This report summarizes contributions, discussions, results, and proposals from a conference focusing on the social and economic integration of the disabled. Introductory materials include the conference objectives and summaries of the opening, words of greeting, and introduction to conference objectives by Ernst Piehl, Henry Scicluna, and Tina…

Papers presented at a 1984 conference on research on the Hmong in the United States are collected in this book. The 24 papers are organized around four central themes (Hmong culture and change, adaptation to a new society, language and literacy, and health care issues). Titles and authors are: (1) "Stages of Hmong Cultural Adaptation"…

Many minority students remain segregated from the mainstream of society. Disproportionate numbers of minority students drop out or require special education, and they are more likely to encounter teachers unqualified to meet their special needs. If more emphasis were placed on the liberal arts, teachers would be better able to accommodate ethnic…

This publication contains two papers that describe Australian immigration policies, ethnic relations, and multicultural educational practices. Australia contains people from over 100 countries who speak approximately 50 different languages. The first paper, "Immigration Policies and Ethnic Relations in Australia," presents a historical…

One traditional difficulty with dropout research has been finding a reliable base of information relative to dropouts. The High School and Beyond data base provides a unique opportunity to explore issues related to dropping out. This study used data from the High School and Beyond 1980 base-year survey, the second follow-up survey in 1984, and the…

The refugee experience--migrating against one's will--is a source of immense psychological stress. This paper therefore draws on empirical findings and theoretical discussions from the psychological, psychiatric, nursing, social work, sociological, and anthropological literature in order to identify the major stressors encountered in the…

This paper reviews the concepts of acculturation and adaptation to provide a framework for understanding the highly variable relationship between acculturation and mental health in refugee populations. It begins with an extended definition and discussion of the concepts of acculturation and adaptation. The characteristics of acculturating groups…

This report examines the quality of life for individuals with mental retardation who live in a range of residential service settings in New York, and explores issues related to the provision of housing and appropriate supports. Five settings were studied: (1) an intentional Christian community where three individuals with mental retardation live…

A study of attrition after the first year of college was conducted with the 1984 entry class (N=233) of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). A path-analytic model of nine factors affecting student persistence was tested. The nine factors were: cumulative grade point average, a composite academic performance index, ability in oral…

The mental health needs of two-way migrants from Puerto Rico to the United States and back again are discussed in this paper. Four factors affecting Puerto Rican migrants are outlined. First, the relationship between migration and stress is considered. Often, it is noted, in migrating away from stressful economic conditions, the Puerto Rican…

Addressing the need to consider ways in which the quality of educator work life can be improved, the author uses J. Walton's eight-point definition of the quality of work life as a framework for discussion. The eight points include (1) adequate and fair compensation, in which financial incentives are provided for advanced coursework; (2) safe and…

This paper discusses various concepts of tokenism and argues that tokenism is a technique used by the dominant group to resist minority group pressures for change. Reasons for social scientists' neglect of tokenism are given, and those conceptualizations which do appear in the literature are examined. Tokenism is described as a strategy to diffuse…

It is pointed out that establishing classroom environments enabling students to actively engage in cross-cultural interaction and communication is essential to the success of a culturally pluralistic society. In this examination of an effective multicultural teacher education program it is implied that each institution has the responsibility for…

This paper presents the philosophy, goals and curriculum of the San Jose University Demonstration Preschool Project and presents preliminary data on the integration of mild to moderately handicapped preschool children into the program. The program, which enrolls 6 handicapped children and 14 non-handicapped children, is based on the developmental…