Describes informal leadership opportunities for library staff. Identifies three key characteristics: vision, courage, and the ability to make things happen through others. Discusses requirements for successfully leading from below; hostile, neutral, and supportive environments; and benefits. (AEF)

A survey of 212 orientation and mobility instructors who were also teachers of children with visual impairments investigated their roles, satisfaction with their university training, and current jobs. The majority were satisfied with their training and jobs and spent most of their time as teachers of children with visual impairments. (Author/CR)

Describes the development of a strategic plan for information technology at Indiana University that involved, faculty, staff, and students. Discusses advanced networking and convergence; telecommunications infrastructure; advanced networking architecture for high-performance applications; and wireless networks. (LRW)

This national survey sought to determine which service providers work with young children with visual impairments, characteristics of the children served, provider roles and responsibilities, and the professional competencies they consider important. Findings emphasized the need for knowledge about and competence in cultural and linguistic…

A study involving 10 British teachers and 6 primary students with disabilities found the teachers saw the provision of learning support assistants as a critical factor in enabling students to be included in classroom activities. The importance of teamwork and effective communication was seen as essential. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Guidelines for including ventilator-dependent children in school are offered, based on experience with six such students at a New York State school. Guidelines stress adherence to the medical management plan, the school-family partnership, roles of the social worker and psychologist, orientation, transportation, classroom issues, and steps toward…

This article provides guidance for practitioners interested in creating or refining speech-language services at the high school level to promote academic success for students. Problems in providing high school speech-language services, the context for designing programs at this level, the role of the speech-language pathologist, and best practices…

This article discusses how orientation and mobility instructors can provide direct sensory experience about many concepts that can effect meaningfully positive changes in the understanding and subsequent language development of children with visual impairments. It provides recommendations to enhance the linguistic knowledge and vocabulary…

An alarming trend in the United States is the use of performance-enhancing supplements by children and adolescents. These widely available over-the-counter products, often marketed as natural substances, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are thus widely available. High school and even middle school students are using these…

Context: Medication safety is clearly an important quality issue for rural hospitals. However, rural hospitals face special challenges implementing medication safety practices in terms of their staffing and financial and technical resources. Purpose: This study assessed the capacity of small rural hospitals to implement medication safety…

A study was done on the variation in characteristics, roles, and functions of institutional research professionals affiliated with the Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR). The study examined professional role identity, location of offices in the organizational hierarchy, breadth of institutional research activities undertaken,…

This report describes the role of the vocational evaluator in identifying technology that will assist the client in overcoming functional limitations. The traditional approach to vocational evaluation as well as problems with this approach, including the limitations of standardized assessment procedures, are discussed. The report then outlines a…

This guide defines assistive technology as specialized hardware and software equipment used by students with disabilities to increase their ability to participate in tasks of learning and daily living and function as independently as possible. Types of assistive technology are listed, and information resources about assistive technology are noted.…

This guide is designed to provide practical support and information about health and safety to workers in all early childhood settings. The booklet outlines the main attributes of a safe early childhood center, and then covers the following specific topics: (1) health care; (2) self-esteem; (3) immunizations; (4) nutrition; (5) medical and safety…

Suggestions are offered to help disabled persons who need a communication system or computer to select the appropriate equipment. The importance of conducting a product evaluation during the process of selecting and adapting a computer is stressed. The role of various evaluation team members in performing product evaluations is described,…