Study of three adults with severe multiple congenital limb deficiencies does not support Goffman's theory of stigma. For them, self-display is a strategy for self-empowerment in which the primary focus is the experience of the person with disabilities rather than the reactions of people who are "normal." (Author/BJV)

A survey was conducted of 253 parents of severely-handicapped children attending either special schools or integrated programs in regular public schools. Parents of children attending special schools predicted that mainstreaming would be a negative experience, while parents of already integrated children indicated overwhelmingly positive attitudes…

A survey of 39 West Virginia teachers of the severely handicapped found that 33% of placements were in segregated schools, 33% were in separate sites associated with regular education facilities, and 33% were within regular education locations. Of these only 25% were located in age appropriate facilities. (Author/DB)

Recommendations from "Placing Children in Special Education" are reviewed, focusing on: (1) inaccurate interpretation of overrepresentation of minority mildly mentally retarded students, (2) use of prereferral interventions, (3) cross-categorical programing, (4) application of an outcomes criterion, and (5) expansion of regular education…

A questionnaire completed by 303 secondary home economics teachers in Missouri assessed their perceived competency to teach clothing construction to physically handicapped students. Results indicated that amount of teaching experience, personal clothing construction experience, and educational experience were significantly related to teachers'…

Normal children (average age 11, n=25) and multiply disabled children (aged 9-15, n=8) were integrated in physical education classes, emphasizing work with disabled-normal dyads. Girls were more willing than boys to accept disabled children into their groups, but during individual activities, boys were less reticent about making physical contact.…

The article describes the history of educational programs for deaf children, predicts that deaf education will become more closely aligned with general education, notes shifts in student placement from residential to public mainstreamed settings, and describes several Gallaudet University programs involved in research, training, and outreach to…

Describes the Italian educational system from preschool to high school, along with the events leading up to the implementation of government-mandated total integration of handicapped children into the compulsory school system. Also describes details of this integration in three Verona area schools and discusses problems remaining to be solved.…

The Social Observation for Mainstreamed Environments (SOME) checklist evaluates handicapped preschool children's social skills and readiness for mainstreamed environments. Checklist items represent social behaviors important to successful preschool integration, such as initiating interactions appropriately, obeying class rules, and respecting…

Quantitative and qualitative analyses of communication modes used by 20 hearing-impaired students, their teachers, and their peers in mainstream junior and senior high school classrooms found that speech was used most often by all three groups. The hearing-impaired students demonstrated only minimal self-initiated interaction with normal-hearing…

The development of special education in Brazil is compared with England and the U.S., emphasizing the predominance of educable mentally retarded as a category and the preference for special class provision. The paper discusses various influencing factors, current government policy and service provision, and the future prospects for integration.…

Historical and contemporary special education in Japan and the United States are compared. Differences in societal acceptance of the handicapped, integration into regular education, educational finance, parental roles, governmental control, and staff training are highlighted. The authors' personal experiences demonstrating the influence of culture…

The research review of practices for limiting or avoiding referrals of students for special education services identified promising practices, including curricular and ecological adaptations that strengthen the mainstream, teacher development and administrative strategies, and early intervention strategies. Research, training, and policy…

Assessment of attitudes of parents of normal-hearing preschoolers "reverse-mainstreamed" into the Houston School for Deaf Children indicated satisfaction with the quality of the educational program (including such elements as individualized instruction and teacher student ratio) and with the interaction between their normal hearing child…

An obervational study of micro-educational environments and microcomputer use within these environments was conducted in special day classes, resource rooms, and mainstream classrooms (N=90). Mildly handicapped students in special education settings had less variety to their instructional experiences than did either handicapped or nonhandicapped…