The paper reviews the history of education for visually handicapped students in the twentieth century. Noted are the establishment of residential schools for the blind, gradual integration into public school classes, controversies over braille, the appearance of "talking books," and beginning efforts in orientation and mobility. (CL)

Female staff members and residents of residential drug treatment programs had more liberal attitudes toward women than male staff members and residents. Female residents in both programs had nearly identical scores on the Attitudes toward Women Scale. (Author/JAC)

The social psychological effects of total immersion and residence programs on students' attitudes toward French Canadians and French-use anxiety are assessed and compared. The results indicate that, in terms of linguistic competence, students from unilingual areas benefit most from residence programs while bilingual students benefit most from…

A week-long intensive Spanish course for 15 advanced students, at a residential center is described. The advantages of this type of program are noted. (SJL)

This study compared 41 students with severe behavioral disorders (attending either day or residential programs) on language measures. No significant differences were found between groups; both groups showed receptive and expressive language deficits. However, teachers rated students in the day program higher on conversational skills. Also,…

Evaluation of a training procedure to improve staff skills in the preventative and reactive management of severely challenging behaviors in a small residential treatment unit found reduced (though not statistically significant) behavioral incidents, use of major reactive strategies (restraint and emergency medication), and staff and resident…

Forty-three percent of troubled youths in residential programs received weekly visits from their case managers in the welfare department or juvenile court. Following a procedure of writing post-visit thank-you letters to case managers and their immediate supervisors, weekly visitations increased to 78 percent of the youths. (Author/JDD)

The article describes a program which introduced classical music to 18 students in a residential treatment program for adolescents with a history of substance abuse. Use as background music progressed to students requesting tape copies for personal use and group attendance at a symphony rehearsal and concert. (DB)

A survey of 49 hearing-impaired undergraduate students found that graduates of residential high-school programs described their social experiences more positively than graduates of mainstream programs. Discussed are reasons for positive and negative feelings in both residential and mainstream programs and programs with or without supportive…

Chemically dependent adolescents identified as cases of physical and/or sexual abuse (N=145) were compared with control groups of nonabused chemically dependent adolescents and nonabused, nondependent adolescents. Self-esteem was measured with the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, and the chemically dependent, abused group showed significantly lower…

Boys Town programs for disadvantaged, homeless, or high risk youngsters in Omaha, Nebraska, are described: (1) a long-term family style residential center with on-campus schooling for boys and girls ages 10-17; (2) an alternative education program for 200 high-risk inner city teenagers; (3) the Center for Abused Handicapped Children. (JW)

This paper examines factors associated with meaningful family involvement in program planning for community residential services for individuals with mental retardation. It is argued that personnel in placement settings are often ambivalent about more family involvement. Guidelines for involving families at every stage both before and after…

This paper offers a model for planning services for children who are both mentally retarded and autistic. The model and recommendations for the residential therapeutic environment are organized according to the main axes of child development (biological, physical, cognitive, and socioemotional). (Author/DB)

The senator from Massachusetts introduces this special issue by reviewing his family's interest in persons with mental retardation, the potential of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR) program, and the importance of improving care for residents of ICFs. (DB)