Critical changes in gifted education over the past century have included establishment of a credible research data base, an expanded definition of giftedness, and expansion of gifted programming to serve a greater number and diversity of students. The traditional special education approach to gifted education is a static, one-way process and has…

This Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) project implemented by the Division of Children and Youth Services of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health aimed to develop a community-level program to increase knowledge about the effectiveness of different community strategies for the development of improved systems of care for…

This paper summarizes issues concerning supported employment for individuals with severe disabilities, based on discussions with seven groups concerned with improving the quality of supported employment. The paper outlines three strategic challenges facing supported employment: providing access to individual jobs for an increasing number of…

This study assessed the community adjustment of 105 young adults (35 with mild mental retardation, 35 with moderate mental retardation, and 35 with severe/profound mental retardation). The data were analyzed with level of mental retardation serving as the independent variable and the following dependent variable measures: number of friends,…

This sourcebook is designed to enable college residence hall staff to address more effectively the unique problems, needs, and concerns of foreign students. It provides numerous ideas for promoting international interchange, including examples of international living centers, curricula, programs, and resources for staff training and development.…

This book aims to synthesize the major aspects of recent immigration to the United States, focusing on the diversity of origins of today's immigrants and their contexts of exit and on the diversity of their adaptation experiences and contexts of incorporation. The book consists of seven chapters. Chapter 1, "Who They Are and Why They…

This paper presents an overview of the socioeconomic status and advancement of the Hispanic population in the United States. The study uses both socioeconomic indicators and noneconomic measures to assess the level of Hispanic assimilation, and analyzes the influence of subgroup affiliation, place of birth, and length of time since immigration on…

The study surveyed 181 specialized foster care homes or small (with 6 or fewer residents) group homes providing residential care for persons (N=336) with mental retardation and related developmental disabilities. The study found that the community residential facility sample was generally much less well integrated into the life of the community…

This paper presents data collected from rehabilitation centers serving individuals with developmental disabilities in Minnesota, called Developmental Achievement Centers (DACs). The data focus on finances, programs, and clients, and are compared with data from previous years. All 97 providers of adult services in Minnesota completed the survey,…

Because the changing demographics of the U.S. work force are making cultural diversity the rule rather than the exception, the skills necessary for people to work in a multicultural environment are becoming a natural employment requirement. Those skills are integral to the tool that is called cross-cultural/intercultural/multicultural…

Direct observation procedures were utilized in assessing the social interactions of 37 adults with severe disabilities in 18 employment programs, representing 3 different supported employment contexts (individual, enclave, and work crew). The data gathered focused on: (1) job engagement time; (2) extent of interaction with work supervisor, human…

A transcript of a hearing on ethnic groups, immigrants, and opportunities for success is provided in this document. Included are prepared statements and supplemental materials by experts on population, ethnicity, public policy, and other issues relating to coexistence of the many ethnic and racial groups which live in the United States. Among the…

A comprehensive analysis was conducted of existing public education programs in the State of Mississippi for school-age children and youth with severe handicaps. Specifically, the investigation focused on a discrepancy analysis of public school service systems for the target population in relation to eight identified educational practices common…

Problems faced by Koreans in the United States are identified and analyzed in this paper, and some pragmatic remedies are offered. First, the acculturation process is slow--the mean of the Koreans' sojourn in the United States is only 6.5 years, whereas complete acculturation takes several generations. Second, although most Korean emigres learned…

The guide outlines modifications, adaptations, and social interaction approaches for school staff to use with physically handicapped and regular students in integrated classrooms in the province of Alberta, Canada. Guidelines are provided for the following main categories and subsets (in parentheses): lifting and transferring techniques (methods…