The article describes "Parents and Children" (PAC), a Rochester (New York) support organization for families in which one or both spouses are hearing impaired. PAC origins, the goals and purposes of PAC, the types of programs offered, and model replication guidelines for other communities are discussed. (Author/DB)

Describes a project in which quantities of books were transported to 53 participating classrooms in 9 elementary schools. The discussion covers reasons for initiating the project, community involvement in the project, preparation and reading material selection, classroom activities, and plans for expansion. A list of students' favorite books is…

The article describes a two-week summer program at the University of South Florida to develop leadership skills in 80 high school and middle school students through development of student products confronting real issues, spending time with community leaders, community action projects, committee work, and simulation games. (DB)

The Chevron/Mayoral Fellowship program in New Orleans is described. The program provides private funding to support 30 selected high school students each summer in internships in city government agencies. Evaluation after three years has been positive and demonstrate the potential of a governmental/public/private educational program. (DB)

A participant observer describes activities taking place at a L'Arche community, where persons with mental handicaps live and work together with nonhandicapped members of society. Findings are reported concerning work, social life, meetings, and other events, emphasizing the sense of community created through welcoming people and sharing…

A survey was conducted with 294 community residential facilities serving adults with severe retardation. Compared to nonhandicapped community members, the residents were perceived to have more involvement in only 4 of 38 community activities, including employment or day activities, using health care services, walking/wheelchair strolling, and…

Describes the activities of two Head Start programs, Murray Head Start in Murray, Kentucky, and Inn-Circle in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Both programs integrate families into wider communities, and bring community resources into their programs to better serve parents and children. Both programs illustrate how Head Start can become a community hub for…

This commentary on Erb's (1995) article on institutionalization of individuals with severe impairments identifies several points of disagreement, including the appropriateness of placement of such individuals in large institutions, the financial cost of community supportive living, and whether individual needs can best be served in institutions or…

This commentary on Erb's (1995) article on institutionalization argues that living in one's home community is better than being forced to leave it to obtain needed services. The commentary also criticizes the assertion that supported living programs funded through Medicaid waiver are not cost-effective compared to traditional institutional or…

Robert Erb responds to commentaries to his paper on institutional placement for individuals with severe disabilities and the costs of community and institutional placements. Risk-and-benefit issues, in addition to cost-and-benefit ones, are addressed. (SW)

Examines a youth service bureau over a 20-year period, with a total client population of some 47,000 during this period. Findings indicate that this agency maintained its emphasis on diversion of juveniles from the traditional juvenile justice system not because of funding agency pressure, but because diversion is sound policy. (LKS)

This article describes the design and implementation, within a culturally sensitive context, of a multiservice, community-based counseling intervention aimed at promoting personal and career development of urban, African American youth. Components of this program can be adapted in planning future developmental interventions with this particular…

Describes a program for new immigrants from the former Soviet Union run by the Jewish Child Care Association of New York. It is designed to buffer some of the stressors confronting the new immigrants, act as a bridge between cultures, and facilitate employment or vocational training of immigrant parents. (MDM)

How to expand to a larger scale a working community-service program using federal money is considered. Planning time is an essential, as are a focus on program culture and technical support. Adapting programs, rather than prescribing solutions, should help in the cautious move toward a national program. (SLD)

A major problem with the proposed approaches to national service is that they may draw attention away from the real causes of and the feasible solutions to critical problems. Community action should involve young people in sustained, long-term empowering activities, not in one-time experiences or in work that does not challenge current power…