We report the results of an evaluation study of a diversion program, operated by the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Assessment Center in Florida. The Post-Arrest Diversion (PAD) program represents an innovative approach to treatment and intervention within the juvenile justice system that utilizes standardized psychosocial risks and needs assessment…

Dropout from a rehabilitation programme often occurs in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain of non-native origin. However, the exact dropout rate is not known. The objective of this study was to determine the difference in dropout rate between native and non-native patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain participating in a…

The provision of active treatment for people with intellectual disabilities has been seminal in the literature and in practice for a number of years. Active treatment has programmatic, financial, and legal ramifications for agencies and should be at the center of all appropriate treatment plans. The current work examines the use of psychosocial…

Meeting the educational demands of the future will be expensive; however, in most states, public schools from kindergarten through the university level already experience budgetary challenges. Policymakers face the challenge of motivating taxpayers to provide the funds needed to meet mounting education needs. In this volume, Carroll and Erkut…

This article discusses the challenging process of developing a common data set for independent living programs serving older adults who are visually impaired. The three-year project, which included collaborative efforts among many stakeholders that encompass diverse program models, resulted in the development of the Internet-based Nationally…

This article describes national trends in outcomes of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) program, with a focus on adults with developmental disabilities during the period of 1995 to 2005. Findings show that the VR program has made substantial progress in excluding extended employment from the array of possible employment closures. Efforts are…

The researchers analyzed data from fiscal year 2006 and found that American Indians/Native Alaskans (AI/NA) with traumatic brain injury experienced similar functional limitations at application as did non-AI/NA. Fewer funds were expended on purchased services for AI/NA than for non-AI/NA. The wages of AI/NA were equitable to those of non-AI/NA at…

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the United States for persons aged 60 and older. Compared to individuals without disabilities, individuals with low vision demonstrate a 15% to 30% higher dependence on others to perform activities of daily living. In addition, low vision can adversely affect a person's quality of life.…

Discusses the pretrial diversion movement as a client-centered "helping" approach designed to replace the antiquated punitive orientation. Suggests that the diversion movement has failed to achieve most of the reforms or goals originally formulated. Proposes that its survival is dependent upon sufficiently serving the political interests…

Persons who are elderly, visually impaired, and primary caregivers for ailing or disabled spouses or significant others are a unique population that has not been studied previously. By definition, "informal caregivers" are family members or friends who provide unpaid day-to-day assistance with activities of daily living and are familiar with the…

A preliminary review of substance abuse treatment admission data from 2001-2005 was conducted to explore the use of methamphetamine among American Indians in treatment programs funded by Los Angeles County. Comparisons were made between primary methamphetamine users and users whose primary drug was a substance other than methamphetamine. In that…

Surveyed directors of 123 independent living programs to analyze the ways in which independent living programs use peer counseling. Results showed that although many programs offer peer counseling services, content and goals vary dramatically. (BH)

A global study of 127 hospitalized physically disabled patients of George Morris Piersol Rehabilitation Center, University of Pennsylvania and the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service of the Veterans Administration Hospital, Philadelphia, concludes that length of hospital stay bore no consistent relationship to patients' overall degree of…

Objective: The authors aimed to gain information on (1) the challenges for recovering students on a university campus and (2) the most helpful components of a collegiate recovery program. Participants: The 15 students in the study were all in recovery from substance abuse. They entered the university and also entered the campus recovery program…

This study builds on existing research investigating the stigma-reducing strategies specific to rehabilitation service providers by comparing differences in education levels and degree of contact among rehabilitation service providers. Rehabilitation service providers with master's level and bachelor level education showed significant differences…