.…

Field-testing in five Vermont school districts demonstrated the effectiveness of a model to support local school personnel in forming effective collaborative teams and acquiring the necessary competencies to educate severely-disabled learners. The model featured inservice training, modeling, coaching, and feedback. (Author/CB)

A combination of instructions, modeling, behavior rehearsal, and constructive feedback was used to train four visually-impaired young adult males to provide interviewers with positive personal and job-related information and to ask relevant questions during job interviews. (Author/CB)

A brief inservice program followed by supervisory prompts and feedback provided to 39 education staff in 21 classrooms serving 152 severely handicapped students was consistently accompanied by increased student involvement in functional educational tasks. Improved services continued throughout a two-year follow-up period. (Author/JW)

This report describes activities and accomplishments of a 3-year federally supported project to develop, implement, and evaluate a model for training paraprofessionals to support students with disabilities in general education classrooms and those who direct and supervise their work. Training materials were developed with a high degree of…

This report outlines New York state's plan for vocational rehabilitation and supported employment services for federal fiscal years 1998-2000. Part 1 provides affirmative statements assuring that programs will be administered consistent with federal laws and regulations. Changes resulting from the federal regulations implementing the 1992…

In order to document the effects of including secondary students with severe disabilities in rural middle and high schools, a study was conducted in one senior high school and one middle school in Washington School District, Utah. The schools had a total of 8 students with severe disabilities. Specifically, the study examined the beliefs of…

This organizational vignette is the second in a multi-part series highlighting community rehabilitation providers. This particular issue focuses on Columbia MetroWest Human Services of Ashland, Massachusetts, an organization that works with people with developmental disabilities and has undergone major transformation resulting in greatly expanded…

Because extremely small rural districts in Oklahoma have limited resources and are not able to hire additional specialists, and because parents want education in local inclusive settings, most special education teachers in these districts serve students with disabilities for which they are not certified. A survey of school districts in Oklahoma…

New directions for community based residential programs and changes that may occur during the 1980s are discussed. (Author/SEW)

Since each disabled student must be considered individually, planning and implementing a realistic individualized education program while meeting the mandates of the law will always be difficult. The primary objective of educational diagnosis should be to determine the child's present level of functioning. (JN)

Describes the results of telephone interviews with 10 former directors of state systems-change projects focused on supported employment in the context of the rapid growth of supported-employment programs for people with severe disabilities. Results are discussed in terms of the ongoing nature of dynamic change in social systems. (Author/DB)

Target 5 of the National Agenda for Achieving Better Results for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance is examined. Three assessment areas are reviewed: risk factors, problem behavior, and reintegration of students. Within each of these areas, current research and recommendations for best practices are provided. (Author/PB)

The parents or guardians of 129 graduates (average age 21) of high school special education programs for students with severe disabilities were surveyed. Questions addressed school programs, the child's present life, the child's degree of independence, transportation needs, employment possibilities, the effect of work on Social Security benefits,…